Sins of a Solar Empire beta diary 2 – going technical

We have to hand it to Stardock and Ironclad Games, when it comes to sci-fi strategy games, they really know their stuff. After its successful 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) turn-based sci-fi strategy series Galactic Civilization, we were ecstatic to hear that it was making a new game advertised as a hybrid genre of real-time and 4X. Suffice to say, Sins of a Solar Empire sounded like a good draw for those who like playing either genre.

Imagine my surprise when I was asked to take part in the beta testing of the game and write a journal about it. The current Beta 3 test phase of the game, which started last month, already polishes all the features that were originally mentioned on their website and allows players to take control of the TEC faction as they build their empire.

The full beta diary for Sins of a Solar Empire awaits after the jump!

We have to hand it to Stardock and Ironclad Games, when it comes to sci-fi strategy games, they really know their stuff. After its successful 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) turn-based sci-fi strategy series Galactic Civilization, we were ecstatic to hear that it was making a new game advertised as a hybrid genre of real-time and 4X. Suffice to say, Sins of a Solar Empire sounded like a good draw for those who like playing either genre.

Imagine my surprise when I was asked to take part in the beta testing of the game and write a journal about it. The current Beta 3 test phase of the game, which started last month, already polishes all the features that were originally mentioned on their website and allows players to take control of the TEC faction as they build their empire.

For a game of this magnitude, we were expecting the minimum specs to put quite a strain on our PC. However, after checking out the forums, we were pleased to see that they were quite manageable. Considering that the game is still in its beta testing stage, we’re expecting this is still subject to change. Anyway, here’s the breakdown of the minimum specs:

Windows XP SP2 / Vista

• 1.8 GHz Processor
• 512 MB RAM (1 GB RAM for Vista)
• 128 MB 3D DirectX 9 Video Card
• DirectX 9.0c 1 GB RAM for Vista)
• 128 MB 3D DirectX 9 Video Card

In a previous article which talked about the basics of the game, I have to agree with most of the input that my fellow QJ.NET writer Sally B had to say about SoaSE being a game that might intimidate most casual gamers. The tutorial, however, was quite straightforward and covered everything that gamers needed to know to jump right into the action of creating your own galactic empire.

Just like any good strategy gamer, I decided to breeze through the in-game tutorial to see how the game works. There’s no doubt of the visual magnificence Stardock was able to squeeze into the game. The different magnification levels of the zooming feature helps micromanagement a lot.

After finishing the tutorial, I began my first single player match against the game’s AI. However, when I got past the obligatory loading screen something quite unexpected greeted me – for some reason the game informed me that I already won the match without even firing a single shot.

I know Sally B mentioned the game being easy, but I never expected it to be this easy. Promptly put the game on hold, I took a quick visit to the SoaSE forums. Apparently the bug we encountered wasn’t the only one other gamers reported. Other issues such as unit mechanics not following what they were designed to do, skewed research trees, and a host of other related threads on the forums took up more of my time than playing the actual game.

However, I once again reminded ourselves that bugs and other technical problems are bound to come up during the beta stage of any game. After going through the forums for some time, I realized that the developers from Stardock are constantly putting up new builds to correct the problems players encounter while testing the game – thus the need for constant feedback from the players through the forums.

With that said, I ended up registering and offered my own two cents on the issues that I encountered personally. To make a long story short, I ended my first gaming session with a long list of technical issues that I posted on the forums a day after. I was pleased to find that most of the comments put up by forum posters, as well as my own were quickly replied to by the resident forum moderator and Stardock developer Yarlen.

If any of you are interested in taking a look at the SoaSE forums, they have a comprehensive summary of all the feedback stickied on the top of the Beta Feedback thread there. If you’ve already taken the game through a test run and want some features added in there, now’s the best time to be heard. Personally, I miss the mobile starbases that Stardock lovingly included in their Galactic Civilizations series.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to tackle more specific issues as they come up. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the forums and keep everyone updated with the most efficient way to run the game sans the bugs and other technical issues you’ll most likely encounter. All in all, the game is gearing up according to plan when the game is scheduled to finish it’s beta testing period by the end of March and expected to deliver the final version by the end of summer.