Sins of a Solar Empire 2 is the latest entry in a franchise that’s long hosted a thriving modding community. Real-time strategy games have traditionally been a hotbed for creative fans, with mods occasionally birthing entire genres as was the case when a humble Warcraft 3 mod, DotA, pioneered what would become the gargantuan MOBA genre. Real-time strategy titles like Sins of a Solar Empire can be transformed into entirely different games by introducing new visual assets and adjusting its parameters and mechanics.
In an interview with Game Rant ahead of Sins of a Solar Empire 2‘s Paths to Power DLC release on March 27, Executive Producer Brian Clair and Producer Chad Farris went in-depth about the franchise’s close relationship with its modding community. They spoke about how the passionate community’s modders have not only inspired Sins of a Solar Empire 2‘s developers with their ideas but have also been recruited into the development team.
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Interview: Sins of a Solar Empire 2 Producers Talk Upcoming DLC, New Features, and Modding
Game Rant sits down with Sins of a Solar Empire 2 producers to chat about the upcoming Paths to Power DLC, the free update’s features, and modding.
Sins of a Solar Empire 2 Keeps in Touch With Modders
Sins of a Solar Empire mods have kept its community invigorated over the years, with creators releasing extremely comprehensive mods years after the game’s release. Legendary mods like Sins of the Prophets transformed the game into a Halo-themed RTS game, while numerous fan projects have delivered fully-fledged Star Wars, Star Trek, and Mass Effect total conversion mods with unique mechanics. These modders demonstrated enough creativity and knowledge of Sins of a Solar Empire‘s systems that Clair sought to hire these gifted creators:
“Chad comes from the modding scene, and so do a couple of our other developers. I actually brought them on somewhat early in the process, which was a great move—yay me!
Modding is a huge focus for us. We think about the modding community in almost everything we do. It’s always like, “Here’s how we’re going to use this feature—let’s make sure it’s exposed so modders can use it too.” Honestly, we get really excited thinking about what modders will do with the tools we’re giving them, especially with what’s coming in March. It’s pretty exciting overall.”
Plus, during development and even now, we’ve had some of the bigger mod teams in our closed community, giving us feedback the whole time—and they continue to. They’re great to work with and provide a ton of useful insights, not just for modding but for improving the base game as well.”
Aside from modders’ direct involvement from within the studio, Sins of a Solar Empire 2 also keeps in contact with the community’s most notable modders. Since modders push the game’s systems in new and creative ways, they deeply understand its inner workings. While this benefits developers regarding mod compatibility, that knowledge is also hugely beneficial for general design choices in the base game.
Sins of a Solar Empire 2 Has Hired Modders Into the Team
Compatibility with mods is a core concern for Ironclad Games and Stardock. They clearly understand modding’s central role in the community, so it’s critical to ensure that Sins of a Solar Empire 2‘s modding is accessible and approachable enough for fans to develop the mind-blowing creations this franchise is known for. Farris, himself an ex-modder, says:
“Modding has been pretty integral to our development process. A lot of the time, when we’re working on new systems, we’re asking ourselves: “Is this flexible enough for modders? Do we need to improve it? How would a mod team handle this?” That kind of thinking has been a big focus for us.
As Brian said, Stardock made the smart call by hiring modders. We’re very happy to be along for the ride. One of our primary 3D artists is a former modder—he worked on the Halo mod, the Mass Effect mod, and the Stargate mod. The current lead designer on Sins 2 worked on the Halo mod, the Mass Effect mod, and Star Trek: Armada 3. All the big hits.”
Although it’s common for modders to become professional game developers, it’s not every day that developers directly hire modders from within their communities. The intimate relationship Sins of a Solar Empire 2 fosters with its mod creators ensures that the game will host a passionate community for many years to come—just like the original Sins of a Solar Empire.
- Released
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August 15, 2024
- Developer(s)
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Stardock Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
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Stardock Entertainment