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NEWS: Tom's Games Review

I waited a couple days for SD/IC to post it but nothing yet and almost no posts from them the past few days. I think they are are GDC-08. Anyway for your reading please the very long review is in from Tom's. [read more]

2/20/2008 By Spartan in Sins News

Sinner's Digest: February 20, 2008

We're in week 2 since the release of Sins of a Solar Empire and it's been quite an adventure. We've got a lot going on, here's some highlights... In the first week or so, it sold more copies than Galactic Civilizations II sold in its first month which is saying a lot.  I don't know its relative sales ranking but it's in the top 3 best sellers at Gamestop, EB Games, Best Buy, and Amazon.com. I know it's doing well at Walmart and Target since they've gone through their entire initial ... [read more]

2/20/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

Sins Video Contest - Get Your Gameplay Video in PC Gamer

Since early on in the public beta test, users have been recording gameplay videos of Sins of a Solar Empire to show the game off to friends.  This works out great because Sins is a game that demos very very well and it was easier to get the point of the game across in video than in words on a forum.  And since the game became widely available earlier this month, we've been seeing more and more Sins gameplay videos cropping up every day. So, we thought to ourselves "Why don't we d... [read more]

2/19/2008 By Zoomba in Sins News

More Sins Reviews Arrive...

    WOW. On behalf of Stardock and Ironclad, I can say we're just incredibly pleased and thankful for the positive reviews that Sins of a Solar Empire has gotten. Most gamers probably think of games they see at the store being developed and published by huge companies. But the truth is, both Stardock and Ironclad are just a bunch of guys (and gals) who love games and got together to create a game that could bring classic 4X gaming into a real-time experience.  And... [read more]

2/19/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

IGN Review: Editor's Choice!

IGN's review of Sins of a Solar Empire is up! The verdict: Editor's Choice. The 3 page review goes into great depth about the game's strengths and the areas they could see improvement. The conclusion of the review is: We used to have to get our tactical and strategic appetites filled by different games. Then some smart developers started putting the two experiences together in alternating phases. Finally someone's managed to get them both together as part of the same experie... [read more]

2/18/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

Forums Back Up

Huzzah! We've completed our work for the night and the forums are back up and running.  You'll notice a number of visual changes, and you'll hopefully notice improved speed and general performance. Please post any issues you run into here.  We've done a lot of testing this past week and tonight, but if something slipped through we want to know so it can be fixed quickly. Thank you all for your patience. [read more]

2/18/2008 By Zoomba in Sins News

Stardock Database Maintenance Sunday, February 17th

When: Sunday February 17th, 8pm EST - Monday February 18th 9am EST This weekend we will be conducting extensive maintenance on the database systems that power Stardock's forums, articles systems and blogs across all websites.  During this period we will be locking the database preventing anyone from posting to the forums (new threads, replies, private messages etc). For full details on the upgrade, go here .   [read more]

2/14/2008 By Zoomba in Sins News

Gamespot: Editor's Choice Award!

[Full Review] Gamespot has weighed in on Sins of a Solar Empire. Reviewed by Jason Ocampo, one of the strategy genre's top reviewers as well as an expert in other genres, his review thoroughly walked through both the strengths of the game as well as elements of the game that gamers should be aware of (i.e. this ain't no 25 minute action RTS). You can see his other reviews here . [read more]

2/14/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

G4 X-Play Video Review

 X-Play has reviewed Sins of a Solar Empire with a resounding "4 pirates out of 5!" We lost a star (or pirate) due to not including a campaign in with the game. " Sins is one of the biggest surprises thus far in 2008, a game no self-respecting galactic grognard will want to be without." Check out the whole thing. View: X-Play Video Review [read more]

2/13/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

1up / Games Radar Reviews

The 1Up and Games Radar reviews have hit the streets! "Sins is the fulfillment of Supreme Commander's promise -- zoom in to see the tracers of a fighter squadron launched from a carrier ship, and zoom out to take in 60 planets and five star systems at a time as utilitarian icons" - 1Up.   "With most RTS games shifting towards fast action at the expense of real strategy, it would be an unforgivable sin for a strategy fan to pass by this game on the shelf and not pick it up." - G... [read more]

2/13/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

Initial Review Round-Up

The first reviews have started to come out!  Here are some of the initial reviews of Sins of a Solar Empire! Sarcastic Steve: 9/10 Gaming Steve: 9/10 Resonance Gaming: 9/10 Out of Eight: 8/8 Game Squad: 9/10  The major game website reviews are starting to hit as well. Stay tuned! [read more]

2/13/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

Sins Counters Update

Sins Counters Update   I originally made a large post regarding counters, ship weapon damage, armor type etc on February 2 nd in this thread   https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/?forumid=402&aid=174192 .   I just wanted to let everyone know that as of v1.02 you can view basic, rule of thumb, counter information by hovering over the button to build a given ship. Ed has also drawn up a diagram, show... [read more]

2/13/2008 By Blair Fraser in Sins Developer Journals

News: Sins #3 Best seller in US!

