All games start w/ 3 races!!!

For Sins of a Solar Empire, its because of the story.

So how many are working on your game, 50-60 ppl?
Is it fully 3D like Sins and HW?

The point being, is the cost.
Well they could make is soo much larger with 17 races, but would you like to pay a 100$ for a game?

well more races mean more balance especialy in MP. As said above more artwork, a new story ect. cost more money. Plus making a campain for more than 3 races will be a very long game...

I hope you mean "more races means more balancing to do" because I think thats the real major issue. as you get more races the balancing act gets harder in a factoral nature.

I really don't think the Vasari equate to the zerg. Vasari are all about very expensive, but very few ships. I think the closest to the zerg, strategy wise, would be the TEC, they've got the cheapy ships.

I wouldn't have the patience to play a game with 17 races...

It's the smallest number that allows easy balancing and doesn't look rubbish. You'll also get more playstyles in. If you have two races, they tend to end up as being either the same or polar opposites. Usually this means one has a small number of powerful but expensive units (Starcraft Protoss, Red Alert Soviets etc.) and the other has a horde of cheap ones (Zerg, Allies). If you add a third race you can put them in the middle ground (like Starcraft's Terrans) and result in every playstyle having a race that comes close to accommodating it.

It doens't have to be balanced-some races are minor

The ones that are balanced will be the Major races and games between those ones only would be ranked, otherwise casual gameplay. And no i haven't started the game cuz im only 16 years old. im going to college for it. so in truth only like six or seven core races would have to be balanced. other would be there becuase of gameplay options and additional fun. no it shouldn't be $100 becase just make the models, program it and don't worry about balancing some of the races.

Right now i am balacing it by making documents in Word and writing their stats down. Some ships cost too little and are too powerful; im balancing it as of now.

One race has four ship types. One race has all super-powerful ships. One race has all weak ships (cheap). Like Seven races are balanced in the ammount of firepower and ships they each have....

If only it were as easy as saying make model and graphics. Takes money and time. Also, have to be sure hardware is able to run that many ship classes and types

It doens't have to be balanced-some races are minor

The ones that are balanced will be the Major races and games between those ones only would be ranked, otherwise casual gameplay. And no i haven't started the game cuz im only 16 years old. im going to college for it. so in truth only like six or seven core races would have to be balanced. other would be there becuase of gameplay options and additional fun. no it shouldn't be $100 becase just make the models, program it and don't worry about balancing some of the races.

Right now i am balacing it by making documents in Word and writing their stats down. Some ships cost too little and are too powerful; im balancing it as of now.

One race has four ship types. One race has all super-powerful ships. One race has all weak ships (cheap). Like Seven races are balanced in the ammount of firepower and ships they each have....

Just a question but... is this in 2D? Or a mod for an existing game?

No it is made in 3-D Computer Aided Design enigne software. it is not a mod; it is a game i want to make when im out of college. for now im not even in college yet. im thinking it up

i mean obviosuly when i get into a company that has made RTS games before ill probably realize 15 or so races is too many. but its gud to have too many now than too little later on. they could always be taken out. or a deluxe edtion of the game could inlcude more races. etc...

You mean three factions of sides. I mean there can be more then one race to make up a faction, but generally there's three opposing SIDES. Not necessarily races.

You forgot about the Pirates.... While technically not a race (race being a player faction), They are a faction. Granted an NPC faction, but still a separate faction from the other 3. So that makes 4 factions in Sins

Plus who knows what other surprises the dev's have in store for us.

You forgot about the Pirates.... While technically not a race (race being a player faction), They are a faction. Granted an NPC faction, but still a separate faction from the other 3. So that makes 4 factions in Sins

Plus who knows what other surprises the dev's have in store for us.

Yup, a new race might be introduced in a expansion (or we might meet other factions and or races in the campaign)

Warcraft 1 & 2 had two races

WC3 had 4 races (roughly), + High-Elves (which could be played if you possessed one of the workers)

Expansion had Naga as well.

It doens't have to be balanced-some races are minor

BALANCE IS EVERYTHING!!! Biggest problem with WoW is balance. No balance causes everyone to be angry and mad.

The ones that are balanced will be the Major races and games between those ones only would be ranked, otherwise casual gameplay. And no i haven't started the game cuz im only 16 years old. im going to college for it. so in truth only like six or seven core races would have to be balanced. other would be there becuase of gameplay options and additional fun. no it shouldn't be $100 becase just make the models, program it and don't worry about balancing some of the races.

Google Base Invaders, download it, and play it. Also look at the source code. It took a team of 5 to create a game like that. If you think you can do that for 17 unique different races, good luck.

if you haven't noticed, WC3 doesnt have the naga and HE races in ladder because of balancing issues.

