Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Sins of a Solar Empire sells 500k on a <$1 million budget

fizzelopeguss

fizzelopeguss

Arcane
Joined
Oct 1, 2004
Messages
865
Location
Equality Street.
http://news.bigdownload.com/2008/09/04/ ... nits-sold/

The big sleeper hit for PC games in 2008 is without question Sins of a Solar Empire. The space strategy game from developer Ironclad Games and publisher Stardock spent a number of weeks early this year on the top 10 best seller lists. Today Gamasutra reports that the game has sold over 500,000 units; 400,000 of those sales came from retail stores and over 100,000 units were from digital download sales. The game itself cost less than a million dollars to create.

Besides just being a great game, Sins is also designed to run on older PCs. Stardock CEO Brad Wardell stated that the game could have had the ships' turrets move but that would have required the game to have a higher hardware system to run properly. He states, "You make those kinds of design decisions, and you greatly increase the number of people who can play your game. You lose out on some piddly super-mega effect, but you get those units. The results come in sales." Last week it was announced that instead of a full expansion pack, mini-digital expansions for Sins of a Solar Empire will be released for $9.99 each, beginning in December.
Click to expand...

Good news for smaller studios. A big FU to bloated budgets and oversized teams.
 
sportforredneck

sportforredneck

Cipher
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
7,715
Although the game pretty much had no story and campaign, which made it kind of pointless in my eyes. Though good on them.
 

fastpunk

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
1,798
Location
under the sun
I just bought the game two days ago. It's pretty good, and a nice change of pace for me, I really needed a break from my usual gaming routines. I didn't get a solid overall feel of the game yet, need to play more, but at least I'm having fun, which is the whole the point of it. No campaign mode isn't that big of a deal for me, I always prefer playing custom matches in this type of game anyway. Needs more variety though. I played a short match with the Advent and a longer one (which is still in progress) with the TEC and they seem a bit too similar. Still, those mini-expansions will probably focus on fixing this. Glad they're doing good with sales.
 
Wyrmlord

Wyrmlord

Arcane
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
28,886
It's funny, no? That a developer who sells 2 million copies could still be unsuccessful because of the huge budget of the game, whereas a small studio selling 500k on low budget would be much better off.
 

Korgan

Arbiter
Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Messages
4,238
Location
Fahrfromjuden
SoSA is boring, shallow and has mediocre ship design and NO FUCKING COMBAT ANIMATIONS. Haegemonia did everything better and looked way prettier, and it came out in 2003.
 
Kingston

Kingston

Arcane
Joined
Jan 13, 2007
Messages
4,392
Location
I lack the wit to put something hilarious here
SoaSE is fun for a while. I think I played a game with a few people from #fallout, and it was a lot of fun. Problem it ends up kinda tedious and boring after a few games (though big multiplayer matches can take hours).

Still, good on Stardock.
 

PennyAnte

Liturgist
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
769
Location
Here instead of playing an RPG.
I've been trying to find a strategy alternative to GalCiv and Civ IV, which I like, but don't love, and while I prefer turn-based mechanics, the slower pace of SoaSE and newish mechanics of Dawn of War 2 and Demigod might mean one or all three of those becomes my new go-to(s) for a strategy fix. So far my favorites were SMAC and to a much lesser extent, the Heroes of Might and Magic series. I've actually been toying with just buying SMAC again, but I want something newer.

I'm really intrigued by DoW2 and replacing base building with RPGish mechanics, outfitting squads before each mission. I'm just wondering if it will come across more like a real time tactical squad shooter or ARPG with multiple characters to use (not that those are bad, but it won't necessarily feel like strategy).
 
J1M

J1M

Arcane
Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
14,658
I didn't like Sins, but I am extremely happy for Stardock et all.
 
Kraszu

Kraszu

Prophet
Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
3,253
Location
Poland
SimpleComplexity said:
But what`s their ultimate goal? To become a bigger studio with a biggerr budget.
Click to expand...

Why would they throw model that woks good for them? I think that they goal is to make more "cheap" games, just like there are sites that makes allot selling allot of very cheap to make games.
 

Seboss

Liturgist
Joined
Jan 27, 2006
Messages
947
PennyAnte said:
I've been trying to find a strategy alternative to GalCiv and Civ IV, which I like, but don't love, and while I prefer turn-based mechanics [...]
Click to expand...
Maybe you should try Sword of the Stars if you did not already.
It has turnbased strategic phase and realtime combat pretty much like the Total War game.
I think Stardock offers a demo via Impulse.
 

Fez

Erudite
Joined
May 18, 2004
Messages
7,954
Haegemonia was crappy, how does this compare to it then?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom