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Sins Community Update

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Sins Community Update

from Sins Forums

I want to extend our thanks to everyone who's been providing feedback so far on the Sins beta test. We've gained a lot of great information from our beta testers and from the Sins community as a whole.  This post is to give everyone an update on the progress of the game and where we're going from here. At the end of this post you'll also find two exclusive new shots from our internal builds to speculate over.

The first thing to expect in the next couple of months is a completely redesigned Sins website. The new site will contain up-to-date information on the game, new screenshots, and more. We'll also be releasing a fan-site kit in the future for those of you who may want to put up your own pages about Sins. In mid-June, everyone can look forward to the Beta 2 release of Sins. Beta 2 will remain TEC only and the focus will be on single-player gameplay dynamics.

At this point, some of you are probably thinking, "Isn't June a bit late for Beta 2 if the game's going to ship in August?" After reading everyone's ideas and feedback so far on Beta 1, Ironclad and Stardock have decided to push Sins' release back to February 2008. We realize this will be a disappointment to some of you, but the simple fact is that we all want to release the best game possible. The extra time will allow us to add more depth and features to Sins, including some stuff we had only wished we had time for previously.  This extended release schedule means there will be two additional betas after Beta 2 that will focus on multiplayer content.

Thank you all for your continued support!

Sins Shot      Sins Shot

135,044 views 132 replies
Reply #76 from Sins Forums Top

seriously, I like the move back. that was a positive action.
however I seriously feel like the beta is planned as far too close to release. I'm not asking for line by line of new code day by day, thats rediculous. but its also rediculous to not get even 1/3 of the units and hope for some sort of useful feedback. I realize that the beta was never in your plans to be about gameplay dynamic this early. but I fear that if we wait, we wont be able to affect that any way anyhow. frankly I'm worried about making a meaningful contribution, which will not be possible a short 4 months before release.


Now that is the kind of post which garners support and warrants serious consideration within the community.
Reply #77 from Sins Forums Top
hopefully that'll resonate better with people.
Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #78 from Sins Forums Top
@TGE - The simply answer to your question is that I am just another voice in the collective consciousness of the community. Free to express my opinion just as you are to a degree. Understanding and more importantly knowing where to draw the line between personal liberties & community responsibilities as well as what is acceptable within a given group is essential if one desires successful acceptance within the group - Food for thought.

Regarding your comment about morales, it is off base because I did not call his morales into question. I merely commented or provided feedback on the tone and manner of his posts from my perspective.

I do however find your anarchistic postulation on social dynamics amusing given you started your passage off calling into question my capacity to comment on another's posts.
Reply #79 from Sins Forums Top
I do however find your anarchistic postulation on social dynamics amusing given you started your passage off calling into question my capacity to comment on another's posts.


some people think that they are they only ones who can speak freely/mostly freely such as the scandal with the shock jock

you have to ask yourself if the girls had been white and the jock had been african american of jesse jackson and al sharpton would have been just as vocal

Reply #80 from Sins Forums Top
@Spartan
Isn't SSNinjas' only responsibility here to give his honest feedback and impressions of the beta? The moderators and forum rules dictate what is and is not acceptable here...seeing as how Ninjas' hasn't been banned it appears he's not violated too many of the rules.

Now, maybe TGE's post has been edited but where does he take objection to your right* to comment on others' posts? (*I'm assuming you weren't using 'capacity' to mean 'ability')

Also, what/where is TGE's 'anarchistic postulation on social dynamics' ?
Reply #81 from Sins Forums Top
Seeing how we are off topic here by a few astronomical units this will be my last comment of this nature in this thread.

@Nyguist - No where did I claim or imply Schem was breaking the rules nor did I advocate him not speaking honestly about his feelings (see his follow up post and my response as verification). I merely provided feedback about how I perceived the nature or tone of his comments to be of a disheartening, disempowering, disenfranchising and alienating nature for the community.

Regarding TGEs post, he asks "who are you to..." So I interpreted the intent of those words to mean he takes/took objection to my commenting or more precisely providing feedback on another persons posts.

As to your third question, his subsequent statements are self evident; at least to me.
Reply #82 from Sins Forums Top
ok, enough talking about moral order, just because I got pissy a couple of times. moving forward.
Reply #83 from Sins Forums Top
This extended release schedule means there will be two additional betas after Beta 2 that will focus on multiplayer content

double YES!!!
In mid-June, everyone can look forward to the Beta 2 release of Sins. Beta 2 will remain TEC only and the focus will be on single-player gameplay dynamics

double damn...

is there really a point in (guessing here) withdrawing the multiplayer? (other than forcing us to work on singleplayer). I just really wanted to kick some ass in-game.
also; what is the purpose of keeping it TEC? I can think of a few reasons, but none really sufficient to warrant not getting feedback on the Advent or Vasari.
Reply #84 from Sins Forums Top
How often have other dev studios have NOT listened to feedback from their Alpha and Beta testers... and churned out horrid titles?

