Sword of the Stars

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siron
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Sword of the Stars

Postby siron » Sat Oct 22, 2005 6:40 pm

I think this 4Xgame looks pretty interesting:
Features Overview
? A return to the action-packed roots of the 4X genre with some new twists, including a 3D starmap and real-time combat resolution in a 3D environment!
? 4 races - Human, Hiver, Tarkas and Liir - each with technology advantages and disadvantages.
? Each race has a unique mode of transport between star systems, creating very different styles of play, depending on what race you choose to control.
? Slider bar controls and simplified interface to avoid the confusion of other games without sacrificing depth of gameplay.
? Over 150 distinct technologies to research on a dynamic tech tree that changes from game to game. While the core technology of the tree is consistent, certain offshoots are random from game to game. There is no perfect path up the tech tree to memorize and exploit, because the path keeps changing!
? New technology reflected in detailed ship models, weapons and combat effects. Over 40 weapons from six different weapon classes, in various size classes, from point defence, turrets, and massive spinal mounts!
? Players can design and build ships from three size classes - Destroyer, Cruiser, and Dreadnought - by mixing and matching ship sections (command, mission, and engines), then outfitting them with armour and weapons to suit their preference.
? Up to 8 players can play against the AI and one another over LAN or online.
? Choose from a variety of scenario campaigns to play alone or with friends, each adding more colour and depth to the Sword of the Stars universe.
http://www.kerberos-productions.com/sots.shtml

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Retsia
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Postby Retsia » Sat Dec 03, 2005 12:01 pm

I agree. But they do not tell us when they are releasing it.

Go here to view the interview with the producer

http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/swor ... rview.html

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ALEX|D
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Postby ALEX|D » Sun Dec 04, 2005 7:18 am

I noticed the game, I hope it´s getting to be a challenging MultiPlayer_game !

atm, the pic´s lookin fine ... !
The genre is tired because of a lack of innovation. Volume of content has become more important that the quality of that content. SotS is an attempt to go back to the roots of the genre and then build forward while questioning everything that has become rote.
sounds good.
Who can you play as in the game?
Kerberos Productions: There are four species in the game that you can play as; the humans, plus the insectoid Hivers, the simian lizards of The Tarkas race, and the waterborne Liir. Each race has a unique style of ships, not only by simple design, but the engine technology they rely on to travel between stars is quite different, adding to the challenge of both working as a particular race as well as working against another race.
no racedesign ? :?


I´ll watch the progress of SotS ... !

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Brent15
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Postby Brent15 » Sun Dec 04, 2005 3:50 pm

I agree. But they do not tell us when they are releasing it.
I found this information in the FAQ section:
When is the game due to be finished?

Conversations on the boards indicate that the developers are aiming to finish production of the game before christmas 2005.
This, along with other game details here:

http://www.kerberos-productions.com/for ... c.php?t=77

For future reference, is this considered a violation of this forum rule:
* No links to web sites that do not include information about Master of Orion.

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The_Tibster
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Postby The_Tibster » Sun Dec 04, 2005 4:30 pm

SotS looks friggin' sweet, howevet I'm with Alex, where's the race design?

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Brent15
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Postby Brent15 » Sun Dec 04, 2005 5:06 pm

So I have to learn other languages before they stop shooting at me?

You will need to research the language of each species in the game once to be able to communicate with Empires of that species
You start knowing the structure of your own species language and thus the language of every other Empire in the game of your species
You will not be able to research the language of another species until after you have made contact with an Empire of that species


OK, but even to chat with other players in a multiplayer game?

Unless both of you have researched the language of each others species then any chat from/to each other will be displayed as appropriately stylised 'gibberish', thus restricting interaction
(be careful sending random insults to other empires as they may finish the required language research before you do Smile )
While I am overall skeptical about the game, this kind of feature is long overdue.

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Retsia
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Postby Retsia » Tue Dec 06, 2005 9:58 pm

LOL!

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siron
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Postby siron » Wed Jan 11, 2006 6:31 pm


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Postby siron » Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:32 pm

Lighthouse Interactive to Use Popular Xfire Gaming Platform in Sword of the Stars

Menlo Park, CA – March 28th, 2006 – Xfire, Inc., the most complete, all-in-one PC gaming application in the world, and Lighthouse Interactive have agreed to incorporate the Xfire online gaming platform into Sword of the Stars, a breakthrough 4X Strategy game by the core team behind the highly acclaimed title, Home World: Cataclysm. Implementing Xfire's technology as a key multiplayer solution for Sword of the Stars will provide players a complete online gaming experience using Xfire's unique friend tracking, in-game messaging, group voice communication, and game lobby joining features.

....

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/swo ... id=6146720

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Time
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Postby Time » Fri Mar 31, 2006 3:53 pm

"You will need to research the language of each species in the game once to be able to communicate with Empires of that species :D
You start knowing the structure of your own species language and thus the language of every other Empire in the game of your species
You will not be able to research the language of another species until after you have made contact with an Empire of that species"
I like this part ! This is just makes sence! :D

You can see the resemblence to Homeworld.

Hopefully, they will add the customization of a race, like moo2 later, or in a sequel. Leaders too.
MOO1 Fan, MOO2 Fan, MOO3 needed too many changes = hopeless, getting older waiting for a MOO4 (still).

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Matthew
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Postby Matthew » Fri Mar 31, 2006 4:37 pm

This is an interesting looking game.

I think custom races will be difficult for SoTs because they have such unique ships and FTL technology for each race.

Each new race requires 3D models and textures for it's ships. It looks like each model has a high polygon count. That's going to limit mod builders who lack the 3D modeling skills and tools.

