Product Description
Take control and build the ultimate empire in Sword of the Stars. System Requirements:MINIMUM - OS - Windows 2000/ XP CPU - 1Ghz Pentium/ compatible CPU RAM - 512MB RAM CD/ DVD - 4x Hard Drive - 1GB available Video - 128MB DirectX8 class video card Sound - DirectX8.1 or better compatible Internet Connection - 56kbs modem RECOMMENDED - Windows 2000/XP 1.5 GHz Pentium/ compatible CPU 128MB DirectX9 class video card 1GB RAM Broadband connection Format: WIN 2000XP Genre: ENTERTAINMENT UPC: 828068211332 Manufacturer No: 21133
Product Details
| Title | Sword of the Stars |
| Legal Disclaimer | Warranty does not cover misuse of product. |
| Label | Destineer |
| Platform |
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| Model | 21133 |
| Operating System | Windows 2000 |
| Format |
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| Brand | Destineer |
| Studio | Destineer |
| Genre | Strategy Games |
| Release Date | 2006-08-22 |
| Manufacturer | Destineer |
| Hardware Platform | Pc |
| Publisher | Destineer |
| Batteries Included | No |
| UPC | 828068211332 |
| Special Features | Memory Card |
| ESRB Age Rating | Rating Pending |
| Features |
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| MPN | 21133 |
| EAN | 0828068211332 |
| Edition | Standard |
Customer Reviews
Sword of the Stars: Waste of TimeReview by T. Dean, 2010-02-18
This game is the worst 4X game I've ever played. MOO2, MOO3, GALCIV I, GALCIV II, all have much more to offer than this waste of time. The strategy comes only from what can I research and what ships can I build - there is no economy, no planetary management, no real military strategy, and the interface is absurd.
There is no real story-line here, only a group of single-player stand-alone scenarios that you can play which have nothing to do with each other, and a custom scenario selection in which you get to define a game against the AI.
The only thing you have to do is build spaceships
The fleet battles are a joke and the graphics and the interface are absolutely terrible.
Spend your money on Masters of Orion 3, GalCiv II, Alpha Centauri, or Homeworld II if you want a decent sci-fi game. This just doesn't cut it.
Flawed but Fantastic
Review by Solid Snake, 2009-07-22
Since its release SOTS has added 2 expansions featuring 2 new races - bringing the playable total to 6. Remarkably each race manages to have a unique play style as well as unique ship designs and a few special technologies.
The complete collection (also called the ultimate edition on Steam etc.) addresses some of the issues from the original release and contains enough playable content to keep you entertained for months. Single player options include a dozen or so scenario maps with preset objectives and a custom game option that lets you set up your own maps. The custom option is well designed and easy to use and lets you set a host of parameters, including the number of planets, starting resources and so on. Multiplayer mode lets you test your conquest skills against other human players online or via LAN.
Highlights:
1. Ship customization - you create fleets of your own ship designs with the easy to use design tool. Basically you mix and match 3 sections, command, mission and engine and then add weapons and other options to the section. Hundreds of different designs in 3 size classes are possible.
2. Huge tech-tree - The tech tree is dynamic so you won't get the same technology every time. Plus, it is huge, it will easily take you 300 turns to research everything. While most techs are shared by each race some are specific to one race only. Some techs not available to the race you are playing can be researched after salvaging the wreckage of enemy ships you destroyed in battle - a cool feature.
3. Unique races - Each of the 6 races really does have its own play style, mostly determined by the star drive type they use but also by their available technologies. Most noteworthy are the Zuul, a slaver race that has no civilian class. They strip a planet's resource base over time requiring aggressive expansion. Slaves captured from enemy planets replace civilians as a planets industrial labor force.
4. Micromanagement - A variety of sliders let you determine the breakdown of your total budget as well as the balance of trade and production for each planet. Population can be controlled, resources can be over-harvested and terraforming and infrastructure build rates can be adjusted. In addition, you can build mining ships to transfer resources between planets and build orbital stations to improve various aspects of each planet. Trade is managed for each sector and planet allowing you to add freighters and routes as you wish.
5. Good AI - even if you're hardcore into multiplayer there are times when you want to have a solo game just to pass the time. The AI in SOTS is quite good, especially considering the large amount of variables the computer player has to juggle. They will make and break alliances with you and with each other, adapt to your ship designs and weapon choices, and hit you where you're weak.
6. Ship damage modeling - one of the strange things about SOTS is that there is no health bar for any of the ships! At first this is disconcerting but it doesn't have negative impact on game play IMO. The health bar is essentially replaced with a highly detailed damage modeling system. Ships will show burn marks when they are hit, then plasma leaks as they take more hits, and then finally large hull breaches when they are just about finished. The damage is rendered based on weapon impacts so it is totally dynamic. This also allows you to target specific areas of the ship, even specific weapon turrets, and adds a little more interaction and control to the big battles.
Flaws and Faults:
1. Interface Headaches - lots has been written about the sometimes annoying interface in SOTS. I think most of this is completely exaggerated but there is a grain of truth there as well. With so many ships, planets and stats to manage the interface is bound to have a learning curve. Still, some design decisions will leave you clicking much more than necessary, and some of the information is organized in inefficient ways. This could have been done better and falls short of the excellent interface design in Sins of A Solar Empire, a similar game released after SOTS.
2. Command Ships & Fleet Size Limits - the most annoying aspect of SOTS, at least for me, was the limited number of ships you can have in the battle at any one time. This number is limited by the command ships you have leading your fleet - the larger the command vessel the larger the number of ships you can have in the battle. The stupid thing about this system is that it makes the total size of your fleet somewhat irrelevant and makes your specialty ships more or less useless. Without a command ship the computer selects ships from your fleet a random, sending in say, a refueling ship even when you have attack class ships in the fleet. Without a command vessel you just have to hope your fighters get picked before your support ships in a battle, and that's just plain silly. Even with the Flagship CNC you are limited to only 3 or 4 dreadnought class ships at any one time so you never get to see your massive fleet overwhelm the enemy.
3. Useless tech-tree options - there are a few technologies that would be cool if they weren't made worthless after a single use. You can research biological warfare techs that let you create ship types that launch powerful bio-missiles at enemy planets. The problem is that once used the enemy only has to research the vaccine to render them utterly useless. This means all the bio ships you designed and built are are basically scrap metal after a single turn.
Despite some flaws I've spent hours with this game and I have to say it is an utterly fascinating piece of work and should truly satisfy any fan of 4X and space strategy games. Highly recommended!
Welcome to Nerdvana. Get it? "Nerdvana"??
Review by Kavity Killer, 2009-05-05
This review is for sword of the stars and the two expansion packs that came after. Now available in one package for 29.99 lots of places, apparantly not Amazon though- frown face.
Anyway, this is a straight up awesome game peoples. I'm assuming if you're reading this, you've played games like master of orion 2 and Gal Civ 2. Well, this game is the Johnny Watson to their BB King. This game is the Cyndi Lauper to their Madonna. It's a little funkier, a little rough around the edges, a little "alternative", but crazy crazy good. While Gal Civ 2 is just an evolution of moo2, this is like a branch in the tree. If GC2 was a human, and moo2 was a chimp, sots would be a dolphin.
Pros:
races that are unique beyond just having eg +25% population growth, or some such mathmatically based difference. No, they're actually unique in their propulsion systems, technology, etc. etc. etc.
tactical battles that are actually tactical. the ability to target individual weapons, engines, command modules etc. Tons of weapons, each with their own range, damage, firing arcs, etc. etc. etc.
simplified economics- If I wanted to spend my free time micromanaging numbers, I'd get an accounting degree.
Probably the coolest tech tree and tech tree presentation screen ever.
Cons:
It's different than the norm for this genre. Takes some getting used to. Not really a con, strictly speaking, but some will dismiss it out of hand just because its not a moo2 clone.
The music is not the greatest. Wispy and unobtrusive. Just create your own epic mp3 play list and start it before you launch the game. Problem solved. I suggest No Quarter by Led Zep.
No, I have no connection to the company. I'm a dentist.
If you dig this type of game, or just sci fi in general, at least download the demo and give it a shot.
Addicting and lasting gameplay
Review by Edgar Pauley Jr., 2009-03-04
I first bought this game years ago and still continue to play it. (first bought the digital download but wanted a CD copy) A successor in my eyes to Master of Orion 2. Each race has their own method of travel though space creating a completely different game depending on which one your playing.
Great Game.
Review by J. Edmonds, 2008-08-30
Sword of the Stars is a great game, it can take a while to get into it but well worth it. If you buy sots I highly recommend you get born of blood also or the CE edition if you can find it.
Unlike most games such as sins of a solar empire where every game almost always ends with same tactics, No sots game is ever really the same, random tech tree's, random events etc.
Also unlike alot of games you can logon to xfire and chat with the devs post on forums and they will respond.
Don't trust this review though go to the site and download the CE demo, give it a try you won't regret it.
