Sins of a Solar Empire II News

[h2]New pirate capital ship, bounty system, minor faction raids, and more arrive in the v1.51 update[/h2][p]View the full changelog[/p][p][/p][p]New Unit: Pirate Galleon Capital Ship
The Pirates have a new flagship. The Galleon is a playable capital ship with four unique abilities, bringing some new tactical options to the table.[/p][p][/p][p]Bounty System
A new Bounty Office in the Markets window lets players spend resources and exotics to put a price on enemy planets. Place a bounty, and the Pirates will come knocking. Any player can collect bounty by dealing damage in that gravity well, adding a new economic layer to conflict.[/p][p][/p][p]Minor Faction Raids
Hostile Minor Factions now conduct raids across the map instead of passively roaming near their territory. Pirates and the Aluxian Resurgence each have their own raid types with different objectives and triggers. Expect bombardments, annexation attempts, and bounty-driven attacks depending on the faction.[/p][p](Note for modders: roaming functionality is still in the game and usable for modded Minor Factions.)[/p][p][/p][p]Pirate Incursion Event
A new event that can trigger on any map with a Pirate Base. In the early-to-mid game, players may find themselves up against a Pirate King, his Galleon, and a growing armada.[/p][p][/p][p]Two New Advent Minor Factions
The Alutar Sect and Nilari Cult join the roster, one peaceful, one hostile, each with their own themed abilities.[/p][p][/p][p]Core Counter Triangle Rebalance
The core counter triangle has been rebalanced to ensure consistent outcomes across all matchups. Light Frigates, PD units, and Gunship Corvettes now perform their intended roles more reliably, which should make early game fleet composition decisions more interesting.[/p][p][/p][p]Capture System Rework
Capturing now uses a points system instead of a timer. New capturable civilian structures, extractors and research labs, have also been added to uncolonizable gravity wells, giving players more reasons to contest those spaces.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]In our last dev journal, we introduced the Pirate Galleon and hinted at unsubstantiated reports of these fearsome vessels roaming the phaselanes and attacking planets. We advised that a wise admiral should be prepared for anything.[/p][p]Consider this your preparation.[/p][p][/p][p]The Pirate Incursion is a new game event in which a Pirate Galleon will actively target a player's territory, stage a forward operating position on their border, and launch escalating waves of Pirate raiders against their planets. This isn't a bounty raid you can redirect with credits. This is a sustained assault, and it won't stop until you deal with the source.[/p][p][/p][h2]Anatomy of an Incursion[/h2][p]When a Pirate Incursion triggers, the Galleon takes on the role of Incursion Commander, the beating heart of the entire operation. Here's how it plays out:[/p][p]Spawning: The Incursion Commander spawns at a Pirate Base belonging to one of the Pirate minor factions on the map. If no valid Pirate Base exists, it will spawn at a star instead. Either way, it arrives ready for a fight.[/p][p]Staging: The Galleon identifies an unowned gravity well adjacent to one of the target player's planets and travels there to establish a staging point. If no unowned wells are available nearby, it will set up in one of the target's own gravity wells as the Pirates aren't picky about trespassing.[/p][p]Raiding: Once the Incursion Commander reaches its staging point, it selects the highest-level planet owned by the target player within striking distance and begins calling in waves of Incursion Raiders. These raiders attack into the target gravity well, putting direct pressure on the player's infrastructure and defenses.[/p][p]Escalation: The Incursion operates on a progression table. As time passes, the composition of each wave intensifies. What starts as probing attacks by light Pirate ships will escalate into increasingly dangerous assault groups the longer the Incursion is left unchecked.[/p][p][/p][h2]Ending the Incursion[/h2][p]The Incursion continues as long as its Commander is alive and under Pirate control. There are two ways to end it:[/p][p]Destroy the Galleon: A direct assault on the staging point to eliminate the Commander is the most straightforward solution. No Commander, no Incursion and the raider waves stop immediately. However, once the Pirate Galleon is under attack it may recall raider fleets back to defend their swashbuckling leader so prepare for a tough fight![/p][p]Capture the Galleon: As we covered in our previous journal, the Galleon will surrender when beaten below its hull threshold rather than entering a crippled state and running away. A surrendered Galleon can be captured using the new capture system. Successfully capturing the Incursion Commander ends the Incursion just as decisively as destroying it, but now you've got yourself a Pirate Galleon. With Pillage, Twin Ion Bolt, Redline Navigation, and Mag Blast Torpedo Salvo at your disposal, your former problem just became your opponents' new headache.[/p][p]Importantly, simply forcing the Galleon into its surrender state does not end the Incursion. The raiders keep coming until the Commander is either destroyed or changes ownership. A surrendered Galleon sitting uncaptured on your border will heal slowly and can become an active threat again.[/p][p][/p][h2]Strategic Implications[/h2][p]The Pirate Incursion system is designed to create moments of tension that ripple across the entire map. When an Incursion lands, the targeted player faces immediate, difficult decisions:[/p]