[Sung to the rhythm of the Jeffersons] Moving-on up to the East Side to a deluxe apartment in the sky Sin is at #3 in the North American market. PC: Call of Duty 4 makes it a hat-trick of No1s for the Infinity Ward developed FPS for the second successive week. EA titles, largely Sims based, ensure the publisher takes half of the top ten places, while Stardock’s Sins of a Solar Empire rises seven places to No3. [read more]

2/12/2008 By Spartan in Sins News

Review: ArchGamer.blogspot.com

This is yet one more I missed last week. It is very short and to the point but the promo image is worth very cool. Why is it not in the assets page (looks at Blair). I know may tend to disregard the blogsphere with regards to products but it is becoming Legion. [read more]

2/12/2008 By Spartan in Sins News

Interview: GamingNexus.com

Apparently I missed this one as well last week. I must learn to get some sleep. Anyway I really dig the opening line as it is a classic. It is "Forgive me Father for I am about to Sin". [read more]

2/12/2008 By Spartan in Sins News

Interview: KillerBetties.com

Aloha! I stumbled across this and I dont remember reading it before or seeing it here. So I figured I would post it so others can gain some insight into the twisted mind of Blair. [read more]

2/12/2008 By Spartan in Sins News

Take a picture, win a shirt!

So you make a product and somehow you manage to get it at the store where millions of people see it. Pretty exciting eh? Thanks to the support of PC gamers, Sins of a Solar Empire is now at retail in most of North America. Now, to thank you back, here's what we're going to do: Take a picture of you (or a loved one) holding a Sins of a Solar box at a store, post the picture here in the comments along with which store you were at and get a chance to win an official Sins of a Solar Empire ... [read more]

2/11/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

GameSpy: Editor's Choice Award

GameSpy has released their review of Sins of a Solar Empire. The first review from one of the major game magazines.  From the review: The reason that Sins of a Solar Empire works is that it truly respects and celebrates both styles of strategy gaming. It marries the grand scope and Nietzschian will-to-power embodied by the best "4X" conquer-the-universe titles with the adrenaline-fueled immediacy and moment-to-moment decision making of a great real-time strategy game. More than t... [read more]

2/10/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

Sins of a Solar Empire v1.02 released!

Sins of a Solar Empire v1.02 is now available for download. To get it, use either Stardock Central or click on the update button within the game itself. So what's new? We have the full official change log here .   In brief: Fixed a bug on Ironclad On-line where games in progress would sometimes linger and show as available resulting in a "Rejected by host" message. Siege Frigates now use more fleet supply and have somewhat fewer hull points. Pirate strikes come less often... [read more]

2/8/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

A victory for strategy gamers!

  After years of being told that PC gamers are really just console gamers but with different game controllers (mouse and keyboard) and that in-depth strategy was dying, we now have some conclusive evidence that no, that serious strategy games are alive and kicking. Behold: #1 at Gamespot: #1 at IGN: #1 at 1Up: And what about sales? #2 at Amazon.com, #3 at EBGames.com / Gamestop (And it sold out, they've replenished). Sales at other retailers who hav... [read more]

2/7/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

GameAlmighty Rates Sins 9.0

GameAlmighty has posted a two-part review for Sins of a Solar Empire today saying, "Think Homeworld meets Galactic Civilizations and you have Sins of a Solar Empire...only it's better than either of those games and represents a stunning achievement." Read the full review text at: http://www.gamealmighty.com/story-individual/story/Sins_of_a_Solar_Empire/ And the scoring here: http://www.gamealmighty.com/game-review/review/Sins_of_a_Solar_Empire/   [read more]

2/7/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

ArsGeek Sins First-Look

Games site, ArsGeek, has posted a preview blog for Sins of a Solar Empire today with their first thoughts: "It’s been a long time since I can honestly say I’ve been so captivated by a game of this type that I’ve lost track of time." For the full article, check out: http://www.arsgeek.com/?p=3509 [read more]

2/7/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

Games for Windows podcast

 The latest Games for Windows podcast (2/6/2008) features a lengthy discussion of Sins of a Solar Empire. To find out what the editors of Games for Windows (formerly Computer Gaming World) think of the game! Check it out! View: http://www.1up.com/do/minisite?cId=3148397 [read more]

2/7/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

GameSpy's first look

GameSpy has just posted their initial pre-review of Sins of a Solar Empire stating, "If all strategy games sinned this much, the world would be a much better place." You can read the full article at: http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/sins-of-a-solar-empire/849840p1.html Editor's Note: The on-line issue he ran into (and us too) has been fixed internally and should be up in a few days. The issue was that games in progress didn't always disappear from the available games list with users ge... [read more]

2/6/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

The Sinner's Digest

On Monday, Sins of a Solar Empire was released digitally. On Tuesday, the retail launch began. And so it's Wednesday. Where do things stand? As I type this, Amazon.com has Sins of a Solar Empire listed as the #2 best-selling PC game in North America.  Obviously, World of Warcraft and The Sims just can't stand up to the marketing juggernaut of the Sinners...cough. Meanwhile, Penny Arcade , which is extremely popular at both Stardock and Ironclad mentioned the game toda... [read more]

2/6/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

NEWS: Sins #10 Best seller in US!