Each race also has it's own method of FTL travel so a new race would need to either use an existing technology of the orginal races or make up some new form of FTL drive technology.

I am a little disappionted that there will be no ground combat in SoTs.

Overall, this game looks very promising.

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Postby siron » Sat Apr 01, 2006 11:11 am

Actually, I really like it that they won’t include ground combat. I always thought it is a bit pointless in Space 4X games.

When you control the sky and there is no chance for an immediate counterstrike would you really risk to lose a significant number of your troops? Nope. And that’s the reason we have seen Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Therefore any ground combat in these games is IMO unrealistic.

What does ground combat add in Moo2?

Sure, when you bomb down you can’t use the infrastructure and you have a lower chance to gain technologies.

Technologies: Take into account that was just a moo2 game mechanic because you were not able to scrap more than 1 building per turn. (The more buildings the higher the chance to gain techs.)

In SOTS you have the option to “scrap” your whole infrastructure in just one turn. I like it. (In moo2 there were disputes between players if scrapping infrastructure on and on is fair or not, the AI never does it, and so the intention of the game designers was unclear.) In SOTS there are no doubts.

Further the Moo2 AI never evacuated its planets. Moo2 MP-players do this when they have the resources (or some kill even they own pop, again disputes about this). So, in SOTS it seems we have finally the option to evacuate and scrap the whole immobile infrastructure. I think this looks pretty realistic. When you have info about a space combat near one of your systems and you think there is a significant probability that you will lose the battle, evacuation and the destruction of the infrastructure is IMO simply the most realistic scenario.

When there is population left there is still the option to use bio weapons. We have also bioweapons in Moo2 but no kali player does use them even when he has the tech by an artifact. Why? When you think about it: One of the main reasons seems to be that transports are far too cheap.

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Matthew
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Postby Matthew » Sun Apr 02, 2006 11:48 am

Sci-Fi space games are usually unrealistic. The actual colonization of the galaxy will probably take thousands of years to first develop interstellar travel and then several thousand more years to colonize all the habitable planets. It may take millions of years to achieve it.

Sometimes ground combat would be worthwhile. Orbital Bombardment would either be ineffective at achieving total annihilation or it would destroy a planet's ability to support life as we know it. Both ways leave you without the ability to take over the planet and make use of it.

The challenge with ground combat would be getting enough troops down to the surface to be an effective fighting force. You would probably start with orbital bombardments to cut down on resistance but would follow up with robotic drones to capture and occupy the planet. An elite force of marines would take over government capital buildings, the media and military installations. That is assuming the enemy is somewhat like us. If they are a hostile alien race, that is just going to keep resisting, they would all have to be destroyed.

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Postby siron » Sun Apr 02, 2006 1:19 pm

Sci-Fi space games are usually unrealistic.
Yes, but when you add unrealistic things it should add strategic depth. I think it cause more problems in Moo2 than fun.
Sometimes ground combat would be worthwhile. Orbital Bombardment would either be ineffective at achieving total annihilation or it would destroy a planet's ability to support life as we know it. Both ways leave you without the ability to take over the planet and make use of it.
When they have figured out to move through the galaxy they will be able to develop cheap weapons to accomplish total annihilation. Sounds pretty space-inefficient to me that they use millions of soldiers or drones. And when they can’t wait another turn for further annihilation (maybe because of an arriving defense fleet the next turns) I doubt that the planet is that useful. I actually doubt that even Stalin or Hitler would waste that amount of human capital in such kind of situation. I am pretty sure they prefer to use cheaper and space efficient weapons of mass destruction. And when they don’t have these kind of techs the ground invasion looks as prosperous as an intifada. BTW, the bioweapons in SOTS keep the infrastructure alive. When you use a slow ground invasion I am sure the aliens will figure out to self-destruct any worthwhile infrastructure. (Like the Russians who were clever enough when Napoleon’s troops arrived near Moscow....) So I think that ground invasion which is not entirely one-side wouldn’t gain infrastructure nor technologies.
The challenge with ground combat would be getting enough troops down to the surface to be an effective fighting force. You would probably start with orbital bombardments to cut down on resistance but would follow up with robotic drones to capture and occupy the planet. An elite force of marines would take over government capital buildings, the media and military installations.
Yes, it is always the same procedure when you have cut down their resistance. And therefore I am glad they removed that part of micromanagement.

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Time
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Postby Time » Sun Apr 02, 2006 1:53 pm

"I think custom races will be difficult for SoTs because they have such unique ships and FTL technology for each race.

Each new race requires 3D models and textures for it's ships. It looks like each model has a high polygon count. That's going to limit mod builders who lack the 3D modeling skills and tools. "

Actually Matthew,
I was refering to the ships weaponry/specials not the graphics. Any game could ships for the 4 basic types of races (above ground, under ground, under water and gas giant inhabitants). Maybe a 5th space dweller could be added.
Once the ship designs are created, we the players could customize our ships for our own unique experience, fun :D .

As far as the ground troop combat goes siron/matthew dialogue, you both are right, to some extent. Personally, I think pop./troops are killed way too easly in moo2. Some of any race would survive somewhere, whether underground, or underwater. A race would have to convert the atmosphere/heat/pressure/water content etc. to perfect for its race.
Just look at how hard it is for us and Venus. A scillicoid might survive perfectly there. (probably a Toxic, U-Rich world) even if we nuked it. Ground troop combat is impossible due to pressure (assumming the other problems could be solved).
Races native to that planet type difinitely have an advantage.
Moo3 does address this (poorly) but, to some point, it got way too complicated for me.
MOO1 Fan, MOO2 Fan, MOO3 needed too many changes = hopeless, getting older waiting for a MOO4 (still).


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