DesConnor

Reply to [Bug] Lum Damage [Dev confirm] in Technical Sins Forums

This bug has a large effect on gameplay, can there be a hotfix? It might not be as dramatic as the Akkan bug, but it is extremely annoying to have a patch that was supposed to balance illuminators and instead boosted them. Autocast bugs and graphics glitches aren't nearly as central to the game. Isn't this exactly the sort of problem that Impulse was presented as being able to solve quickly? It's not even a bug with an unknown cause? T

Reply to [Suggestions]-Politics for Sins. in Sins Diplomacy Sins Forums

There might not be any set political nature for each faction. It is very unusual for a democracy to exist during wartime, unless there is a severely restricted franchise, and any political parties would probably be similar enough to form a wartime coalition. Three broad types of government might be suitable for the game- monarchy, authoritarianism and meritocracy. They depend on whether entry to the ruling caste is restricted by birth, ideology or achievement (and self-pro

Reply to Colonization slowdown in Strategy Sins Forums

The coloniser and turret ploy just seems to me to be an exploit based on poor AI. If the game had proper planetary defences for neutrals, it might be improved. I've rarely encountered quickstart..? I'm not keen on it though.

Reply to NEW Patch Stat Changes Forums [NEW TOPIC: CAPITAL SHIPS!! 1/2/10] in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

If you're going to research starbase issues you might also want to examine the reported 'death from above' issue. where there is claimed to be a z-axis blind spot. If a starbase is used as an offensive weapon, isn't it then limited by being unable to leave the grav well, whereas anti-structure ships can? If a player wouldn't have otherwise put a starbase there, that seems to cost a great deal of resources? However, I'm pleased that the factions have become more dif

Reply to NEW Patch Stat Changes Forums [NEW TOPIC: CAPITAL SHIPS!! 1/2/10] in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

There's the possible Kol graphics glitch....? I also had a bug where constructors on one planet froze and nothing would be built there, if it happens again I'll send the replay report. Though perhaps not a bug for a hotfix- and the illuminator bug merits a hotfix, its very disappointing to have a balance patch that has enhanced illuminators- I'd like the returning fleets to be revised, as I don't consider them to have been modified correctly. The probl

Reply to [suggestion] Disable Black Market Toggle, Allow Resource Trading in Sins Diplomacy Sins Forums

I like Cykur's closed economy game. To make it viable why not make the black market dependent on the existence of neutral extractors? The pirates can be eliminated, why not the smugglers...? This would then mean that instead of randomised behaviour, the black market prices could be linked to the number of neutral extractors- perhaps including the ones at planets?

Reply to [suggestion] Make it so you cant see what the other guys race is untill you meet them in Sins Diplomacy Sins Forums

Also, can there be a third variation on the unlocked/locked multiplayer, where allies are locked so that an ai will take over for a drop, but the locked allies don't share planet and ship vision. Then you would have to rely on your ally describing what was happening- and they couldn't know what you were up to. Many commanders had to rely on the communication abilities of their subordinates.. One more time- why are players you have a cease fire with included

Reply to [Suggestion] Terrain in Sins Diplomacy Sins Forums

Just teasing- though if LRF is indeed the only viable unit, so that losing by -25% would totally unbalance the game, then naturally my map project Ice 1.181 'No Luck Involved' which consisted entirely of ice planets would be unnecessary... perhaps a new hotfix soon? Even if we allow that plasma storms and magnetic clouds are dubious, why is space junk pure fantasy...? You just have to imagine a civilisation that repeatedly sends spacecraft to uninteresting rocks for no appa

Reply to Sins of a Solar Empire: Collector's Edition vs. Standard in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

The box for the Amazon uk 'Expansion Pack' release has been revealed and it seems to be the GOTY copy. Though the text suggests that an expansion is included, this 2009 GOTY edition is just v1.16 of the original game? As the 18-month old original game is on offer at £11, the GOTY version at £26 would seem to be a tad overpriced without having any additional content? I had hoped that the GOTY version would have Entrenchment, and I'd have paid what would sti

[Suggestion] Terrain in Sins Diplomacy Sins Forums

If there are to be no new terrain types in the expansions, how about new terrain combat modifiers from a new set of artifacts on the planets? These would then be secret without discovery, good for ambushes... Also, a general modifier could affect LRF, to make up for the anti-SC plasma storm terrain: Desert 'phasic resonance' phase missiles -25% Volcanic 'orbital ejecta' missiles -25% Ice 'diffusion' beams -25% Only very slight changes, but they mi

Reply to Online newbie and online newbie haters in Sins Multiplayer Sins Forums

Pink, build a capship factory Pink, your capship can attack roids on its own Pink, you need to upgrade your planet infrastructure, you're losing money Pink, don't build any more turrets Pink, don't build any more cobalts Pink, you need repair bays. Pink, don't quit, why start a team game if you only had 30 mins to play? Joking apart, one of the more important reasons that newcomers aren't welcome especially in larger games is that they h

Reply to Anticipated Release: February 2010 in Sins Diplomacy Sins Forums

Ironclad should have put Entrenchment on the new release, rather than just 1.16.. that would help to unite multiplayer. There is, supposedly, a new Amazon.uk (not Amazon.com) release titled 'Expansion Pack' out at the end of this month, but I haven't been able to discover what this is, and there's no box screen. It might be just the leftovers of some ditched plan, but if it is Entrenchment on a disc I'll be very pleased. Its a year on from the first screens of the starb

