SoaSE: Diplomacy

**Hooahguy** · 02-10-2010, 04:43

I actually bought Diplomacy back in December, while it was still in early beta testing. But I was too involved with Crysis, ETW, and Rainbow Six Vegas 2 to play it, and just last week it went from Beta to the first official release.
So out of curiosity I put down ETW and Crysis for the moment and picked up Diplomacy, and played it for the first time in any length.
It plays just like the SoaSE games before it, but it adds a few more things, like a new diplomacy panel, a new diplomacy tech tree, and a new envoy cruiser, among other things.
The tech tree is interesting, and I like how you can set bounties on other nations, but the usefulness of the envoy cruisers is lost to me. They can be destroyed like any other unit, but have a 30-second invulnerability shield that activates when it's under attack. Considering its purpose is to go to enemy planets and get better relations, the fact that it can be destroyed and the fact that it has no weapons, the usefulness of the envoy cruiser is beyond me.
Maybe that’s just because I'm still trying to figure out all the new stuff and how “diplomacy” works.
The AI has been revamped, and even on normal, the game is hard, and the AI makes large fleets much more often than it used to.
I like big games that can take weeks to finish (I always found them to be EPIC), so I did a 2v2v2 match, me playing as the TEC, on normal against vasari and advent allies.
Right now, after 6 hours, I'm stuck at my home system’s sun, because every few minutes a HUGE enemy fleet will show up and start yet another amazing battle. So my main fleet, with 5 capital ships, 15 cruisers, and 25 frigates, as well as 3 fully upgraded starbases, with over a dozen formations of fighters and bombers, struggle to prevent the enemy fleet from attacking my lightly defended planets.
But don’t worry; I just made a fleet of 4 capital ships, 10 cruisers, 30 frigates and some repair ships and plan on taking the fight to the enemy!

I play Diplomacy with the mod Distant Stars, which adds many new things to the games like new kinds of planets, (a few) new units (EMP bombers and heavy strike craft!) better graphics, better battles, new techs, more buildings (does “planetary defense systems” sound interesting to you?) and new combat systems. No more dull battles with ships sitting still while they pummel each other to death!
On a whole, Distant Stars really improves gameplay, and there are versions of Distant Stars for all three versions of SoaSE.
If you play SoaSE, I urge you to try out Diplomacy and Distant Stars.

link to Distant Stars mod

**frogbeastegg** · 02-10-2010, 18:55

There's a new Sins gameplay sample written by Frogboy/Brad Wardell.

I haven't played Sins since the original release. Looks like the two expansions have changed it a lot.

**Hooahguy** · 02-12-2010, 04:44

it has changed, a lot. you should get it!

**Meneldil** · 02-12-2010, 08:45

I've been wanting to try this one forever. Alas, I still have Mass Effect 1&2 and STALKER2 to finish, as well as Dragon Age. Guess it will wait a little while.

**Hooahguy** · 02-14-2010, 08:37

im surprised more people aremt jumping on this.
pever?

**Crazed Rabbit** · 02-14-2010, 11:22

Originally Posted by Hooahguy

im surprised more people aremt jumping on this.
pever?

I tried the demo. 2D space combat? Gah. Plus it wasn't that exciting; ships just lined up and shot at each other, never really moving, slowly chipping at the enemy ships' health.

And after reading some on the science involved in space warfare, having defense platforms that can't shoot further than the diameter of a medium sized planet feels like fighting WWII with marshmallow guns and paint balloons.

CR

**pevergreen** · 02-14-2010, 14:04

Originally Posted by Hooahguy

im surprised more people aremt jumping on this.
pever?

Woah, am i that famous on the forums as well?

I'm famous on L4D2, but thats partly because my username currently is Chesty McBoobs.

Havent played Diplomacy.

**Hooahguy** · 02-14-2010, 16:17

Originally Posted by Crazed Rabbit

I tried the demo. 2D space combat? Gah. Plus it wasn't that exciting; ships just lined up and shot at each other, never really moving, slowly chipping at the enemy ships' health.

And after reading some on the science involved in space warfare, having defense platforms that can't shoot further than the diameter of a medium sized planet feels like fighting WWII with marshmallow guns and paint balloons.

CR

well, first of all the demo isnt very good.
its pre-patch so things are way different now. also, you can move the camera around to any angle.
ships dont line up and shoot at each other now, they have dynamic movement. pretty awesome.

**Crazed Rabbit** · 02-14-2010, 19:53

Originally Posted by Hooahguy

well, first of all the demo isnt very good.
its pre-patch so things are way different now. also, you can move the camera around to any angle.
ships dont line up and shoot at each other now, they have dynamic movement. pretty awesome.

Is there a newer demo anywhere? And I could already move the camera around; I want to be able to order my ships in three dimensions like Homeworld!

CR

**Meneldil** · 02-14-2010, 20:18

Watch this video to see how the game plays in the newer versions

**frogbeastegg** · 02-17-2010, 20:23

Sins and its expansions is the subject of Flash of Steel's latest podcast. 57 minutes of hardcore strategy gamers discussing every last aspect of the game. Between the three of them they cover the main POVs: fan of the game, a player who liked the original game but hasn't tried the expansions until now, and a newbie to the game.

I must admit that it made me want to try the game in its current and expanded state.

(FYI the Tom Chick in this podcast is the professional reviewer who gave ETW its first bad review, criticising the AI amongst other things)