Sword of the Stars demo

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Zanzibar · #16 Post by **Zanzibar** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:13 pm

One more negative: only 4 races in the final version. Hopefully they add an expansion or something!!

Moriarty · #17 Post by **Moriarty** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:28 pm

Yes, but each of those four races is unique and different (i.e. in the way they move around).
Go down the MOO route and all the races are fundamentally near-identical apart from a few performance modifiers in tech/manufacturing/whatever.

I know it's a demo, but they boast 150 techs, that isn't really much compared to other games.

Well is that 150 tech levels or just 150 tech items?
150 tech levels isn't bad (Stars! had 156 tech levels for instance). I suppose it's average.
Of course if that's the total tech levels and seeing as you don't get access to all tech in any one game (as it's random) it may be a little low.

marhawkman · #18 Post by **marhawkman** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:30 pm

I currently file this game as "in developement". I think the next version of the game they'll take the current "full" version and make it the demo, and have a much nicer full game. Now to try it out.....

marhawkman · #19 Post by **marhawkman** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:22 pm

ARGGGG!!!! I STILL can't get it....

utilae · #20 Post by **utilae** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:36 pm

Sounds manageable, but still new players would not know this. I actually thought that they would just move slowly since they said they would travel there using a method that was not node drive.

Zanzibar · #21 Post by **Zanzibar** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:44 pm

utilae wrote:Sounds manageable, but still new players would not know this. I actually thought that they would just move slowly since they said they would travel there using a method that was not node drive.

They do move slowly... they get there in about 50 turns... hehe

marhawkman · #22 Post by **marhawkman** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:45 pm

Hmm.... My initial impression? Research isn't that hard. Being able to buy research OR do it the hard is nice. Ships don't take much to build either. (assuming you have the money) It's the fuel system that's annoying. way too little in the Tarkan ships... You start out with a max range of 11 BUT that's not the distance you can go from your territory, it's the total distance your ship can travel, before running out of fuel and getting stranded. Tankers are SO vitalllll It's not funny. BAD!!!!

I liked the rest of the game though. I'd just barely managed to find a halfway decent planet before I had to quit and go to work.

Zanzibar · #23 Post by **Zanzibar** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:16 pm

marhawkman wrote:Hmm.... My initial impression? Research isn't that hard. Being able to buy research OR do it the hard is nice. Ships don't take much to build either. (assuming you have the money) It's the fuel system that's annoying. way too little in the Tarkan ships... You start out with a max range of 11 BUT that's not the distance you can go from your territory, it's the total distance your ship can travel, before running out of fuel and getting stranded. Tankers are SO vitalllll It's not funny. BAD!!!!

I liked the rest of the game though. I'd just barely managed to find a halfway decent planet before I had to quit and go to work.

CONCEPT: Every ship that you can design in this game has a purpose!! It's called... STRATEGY. Sorry if you failed to grasp this concept. Perhaps you should go play Diablo II instead of a strategy game?

marhawkman · #24 Post by **marhawkman** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 7:29 pm

Zanzibar wrote:CONCEPT: Every ship that you can design in this game has a purpose!! It's called... STRATEGY. Sorry if you failed to grasp this concept. Perhaps you should go play Diablo II instead of a strategy game?

Been there done that. It got boring. Heck MODDING D2X got boring. My point was that even with the best drives available Tarkans have sucky range. REALLY sucky range.

Humans.... not anywhere near as bad.

marhawkman · #25 Post by **marhawkman** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 1:19 am

Hmm.... I found a non-meteor Special event!!!

But it's about as fun......

Space Hive!!!
Something really big that acts as a carrier. A bunch of really small ships the size of fighters come out of it and attack any ship that enters the system.

It's about the same as the various space monsters in MoO2 though. Kill it and you don'ty have to see it again, unless you find another one.

Zanzibar · #26 Post by **Zanzibar** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 3:52 am

marhawkman wrote:Hmm.... I found a non-meteor Special event!!!

But it's about as fun......

Space Hive!!!
Something really big that acts as a carrier. A bunch of really small ships the size of fighters come out of it and attack any ship that enters the system.

It's about the same as the various space monsters in MoO2 though. Kill it and you don'ty have to see it again, unless you find another one.

A 1st turn, extended range ship can take 'em out... all you do? Target the big rock they are flying out of!! If that blows up (yeah, it's a suicide run...)... but once it's destroyed, the system is yours!!

Zanzibar · #27 Post by **Zanzibar** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 3:56 am

marhawkman wrote:Been there done that. It got boring. Heck MODDING D2X got boring. My point was that even with the best drives available Tarkans have sucky range. REALLY sucky range.

Humans.... not anywhere near as bad.

Yes, but Tarkas get a really neat production bonus, plus thier ships have more guns!! Send in a massive amount of ships and blow those pesky humans away! So what if our ships fly a bit slower?? It's all good...

marhawkman · #28 Post by **marhawkman** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 12:02 am

I switched to playing as Humans(me) Vs. the Tarkas. Sor far I've taken over almost the entire galaxy.... I've honestly not found their weaponry to be that much better. It's mainly that they can mount 2 medium weapons (I think).

As for the hives.... 5 Armor ships with decent wapons can take em easily. Lightning guns with missiles make the idea combination.

Zanzibar · #29 Post by **Zanzibar** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 2:47 pm

marhawkman wrote:I switched to playing as Humans(me) Vs. the Tarkas. Sor far I've taken over almost the entire galaxy.... I've honestly not found their weaponry to be that much better. It's mainly that they can mount 2 medium weapons (I think).

As for the hives.... 5 Armor ships with decent wapons can take em easily. Lightning guns with missiles make the idea combination.

Bleh... just get in REAL close with a 1st turn, extended range and laugh as the bugs take thier own nest out... hehe... Actually, once Fusion engines are researched you get THREE medium mounts!! Which, is a huge advantage in combat. Again, not too hard to win as the lizards if you can get the strategy behind it. Sure, it's a bit harder learning curve... and you don't get those 2 or 3 turn jumps like humans do... but trust me, it can be done!!

marhawkman · #30 Post by **marhawkman** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:11 pm

Zanzibar wrote:
marhawkman wrote:I switched to playing as Humans(me) Vs. the Tarkas. Sor far I've taken over almost the entire galaxy.... I've honestly not found their weaponry to be that much better. It's mainly that they can mount 2 medium weapons (I think).

As for the hives.... 5 Armor ships with decent wapons can take em easily. Lightning guns with missiles make the idea combination.
Bleh... just get in REAL close with a 1st turn, extended range and laugh as the bugs take thier own nest out... hehe... Actually, once Fusion engines are researched you get THREE medium mounts!! Which, is a huge advantage in combat. Again, not too hard to win as the lizards if you can get the strategy behind it. Sure, it's a bit harder learning curve... and you don't get those 2 or 3 turn jumps like humans do... but trust me, it can be done!!

Hmm... I guess I'll try it..... but the Tarkas have only about half the range humans do..... And their speed is lesser....

As for the hives... Are you sure you could get a ship to survive that long? I usually have at least one ship get blown up before I get there.

I DO have one major gripe with the game. Thus far I have not been able to figure out how to change the focus of the combat screen. The map is centered on the "lead" ship of my fleet and when that ship gets destroyed the focus can't be changed at all. Often leaving me with a very impractical veiwing angle that can't be changed and annoys the heck out of me.