Paradoxically, it is a fact that in none of the existing global space strategies, where the key task is precisely the destruction of the enemy, military actions were never properly organized.
At best, we had to settle for semi-automatic battles between fleets led by AI, and at worst, just watch a sketched battle, the winner of which was calculated using a random number generator. Agree, this does not satisfy the needs of fans of the genre at all.
A similar conclusion was made by the developers from Kerberos, who had previously proven themselves in the space strategy field of the excellent Homeworld: Cataclysm for the Sierra studio. They decided to pay enough attention to wars, and this is already felt in the "tutorial", where the first point is not the routine colonization of planets or the development of the economy, but learning the basics of building our space fleet. Bravo Kerberos!
The first thing you notice when you launch the game is a completely changed universe: the archaic 2D from Master of Orion III and Galactic Civilizations II has finally given way to "three-dimensionality". And let the conservatives criticize the 3D map, it is quite convenient to work with it, you get used to it quickly, and the opportunity to view the galaxy from all angles is a real delight.
The second interesting innovation is a radically changed concept of the 4X strategy genre. The economy in "SotS" is minimized: each planet gives out a certain amount of loans, and revenues to the treasury can be increased by opening technologies for modernizing the industry and genetic modification of our race (the latter will make it more adapted to living conditions in other worlds). No construction of buildings, no problems with employment and morale of the population is not in sight - the local governors are qualified enough to solve routine issues on their own and not bother the emperor over trifles.
But with science and the construction of new ships, everything is different - it is the development of science that is one of the key tasks of the player, along with the build-up of military power and the conquest of planets. The tech tree is not overloaded with unnecessary and duplicate appendages, as was the case in Galactic Civilizations II. All research projects are provided with short annotations, which greatly simplifies the selection. In addition, in each new SotS session, the aforementioned technology tree is re-generated randomly, which adds elements of non-linearity to the game and increases the “replayability”. Of course, the key developments remain in place, but, for example, the components of weapons can vary, thereby forcing us to constantly think over the original tactics of capturing enemy colonies. Not forgotten and the powerful editor of equipment - a direct competitor of his colleague from GalCiv II. There are three classes of ships available (destroyers, cruisers and dreadnoughts), for which there are more than 70 different upgrades. But all this is just a prelude to the main innovation of the game - a competent combination of a global turn-based mode and colorful battles of space fleets taking place in real time.
Combat is undoubtedly the strong point of Sword of the Stars. After the pitiful pixel ships in MoO III and the automatic resolution of all conflicts in GalCiv II, the epic battles here in full "three-dimensionality" look grandiose. And although the picture on the screen is slightly inferior to Empire at War and Nexus, the battles look very decent. The damage system is especially impressive - there are no "lifebars" here, and the condition of our and enemy ships has to be assessed by their appearance! Swinging engines and fires in separate sections, for example, clearly indicate the need for an immediate evacuation of the vessel, otherwise it will be destroyed in the next few seconds.
Fleet management in SotS is surprisingly simple and convenient: orders are given on a 2D map, and ships automatically take positions in 3D. Painfully reminiscent of Empire at War, isn't it? As in SW: EaW, only a limited number of ships can fight on the battlefield at the same time, but their number increases as the corresponding technologies are discovered. Well, if the vanguard suffers significant losses, it is allowed to order reinforcements - and so on until the complete destruction of the enemy or our armada.
The hallmark of modern 4X strategies is the maximum number of "unique" races, which differ mainly only in appearance. The developers of Sword of the Stars chose a different path - there are only four parties to the conflict in the game, but the difference between them is really huge. Aggressive "reptiles Tarka" prefer to crush the enemy in numbers, "insectoids Hivers" have a strong but slow fleet, but as soon as they build a "hyperspace" gate, nothing will save opponents from retaliation. Humanity, as usual, has turned out to be the most balanced with Kerberos. Thanks to the use of technology for movement in four-dimensional space, human ships are able to quickly move between star systems, having previously stocked up with a couple of tankers with fuel, and the powerful military industry of earthlings will allow them to compete on equal terms with other races. The only disappointing thing is the clumsy design of our Air Force - they look like anything but predatory and elegant warships.
The complete opposite of earthlings is the mysterious "dolphin-like" race "Liir", which developed unique inertialess transport systems. By the way, they have the most beautiful ships: streamlined, sophisticated, actively using "stealth" technologies, unmatched in efficiency and firing accuracy.
The single player mode also deserves warm words. In addition to the indispensable "sandbox", where we independently set the initial conditions for the game, a full-fledged campaign has appeared in SotS, gradually acquainting us with the strengths and weaknesses of each of the races.
Unfortunately, a lot of flaws and errors that often force you to reboot the PC prevent from giving an excellent mark to the creation of Kerberos. Nevertheless, we can safely say that Sword of the Stars turned out to be a surprisingly bright and dynamic 4X strategy and became a real balm for those who were disappointed by the excessive slowness and economic bias of Galactic Civilizations II. The fleet awaits your instructions, Commander-in-Chief!
