A few questions from a potentially new player!

Hello to everyone on the forums, this will be my first post here, so please bare with me a bit lol.

I've been interested in playing Sins for a pretty long time, when it finally snagged my interest while watching a livestream for it I went on steam to check it out, I was then informed that I should wait on buying Trinity because a standalone expansion was on its way out in 2-3 months, so I waited, did research, watched videos on Youtube on rebellion's beta and other livestreams.

However despite how awesome this game looks I had a few concerns.

My original introductions to RTS games was the original Starcraft and Age Of Empires, which I had no problems playing, and I've played quite alot of RTS,Turn based strategy,etc games over the years, but when I finally got Starcraft 2 I came to the horrible conclusion that I suck at using hotkeyes for micromanagement.

What drew me to this game in the first place was the speed of the game seemed to be a little more tame than SC2, however there appears to be a hefty amount of micromanagement, which caused me to rethink pre-purchase Rebellion.

But I still want to give it a shot, Am I doomed from the start given my lack of skill at games like SC2? Is it really "Easy to play, difficult to master" as I've heard?

Thanks in advance for any reassurance or constructive feedback on the subject! 

EDIT-Also, sorry if I put this in the wrong section. 

11,330 views 13 replies
Reply #1 Top

This game is not the clickfest that SC 2 is...I am not a pro, but I can hold my own and the only hotkey I use is for pausing, so I wouldn't worry about that...any game at the highest skill level of course will require excellent micromanagement (and for RTS, fast execution) but if you don't plan on being in that highest echelon of players, then you have nothing to worry about, I assure you...

While Sins has more potential as a multiplayer game, the single player experience still is very good for new players...I strongly encourage you to play this game as it has a lot to offer...the game engine is great, the graphics are awesome, the music is fantastic, and the game is extremely easy to mod (if you are into that)...

I don't think you will regret purchasing this game...that being said, this game is really a lot more fun if you have some friends of your own to play Rebellion with....

Reply #2 Top

Quoting Seleuceia, reply 1
This game is not the clickfest that SC 2 is...I am not a pro, but I can hold my own and the only hotkey I use is for pausing, so I wouldn't worry about that...any game at the highest skill level of course will require excellent micromanagement (and for RTS, fast execution) but if you don't plan on being in that highest echelon of players, then you have nothing to worry about, I assure you...

While Sins has more potential as a multiplayer game, the single player experience still is very good for new players...I strongly encourage you to play this game as it has a lot to offer...the game engine is great, the graphics are awesome, the music is fantastic, and the game is extremely easy to mod (if you are into that)...

I don't think you will regret purchasing this game...that being said, this game is really a lot more fun if you have some friends of your own to play Rebellion with....
End of Seleuceia's quote


Yeah, I guess I can agree with that. Alot of the livestreams I watched generally just had people playing against the computer with a few friends, they typically always lost but it still looked fun.

Was the online scene really that big for Trinity? 

Reply #3 Top

Quoting ZyloWolfBane, reply 2
Was the online scene really that big for Trinity?
End of ZyloWolfBane's quote

Not really.

Reply #4 Top

Quoting Ryat, reply 3

Quoting ZyloWolfBane, reply 2Was the online scene really that big for Trinity?

Not really.
End of Ryat's quote


So more of a close knit bunch of fans rather than a massive server full of people? 

Reply #5 Top

Quoting ZyloWolfBane, reply 4
So more of a close knit bunch of fans rather than a massive server full of people?
End of ZyloWolfBane's quote

Yes though lately (and sadly) some of them have become a bit trollish. Look for sareth and Seleucia to help you out in MP if you desire going that way.

Reply #6 Top

Quoting Ryat, reply 5

Quoting ZyloWolfBane, reply 4So more of a close knit bunch of fans rather than a massive server full of people?

Yes though lately (and sadly) some of them have become a bit trollish. Look for sareth and Seleucia to help you out in MP if you desire going that way.
End of Ryat's quote


Alrighty! I've really been looking forward to trying this game, I just always get apprehensive when it comes to multiplayer, I think more than fast enough for it, my hands just dont keep up as much, though I started getting better when I invested in a Razer Nostromo.

Hopefully I can find more helpful people like you guys when I get started. 

Reply #7 Top

Quoting ZyloWolfBane, reply 6
Hopefully I can find more helpful people like you guys when I get started.
End of ZyloWolfBane's quote

I can help you with modding. I am not much of an MP player though I understand a lot of the concepts as I do dabble from time to time.

Reply #8 Top

Hello to everyone on the forums, this will be my first post here, so please bare with me a bit lol.
End of quote

No problem, we hope to see a lot more people like you soon.

 


My original introductions to RTS games was the original Starcraft and Age Of Empires, which I had no problems playing, and I've played quite alot of RTS,Turn based strategy,etc games over the years, but when I finally got Starcraft 2 I came to the horrible conclusion that I suck at using hotkeyes for micromanagement.
End of quote

Personally I do not use a lot of hotkeys while playing Sins. And those few are only either with ones I didn't realize there was a button for until after I learned the hotkey (scuttling) or very standardized (hold shift to buy more ships etc.). So I doubt that will be a problem, though keep in mind the game does have a bit of a learning curve. Starcraft and age of Empires doesn't teach you how to manage several planets and fleets in real time, but after some practice you can do it without hotkeys.

