Some questions before I buy...

Things that matter to me, but aren't important enough for anyone to mention in a review...

from Sins Forums
Hi, everyone. I read about this game at penny-arcade, and it piqued my interests, and I started looking around. One of the things mentioned in passing a few times is the customization of ships. I assume this is just different upgrades to armor and weapons and the like, but can you also customize paint scheme and name? Whenever I play World in Conflict or other games, I always name my ships (in my mind), but I will buy that game today if I can scroll over a ship and see that its called the Asskicker II. Also, how in depth is the empire building? I'd like to be able to fight, yes, but also have a sort of civil capital, maybe a few home worlds, along with far-flung bases such. Anyone who took the time to read all of this for the few nuggets of sentient thought within, I salute you.
15,026 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
The limited amount of ship "detail" customization is tied to the color you choose a player, so you can choose colors like orange, red, blue and such, and then each ship gets paint/design highlights in that color.

Other people can answer the rest for ya....
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
You can name planets and capital ships but frigates and cruisers are just minions in your space army of doom. (Believe me, I love to name things too but you'll be glad its limited to your flagships and planets).

Customization in terms of armor and weapons stems more from research / auto upgrading (since its all in real time). In other words you don't research components and customize / build your ships like you would in say GalCiv2 but upgrading does exist. Customization comments can also refer to the fact that the game is highly mod-able and you will likely see a lot of new ship designs in the future that you can simply load up as a mod.

The empire building is pretty rewarding. The game is not designed in a manner that more territory = more power which is nice. There are of course certain advantages for having more but having 12 planets over someones 7 doesn't necessarily mean you are a powerhouse. You do still want to take planets and build colonies as your logistics/tactical points cap at a certain point at each (which means you only get so many different 'buildings' squeezed in at each. It means making smart decisions about what you build and where you build it (you probably don't want to put 4 research stations at a planetary hub thats bordering hostiles!).

Hope that helps. I imagine there are others that can give even broader answers - I've been playing the game everyday this but I'm still pretty new at it.
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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
I cannot believe that your decision to buy or not buy is dependent on the ability to name one of your ships "Asskicker II" (to quote you)!

As the previous poster has said, the game (for now : because with Stardock, you always can expect new features to be added, eventually) does not have a lot of ship customization.

You start with a Capital Homeworld, and then, can colonize other planets and/or asteroids, where you may establish bases.

The empire building can be very deep, depending on your game-setup settings (such as the size of the interplanetary and/or intersideral map, and the speed of the gameplay and research, etc.).

Since I'm a slow empire builder, not a fast-play fighter, I set my games to the "slow" gameplay speed, with "slow" research-speed.

BUY IT NOW !! The game is very beautiful and offer lots of customization, but at the moment, not very much in what concerns ship customization. "Asskicker II" might have to wait for an eventual expansion-pack.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
Thanks alot for all the answers, I am heading out to buy it now. I really only wanted to name my capital ships, but planets too? I CAN'T WAIT!!!!
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
Thanks a lot for all the answers, I am heading out to buy it now.
End of quote


I hope my Stardock check is already in the mail.

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
I cannot believe that your decision to buy or not buy is dependent on the ability to name one of your ships "Asskicker II" (to quote you)!
End of quote


Are you kidding me? Ship/colony/faction personalization is one of the best parts of the game. I have three different naming conventions for each faction already.