I have started this topic because I want to share with you my vision of an even better Sins of a Solar Empire. I love the game as it is and I would hardly want to change anything to what Sins is now. But, I have been thinking on this a long time and come up with a large and detailed description of things I would add to Sins of a Solar Empire, to expand it more and create an even deeper, more tactical experience.

Perhaps you have already scrolled down. If so, you will also most probably have noticed I put quite an effort in this. If you wonder, why, I’ll tell you! I have a large imagination, and with that, I came up with all kinds of ideas. I gave all those ideas some good thinking, and decided ‘this is it’. I want to tell everyone who loves Sins this and hear what they have to say. And, if the developers at Stardock read this, perhaps they will be inspired by my ideas and add something to Rebellion or a future (micro-)expansion.

There are four additions I describe. The first is Cloaking, the second has to do with Artificial Gravity Wells. The third is about Planetary Ground Invasions and the last is about Fleet Formations/Slave Circuits. This last one should relieve the player of intense micro-managing duties.

I am aware that some of my proposed abilities don’t fit in the HUD anymore. But, having in mind that Rebellion will probably expand the HUD anyway, I have taken the liberty to write my ideas down as they are.

That having said, let’s go! I hope you like it.

Cloaking

Winning a game of Sins has much to do with intelligince. Knowing what your enemy does, what moves he makes, what targets he attacks and defends, etc. Scout ships and upgrades that allow you to view enemy moment are very important to this. I have a twist in mind to this, cloaking!

Ships will not be cloaked when an enemy ship or fleet is present in the gravity well. Ships will only be cloaked to enemies viewing with a Probe, culture or keeping an eye on phase lane movements.

TEC:

A new ship with a passive ability that can cloak ships from movement in its gravity well. When friendly ships make a jump from a gravity well with this ship in it, enemies won’t be able to see them. Additionally, this ship has an active ability that cloaks ships in a radius entirely from view.

Advent:

A new technology that allows ships to jump to other planets undetected, when the phase lane used is under Advent culture. Additionally, the Antimatter Recharger can cloak ships in its gravity well through an active ability.

Vasari:

A new upgrade/ability to the Overseer that can cloak ships movement in its gravity well. When friendly ships make a jump from a gravity well with this ship in it, enemies won’t be able to see them.

Gravity Well Simulation/Artificial Gravity Wells

The Vasari have a powerful ability to slow down enemy movement towards a gravity well. I like the concept and think it should be expanded. I came up with a couple of ideas that allow players to create their own gravity wells. Nothing can be built in this gravity well, but is the ideal option to slow down an advancing fleet.

TEC:

A new upgrade/ability can be researched for the Raloz Heavy Constructur. It is then allowed to create a maximum of 1 new artificial gravity wells in a phase lane. These gravity wells force enemy fleets moving in the phase lane to stop at the gravity well. They will then have to move through the gravity well and make a new jump. The Constructor is lost in the process. Nothing can be built in the fake gravity well. it will remain the entire game.

Advent:

A new upgrade to the Temple of Communion. When a phase lane is under the players culture, it slows down enemy movement towards the gravity well. By researching the ability more and/or by having a greater culture spread rade, the % slow increases as well.

Vasari:

A new upgrade/ability to the Orkolus Starbase. It can now move through phase space and stop anywhere in a phase lane. When it halts in a phase lane, the starbase starts a very powerful gravity generator. This draws moving ships towards the starbase. When the starbase leaves the artificial gravity well, it collapses. Only 1 artificial gravity well can be created in a phase lane.

Ground Forces/Planetary Ground Invasion

I think that wars are not only won by space ships, commerce and culture, but also by footsoldiers. I think that soldiers who invade a planet and than fight in its streets, can add another dimension to capturing planet, without damaging a planet much.

TEC:

A new upgrade that allows Percheron Carries to also spend their slots on Landing Crafts, instead of Fighters/Bombers. For example: 1 Fighter/1Landing Craft. Or: 2 Landing Craft.

