ironclad-games posts

Sins of a Solar Empire developer Ironclad Games and publisher Stardock has now released the final, non-beta, 1.2 patch version of the 2008 space strategy game via Impulse. This new patch for the Trinity edition of the game (the original game plus the Entrenchment and Diplomacy micro-expansions) adds a lot of new and improved features.

The change log has all of the info on the patch including the new Pirate features, lots of gameplay balance changes, better memory usage for better performance and more. Remember that the next stand along game in the series, Sins of a Solar Empire Rebellion, is already available for pre-orders at Impulse.

As promised, pre-orders for Sin of A Solar Empire Rebellion have now gone live on the Impulse web site. This allows folks to put their hard earned money down on the recently announced and upcoming space strategy game from developer Ironclad Games and publisher Stardock. The title, described as a stand alone expansion to the original game rather than a sequel, will cost $39.95.

However if you already own Sins of a Solar Empire you might be able to get a discount on Rebellion. In order to find out how much of a discount you can get you will have to head over to the official Sins of a Solar Empire web site and log in. You will be able to get a $10 discount if you are eligible. Also Rebellion pre-orders will also be able to play the beta version of the game when it becomes available.

Sins of a Solar Empire fans who have been waiting patiently for a new game in the space strategy series will be very happy today with this breaking news story. Developer Ironclad Games and publisher Stardock have officially revealed the next stand alone game in the series, Sins of a Solar Empir: Rebellion. Big Download got a chance to chat briefly with Stardock CEO Brad Wardell via phone last week to get the first few details on the game which is described as a stand alone expansion to the original title which was first released back in 2008 and was followed up with two small downloadable expansion packs, Entrenchment and Diplomacy.

Sins of a Solar Empire Rebellion will continue Ironclad's mix of 4X turn-based strategy elements with real time strategy space combat, according to what Wardell told us last week. The biggest change in the game compared to previous installments is that there will be two separate factions that players can control; the Loyalists and the Rebels. Wardell told us that each faction will have their own distinct art style and tech trees that will make playing each faction a different experience.

In addition to the new factions, players can look forward to getting their hands on new ships to command including the truly massive Titan-class ships which Wardell told us are the equivalent to the Super Star Destroyer that the Empire uses in the Star Wars movies. The concept art for the Titan-class ship can be seen above this post. Look for other new ships to be added to the game as well. There will be no single player campaign in Rebellion, which is something that fans of the original Sins have been wanting for some time. Wardell told us that Stardock and Ironclad have wavered back and forth on adding such a feature for the game but ultimately decided against it.

While Ironclad and Stardock have not released in-game screenshots yet Wardell told us that Rebellion will have some graphical improvements for the original game's Iron Engine including better lighting and particle effects and support for larger maps. As with the original game and its two micro-expansions look for Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion to have diplomatic features alongside the space combat, exploration and

While Wardell told us last week that Stardock's goal is to release Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion by the end of 2010 he added that both Stardock and Ironclad don't plan to release the game until its ready. Like previous games from Stardock, folks who pre-order the full game will gain free access to Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion's beta test builds. Also previous owners of the original Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity will get a discount when purchasing Rebellion. You can check out the full press release for the game after the jump.

Update: We've updated our article to reflect that the discount for Rebellion will apply to Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity owners

Sins of a Solar Empire was a big sleeper hit for developer Ironclad Games and publisher Stardock back in 2008. Recently a major new patch for the game and its two micro-expansions was released. But it sounds like Ironclad and Stardock are prepping up plans for a major follow-up for the space strategy game.

In the just released annual Stardock customer report, company CEO Brad Wardell states, "We will also be making some important announcements regarding Sins of a Solar Empire in 2011." That's about as close as he would come to admitting a sequel is in the works. The report also states that Stardock's gaming/entertainment division "anticipates making 3 big announcements in 2011 concerning its future plans for the PC."

The annual report also goes into some detail over the issues surrounding the launch in 2010 of Stardock's fantasy turn-based strategy game Elemental War of Magic. As we have reported before, Stardock has hired new team members and is developing an all new stand alone game, Elemental Fallen Enchantress, which Wardell states in the report shares little from the original game apart from some art assets. Wardell also states that Stardock is still looking to hire a "seasoned lead developer" for Stardock's game studio.

