What if the game lacks 'Life'?

from Sins Forums
I know I saw a small post on this already, but I really hope Sins is not like so many other RTS games out there in that it lacks the civilian 'feel'. I bought Command & Conquer 3 a while ago, which is a fun military war game, but it got really really boring after a few days because that was all it was, no Sim City like civilian growth to either help grow or an enemy civilian society to destroy. It got boring because it was simply 3 factions fighting out in a who can build to domination the fastest and also because your choices and decisions had no real influence on your enviroment (the civilian sector).

What I'm hoping to get at is that I hope Sins goes beyond just the military fighting but also includes the random and sporadic growth of the civilian populace like in the old Sim City games. Just like certain buildings semi-randomly appeared out of certain zones in Sim City without any of your real control, I think that it would be great if Sins did the same thing as that only with trade ships or cruise ships or interplanetary civilian ships (think 747 flights on the planetary level) or a mixture of them all between your controlled planets/starsytems or between your planets and their moons/orbital platforms. I think it would really add that feeling of there being something other than just the military that's under your control as well as affected by what you decide to do, but just make sure that the civilian sector is self-ruled and entirely random like in and what made Sim City so great.

To make the civilian ships less imposing or as powerful as your military controlled ships, maybe just make them a third the size. Just a suggestion.

I think this game is going to be amazing and I can't wait for it to come out! It's like all my daydreaming becoming a reality, it's great; the posts are fun too.
37,237 views 21 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
Yeah I agree, and have a feeling this will be coming, as it stands right now, the solar system seems an empty place...
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
Yeah, thanks for agreeing with me because I was really worried that was what it might be, "empty" space.
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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
I forgot to add this but I also meant to say that besides there being 'large' civilian ships a third the size of your military ones, also perhaps include 'fighter sized' civilian 'cars' or 'buses' ( the " " for lack of a better word) in traffic lanes like that portrayed on Courosant in the Star Wars series only between planets and their moons/orbital platforms or perhaps even neighbor-side planets.   
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
I like this idea and wish to expand is further a bit. I would like to not only see more civilians, but have more interactions. Another post discussed more individualized planet growth progressions that sounded interesting. A way to make different planets more or less valuable could add more life.

Moreover, risk/reward bonus things could help liven that action. I imagine a special metal/crystal cluster that with a refinery ship can grant bonuses, but will be depleted rapidly. These clusters will be high priority targets to find and use, but it will also create a need to protect specific refinery ships. Maybe need to protect the ship all the way home. This creates a mission type event without any script/quest needed. Sure you don't need to protect this asset, but an enemy should value it as a high priority target as well as the ships themselves.

Another thread specifically brought up adding random scripted events/missions/quest. I disliked that idea, in which predefined happenings occurred. But I want to be able to have these mission like events randomly in the game. I hope my point is understood.

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
Whoa lets not get overboard here...
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
Perhaps there wouldn't be any civilian interplanetary travel (this is the middle of a big war, keep in mind, you shouldn't just be able to travel where you want unless you have the military technology or a big enough ship, like these pirates have...); there could be hubs/ports spread across the gravity well of certain planets, and small fighter-sized crafts traveling between them. Whenever an enemy fleet emerges, the "cars" could scurry to the civilian platforms, or travel down to/evacuate the planet.

It could be kind of like Titan A.E., where the entire planet of Earth is being evacuated after being threatened by a Death Star like warship. This is the best video I could find of the evacuation (forgive the length, but if you really want to see a gripping civilian/military space encounter, this is an excellent example...the entire evacuation scene lasts about 8 minutes or so...). While civilian interactions of this magnitude are probably unfeasible in Sins, it could at least help fuel other ideas...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-803379184563555918
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
Still an entire empire based on trade isn't going to stop it over night, majority of those planets most likley rely on trade routes, and if they where shut down the economy could collapse within days.

