How does the varying orbit speeds of planets influence defensive and offensive strategies, especially regarding phase lane control?

Can players predict future planetary positions accurately enough to plan hour-long strategies, or are there factors that introduce uncertainty?

Are there any specific strategies or considerations players should keep in mind when deciding which minor factions to prioritize influencing?

Originally posted by Klaus:

Can players predict future planetary positions accurately enough to plan hour-long strategies, or are there factors that introduce uncertainty?

There is a button in the UI, which shows you the movement of all scouted worlds for the next hour and the phase lines between them.
It also comes with a slider to move between the current time and one hour in the future.

This allows you to anticipate how the planet positions and phase lines change far enough in the future to plan ahead.

I can't wait, I already bought it on epic, what can I say, it's the only game I couldn't wait for to be released on steam, but I'm still waiting for it to appear on steam and I'll get some for my friends, the game is solid.

no single player campaign? or atleast tutorial?

Beautiful :)

Great to hear that enough has changed, been updated, to justify a purchase.

I love RTS's (even though I'm pretty bad at them lol). This may be the first RTS I buy in years.

come on release it on steam. take my money.. take my money!!

Originally posted by Blackburn:

no single player campaign? or atleast tutorial?

No campaigns at launch - but possibly later on as DLC. Stardock have confirmed this themselves.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1575940/discussions/1/4355620416678580126/

For reference: Frogboy is CEO of Stardock.

Originally posted by Klaus:

How does the varying orbit speeds of planets influence defensive and offensive strategies, especially regarding phase lane control?

The impact is foundational - at every level of planning offensive and strategic planning you will have to be aware of what planets are currently near you and where they are going. Over time enemy controlled planets can move near or into your controlled territory and your own planets can do the same. Launching raids from inner planets that move around a lot is a common tactic. Choosing which planets to invest in more heavily is also impacted by how likely you are to lose them to enemy control.

Originally posted by Klaus:

Can players predict future planetary positions accurately enough to plan hour-long strategies, or are there factors that introduce uncertainty?

Nongenti's answer here is solid.

Originally posted by Nongenti:

There is a button in the UI, which shows you the movement of all scouted worlds for the next hour and the phase lines between them.
It also comes with a slider to move between the current time and one hour in the future.

This allows you to anticipate how the planet positions and phase lines change far enough in the future to plan ahead.

Originally posted by Klaus:

Are there any specific strategies or considerations players should keep in mind when deciding which minor factions to prioritize influencing?

Every minor faction is different and offers different benefits based on their factional theme. My favorite right now are the Viturak Transport Cabal, which have phase space oriented rewards to purchase with your influence. I'm a fan of using their Phase Gates when I can't build my own. The Pranast United were the original architects of the Argonev Starbase and have defensive rewards and auctions, including an auction that adds some beefy stats to your starbase of choice.

Originally posted by Unikraken:

Originally posted by Klaus:

How does the varying orbit speeds of planets influence defensive and offensive strategies, especially regarding phase lane control?

The impact is foundational - at every level of planning offensive and strategic planning you will have to be aware of what planets are currently near you and where they are going. Over time enemy controlled planets can move near or into your controlled territory and your own planets can do the same. Launching raids from inner planets that move around a lot is a common tactic. Choosing which planets to invest in more heavily is also impacted by how likely you are to lose them to enemy control.

Originally posted by Klaus:

Can players predict future planetary positions accurately enough to plan hour-long strategies, or are there factors that introduce uncertainty?

Nongenti's answer here is solid.

Originally posted by Nongenti:

There is a button in the UI, which shows you the movement of all scouted worlds for the next hour and the phase lines between them.
It also comes with a slider to move between the current time and one hour in the future.

This allows you to anticipate how the planet positions and phase lines change far enough in the future to plan ahead.

Originally posted by Klaus:

Are there any specific strategies or considerations players should keep in mind when deciding which minor factions to prioritize influencing?

Every minor faction is different and offers different benefits based on their factional theme. My favorite right now are the Viturak Transport Cabal, which have phase space oriented rewards to purchase with your influence. I'm a fan of using their Phase Gates when I can't build my own. The Pranast United were the original architects of the Argonev Starbase and have defensive rewards and auctions, including an auction that adds some beefy stats to your starbase of choice.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my inquiries in such detail. It's incredibly reassuring to see that your commitment extends beyond just the development of Sins of a Solar Empire II, but also to active collaboration with the player community. I was impressed by your attention to detail and your willingness to answer players' questions. Thank you again for your commitment. I would greatly appreciate the chance to participate in a future playtest on Steam, should it be scheduled. Such an opportunity would enable me to delve deeper into the game and ultimately craft a comprehensive review for my followers.

Originally posted by Klaus:

Thank you for taking the time to answer my inquiries in such detail. It's incredibly reassuring to see that your commitment extends beyond just the development of Sins of a Solar Empire II, but also to active collaboration with the player community. I was impressed by your attention to detail and your willingness to answer players' questions. Thank you again for your commitment.

Thanks for the kind words, Klaus! I come from the Sins community, I was the lead on a certain Halo modding project for some time, and Stardock and Ironclad's attention to the community is one of the reasons I wanted to work on this project. We have one of the best communities online and we're so happy to be talking to folks in the Steam side of things about the game!

Originally posted by uncle.paulie:

I loved the original game but this game just looks lazy ! Over a decade and you couldn't make new ship designs ? its the same same of everything ..........thats a joke ! This would of been an instant purchase for me but its a huge pass ! Graphics don't make a great game but a game thats great and looks slick is amazing to experience !

There are new models for every ship and structure in the game.
As well as new ones, in both form and function.

Originally posted by uncle.paulie:

I loved the original game but this game just looks lazy ! Over a decade and you couldn't make new ship designs ? its the same same of everything ..........thats a joke ! This would of been an instant purchase for me but its a huge pass ! Graphics don't make a great game but a game thats great and looks slick is amazing to experience !

I don't think a single ship is the same design visually and most have new functionality and there are some completely new units. Read the dev blog above and it'll give you an idea of what I mean.

I'm a little confused... maybe I'm misremembering (it's been a very long time since I last played Sins1) but didn't the first game play out across a galactic map consisting of multiple star systems? Does the orbital movement mechanic of Sins2 mean that we're playing in smaller star system maps, or are there still multiple systems? And if the latter, does that mean that the star systems are smashed together very closely together?

Or, if there's a further "zoomed out" layer to the map, will the orbital movements affect the transit lanes between star systems, even though the stars' relative positions are static? Or will the game play out over such huge spans of time that the stars' positions change, too?