Finally there's a small update on the long-in-development free-to-play MMO Society which was first announced by Stardock several years ago. In the customer report, Wardell states, "The project has not had full funding yet and the company is considering creating a new business unit dedicated to Society to allow for more partners on this ambitious project."

[Via email press release]

It's been a long time since developer Ironclad Games released a new patch for its 2008 space strategy game Sins of a Solar Empire. However today the developer released a beta version of the game's upcoming 1.2 patch. Players can access the beta patch by using the Impulse client. By clicking on the blue button located on the client's left hand corner and then selecting the "Show pre-release version" option will activate the update.

The patch notes for the 1.2 beta update are quite extensive and include an overall on the game's Pirates system, unit balance changes and more. It also frees up more RAM for the game's textures.

There are PC games on the immediate horizon that are close to being released. Then there are games that have been officially announced but will take years to find their way to our hard drive (BioShock Infinite is due out in 2012, for example) And then there are the games that are completely under the radar. These are titles that developers are working on very hard but haven't been officially announced or in some cases even admitted as being in production.

Big Download has covered these games over the years. In the past we have called them "Black Ops" games but since Call of Duty Black Ops has become so well known we didn't want to confuse you when we decided to do our yearly look at these games. So from now on we are calling these super-secret titles "Code Black" games.

The last time we did an article like this we mentioned several games that have since been fully revealed such as BioShock Infinite, FireFall, Bulletstorm and others. But there are still tons of games that we know are currently being made that haven't seen the light of the public eye yet? Which titles are we talking about? Check out the first part of our current list of Code Black games for yourself.

Developer Ironclad Games just recently released Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy, the second mini-expansion for their hit space strategy game. Now the developer and publisher Stardock have gone ahead and released their first patch for the game via Stardock's Impulse client.

The 1.01 patch for the expansion is actually quite extensive with a number of changes to the pirates in the game. There also been some improvements to the diplomatic side to the expansion. Finally the patch adds a number of game balance changes to the expansion that have been based on getting feedback from the expansion's players.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy is the second and final micro-expansion for the unique sci-fi real-time strategy game. When combined with the previous expansion, Entrenchment, the game becomes Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity, a fully-rounded Sins experience. Don't let the term "micro-expansion" fool you. Although it might not have as much content as a full expansion, Diplomacy significantly changes up the way Sins is played. Where Entrenchment improved gameplay by introducing things like fully customizable starbases so that players could build a stronger defensive posture, Diplomacy (as its title suggests) brings in a much subtler approach to conquering the galaxy. Using politics will unite the galaxy under your rule. Of course, interstellar peace doesn't have to be all about peace and love. Players who prefer to build up a strong economy in addition to fortifying defenses can now put that money to use by paying off more aggressive players and letting them do all the dirty work for you.

Download the Sins of a Solar Empire Demo
Check out the Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy downloads

Die hard fans Ironclad Games' 2008 sleeper PC game hit Sins of a Solar Empire have already gotten a small mini-expansion to the space strategy game Entrenchment. Next week those fans will get a second mini-expansion in Diplomacy while folks who have never played the original game can get it and the two mini-expansions together in the new retail collection Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity.

Stardock is handling the publishing duties for the mini-expansion and new collection and Big Download got Stardock's CEO Brad Wardell to chat briefly about what fans can expect from Diplomacy. We also tried to get him to talk about future Sins of a Solar Empire plans but as you will read later, he's not yet talking about it.

This silent gameplay video for Diplomacy, the second (and final) micro-expansion for Sins of a Solar Empire, shows a frantic battle as a starbase comes under attack. Features included in the micro-expansion are new technologies, Trade Pacts for resource boosts, and the ability to create and issue missions to other factions and players. Also, let's not forget that Diplomacy will bring tougher and meaner space pirates into the picture. Sins of a Solar Empire - Diplomacy releases on February 9 as a stand-alone purchase or as part of Sins of a Solar Empire - Trinity, which includes the core game along with the Diplomacy and Entrenchment expansions.

Those looking for for more information on how Diplomacy changes gameplay in Sins can check out a the forum post from Stardock's CEO Brad Wardell.

A playable demo for Sins of a Solar Empire can be downloaded here.

Download HD Sins of a Solar Empire - Diplomacy Gameplay Video (31 MB)
Download the Sins of a Solar Empire Demo (536 MB)