Diplomacy...

Actually if you play SP Diplomacy is worth the $10 even if you lock teams.

Pacts, Missions, and Improved AI.

There's no reason not to get Diplomacy for SP, as the bulk of improvements you get from it don't have much of an impact on multiplayer.  Not to mention most modders are working with Diplomacy now, and will probably stop updating Entrenchment mods at some point.

If you're thinking about upgrading solely to play with random people on ICO, don't.  If you know people to organize games with, that's another story.  But Sins online is largely dead at this point.  You simply cannot find games most of the time, and even if you do see one the remaining community is so tight it's highly unlikely they'll save a slot for a new player.

I would find lbg's statement to be a bit off.  The community is less likely to kick you out of games nowadays.  There are fewer people around so its more difficult to be picky about who plays.  It does take a bit sometimes to get a game even during "peak" hours since diplomacy split the community.  I find myself going between the 3 in an attempt to get games more quickly.  If buying diplomacy is purely for the benefit of getting multiplayer games though it may or may not be worth the money to you.  The populations of diplomacy are slightly less than what I see on entrench/vanilla multiplayer.  It is hard to recommend buying it for multiplayer at present.

[_]-Greyfox

You should try unlocking teams. I like huge multi-star 10 player maps with 5 on hard and 4 on very hard. The only time I use the missions window is if an AI is offering a deal. If your always on offence it will not be long before you have allies.

Even when I play with my 3 friends we play with AI FFA and usually make alliance against AI until we are in good shape. Then someone starts planning to declare war by massing on an allies border or building in there grav well and we have the Cuban missle crisis. This can make for very interesting chat on teamspeak. "Get your dam fleet off my boarder or I will CRUSH you." But even with teamspeak I have to be diplomatic and secretive as more than once my mouth caused them all to declare war on me. Very fun and lots of laughs and games can last a long time so save for next sunday.

Diplomacy is a totally  needed upgrade for SoSE, it is defintitly worth to buy, you will see the better AI for sure.

But there is one point i didnt understand, if i play with more than 5 AI Players , than the game become a bit slow, do anyone knows why its so?

Thats happen in all versions of this game on my system.

My System is:

Cpu: Athlon X2 4200

Ram: 2,5gb

Graphic: Geforce 9600 gso 512mb

[MOD] The Sins Optimization Project 

This will help a lot  

Ironically, Diplomacy adds more to the single player game than it does the online multiplayer game.  Many online Diplomacy games feel just like Entrenchment games, especially ones where no one starts in an eco slot, such as 2v2's adn 3v3's.  1v1's in Diplomacy are no different than in Entrenchment.

I think you will find that online multiplayer is much more challenging but also more interesting and fulfilling than single player.  Human opponents are capable of real strategy, turning the game into a space chess match, wherease the AI is retarded in these regards.  No matter how much of an economy-boost the AI receives, it's still just a dumb brute and not a real opponent.

If you want to play it online, it might be better to start out playing the original Sins online first for three reasons.  (1.) You're more likely to find new players on regular Sins.  (2.) You don't have to worry about learning how to deal with and manage starbases (against human opponents).  (3.) The focus of regular Sins will be fleet-to-fleet battles, which is still the meat of Entrenchment and Diplomacy anyway.  To become a good player, you need to become proficient at fleet-to-fleet combat.

That having been said, many of the online multiplayer games are played on Diplomacy and there are many new people on Diplomacy, too, but at least half of the players are experienced.  Do note that the larger games, the 4v4's and 5v5's, are on Diplomacy now.  For regular Sins and Entrenchment you're more likely to find 1v1's, 2v2's, and sometimes 3v3's.

I think your best bet is to start out by playing Sins and Entrenchment online and to see if you like it.  If you do, then consider getting Diplomacy.

I agree the pacts are a nice addition, also interfacing with the other players I think was a really awsome idea.

I think one of the best reasons for diplomacy are 1) the missions for both other players and Pirates. 2)The improve pirate ability wich allows tactical use of Pirates and being able to into infinitey (By ether Warrants or Planet Assination missions) The more money you feed the pirates the bigger and more danagerous indiviual abilities they become. 3)The Envoys and I'm not just talking about there increase in allance but also what they can for the indiviual planets boosting the strengths of you allies which is very helpfull in what ever game you are playing. 4) if your not playing on team lock it gives more realistic diplomatic abilitie. Were it's not just about paying other players off or doing there dirty work. 5) it also allows for as many playered allied victory as you want 6)It also has a set-up for quick game A.K.A. Diplomatic Victory 7) finally you'll have the abilitie to have bonuses for having really close alliance and spiecial ones base on the diffrent factions strengths. These thing's really enhances the game. And can make quite a diffrence in the any campain.