Timmaigh

Join Date 05/2009

+76

The questions run too deep for such a simple man

So i finally found some time and will to play my first prolonged session of Sins II and while i think i see and understand most of the changes that have been done, i am still unclear about some things, thus i am seeking some explanation here.

First and foremost, what is the speed level of the current game? Compared to Rebellion? I am used to play all at fastest, even for single-player games, and this feels kinda on the slow end. I played the random map maybe for 2 hours against singe AI, did not even meet them so far, and research-wise i am maybe halfway the tech-tree. I mean, i have that many labs and those research levels unlocked, not half of the research topics done overall. Its been bit tedious at times, especially from the start of the game i found myself strapped for cash quite often. Speed levels need to be in next update!

Is there any other way to get rare minerals aside of producing in Refinery? Does it make sense to build more than single Refinery? After all, you only need one to produce stuff...does additional Refinery increase the speed of the "refining" process?

What about trade, how does that work now? Do i still need to chain the tradeports to maximize the income? More importantly, i built tradeports on chain of my planets, and some of them were "producing" metal or crystals instead of cash? WTF? Need explanation how this works now.

I found minor faction in my game, some traders. As i understand it, finding them on map is now prerequisite to black market trading. Though i could only buy and sell crystals and sell them rare minerals - would other NPC faction for change buy/sell metal or sell rare stuff instead of buying it?

Additionally, once i found them, they were apparently allied to me by default. I had "break alliance" button available, but i never did anything to form the alliance with them in the first place. I later researched Envoys and sent them there, but at that point we were already allied. This only led to my culture being spread to their world and them paying me some crystal bonus periodically.

Pirates - how they work now? There used to be separate button to deal with them, now they are only represented on the Minor Faction menu, but there is no working button there. Its cause its not finished or do i miss something?

Diplomacy - again, used to be separate research tree. Now i guess its part of Civilian Research - Policy section for Loyalists, as there is where you research Envoys and whatnot. But i dont see any pacts in there, which was big part of Diplomatic gameplay in previous game - are there not in anymore? Or just not yet?

How do you gain quarnium and what will you need it for? Titans?

I see Starbases are now built without the need of Constructor ship, just like any other Orbital structure. This i guess means no Starbase in neutral gravity wells or next to suns. Is this common mechanic for all factions, or part of the effort to make factions play different? So Advent/Vasari still might might be able to build in neutral wells? Bottom line, I hope this does not mean the end of moving Orkulus.

Thats all i can think of for now. Would like to finish my game tonight so if i encounter more unclear stuff, then i will update the post.

Many thanks for your response.

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Slow start? I would say you are unusual for a sins player in wanting to play sins1 at full speed. Atm only 10x speed is available. Many I know were saying they wanted a slower start.

Rare minerals can also be discovered and awarded to you as you explore planets or do other things? Or traded. There are certainly more ways than one to get them. More than one refinery enables you to build rare minerals more than one at a time.

Trade needs a chain of trade ports to get specific trade lanes iirc. The worst news I had heard here is that the other factions will have no trade whatsoever. The trade ships look really basic model wise compared to sins1.

pirates work once you discover them by the pirates themselves having an auction at random times for determining who gets hit by them. Its an event notification in the top menu that turns up. once you win the auction their is a button you can press to use them on a specific planet.

Not sure pirates actually function so far though. Have not used my auction once I won it.

There is an unlockable skill or something for a capital ship that allows building starbases anywhere as I recall? It was always cheesy building starbases in enemy gravity wells anyways. In theory this could take many years to do. Also cheesy having a starbase construction ship that unpacks like an in rella into a starbase then disappears.

titans are not in game atm

I am also only a game or so in. Still getting used to things myself. My advise is not to ignore buildings on planets and capital ship skill upgrades that are chosen in your own gravity well with a orbital repair dock or something. Their are 15 or so ipgrades to your individual ship you can choose from once researched.

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Timmaigh

Join Date 05/2009

+76

Thanks!

Regarding speed of the game, i absolutely played Sins on the fastest (purple) setting since my first game of Rebellion beta, would not have it any other way. Well, i suppose i did set culture speed and one of those alternate victory speed of point accumulation to one of the slower levels than fastest, as i prefer the military ways to win. Anyway, i was under impression multiplayer games are being by consensus played at fastest as well, so i dont think i am that much of exception - even if i never played competitive multiplayer myself. I guess it depends whether you, as Sins player, identify yourself moreso as RTS player or 4X player - i come from the RTS camp, so i like things happening at certain pace and not constantly wait for something to be built or researched. I detest shallow 15 minutes matches of the likes of Starcraft, or its 5 second long battles, but half day long matches of the likes of Stellaris are not for me either.

On topic of trade, still need further info. Why do some tradeport ore/crystals instead of money?

Regarding surface structures, problems with them is, they are locked at higher levels of research. I was busy to unlock tradeports, extractors, refinery and other improvements to economy, later combat units, on top of upgrading my planets to higher levels, before i got even to think about surface stuff. The only thing i built on surface all game was Civic university. I think if its supposed to be used more, it needs to be more easily and readily available.

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But you made me think of something else I have wanted in game from conquest frontier wars that make supply lines important. Fleet supply ships and crew that eat food and need medical attention. Marine boarding vessels that can board facilities and capture them.

As for the speed. I just enjoy watching the ships at normal speed. The only time I play sins now is with friends and we are all usually rusty and need the slower speeds when we do.

I think the whole point of you not being able to afford surface structures is that you are meant to choose. In sins I think most people expect to be able to research everything. Which imho meant the research system never really worked. There was not really any different ways of t playing just temporary differences.

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Timmaigh

Join Date 05/2009

+76

Quoting Norska,

reply 3

I wonder if traders are taking the goods or ore the planet produces. This an ice planet with a lot of crystal would trade crystal and load trade ships with them. of course their is no real demand or supply so I imagine they are just dropping them off for money at some random location?
I agree I don’t know enough about trade yet either.

But you made me think of something else I have wanted in game from conquest frontier wars that make supply lines important. Fleet supply ships and crew that eat food and need medical attention. Marine boarding vessels that can board facilities and capture them.

As for the speed. I just enjoy watching the ships at normal speed. The only time I play sins now is with friends and we are all usually rusty and need the slower speeds when we do.

I think the whole point of you not being able to afford surface structures is that you are meant to choose. In sins I think most people expect to be able to research everything. Which imho meant the research system never really worked. There was not really any different ways of t playing just temporary differences.

Regarding trades, it could be, i noticed tradeport at my home planet was "producing" ore, while nearby asteroids were producing cash. So perhaps the thing the place lacks the tradeport provides.

Supply lines ala CFW would be interesting no doubt. I see Conquest as precursor to Sins and up until Sins release it was my fav space strategy alongside Homeworld. I liked first Star Trek Armada too, which was released at similar date as Conquest, but at the time wished it would have multiple system map like it.

Anyway, i would be interested in localized resources as well. I think it will be what Falling Frontier will have. I wonder how that will play out. It may be interesting and increase immersion, because of added reality, but maybe it will turn out to be clunky, or more or less boring chore, and global abstracted resource pool is the way to go.

On topic of researches, having choices within research tree and not always research the same things that are supposed to be the most viable options would be indeed good. Then again, i think Sins already had that, at least in multiplayer depending on your position on the flank or in the middle people would either focus more on civilian or military research trees. Additionally, i dont think i played too many games, where i researched absolutely everything. But i would generally research the same things, thats true.

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