Chris Stewart on Sword of the Stars

Feature

When we published our preview of Sword of the Stars back in May, we felt that it didn't quite do the game justice. Some of its unique concepts were begging for a better, more in depth explanation. We contacted Kerberos for an interview.

July 17th, 2006 by Sergio Brinkhuis

Hooked Gamers: That opens up a lot of possibilities indeed. Are there any special technologies that you can equip your ships with, like boarding pods, warp interdictors and such?

Chris: I mentioned before, but didn�t really cover in much detail, the special technologies that can be applied to a section, so I�ll go into it a bit more here. A lot of special technologies are what produce the individual modules - so when you research mining, you�ll gain access to a Mining section that you can marry to a Command section and an Engine section, and you have a ship equipped for the special function of mining. As mentioned some carry Assault Shuttles, some colonize planets, and so on. On top of that, certain weapons have very special functions, like grav-mines or tractor beams. My personal favorite are Thumpers, which produce a gravitic wave that buffet ships - great for knocking around enemy destroyers or kicking an opponent�s beam weapon off target just enough to get out of harm�s way.

Hooked Gamers: Does the game come with preset ships that have a standard set of engines, armor and weapons? Or does the player create only custom ships?

Chris: The game starts with basic engines, basic command, and a handful of key starting Mission sections, and some basic designs are already in place � Colonizers, Tankers, and Armors. You�ll need them at the start of each game, so why make you design them every single game? Beyond that, whatever plan you may have in mind, you can create the ship to suit that purpose. Certain things have an automatic function � like when you add a new section to a design, the game will automatically outfit the section with weapons and of course the design screen has lots of little features that make customizing ships fast and easy.

Hooked Gamers: The battle system is one of the most intriguing elements in the game. Real-time battles that continue for a number of turns until someone gives up or a real winner is declared, sounds fantastic. It raises one question though: How many races can partake in each battle? Is it possible for a 3rd enemy to enter the fray? Can allies come to your aid?

Chris: It�s completely possible � in fact it�s possible for all 8 players to join a battle, though those are rare. Nearby allies can send back-up to the system where the battle is taking place and join the fray � so depending on whose ally they are, you may find yourself in a follow-up battle facing an extra foe, or fighting with some extra support. As well, certain technologies allow players to observe nearby battles, without actually being directly involved.

Hooked Gamers: Diplomacy has not been discussed very often and we're eager to learn more about it. Some 4x games have done diplomacy quite well (Civilization IV, Galactic Civilizations II). How does diplomacy in SOTS compare to other games in the genre and where does it differ the most?

Chris: The diplomacy of SotS is all direct diplomacy � everything in SotS is about direct player interaction, and diplomacy is handled no differently. When two players meet for the first time, ship weapons systems are automatically set to hold-fire. Initiating war with another player is handled overtly � you have to deliberately turn off hold-fire and start a shooting war. Prior to meeting, two players of different races cannot communicate with one other � all chat comes across as un-translated. Once two races meet, those players will have the choice of researching the alien language, which allows them to understand one another in chat and initiate more advanced diplomatic relations, like non-aggression pacts or full alliances. We didn�t want diplomacy to be a series boxes to check or un-check � players have to handle diplomacy directly. You want an ally, you�ll have to research their language. An ally needs help with their technologies, you can lend some of your brainiacs to help them solve their research problems faster. You think you may potentially want to be friends with the player next door, the first time you encounter them, you may want to hold your fire and not get into a scrap with them. All very direct, all very real-world.