Reply to Sins of a Solar Empire: Collector's Edition vs. Standard in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

Will there be a disc-based expansion pack? Though Impulse works fine for updates, I'm not sure that the absence of detrimental copy protection features is as much of an advantage, if the full version of the game is download-only. If the expansions are to be released on disc, when? As the expansion plans seem to have been finalised, would it be possible to have a disc-based game version that also entitles the owner to both m

Reply to Multiplayer GalaxyForge Compilation - Taking Submissions in Sins Modding Sins Forums

The new patch encouraged me to make a few more maps at the weekend: http://uploading.com/files/embbee86/The%2BCoronet.zip/ I wanted to make some smaller maps for shorter games, though without obvious rushes . I hadn't created any multisystem maps yet, either, and I wanted to make a 5 player FFA map just for the times when you're one short and prefer to avoid a skewed 6 player random map.&

Reply to Sins of a Solar Empire v1.18 | Entrenchment v1.04 Change Log in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

Thanks for continuing to patch the game, especially while you're busy with the new micro-expansion. If the solution to the Kodiak problem against Illuminators was this small increase in range, it underlines how deadly the Illuminator/Guardian combination is in 1.17...

Reply to Multiplayer GalaxyForge Compilation - Taking Submissions in Sins Modding Sins Forums

From me: http://uploading.com/files/198e9324/Hares%2Band%2BLions.zip/ These maps will eventually be available from the downloads section of this site, if the temporary download has expired. Double Edge, 1v1, 25 planets [IMG]http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5688/doubleu.th.jpg[/IMG] Preoccupation, 2v2, 30 planets [IMG]http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/8571/preoccupation

Reply to To All MAP Makers. Combine all maps into one dl file in Sins Multiplayer Sins Forums

Ten maps per creator might be too many for the multiplayer pack, if we want players to have a chance to compare them? Also, a smaller mappack might be much more useful, it may too much to expect the online community to have to learn more than a dozen new maps. I'm not sure I want to learn and play any more than a dozen new maps, and I'd expect contributors to be among the strongest supporters of the mappack! Wouldn't it be more preferable and much quicker for

Reply to [DEVS READ]The AI and siege frigates - messed up and irritating beyond belief in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

While siege frigate production can be scripted to conditions or made less frequent by the variables method, the LRF spam problem is a flaw in the balance of the game. LRF are too effective compared to LF- they should cost more supply (as a higher tech unit) so users need to up their supply early in the game, and be made dedicated LF killers, with a secondary role against turrets, being more heavily penalised against caps/cruisers (less effectiveness) and carriers (less sp

Reply to To All MAP Makers. Combine all maps into one dl file in Sins Multiplayer Sins Forums

How about- i) Have a list of map makers who want to contribute ii) Ask each of them to nominate one or two of their favourite maps, possibly compromise to get a range of maps from 1v1 to 5v5 iii) Produce a beta download, with a thread with screenshots of the maps iv) Ask for the maps to be tested online, and for reports and replays, over a couple of months v) Maps with 'votes' in the form of positive reports and

Reply to [DEVS READ]The AI and siege frigates - messed up and irritating beyond belief in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

I suspect that the AI may still inhabit game versions before 1.05... AI improvements might consume too much development time without having enough advertising impact. What the AI might need is an instruction that siege frigates are to be used when its own ships have the grav well, rather than when it spots an empty hostile grav well- if siege frigates are useful at all. However there is a solution, have the players design the AI. There are at least two successful sty

Reply to To All MAP Makers. Combine all maps into one dl file in Sins Multiplayer Sins Forums

Is this specifically to have one download for multiplayer online? A limited number of maps can be an advantage if they are to be set maps rather than random, as with set maps players have to 'know the map'. Perhaps after this time having a few more might be an improvement, if there are to be no new official maps. How about setting a strict limit on the number of maps, and also having a maximum number of maps per creator? If there was a thread, and the

Reply to Sins CE Boxes Sold Out! in Sins News Sins Forums

Amazon uk have an 'expansion' edition on disc listed for release in October, but I couldn't find one on Amazon.com- is this a genuine release? If it is, what will be on the disc, will the second micro-expansion be included- whether on the disc or as a 'patch'?

Reply to Casual players: Be wary of venturing onto ICO for multiplayer in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

I'm not fond of complaints about the host, especially one prepared to wait 45 mins to set up a big game. Chat gets busy with ten players. Why would a beginner start with a 5v5 match anyway, don't? One problem with the large 'pick-up' style is with the games lasting so long there's rarely the opportunity to play again, with reorganised teams. Single system 2v2 or 3v3 is often over quickly enough to play at least once more- and start to establish an online rec

Reply to Diplomacy: what if we overhauled the trade system? in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

Though like the OP I would prefer a more complex trade system, it might not be difficult to have streamlined trade that is still an improvement on the existing system, which is abstract in the extreme. First remove the 'longest trade route system'- as it isn't very rational and leads to odd strategies. Each possible trade route from a port is then assigned a value, both by distance and by the type of planets traded between: asteroid-asteroid trade isn't lucrative, terran-ice o

Reply to Diplomacy News - Dev Posted Here in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

I'm surprised that the only details that have been released are of a single new ship and the new diplomatic tech tree. Though it's possible that the developers are reluctant to announce more about the expansion until the new elements are functional at beta stage, have all the other additions caused problems? The decision to drop the third micro expansion seems sensible, given that all three were planned to have been completed thi