I'm gonna give SD and IC credit for listening to the hands that feed them. Granted its gonna push the title back, but I would certainly wait for something I enjoy playing (and recommending to friends) rather than playing another sorry excuse of a software that I won't even pick up from the bargain bins.
Reply #85 from Sins Forums Top
Wether I appreciate the delay depends on what happens in the meantime.
I don't really believe IC is going to substantially change the game. After all, a lot of criticism was about the style of game-design. I'm one of those people who like games to be a window into a different situation. I don't want to look at a 'game' - the monitor should work like a window into the distant future.
That are two different approaches. Many complains and ideas have been about exactly that discrepancy. I wonder how IC is going to tackle it - I find it hard to believe that they'll change their minds and suddenly take a realistic approach to game-mechanisms.
(That was actually the reason why I didn't preorder the game. I hope the developers change their minds, but I don't think they will.)
Reply #86 from Sins Forums Top
In mid-June, everyone can look forward to the Beta 2 release of Sins. Beta 2 will remain TEC only and the focus will be on single-player gameplay dynamics

I can clearly understand them not wanting a full beta copy of the game in the hands of people that have not signed a NDA but I have to agree with Schem's position. I think that the as of yet unspecified reasoning for this position is not sound given that the single player will also be able to play the other factions. Therefore they should be equally tested as well.

On the positive side of things, they did add my suggestion to establish focused tester groups (read as faction based) to the official consideration list. So I hope this policy will be changed to some degree at least.

I think a happy medium would be to allow one of three faction versions to be downloaded and installed on a given PC at any one time. This is assuming that it would not be easy to mod the files to work together. I also assume it would not be easily done due to the AI system but I could be wrong given I'm not a programmer.
Reply #87 from Sins Forums Top
Yeah, I was wondering that too. How are we supposed to test game dynamics if we only get 1/3 of the game itself? Kinda hard to figure if something is overpowered unless we can try every planned option that the release would have (as in everything they are planning on putting on the release at the time of the gameplay beta).

Unless I'm misunderstanding what "gameplay dynamics" means, I always thought it meant figuring out what features work with what features and (in the case of a game like this) what units are overpowered and which are the opposite.
Reply #88 from Sins Forums Top
Just adding my "me too" to Spartan and Advalary's comments. In particular I think IC needs to address the reasoning behind why we will continue to "test game dynamics [with] only 1/3 of the game". I'm fine with IC holding back on releasing the "cooler" of the remaining two races...but throw us a bone =\ Personally, giving modders access to the AI would make me happy and could probably benefit IC as well.

Also, can someone tell me how much of the TEC we currently have access to? Can we expect more ship types and/or a larger research tree? IMO the TEC is really lacking in the depth department. I guess this might be part of the TEC canon (abandoning military R&D to focus on trade) but I doubt I'm alone in thinking that the TEC is getting stale real fast.

@Spartan
"...off topic here by a few astronomical units..." nicely put
Reply #89 from Sins Forums Top
@Nyquist - If memory serves, we currently have a highly reduced tech tree as well as all the core units for the faction for what that is worth.

On the topic of trade the system for TEC, it still has many issues to be sure; given that one can quite easily hit the 75% max maintenance with a very tiny fleet and only marginal planetary defenses within one solar system.

Regarding faction based testing I would like to see sub forums set up for each faction each with specific threads that focus on one aspect of game play for that faction and have maybe 20 - 30 people thoroughly test things. I would also suggest a general game dynamics forum for comparative system evaluations between each faction team.

Maybe two or three months later then set up dual faction test teams which focus on the factions only with no independent AI team capability.

Finally two months after that switch to a closed NDA based full game testing system with two primary groups. One to work on the spit and polish for the faction aspect. The second to work on the multiplayer dimension.
Reply #90 from Sins Forums Top
That is a very good suggestion Spartan. Especially about the NDA last few months of testing. This way the testers can give the game a full blown shakedown without the dev's worrying about the cat being let out of the bag about certain ships, features, and whatnot before going gold.

Reply #91 from Sins Forums Top
Wow... I feel very honored that there was an actual discussion about my post.

Well I will just leave it hanging there without further explanation, its true meaning never to be deriaved.
Reply #92 from Sins Forums Top

Must obey Zim....*drool*

*shakes head*

The plan has been to have a closed beta test of the game, but not until further down the line.

Reply #93 from Sins Forums Top
I feel betrayed...

so who will the closed beta be open to? seeing as how we spent our 50$ first us 1betaers should get first ________

a) Dibbs
b) Chance
c) Bite at the slots
d) all of the above
Reply #94 from Sins Forums Top
I can't say as to how any selection will be for potential private betas of sins, but in the past (for GC2) it went to those testers who gave plenty of useful feedback, were good forumers, and helpful in general. 
Reply #95 from Sins Forums Top

I can't say as to how any selection will be for potential private betas of sins, but in the past (for GC2) it went to those testers who gave plenty of useful feedback, were good forumers, and helpful in general.




A super secret beta??????

*****wants in***** slips kryo a crip $50!


Reply #96 from Sins Forums Top
so, to make it clear..
there will there be a closed, closed beta testing with NDA later on?
Reply #97 from Sins Forums Top
thats what it looks like multi.... I hope they keep it super secret else, I will spoon the lucky ones who get in, to death.....
Reply #98 from Sins Forums Top
*hangs halo over head*

Anyone want cookies?
Reply #99 from Sins Forums Top
*hangs halo over head*



how does that fit over those horns
Reply #100 from Sins Forums Top
its what holds it up.... I mean, try the cookies... they are to DIE for