General Beta 4 feedback

Concerns of the current build, no technical babble

from Stardock Forums
Home is home
I've put some thought into this and realised a big part of what I'm missing is a home. Some place in the game where I feel everything started. In most games this is the main base. In Sins of a Solar Empire you basically build where you go and call no place home. There should be some sort of Galactic Council somewhere that basically runs the show and calls the shots.

Space is Huge
Another thing is the Space Lanes. The systems are too cluttered together and I think that's a part of why we don't get that I'm in a Huge Universe feeling. I wouldn't mind if Space Lanes were much longer, systems farther away and travelling between systems took much longer time. This way you would have to plan and maintain your attacks much more thorough. Every planet must count for something and be an important part of your Empire.

Variation is fun
All races doesn't have to have an equal amount of ships. The more variation that can be put into the races the better. I appreciate the problem is balancing everything but that's where mainstream separates unique.

The pilots are alive
How come the pilots aren't trying some evasive manouvering. It makes little sense that ships stop all engines and starts all bombarding. No, pilots would spin and try and evade enemy fire as well as trying to get in better position to get the enemy. Standing still doesn't make anyone feel alive. Keep formation if ordered, and avoid enemy fire!
5,218 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
Home is home
End of quote


It really depends on the map size, to be honest :P Really, on the smaller maps, the majority of your income comes from your capital, and it's usually also your main production base. In that regard, your homeplanet is very important. Still, you truly notice it when you lose it, and everything takes -75% loyalty penalty and makes your income crawl :P Not sure what we'll see with new diplomacy, though!

Space is Huge
End of quote


Actually, solar systems are supposed to be further apart, they were in the previous betas and as far as I know their closeness in beta 4 is sort of a bug.

Variation is fun
End of quote


While Vasari ships cost more fleet points, there does come a time when it's hard to notice the difference between 100 ships and 80 (or something :P). The devs did get a bunch of feedback early on in beta 4 that a lot of players felt the number-of-ships difference isn't very pronounced and we did hear from them that they were considering making the differences more noticeable (though I don't believe we ever heard a direct affirmation that that's what they would do).
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
You didn't really interpret my feedback too well, so I'll clarify:

Home may be a philosophical home, of other importance than pure income.

Space, the distances I'm talking about surpasses any stage of the previous betas.

Variation didn't mean numbers of ships in a fleet, but number of buildable ship designs.
Offworld Trading Company
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Your starting planet is your homeworld/capital (which you can move around if you want). Losing it will definitely make you feel pain. :P  In terms of gameplay, the seats of each races government aren't really in the scope of Sins (except maybe the TEC). The Vasari have left their homeworld far behind, as have the Advent.

Space is fast and things only look tight when you're zoomed out. Try zooming in on a phase lane and see how long it takes you to move your way to the next planet - it's longer than I care to wait. ;)  The final game will have a built-in map designer with a setting that will let you spread things out further if you want.

For ships, only the fighters/bombers are small enough to maneuver quickly. Frigates/cruisers are both very large (about 500 meters) and capital ships are even larger (about 1,000 meters). You don't really see ships of that size zipping around. :P

 

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

Your starting planet is your homeworld/capital (which you can move around if you want). Losing it will definitely make you feel pain.   In terms of gameplay, the seats of each races government aren't really in the scope of Sins (except maybe the TEC). The Vasari have left their homeworld far behind, as have the Advent.


Space is fast and things only look tight when you're zoomed out. Try zooming in on a phase lane and see how long it takes you to move your way to the next planet - it's longer than I care to wait.   The final game will have a built-in map designer with a setting that will let you spread things out further if you want.


For ships, only the fighters/bombers are small enough to maneuver quickly. Frigates/cruisers are both very large (about 500 meters) and capital ships are even larger (about 1,000 meters). You don't really see ships of that size zipping around.


 




See there's a few solutions to be found here and you said them yourself. TEC has a way of being different from Vasari and Advent. Give them a seat of power, make it stand out as a feature of the TEC. This will add variation to the different races indeed. Vasari and Advent will not have that bonus TEC has, but could have some other racial feat instead. Small measure of variation added.

Built-in map designer sounds wicked, and will definately solve the multiplayer aspect of that problem. I've no idea how the single player campaign will be like yet so not much can be said about that.

And then there's the ships and their sizes. I appreciate your points there, if they was submarines. They're space-ships though and doesn't have to adhere to the same rules regarding friction. They're in space and moving them around would indeed be quite feasible, no matter their size or weight.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
While it sounds wonderful for a campaign or perhaps a massive sandbox setup, not so much for a "skirmish" map. Assuming we were in there, earth wouldn't be in every game because earth is one planet in a single solar system that really exists, not a randomly generated scenario, or a battle somewhere else. It's rather odd to find an immobile home planet that isn't supposed to be your actual home world in a 4x. Great idea for a boosted planet on a set map with sol in it, or a set map of whatever someone designs, but mobile capitals are a sensible addition when the capital isn't really your home world and it's location is of strategic importance.
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
I'm kind of in the TEC homeworld bonus camp as suggested.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

While it sounds wonderful for a campaign or perhaps a massive sandbox setup, not so much for a "skirmish" map. Assuming we were in there, earth wouldn't be in every game because earth is one planet in a single solar system that really exists, not a randomly generated scenario, or a battle somewhere else. It's rather odd to find an immobile home planet that isn't supposed to be your actual home world in a 4x. Great idea for a boosted planet on a set map with sol in it, or a set map of whatever someone designs, but mobile capitals are a sensible addition when the capital isn't really your home world and it's location is of strategic importance.


I think I understand the dilemma you're aiming at. If I understand correctly you're pointing at a multi-player game where there are several TEC's. Solution is that even though they're TEC they're of different factions but same race, let's say Trade Coalition and Whitelight Vanguard. Two factions, two seats of power.

This could very well be the TEC trait, to have a stronger position where they start out. Moving their capitol would have a negative effect for the TEC where the Advent and Vasari are not bound by that restriction.
Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top
No, the very concept of a permanent capital just doesn't make sense for a skirmish in one small area of space.

They're still in the galaxy, but the sides aren't focused around their base of power, they are focused around wherever they're fighting. It just doesn't fit the description when the actual home world isn't on the map. You're making a permanent command center when no one makes permanent command centers for a remote theater even now. They aren't functional. If this were a more traditional 4x like moo, your starting planet would be your homeworld, no such design here.
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
No one said they are permanent.