• [p]Do you pull your fleet back from an offensive to deal with the staging point, giving your opponent time to recover?[/p]
• [p]Do you trust your defenses to absorb the raids while you finish what you started elsewhere?[/p]
• [p]Do you commit to capturing the Galleon, accepting the risk and time investment for a powerful reward?[/p]

[p]In multiplayer, these decisions matter even more. Every other player in the game can see that you're under pressure. An Incursion tying down one player's fleet is an opening for everyone else — and a captured Galleon swinging the balance of power is something no neighbor can afford to ignore.[/p][p][/p][h2]Technical Implementation and Modding[/h2][p]This is a very complex event from a technical angle! Some among you may be asking, “Can I leverage something similar for my mod?“ “How much power do I have in altering this event?“ The answer, my friend, is yes.[/p][p]The Pirate Incursion event represents the first addition into a brand new engine system, the events system. One may now write their own Lua script, import them from their mod, and have them sit alongside the Pirate Incursion, edit the Incursion, or disable it.[/p][p]We would love to be very clear on this fact for modders: This is an incredibly powerful system for your mod. You can do an absolute ton that you were not able to before. Next time you want something in your mod (spawning X ships on startup for player Y, for example), consider trying to add it as an event. The possibilities are truly endless, and if you find something that it cannot do, and you want the system to handle, you do know how to get in touch with us via Discord channels.[/p][p][/p][p]We're looking forward to seeing how players rise to meet this new challenge. The Pirates have been lurking in the shadows long enough. Now they're kicking down the door.[/p][p]Stay tuned for more updates as development continues.[/p]

[h2]Free massive-scale RTS demo includes two factions, 8-player multiplayer, three maps and full skirmish mode[/h2][p][/p][h3]Play the demo[/h3][p][/p][p]Stardock Entertainment and Oxide Games announced today that a free demo for Ashes of the Singularity II, the highly anticipated sequel to the massive-scale RTS, is available now as part of Steam Next Fest. The demo will feature two factions, 8-player multiplayer, and full skirmish mode. Ashes of the Singularity II is an RTS where you command thousands of units across continent-sized maps, fighting a war for control of the solar system.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]The Ashes of the Singularity II demo is set in a near future where the United Earth Forces represent humanity's last stand against the Post-Human Coalition. Each faction commands unique units, with the advanced Post-Humans fielding mechs and tanks with energy weapons vs. the UEF’s flesh and blood army. Players will battle it out to determine the winner. [/p][p]"We built Ashes of the Singularity II for people who want to think like a general, not compete in a clicking contest," said Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock Entertainment. "Your strategy should decide the battle, not your APM. Next Fest is a chance for players to find out if that's the kind of RTS they've been looking for." [/p][p][/p][h3]Demo Features Available:[/h3]

• [p]Two playable factions: United Earth Forces and Post-Human Coalition[/p]
• [p]Skirmish mode against AI[/p]
• [p]Full multiplayer for up to 8 players (with AI backfill as an option)[/p]
• [p]Three maps: Small (2-4 players), Medium (2-6 players), Large (2-8 players)[/p]
• [p]Arctic and Desert Environments[/p]
• [p]Day and Night scenes[/p]
• [p]Save and load functionality[/p]

[p][/p][p]Developed by Oxide Games, renowned for their technological innovation, and published by Stardock Entertainment, the company behind the acclaimed Sins of a Solar Empire series, Ashes of the Singularity II promises to elevate the RTS genre once again.[/p][p][/p][h3]Players eager to join the fight are encouraged to play the free demo during the Steam Next Fest and wishlist Ashes of the Singularity II.[/h3][p][/p][p]Engage directly with the development team and community through the official Discord.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

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