Sins of a Solar Empire 2is 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 humbleWarcraft 3mod, DotA, pioneered what would become thegargantuan MOBA genre. Real-time strategy titles likeSins of a Solar Empirecan be transformed into entirely different games by introducing new visual assets and adjusting its parameters and mechanics.
In an interview with Game Rant ahead ofSins of a Solar Empire 2’s Paths to Power DLCrelease 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 inspiredSins of a Solar Empire 2’s developers with their ideas but have also been recruited into the development team.
Sins of a Solar Empire 2 Keeps in Touch With Modders
Sins of a Solar Empiremods 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 aHalo-themed RTS game, while numerous fan projects have delivered fully-fledgedStar Wars,Star Trek, andMass Effecttotal conversion modswith unique mechanics. These modders demonstrated enough creativity and knowledge ofSins 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 ensure 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 2also keeps in contact with the community’s most notable modders. Sincemodders push the game’s systemsin 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 thatSins of a Solar Empire 2’s moddingis 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 Effectmod, 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 thatdevelopers directly hire moddersfrom 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.
Sins of a Solar Empire 2’sPaths to Power DLCreleases on March 27.