The Carrier can launch Landing Crafts at any moment when it is in a gravity well. The Landing Craft will attempt to reach the planet. When it does, soldiers will land on the planet and commence in battle. A battle will take a certain time, when the time expires, a planet is conquered. The amount of Landing Crafts that reach the planet, defines how long it takes to conquer a planet.

TEC can defend against enemy soldiers by a new Planet Upgrade, which creates their own soldiers. This will not defeat the enemy soldiers, but increases the time it takes an enemy to conquer the planet. A ground invasion is stopped by destroying the Percheron Carrier that launches Landing Crafts. Carriers who do so can easily be identified by enemies because of a flashing icon above the ship.

The advantage of using a ground invasion, is that only 75% of the Planet Health and Planet Population will be damaged. When you successfully conquer a planet, it is strong and healthy. When enemy culture is still strong, the planet will only be liberated. When enemy culture is not strong, the planet will automatically be colonised. In fact, it already is, but control transfer to the conquerer.

When a planet is being invaded, it will not give tax income.

Advent:

The same as with TEC, but then with the Aeria Drone Host obviously. Instead of damaging only 75% of Planet Health and Planet Population before a planet is conqured, both are damaged 50%. But during the ground attack, enemy culture is also strongly reduced.

The Advent can also defend their planets with a Planet Upgrade, the same as TEC.

Vasari:

The same as TEC, but with the Lansurak Transporter. Instead of damaging only 75% of Planet Health and Planet Population before a planet is conquered, the Vasari damage both 50%. Additionally, the planet becomes a Phase Stabilizer Node as long as the Lansurak Transporter provides soldiers to the planet.

The Phase Stabiliser might seem overpowered. To defend against this ability, the Vasari Landing Craft move slow and can be picked off by Fighters more easily than the TEC and Advent Landing Craft.

Fleet Formation/Slave Circuits

When I try to fight off an enemy fleet, I always rely heavily on supports ships that can heal and manage a battle. Often their useful abilities are wasted, because the supports ships to not stick close to combat ships or because they use their abilities on low-priority targets. I think this can be changed, by adding an entire new Technology Tree to Sins. It’s called the Fleet Formation tree.

For all races, it adds new options to Tactics Management. The Research Tree contains a number of upgrades that allow different formations and behavioural types. Before any of this can be done, the Slave Circuit technology needs to be upgraded. When done, it allows Capital Ships that are leading a fleet, to initiate a Slave Circuit. This means that all ships in the fleet, will move exactly the same as the Capital Ship leader. Same speed, same turning rate.

When this upgrade has researched, different Fleet Formations can be researched. A number of examples: support ships in centre, combat ships aligned around them, capital ships at the head. Or: long range ships in the back, short range ships in the front, capital ships at the flanks. Or: carriers in centre, combat ships in flanks, support ships in back, capital ships in front.

When a Fleet Formation is selected in the Tactics Management screen, combined with the Slave Circuit, fleets should become more effective as they stick close to each other, can immediately aid each other and the ships in the front give extra defence to ships in the back.

Another addition to the Research Tree is called Behavioural Types. This allows the player to set behaviour for a fleet with Slave Circuits. By clicking an icon in the Tactics Management screen, a new windows opens. It looks a bit like the Give Mission screen. In this screen, you can set the behaviour for the selected fleet. I have a format in mind and I will give a number of examples. The format is:

When [value, ships] is [value > or < or = or lowest or highest] than [value, ships], [value, action].

The examples:

When [enemy support ships] is [>] than [enemy combat ships], [attack support ships].

When [enemy long range ships] is [<] than [enemy short range ships], [attack short range ships].

When [enemy Capital Ship Level] is [highest level], [attack Capital Ship].

When [enemy Siege Ships] is [>] [5], [attack Siege Ships].

When [ship health] is [<] [70%], [use repair ability]

When [ship shields] is [<] 30%], [use recharge shield ability]

When [antimatter] is [<] [50%], [use recharge antimatter ability]

When the initial research is done, only one behaviour can be set. By doing additional research, more slots can be opened to write Behaviour into.