Aloha! Hot of the presses is the first top selling games chart (I'm aware of at the moment) for the start of the new year and Sins is on it! The PC list is: 01. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare—Activision 02. Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Gold Edition—Take-Two 03. The Sims 2: FreeTime*—EA 04. World of Warcraft Battlechest—Blizzard 05. SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition—EA 06. Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword—2K Games 07. World of Warcraft—Blizzard 08. The Sims 2: Del... [read more]

2/6/2008 By Spartan in Sins News

NEWS: Sins is now listed on Amazon.com as #2 Best Seller!

Aloha! OK guys you all know the drill! Go to Amazon and post your reviews! Currently it is ranked #3 for ALL game sales this month (so far). It is listed as #2 for "Hot New Releases" and #15 for "Most Wished For" for ALL games and all platforms. Come on guys we should actively promote the game whenever and where ever we can as end users. Word of mouth carries a lot of weight with many consumers and media outlets. Also please make sure you use the right tags for the game. So it show... [read more]

2/6/2008 By Spartan in Sins News

PC World Becomes Enthralled by Sins

PC World writer, Matt Peckham, has posted a blog preview for Sins of a Solar Empire calling it "the most enthralling PC strategy game I've played in [insert something appropriately overkill here]."  This is quite possibly the most positive and hilarious preview we've seen to date. Give it a read at the URL below! http://blogs.pcworld.com/gameon/archives/006444.html [read more]

2/6/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

PC Gamer Gives Early Recommendation for Sins

PC Gamer Senior Associate Editor, Dan Stapleton, has given an early thumbs-up for Sins of a Solar Empire!  On the PC Gamer website he writes, "You'll have to wait for our April issue for the review, but I'm just going to go ahead and recommend that if epic-scale real-time space combat between huge empires looks like something you might enjoy, you should jump the gun and get it now - you won't be disappointed. " Check out the short blurb here: http://pcgamer.com/archives/2008/02/204... [read more]

2/6/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

Sins of a Solar Empire Retail Launch

Yesterday saw the digital launch of Sins of a Solar Empire.  Today begins the official retail launch of the game.  The following retailers should have Sins of a Solar Empire on the shelf starting today or by the end of the week: Best Buy (launched at 2pm today) EB Gamestop Target Circuit City Walmart Fry's Regardless of where you buy the game, you'll get the full direct digital service from Stardock. That means you'll be able to re-download your game on Stardock Central... [read more]

2/5/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

Rock, Paper, Shotgun Sins Interview

Following up their recent preview, games blog Rock, Paper, Shotgun has just published an interview with Ironclad Games' Blair Fraser and Stardock's Brad Wardell. Check out the article for insights on how Sins of a Solar Empire came to be and more. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1046 [read more]

2/5/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

Launch Day Impressions!

Yesterday marked the launch of the digital release of Sins of a Solar Empire, today at 2pm EST, the retail edition should begin showing up at retailres such as Best Buy. Here's some links to some impressions and feedback from around the net: Quarter To Three War Gamer Forum Impressions Comment here with links to yours and we'll look at making more Here are some suggestions on maximizing the fun factor: I saw some people talk about game pacing. The game has three game pacing m... [read more]

2/5/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

Sins of a Solar Empire Gameplay Example

So what is a game of Sins of a Solar Empire like?  Just like we did with Galactic Civilizations, we've put together a story based on playing a full game.  View: Rage of the Ishendi [read more]

2/3/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

Joystiq Talks to Blair Fraser

Joystiq has published a new interview with Sins of a Solar Empire developer, Blair Fraser from Ironclad Games. In the article, Blair tells all on how Sins got its name and how they've managed to maintain the fine balance between 4X and RTS gameplay. http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/01/joystiq-interview-ironclad-talks-4x-strategy-with-sins-of-a-sol/ [read more]

2/2/2008 By Yarlen in Sins News

IGN: Sins unusually low hardware requirements

This week's IGN blog on Sins of a Solar Empire focuses on an issue that is rarely discussed in the game industry - the problem of high system requirements for new PC games. Increasingly, new PC games will be released with extremely high hardware requirements and when they don't sell as well as hoped, it's used as a blunt instrument to say that "PC games are d0med".  The reality is much more complicated.  When you sell a product or service, only those who are capable of making use o... [read more]

2/2/2008 By Frogboy in Sins News

February 1st Developer Chat Log

This is the chat log from the February 1st Developer chat in #sins on irc.stardock.com.  I've cleaned up the log for readability and to remove extra bits like join/leave messages etc.  I've also grouped responses by question as things were jumbled a few times during the chat. Session Start: Fri Feb 01 20:01:21 2008 Welcome everyone to the Sins of a Solar Empire Developer Chat To start with, lets go around the chat and let everyone from ... [read more]

2/1/2008 By Zoomba in Sins Developer Journals