Do also remember space is Huge - Absoloutly massive, It's a safe bet that if a craft avoids the main routes and keep on friendly turf they'll be perfectly safe.
Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top


Do also remember space is Huge - Absoloutly massive, It's a safe bet that if a craft avoids the main routes and keep on friendly turf they'll be perfectly safe.


I agree, Maby the civilian craft could stay along the secure trade lanes between non-frontline plannets, or asteriod belts, plants you can designate as safe.
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top
Or make it that only war ships are able to use phase space, all other ships must use standard impulse travel, and are not allowed to use the phase lanes ( as they are for military and government trade only) ....
Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top
I agree with all of you, but c'mon. Civilian ships and "cars/buses" would add another whole layer to the game to expand upon in a simple yet entertaining way. They would look cool, they would be loads of fun to decimate, you would be somewhat obliged to have to protect them (for the culture thing or w/e) and ect. ect. ect. without I imagine having the developers do a whole lot more programming.
Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top
I was thinking that it would be more of a background element, not essential to core gameplay, but something to prove that this galaxy isn't only inhabited by pirates and militaristic fleets. Plus it would make some good material for a singleplayer campaign, having escort or civilian defense missions (although not too many, please... ).
Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top
I was just wondering if any of my original post will be implemented in the game. I really love this game and adding a more civilian strong presence would just be extremely awesome, the game would be "perfect" with it in my own opinion.
Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top
Awwwww this post is on like page 5. Someone PLEASE answer this my replie #12 above, I would really enjoy any feedback.
Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top
I also would like a response.

The game has expand down perfect, it has exterminate, it kind of has explore, but the exploit part....?

I really wouldn't mind a Sim City in space. The first time I turned the game on and started building ships I realized it felt like there was this huge element missing.

You build ships, shipyards, research labs, and you kind of have a limited planet management set up. As well as some basic defense structures.

You could add real easily

~Factories: Some basic factories, they could speed up production of everything in system.
~stock market: Increases credits you make
~Hospital: Speeds up population growth, heals wounded crew members on ships
~police station: fights off pirates, sends out patrols
~damage control/fire station: sends out patrol ships that repair buildings that have recently been attacked

Etc, etc, etc. Give the community enough time and we can keep coming up with other random weird stuff. As far as the other two races, they could have variations upon these types of buildings, but until we get to play them, you really can't imagine what type of extra civy stuff they would have.
Reply #15 from Sins Forums Top

I was just wondering if any of my original post will be implemented in the game. I really love this game and adding a more civilian strong presence would just be extremely awesome, the game would be "perfect" with it in my own opinion.

There will be some stuff added that's just for show, and hundreds of other things that aren't , though you guys may not see it for the beta. There won't be things like hospitals and what not, however.

Reply #16 from Sins Forums Top
Just wondering, along these lines, are there going to be any of the evnt type things that the galciv games had? Personally, I quite liked those popping up every now and then, it would add to the civilian type of feel. Also, some graphics might be able to be added with it, for instance, that disease one where the boils were a valuable commodity. If you chose to sell them, I'm sure more freighters could be added to trade routes etc. to symbolise (and increase the income in a real way) the trading of the pus. Also, if you chose to stop it, then you might be able to add the odd freighter type animation making a run for it off a planet, with another craft in pursuit (shooting it down eventually)

Just an idea =P
Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top
So have space ponies been 100% confirmed ?
Reply #18 from Sins Forums Top

There will be some stuff added that's just for show, and hundreds of other things that aren't , though you guys may not see it for the beta. There won't be things like hospitals and what not, however.



There goes Sniper again. At least he was selective in his targets.

Reply #19 from Sins Forums Top
Thanks Yarlen for the good news.
Reply #20 from Sins Forums Top

So have space ponies been 100% confirmed ?

Pink space ponies without windows.

Reply #21 from Sins Forums Top

So have space ponies been 100% confirmed ?


Pink space ponies without windows.




and where would the window be? ... err.. dont tell me