ake control of one of three space-faring races as you work to establish your dominance of the galaxy in Sins of a Solar Empire. Through a combination of diplomacy, economic savvy, the spread of culture and of course sheer brute force and victory on the battlefield you will establish order over your corner of the galaxy.

Explore the Epic Scale of a Dynamic Galaxy

Explore and conquer neighboring planets and distant solar systems in a massively scaled, fully 3D galaxy featuring planets, clusters of asteroids, rare comets and radiant stars.

Customize and Improve Powerful Units.

As battle hardened capital ships advance in level, their core offensive and defensive systems are improved and their unique abilities are unlocked.  Try out the devastating Raze Planet, the tactical Clairvoyance and the hull ravaging Phase Missile Swarm.

Take on Multiple Roles

Transition between the roles of emperor and fleet commander as you zoom-in seamlessly to direct a crucial battle while managing the rest of your empire effortlessly on the same screen.

Extensive Diplomatic and Economic Strategies

Diplomatic and economic strategies can exercise a variety of options including forging and breaking alliances, trading resources, placing bounties on backstabbing ex-allies and over-powered tyrants, blockading enemy planets, establishing trade routes and manipulating the commodities market.

Technical Features

ins of a Solar Empire is powered by the Iron Engine - a brand new, advanced graphics engine from developer Ironclad Games that was built specifically for Sins.  Using the latest in DirectX 9 technology, Sins is able to deliver a massive, detailed galaxy for the player to explore, expand into, exploit and ultimately conquer in real-time, all while being able to perform well on a range of systems and hardware.

Here are a few of the major features of the Iron Engine that you'll see in Sins of a Solar Empire:

• Can support thousands of planets and solar systems, the only limitation is the player's system.
• Massive, detailed textures on ships, planets and orbital structures.
• Hundreds of ships on-screen at once, engaged in epic battle.
• Up to 10,000 particles (explosions, missiles, laser blasts etc.) on the screen at once in full-out combat.
• Seamless zoom-in and zoom-out from looking at a one-man space fighter, to viewing your entire empire spanning billions of kilometers of space.
• The Iron Engine is designed to perform well on systems ranging from middle-of-the-road hardware, to the biggest, most powerful machines on the market today.  Effects, number of ships, planets etc. are only limited by how powerful your machine is.  There are no hard-coded limits. 

Under the Hood...

Beyond what you'll specifically be seeing in Sins of a Solar Empire, the Iron Engine packs a number of advanced features that take advantage of the most powerful graphics cards on the market.  These features ensure that the engine, and games built with it, will easily scale with future hardware. 

Here are just a few of the technical features of the Iron Engine:

• Per-Pixel Specular Lighting
• Dynamic Fractal Generation
• Post Process Bloom Filtering
• High Resolution Compressed Textures
• Environment Mapping
• Custom Pixel and Vertex Shaders For All Meshes and Effects
• An Advanced Particle System

 

You are the leader of a growing galactic empire.

n Sins of a Solar Empire, you are the leader of a civilization embroiled in a galactic war, fighting for the survival of your entire race against relentless foes.  Your success will depend entirely on your ability to manage your empire and command your vast fleets of starships to victory.  Sins of a Solar Empire is a "RT4X" game, blending the epic strategy and empire management of the 4x genre with the fast-paced and tactical elements of a real-time strategy title. 

To achieve victory over your numerous enemies in Sins of a Solar Empire, you will have to:

• Explore
  A game of Sins of a Solar Empire can range from 30 to 100 planets in size, spread out among up to four different solar systems.  Travel is managed via phase lanes; interplanetary and interstellar highways that connect planets, asteroids and stars.  Send scouts to unexplored planets to discover new lanes and new territory to conquer.  As you grow in power, you can also research new technology to help find distant planets and detect the movement of enemy fleets from far off.
  
  
• Expand
  As you discover new territory to claim, you must expand and claim it as quickly as possible, or else the enemy might!  Add planets and asteroids rich in resources to your ever-growing empire either through military conquest or cultural dominance.  If your war fleets can not wrest control of a planet from an enemy, extend your cultural influence along the phase lanes, and entice enemy populations on the fringes to join your cause instead.
  
  
• Exploit
  An expanding empire requires resources to power its ever-growing war machine and economic engine.  Sins of a Solar Empire has three primary resources; Metal, Crystal and Credits.  Building structures on planets and in-orbit will help you maximize your income and ability to support larger and larger fleets of ships.
  
  
• Exterminate
  Your empire grows in size and in strength, but now your borders are threatened by an opposing empire.  They block further expansion and look poised to strike against you.  Now you are faced with but one choice; run and hide behind your fortified worlds, or take the offensive and strike before the enemy can.  Sins of a Solar Empire at its core is a game of interstellar war.  Victory will only be achieved when your enemies lie broken and defeated at your feet.  Only once you have secured peace and safety for your people through the extermination of your foes can you rest.
  
  
• Diplomacy
  Though through war you will secure ultimate victory, you may not always be ready for a fight.  Diplomacy is the tool of a leader looking to exploit the weakness, generosity or naïveté of opposing rulers.  Strike deals with your opponents for a temporary cease fire, an exchange of goods and money, or sharing intelligence data, perhaps to band together against a common, stronger enemy.  In addition to striking deals with your opponents, you can take out bounties on empires, enticing other factions to attack for you.

Your high-level goals are to explore, expand, exploit, exterminate and manipulate adversaries through diplomacy and economic pressure.  To achieve those goals however, you will need to effectively manage your empire and fleets.

• Build Planetary Infrastructure
  Increase your tax revenue, and your ability to support your growing fleet and structures in orbit.
  
  
• Construct Orbital Facilities
  Shipyards, research stations, and asteroid mines are among your most important buildings and key to powering your economy and war machine.
  
  
• Setup Defensive Positions
  Your ships can not be everywhere at once, so use defensive platforms and strategic choke points in the phase lane network to secure and protect your planets from enemy fleets.
  
  
• Amass and Command Huge Fleets
  Build fleets of capital ships, cruisers, frigates and support vessels to ravage enemy defenses and worlds.  Manage your ships in battle to obliterate enemy forces and fight your way to victory.
  
  
• Customize Capital Ships
  As your capital ships fight, their crews gain valuable combat experience, and as they grow more battle-hardened, they will learn new and cunning techniques to further improve their effectiveness in battle.  Your capital ships are your most prized asset in any fleet.
  
  
• Research Advanced Technology
  Improve your ships weapons, unlock more advanced ships and structures, and discover new ways to exploit your resources by investing in technology research.  A player who effectively manages the technology tree will be a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.