What drew me to this game in the first place was the speed of the game seemed to be a little more tame than SC2, however there appears to be a hefty amount of micromanagement, which caused me to rethink pre-purchase Rebellion.
End of quote

The pace of Sins is a lot slower than SC2, especially against the AI. You can easily blow a dozen hours into a single medium sized game if that's the pace you want to play at, especially on not fast settings. Multiplayer tends to play large team games where early contact is quite common and the losing team is expected to quit after a certain point, which can bring down the play time to about an hour, at most two, even with 10 players.

As for the management, Sins has a lot of things going for it that makes it easy to manage a big empire. The biggest I think is that you don't need to babysit your units or else have them get destroyed without even firing. The unit AI is not perfect but its actually capable of fighting basic battles entirely itself (though for tight battles such as on fortified planets you'll want to manage it yourself or take heavy loses), and if you're a laid back type of player you can often just watch the fire works while the battles are going on. At the same time things like the Empire tree make it easy to give orders to places you can even see, and is especially handy for production orders or even moving reinforcements.

In short, you don't have to micromanage a lot to play Sins, but it helps a lot if you do, so if you really want to be good at it you'll need to learn to do it eventually.

But I still want to give it a shot, Am I doomed from the start given my lack of skill at games like SC2? Is it really "Easy to play, difficult to master" as I've heard?
End of quote

Well, when you're first trying it its a lot to take in, its a complicated game and it does take an adjustment from typical RTS games. But an hour or two after the tutorials you should get the hang of it, and with the basics down, then you enter the difficult to master phase, which most people never quite finish but you'll have a blast trying. ;)

Reply #9 Top

Quoting GoaFan77, reply 8

Hello to everyone on the forums, this will be my first post here, so please bare with me a bit lol.


No problem, we hope to see a lot more people like you soon.

 



My original introductions to RTS games was the original Starcraft and Age Of Empires, which I had no problems playing, and I've played quite alot of RTS,Turn based strategy,etc games over the years, but when I finally got Starcraft 2 I came to the horrible conclusion that I suck at using hotkeyes for micromanagement.

Personally I do not use a lot of hotkeys while playing Sins. And those few are only either with ones I didn't realize there was a button for until after I learned the hotkey (scuttling) or very standardized (hold shift to buy more ships etc.). So I doubt that will be a problem, though keep in mind the game does have a bit of a learning curve. Starcraft and age of Empires doesn't teach you how to manage several planets and fleets in real time, but after some practice you can do it without hotkeys.


What drew me to this game in the first place was the speed of the game seemed to be a little more tame than SC2, however there appears to be a hefty amount of micromanagement, which caused me to rethink pre-purchase Rebellion.

The pace of Sins is a lot slower than SC2, especially against the AI. You can easily blow a dozen hours into a single medium sized game if that's the pace you want to play at, especially on not fast settings. Multiplayer tends to play large team games where early contact is quite common and the losing team is expected to quit after a certain point, which can bring down the play time to about an hour, at most two, even with 10 players.

As for the management, Sins has a lot of things going for it that makes it easy to manage a big empire. The biggest I think is that you don't need to babysit your units or else have them get destroyed without even firing. The unit AI is not perfect but its actually capable of fighting basic battles entirely itself (though for tight battles such as on fortified planets you'll want to manage it yourself or take heavy loses), and if you're a laid back type of player you can often just watch the fire works while the battles are going on. At the same time things like the Empire tree make it easy to give orders to places you can even see, and is especially handy for production orders or even moving reinforcements.

In short, you don't have to micromanage a lot to play Sins, but it helps a lot if you do, so if you really want to be good at it you'll need to learn to do it eventually.


But I still want to give it a shot, Am I doomed from the start given my lack of skill at games like SC2? Is it really "Easy to play, difficult to master" as I've heard?

Well, when you're first trying it its a lot to take in, its a complicated game and it does take an adjustment from typical RTS games. But an hour or two after the tutorials you should get the hang of it, and with the basics down, then you enter the difficult to master phase, which most people never quite finish but you'll have a blast trying.
End of GoaFan77's quote


Yeah that reaffirms alot of things I had been reading on the forums and other places, which is what I was really hoping to hear!

I'll probably check it out tommorow (Shame steam isnt doing a midnight unlock), thanks for putting my worries at ease about this game! 

Reply #10 Top

I ended up buying the game today, going to practice against the AI for awhile till I pick up the basics.

Thanks again for all of your information guys! 

Reply #11 Top

Best of luck to you!

Also, unless you play with a friend or someone you feel comfortable "sucking with", I'd recommend being confident against unfair AIs before venturing online...it'll save you a lot of grief and humiliation, as the "niceness" of the online community is sort of a crapshoot these days...

Reply #12 Top

Also

know that being good against Unfairs won't necessarily serve you to well in multiplayer...

as I can super turtle an unfair AI and then do a focused push out with a single fleet and use it to win the game, while that strategy will only cause you (and your team) to lose epically in a multiplayer game...

Reply #13 Top

Quoting Seleuceia, reply 12
Best of luck to you!

Also, unless you play with a friend or someone you feel comfortable "sucking with", I'd recommend being confident against unfair AIs before venturing online...it'll save you a lot of grief and humiliation, as the "niceness" of the online community is sort of a crapshoot these days...
End of Seleuceia's quote


Lol, yeah thats a pretty safe assumption for alot of online multiplayer games.

I'll try and make a few friends either around the forums or in-game and go from there, most of my RL friends are too hooked on Diablo 3 (Myself included really) to play anything else.