(Image credit: Ironclad Games)

Ironclad Games has keptSins of a Solar Empire 2 fans well fed since the release of the space strategy sequel late last year, providing a frequent influx of updates and DLC. In the last twelve months, Ironclad has introduced features likenew scenarios, population mechanics, better tutorials and improved debris visuals for prettier battle aftermaths. Now, a new update takes aim at one of the RTS’ weakest areas of play, that trickiest of 4X systems to implement—diplomacy.

TheDiplomatic Repercussions update aims to make negotiation a more interesting and viable path to victory. As Ironclad explains in a new video, at the heart of this overhaul is a significant AI rework. NPC factions have had their brains rewired to make them both smarter and friendlier than they were before. They’re more likely to form alliances and forgive past transgressions, but also more tactically adept on the battlefield should diplomacy fail.

v1.5 "Diplomatic Repercussions" Update | Sins of a Solar Empire II - YouTube

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As for how you can exploit these changes diplomatically, the diplomacy menu now shows critical modifiers to your diplomatic offers, such as how likely a faction is to accept a proposal and what changes to research and relationship status it will have. In addition, players can trade influence points as a resource when making agreements, or use them to purchase intelligence that will shed light on a faction’s progression status.

Elsewhere, the update adds several new quick-start options that let players begin the game with planets, fleets, and other bonuses. The research and tech-tree menus have been redesigned to reduce clutter and make them more readable. And Ironclad has livened up the galaxy by adding decorative orbital shuttles that ferry between planets. Fancy!

These changes should help address our resident galactic warlord Fraser Brown’s main complaint about Sins 2, namely that diplomacy rarely felt meaningful. "I found the AI largely disinterested in engaging with the barebones system, even when I offered stupid amounts of cash and resources," he wrote in hisSins of a Solar Empire 2 review. He still thought it was a brilliant game by and large, however. "When it comes to pure war, nobody does it better."

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Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad’s home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net. But he’s always kept one foot in freelance games journalism, writing for publications like Edge, Eurogamer, the Guardian and, naturally, PC Gamer. While he’ll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims.

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