sins-of-a-solar-empire-diplomacy posts

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.

If you're a real-time strategy fan and haven't gotten around to picking up Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity (aka Diplomacy), then this gameplay walkthrough presentation will show you everything you're missing out on. Divided into four parts, Stardock CEO Brad Wardell explains each of the new features Diplomacy brings to Sins. The introduction video is shown above and the rest can be seen after the jump.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity is available for purchase now on Impulse. Those who already own the base game and the Entrenchment micro-expansion also have the option of purchasing Diplomacy by itself. A playable demo for the original Sins of a Solar Empire can be downloaded here.

Read the Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity Review
Download HD Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity Walkthrough, Part 1 (9 MB)
Download HD Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity Walkthrough, Part 2 (91 MB)
Download HD Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity Walkthrough, Part 3 (75 MB)
Download HD Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity Walkthrough, Part 4 (37 MB)
Download the Sins of a Solar Empire Demo (536 MB)
Check out all Sins of a Solar Empire downloads

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

This week's new PC game releases include a sequel to an acclaimed first person shooter, a mini-expansion to a great space strategy game and a downloadable action game based on a long running sci-fi TV and movie franchise that isn't Star Trek. In addition to those games, players will be able to download a unit add-on for Empire: Total War (Elite Units of the East) and a new game in the Galcon strategy game series (Galcon Fusion). Also scheduled to ship to stores this week is Windchaser, a fantasy RPG that was first released in Europe back in 2008.

BioShock 2: 2K Marin takes on the first person shooter franchise with this sequel to the 2007 game that was first created by Irrational Games. The single player game takes place 10 years after the original with the player now in the role of a prototype Big Daddy in the underwater city of Rapture. The sequel also has a multiplayer mode, developed by Digital Extremes, that takes place just before the fall of Rapture.

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)

As we await the release of the second mini-expansion for Sins of a Solar Empire, developer Ironclad Games and publisher Stardock have released a new patch for the original space strategy game and its first expansion Entrenchment. The new update can be downloaded automatically via the Impulse client.

The new patch invalidates all previous save games but contains quite a few bug fixes in terms of both gameplay and graphics along with some improvements for game modders. In related news, the beta testing for the upcoming second mini-expansion, Diplomacy, has officially ended. Anyone who pre-ordered the expansion and participated in its beta testing will regain access when the final version is ready on February 9.

If you are in the current beta for Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy, you got a new build to try out today. Developer Ironclad Games and publisher Stardock have got a new version of their upcoming micro-expansion to their hit space strategy game to download via Impulse.

The change notes for the new beta are quite extensive and have some new content including the addition of Pirate Missions and a new Bomb Planet mission type (that seems self-explanatory). You can still get into the beta by pre-ordering the $9.99 expansion which is expected to be released in early February alongside the new retail collection Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity.

Today we come to the end of our 2010 PC games feature as we check out a number of RTS titles due for release next year as well as some other games. Perhaps the biggest PC game release of the year is in the section but we will let the feature speak for itself.

You can go back and check out part one and part two of our 2010 game preview that focuses on action and FPS games and part three which looked at role playing and MMO games. But we are not done quite yet. Tomorrow we will reveal our picks for the top 10 most anticipated PC games of the upcoming year.

Click on the image above to continue reading 2010 PC Game Preview: RTS And Other Games

As we head out of 2009, we are also heading into the very crowded release schedule of the first quarter of 2010. One of the games that's being released during this time is Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy, the second and final micro-expansion to Ironclad Games' space strategy game. This week the second beta build for Diplomacy was sent out to beta testers.

A check of the beta's release notes on the game's official web site reveals that the expansion won't have embassies anymore and has some changes and improvements to the diplomacy tech tree and the envoy cruisers. You can get into the beta by pre-ordering either the expansion or by the just announced Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity collection which will have the original game and both micro-expansions when its released on February 9.