sins-of-a-solar-empire-trinity 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.

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

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.