SOTS II: Enhanced Edition Impressions

[Martok]

Thanks Jarhead.  Yeah, I think I follow.  Sounds like a genuinely interesting (yet logical, at least in-game) way to do it. 

[JasonPratt]

I feel like I will probably cave and buy this during a Christmas sale, once my new Falcon MachV arrives (the program certainly won't run on my old video card); but I can't help but feel like I might be better off playing SotS1 first and then upgrading to this later.

Has SotS2 been polished to the point where a relatively new player (I only have minor experience with 1) might as well skip 1 and go on to 2?

(I know story progression is basically irrelevant in the game, so I'm not worried about having missed something important in 1 that way. It's purely a gameplay question.)

[Jarhead0331]

Has SotS2 been polished to the point where a relatively new player (I only have minor experience with 1) might as well skip 1 and go on to 2?

(I know story progression is basically irrelevant in the game, so I'm not worried about having missed something important in 1 that way. It's purely a gameplay question.)

I don't think its a matter of polish.  They are both good games in their own right.  You can buy a collection for pretty cheap now.

[Yskonyn]

The FTL lanes give the impression of a false sense of protection because many people tend to gauge chokepoints and tactical positions from the FLT lanes rather than proximity of (enemy) worlds.

I am constantly making this mistake !   As someone who plays a lot of Sins of a Solar Empire, where the phase lanes work this way, I'm usually not fully conscious of the fact that I'm playing SOTS the way I play Sins -- which is to say, the wrong way. 

Thanks for clarifying one of the particular bits of stupidity I am prone to in this game...   8)

Oh yes, this bit me in my behind a lot when starting out too. ;)

As for Jason; I think SotS 2 is a natural progression over 1. The mechanics are deeper and the combat is much expanded.
Some people complain about the mission system and claim to prefer 1 over 2, solely by this, but I think those people are either exaggerating or not very flexible.
Yes the system is different, but once you get to know how it works it is much quicker than the old way.
And with the new expansion I read the system has been tweaked yet again.

All in all I think SotS 2 really is the better and more complete game of the two.
It still has some bugs, but it's perfectly playable and patching has been quick and resilient by Kerberos.
If you liked 1. Go ahead, you'll like 2 even more (after getting over a learning curve again and unlearn some 1 habits)

[Jarhead0331]

...and the developer has already released another patch for the enhanced edition.  I'm glad that he is not looking at the release of the enhanced version as an end of the line for improvements and fixes.

[Anguille]

I am not the biggest fan of the guys working at kerberos (arrogance, paranoia and some others) but they are true professionals...they have all my respect!

[Shelldrake]

I notice that Steam upgraded me to the enhanced edition so looking forward to giving it a try.

[Bison]

They have a lot to go to repair the bridges burnt for the initial release with non-fans.  This seems to be a positive step. 

[sandman2575]

Much as I like this game and think it's plenty polished enough now to be thoroughly enjoyable -- am I the only one who finds the 'real time' combat needlessly difficult to manage?  If the dev's were going to focus on something further to improve, my vote would be the combat.  It's still fun, but I always feel like I'm fighting against the combat UI, camera controls, etc.

[TheCommandTent]

Thanks for the feedback guys.  Now I just need some time to sit down and learn the game.  I am a bit intimidated by it but looking forward to playing it.

[JasonPratt]

Also thx for feedback!  :)

I already have the complete version of 1 (picked up in pieces, so I would have probably gotten a cheap version of the complete off Steam or somewhere for ease of access someday during a sale), but haven't played it longer than 100 turns a handful of times, and not recently, so I won't have to unlearn anything.

[Scotten]

I don't post here, so take it for its worth...

I played a bunch of SotS and got bored with the repetition: after awhile the battles repeated themselves, or felt that way.  I'd show up with 10 Dread's, 20 cruisers and 100 destroyers and duke it for 5 minutes against the AI.  The fleets were huge and many of the ships were throwaway.  What made this worse is that the combat auto-resolve mechanism sucked: you'd lose WAY more ships using that method vs. manually fighting the battle.

In SotS2, the ships are larger (the destroyer class is effectively gone) and take longer to kill and function less like PT boats.  I haven't made it to the point in the game where you can field Leviathan ships... but when you finish one, it's a Big Achievement.  Also, Kerberos has greatly improved the battle auto-resolve -- the game actually simulates a fast version of the battle on the screen using the orders you've given.

[eyebiter]

Notice many advanced techs have a good chance to fail unless you build multiple science station labs.  What happens if you research shields and it fails?  Does the research take twice as long, or does the project fail and you loose all progress?  If it fails can you try to research it again or are you SOL?

What are the recommended techs to research first?  Industry Materials Applications for the 10% discount to start?  Or try for early rush to Warhead, Fusion Drive, or Shield technology?

[PanzersEast]

After spending some time with this one I like it.... however, I never really have a good grasp on my Empire's economy.  The overview and oversight of your colonies and finances are too abstract.  I noticed the AI is still hit or miss as they have chosen some odd tactics.  Pirates are a pain in the empires arse.  Fleet management could be streamlined as I do not like drill down approach (the ui is not clean) and it would be nice to have better access to information.  I do like the mission based approach to your fleets.

With all this, I still have enjoyed myself, however not sure if I will play long term.



PE

[solops]

After playing SoTS1 for years (still do) I finally bit the bullet and started playing SoTS2 on my dedicated Steam rig. It is certainly interesting. My biggest impression is that I spend most of my time fighting the UI and trying to find information. SoTS1 had an OK UI and some data summary screens that were well done, if rudimentary. SoTS2 has a long way to go in those areas. I'll keep slogging. It is not a game made to be attractive to new gamers or those not familiar with SoTS1 but I see a twinkling of great rewards at the end of the tunnel.