Presuming the future existence of a Sins II with an x64 version of the Iron Engine, the scale of the game would become absolutely unparalleled. Yes, the scale of the game at this point is mind-boggling, but with the addition of multicore and extra RAM, you could end up with such a stupendously advanced game that it would be held back only by the hardware of the user. Right now, we're stuck at 2 GB. Windows 7 Ultimate is capable of going all the way to 192 GB for instance.
Imagine the incomparable level of such a game. You would have maps light years across with thousands of planets, conquerable only by the largest of militaries, with upwards of 20k fleet capacity. At such a scale, even stars would have to have phase lanes connecting to each other, lest the map be completely indefensible. Such incomprehensible scale is what could arise from the beast that could be unlocked in a future time where the Iron Engine (or a successor to it) would be made to be 64 bit. Imagine going to the main menu of Sins II and under the "Play" tab, seeing the following options:
- Campaign: would allow the player to play through the war's primary battles from the perspective of a chosen race
- Skirmish: the same sort of things we've been playing
- The Great War: a single astonishingly gargantuan map of thousands of planets and greatly decreased research speed. Image experiencing the unlimited wealth of the TEC, the collective synergetic might of the Unity, or the unbridled force of the Vasari Exodus and Dark Fleets.
Image playing The Great War from the perspective of the TEC. You start with no military and must rapidly retool your ships to military action before falling to the Vasari threat. 10 "years" into the game, the Advent arrive on a different front and you must fight against both. As time passes, starbases are unlocked, eventually diplomatic channels open, and eventually rebellion ensues. During this, the Vasari Loyalists become unstoppably powerful and using Vorastra titans plow through the heart of the TEC with the sole purpose of escaping with all possible haste. As you seal the gaps, the more diplomatic Vasari Rebels begin to align themselves with the other races attempting to create a powerful "Trinity Alliance" (as has been called by others previously) to withstand their pursuers which crash into the Alliance. Imagine that.
I have no idea who would have the attention span to play such a gametype, but.. Dude... The SCALE! Can you imagine?! I can hardly. Sure, this requires significant advances in processor speeds to handle such a game, but it would absolutely blow people's minds.
Not only that, but they could add oh so many new ships. Defense Cruisers, Destroyers, faction specifics, etc. So many possibilities.