Galciv had multiple 'races' but that was because they all work off of the same stats/weps/hulls. Same for the Civ and Total War series. The races in Sins are inherently different because they come from different parts of the galaxy and have had thousands of years to perfect their own branches of research. That would mean that if they added in another faction, they would have to add another techtree, more models, and balance that race against the other three.
Not to say that Blizzard is omnipotent, but if they couldn't do it...

Actually, they basically added the high elves units to regular human units.

Naga would've been overpowered, but they were still fun to play.

The races in Sins are inherently different because they come from different parts of the galaxy and have had thousands of years to perfect their own branches of research.

That's why I'm so excited for this game! Each race will be very different from each other, and each one will have unique stories as well! I'm very excited to see what they do to each race.

That was the main problem with Homeworld 1-2. Each race basically had the same units (at least first one). Sorry about relating this game to HW all the time, but it's the best comparison out there right now.

It really does matter what you mean by races (factions). The Master of Orion / Galactic Civilizations / Space Empires(spreadsheets in space!) idea operates off the concept of tweaking a common set of variables to come up with differences. It works, but aside from window dressing one race can seem like any other. Sins seems to follow the path StarCraft went, and make races with varied units that overall balance out, but aren't capable of a 1 to 1 comparison. Is a Marine better than two zerglings? As long as there's an internet, someone will try to answer.

A recent hybrid I can think of is Sword of the Stars. They have 4 basic races (and a 5th was recently added in an expansion). I mean hybrid thus - ships classes are static, but each race has different numbers of weapons, weapon arcs, and themes (One race favors heavy forward punch or broadsides). One race may have huge numbers of weapons, but lacks innovative technologies others often get and usually muscles by with basic weapons. Also, engines are different, meaning strategy varies on attack and defense for each race. It's not perfect, but it does help with replay ability.

edit - clarity

From that point of view then yes sins does seem to be following the warcraft/starcraft formula. Each race's units are different 1 vs 1, but the factions balance out as a whole entity. Which IMO is better than say Total Annihilation or Supreme Commander where each factions units are basically a clone of one another with perhaps some minor stat differences. I would be upset if a single Colbalt could take on its Vasari, or Advent counterpart in a one on one fight, because it wouldnt fit in with the lore, and brutal honesty it would be very boring.

From what little info there is out now the TEC seem to be the meat shields. They have weaker ships compared to the other 2 factions, but use economic superiority, and strength in numbers. The Vasari are supposed to be the most advanced faction. Their ships are supposed to way outclass their counterparts, but they have very limited numbers, and cant easily replace their losses. The Advent i'm still iffy on what their role is supposed to be. Other than cannon fodder tossed in to disrupt the order of things. They should be weaker than the Vasari, but stronger than TEC (because of Psi abilities). Though the 3 playable factions are vastly different it "should" all balance out in the end as a whole. We will see when the other 2 factions are introduced.

Random question but what 3d modeler are u running. Ive been working with 3ds max 9.0 wich is a really great program...its expensive buut well worth it if u ca get school discounts. You should be able to get a few if u can get a school letter head from you high school.

tristan told me at one point... but I was too busy staring dreamily at Multi to really pay attention... sorry

You bring up a good point Major, in that each race should have an advantage or specialty that when taken in total, works for their race, yet still balances out in the end when compared to other races. I like that the TEC gets technologies to upgrade ship building speed, and also to really leverage its economic power to keep going. I just hope the Vasari for instance, don't simply have the same 'fast construction' tech, just with a different name.

As for the Advent, my guess is they have ways to manipulate combat moreso than the TEC. Shield killers, tractor beams, making ships fire on their own side, that sort of thing. With the pirates using analogs of TEC ships, I see them as a bit more esoteric and less capable of simply throwing more firepower at a situation.

Granted, the pirate use of TEC ships could simply be the result of the Beta. They may have only the TEC models fully fleshed out, so it was easier to change a few names and make the pirates. Perhaps the final game will use ships similar to all three races (unique ones for pirates only would be neat too).

the pirates will have their own models

yep yep... you didn't know?

yah, were hoping they get jessica alba as one model and jessica simpson as the other, and they can duke it out

Which IMO is better than say Total Annihilation or Supreme Commander where each factions units are basically a clone of one another with perhaps some minor stat differences.

With TA thats more or less fair, but to call the difference between races "minor stat differences" in supcom is just... ridiculous. Take my favorite example of the Aoeon's extra accurate artillery, Vs. the Cybran's can't-hit-the-broad-side-of-a-barn-door but AoE arty. I hate the Cybran approach, which can deal with swarms but can't pound incoming heavy units very effectively.

Why