Sword of the Stars - a new 4X space strategy

[DrSpike]

Really? What was?

[Spaced Cowboy]

Quit spamming my "only 11 more days until release" thread.

[DrSpike]

I think you need to take your medicine SC.

[Spaced Cowboy]

Okay so I've had a better chance to look this over....looks like they have a camping at the spawn point issue, and a possible deal breaker for me: Fleet size limitations....I hate that in these types of games.

Oh well, I've got to have it anyway.

I've been avoiding the demo, I want the full game.

[johnmcd]

The demo is really very dull, you never really get to develop your planets. You just build a great big army of the best ships you have and then attack. But there is a time limit on the tactical game so if you have enough ships flying around you time out before you lose, also, you can build more ships in a turn than can be destoyed in a the tactical window.

You get stalemate very fast I found. Maybe the full game is better, and the changing tech tree form game to game is nice.

[Whoha]

interesting game, mid way through the demo tech tree there is a stalemate but at the top of it you should be able to plow through the ai, atleast on easy. spinal mount particle beams combined with the standard missile boat armors did the job for me. also auto calc ignores the restrictions on the numbers of ships(6 and 10 or 12 depending on presence of a command ship) and fights to the death, so that instantly resolves battles over planets.

You do get a little planetary control, the overharvest slider. I don't know if it does permenant damage to the planet, I haven't noticed that but you can speed up everything the planet does with it. I have to say though that I prefer this setup to the moo2 setup of having to build every building on every planet.

One game I settled too many -50k planets and went bankrupt until an enemy fleet came strolling in. that was quite unpleasant.

now though I'm 125 turns in, at the top of the tech tree, and atleast on easy holding my own against 3 other ai.

[Spaced Cowboy]

BTW, still not out yet.

Possibly this Tues.

I don't wish to be tainted by the demo.

[Sarxis]

Checking out the demo. How does it compare with Space Empires IV?

[Whoha]

Originally posted by Spaced Cowboy
Okay so I've had a better chance to look this over....looks like they have a camping at the spawn point issue, and a possible deal breaker for me: Fleet size limitations....I hate that in these types of games.

fleet size is moddable apparently, so if you dont like the 12/20/40/58 command limits you can up them. there is a mod for the demo to up squad CnC to 40 command from 20, I'll grab that. also as ships are destroyed any that were sitting around warp into the battle.

[Sarxis]

The game is similar to a lot of 4x games. But has a very clean interface, and is simplified along the lines Civ4 is. Looks like fun, but for me, I like a bit more depth in a game.

[Zed-F]

The depth is supposed to be in the tactical combat. Different kinds of weapons have different and often mutually exclusive defenses. Building a well-crafted fleet and arranging it in the proper formation is important, as is maneuver once you get to the site of the battle. The empire-management side is pretty simplified, but for me that's a plus as I hate games that devolve into micro-management hell.

[Spaced Cowboy]

Well I went ahead and ordered from Amazon.

Free shipping and a $25 coupon, so paid 14 bucks for it.

[DrSpike]

Let us know how it goes.

[Sarxis]

Big patch has been released for it.

Do let us know how you are enjoying it. I'm still interested in it (for the same reason I keep a passing interest in civ4: the Multiplay).

[Spaced Cowboy]

Yeah, I might get it by this weekend.