14 DAY TRIAL // Sins of a Solar Empire has been one of the surprise hits of last year. It was a real-time strategy title in the 4X mold, which allowed players to create a space empire and then engage in warfare, trade and diplomacy with their rivals in order to achieve domination of the galaxy. It was notable for its huge space battles, which featured anything from bombers to frigates to huge capital ships that appealed to Homeworld fans, but also for its management layer, which emphasized the use of scarce resources and three very different tech trees. Publisher Stardock and developer Ironclad Games have resolved to provide further content for the strategy title, the first of which was the Entrenchment mini expansion that arrived earlier in 2009.
Now, the two companies are saying that a new, mini expansion will be coming in February 2010. This one is called Diplomacy and will allow players to complement their war strategy with some diplomatic dealings and even with some subterfuge. A Faction Status screen has been added, showing relations and attitudes at a glance, trade pacts have been added and envoy cruisers are now used to establish embassies and conduct covert operations.
Sins of a Solar Empire is also getting another 30 diplomacy-oriented techs, which can be researched, tougher pirates that can upgrade and improve their fleets and a new game mechanics that allows a player to issue missions for other factions, introducing another layer of strategy.
Players who are loyal to Sins of a Solar Empire can already use Impulse, the digital distribution service from Stardock, to pre-order the Diplomacy expansion. Doing so will get them a place in the close beta, which will begin before the end of 2009, and will allow them to offer feedback to the developers on the features of Diplomacy and influence how the final pack will look in February 2010.