Victory Conditions - New Options!

Things to add spice, and speed up some games!

from Sins Forums
Victory Conditions – New Options!

Several issues I have seen in my own games (and from posts by other players) include the length of time it can take to win or "finish" a game. Currently in games vs the computer you must chase their fleet between systems sometimes endlessly in order to slowly destroy them 1-2 ships at a time. EVEN after having control of most every system in the game… the AI can still run around and survive for lengthy amounts of time.

Also, a lot of players (including myself) have been seeking shorter game times… While I really do enjoy the 4x nature of this game… I can’t fully explore its potential. Currently there is really only one single goal for EVERY empire and player to enter this universe… Complete annihilation of every other life-form and race in existence…
I purpose we get alternate game modes and victory conditions to really SPICE up and improve this game way beyond the greatness it is now… Read below for several of these ideas and please post any comments or suggestions you may have… Hopefully some of the devs will chime in and consider our opinions further!

Don’t get me wrong! I do enjoy some really epic and long games at times! But there are plenty of other instances when I’d like to dominate after only a few hours, giving me time for a 2nd game!

Victory Conditions:

Artifact Control – This mode would require players to find… capture… and defend artifacts around the solar systems. If a single player gains control of all artifacts in existence… A count-down is started warning all other players that victory is near (say 15-30 min or something).

Control Point – A mode that awards points to players for controlling either specified systems or possibly a higher % of the available systems. Basically, depending on how implemented, players would slowly gain points towards victory if they either control more planets than an opponent or if they control pre-specified control point locations (similar to artifact control).

Home Worlds – If you lose your homeworld.. Game Over. (or at least timed delay till you lose giving you a chance to establish a new one). If a timed delay is considered… The cost for upgrading a planet to homeworld should be greatly increased… Requiring a player who loses their homeworld to have substantial resources saved up.

"Space Race" – This shouldn’t actually be called space race as… Well… If you haven’t gotten into space yet, you’re playing a different game. However an option to achieve victory based on research and/or building non offensive/defensive buildings that cost HUGE amounts of resources and time to construct would be a great would to add diversity to game victory! I believe many space games use research that turns you into gods or something similar as a similar option to this.

Diplomacy – Win by becoming allies with all races… Currently you gain faction with a race by completing missions against enemy races or through trade (I think… I haven’t used either very much)… But if a player could "win" by allying with all factions (or several) and then destroying the remaining… It would giving yet another way to shorten the game span. Why would you want to shorten it? Well, so you can play another!

These are just a few common suggestions… I hope something comes of them!

Again, remember... These would be OPTIONS! Just like many other games who have used similar options. You would choose which victory conditions fit your play style or goals!
26,496 views 14 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
Good ideas. The Diplomacy one is pretty much already implemented (if the only remaining races have peace treaties with you then you win, at least in single player games) but the others look very interesting.
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
Agreed. Some of those are already implemented in other 4x games, and I'm not sure why this game couldn't support it. (Though the Diplomacy idea is already implemented, as mentioned.)

Seems this idea is getting little interest though. But so far it's my biggest issue with the game. I guess I'm just used to games like Civilization and Galactic Civilization while this game attempts to be more like an RTS as far as achieving victory.

If the devs don't like this idea hopefully this type of thing could be modded in. In Gal Civ 2 you basically had one branch of research which won you the game once you got to the end of it. Via a mod, how hard could that be to implement in Sins? Same for percentage of planets, and the "Homeworld" suggestion. Doesn't *sound* too terribly difficult, but we'll have to see what sort of things the tools are capable of.

Love the artifact idea! It reminds of an old turn based game I used to play on the Amiga computer 15-20 years ago.
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
I love Diplomacy – Win by becoming allies with all races but they are not quiet %100 implemented, at least in my point of view, since not everyone alwasy want a war, not everyone turn down cases-fire! For Space Race, Advent won alreadly! Look at they bright Blue eye!
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
I agree with you 100%! Alternative victory conditions should be available simply because it adds a whole other dimension to the game.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
I really like the "Control Point" and "Space Race" ideas.
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
A mutual cease fire would be nice for those long games you just need to end. Artifact/Control points would be awesome too, adding even more depth to an already deep and wonderful game.
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
Conquering mode - If you destroy a player's capital, they become your permanent ally. Of course, they stop being your ally if another player destroys their capital.
Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top
I like the control point sort of idea, I have seen other folks kicking it around with suggestions along the line of "Once one player controls 75% of the planetoids the other players have 10 minutes to get something away from him or else he wins".

A slider with which we could vary what % this effect occurs at would be perfect.
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top
The ideas here are bound to be implemented in the game. They make sense and there's a whole background of gaming experience that supports its use.
Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top

The ideas here are bound to be implemented in the game. They make sense and there's a whole background of gaming experience that supports its use.
End of quote


I hope so.
Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top
I'm glad to see a lot of ppl agree with me... In all honesty i'm not looking for "my" ideas to be added... But SOMETHING needs to be done... this game is a GREAT start... however it takes SO long to finish a single star match (let alone multi-star). Few people have that much time (multiplayer is even worse when you have to get multiple people who can invest SEVERAL hours into a single game.

While 4X does require much more time invested than normal RTS... There is a reason no one plays Civilization "multiplayer" or other similar games... Just too difficult to get a broad range of players in one spot who can put down the time to complete the games...

Giving players multiple objectives or ways to finish a match is the best solution...

As I said before, if you can't win by destroying them... Win by controlling all the artifacts, or more of the total systems, or research enough technology to become gods! Whatever it is... they need multiple vistory options!
Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top
Some good suggestions to be sure. I expect some of them if not all to be implemented in an x-pack.
Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top
Other obvious ideas are cultural victories (such as have your cultural influence spread to x% of the map), territory control (hold x% of planets for y amount of time), economic victory (not sure about this one; perhaps have trade ports covering x% of the map?), and so on.

You'd need to add another screen to the interface to show how close each player is to achieving each victory condition so you can respond appropriately. For example, if someone's close to achieving a cultural victory then you know you need to more aggressively spread your own culture and/or make surgical strikes to take out your opponent's broadcast centers.
Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top

"Space Race" – This shouldn’t actually be called space race as… Well… If you haven’t gotten into space yet, you’re playing a different game. However an option to achieve victory based on research and/or building non offensive/defensive buildings that cost HUGE amounts of resources and time to construct would be a great would to add diversity to game victory! I believe many space games use research that turns you into gods or something similar as a similar option to this.
End of quote


The "5th X" that MOO3 tried to introduce that was basically similar to Civ would probably have more in common with your point about finding and having to hold artifacts for (X) amount of time.