With formidable fleets of starships, players will explore and conquer nearby planets and distant solar systems by applying brute force, cunning strategy, elegant diplomacy, economic mastery, and researched technology. Battle hardened capital ships advance in level, improving their core offensive and defensive systems, and unlocking their unique abilities. From research facilities to weapons platforms, planetary structures built on land and in orbit add to their planet's strategic and economic value.

Sins of a Solar Empire is an epic RT4X strategy game, providing grand-scale strategic gameplay in a real-time environment. Beta 2 once again allows would-be galactic commanders to play through single-player sandbox games as the Trader Emergency Coalition (TEC), acting as high-level strategists to conquer new planets and to manage diplomatic relations, then seamlessly moving to the role of battle commander — directing individual ships to attack priority targets — via Sins’ breakthrough 3D game engine.

Powered by Ironclad's proprietary Iron Engine and the Forge Tool Suite, a galaxy of intriguing aliens, powerful starships, and colossal planets comes to life with stunning 3D graphics, unparalleled sense of scale, and a cinematic musical score. Up to ten players can battle for galactic supremacy on IroncladOnline, the company's upcoming matchmaking, player ranking and statistics tracking service.

Sins of a Solar Empire puts players in charge of one of three distinct factions as they explore star systems, expand their empire, exploit conquered planets and exterminate their rivals, all in an intuitive real-time environment. The game’s unprecedented scale allows players to zoom from a view of multiple solar systems right down to a single fighter in the midst of a massive space battle, while the sophisticated interface ensures they’re not overwhelmed by their vast empire. Stunning visuals and remarkable artificial intelligence are among a massive number of features that help immerse players in this innovative strategy game that had PC Gamer warning its readers to “Expect to play into the wee hours of the night (and enjoy it).”

Ten millennia have passed since you and the few survivors of the once mighty Vasari Empire fled from an unknown threat that all but exterminated your kind. You now find yourself at the fringe of the galaxy in a sector occupied by a pathetically primitive species - one obsessed with trade and lacking any central organization or military technology. Calling themselves the Trader Emergency Coalition, they would have been ideal slaves in the glorious days of the past, but time is of the essence. Use your mastery of phase-space manipulation, gravity and nanotechnology to quickly eliminate any local resistance and acquire the necessary resources to fuel the next segment of your continuing exodus.

The following technologies and more will be at your disposal:

• Jarrasul Evacuators: These behemoth ships house the majority of your remaining people and are equipped with numerous critical technologies including the ravaging Planet Resource Drain which can quickly suck resources out of a planet directly from orbit with devastating repercussions to anything on the surface.
• Phase Missiles: Micro-phase technology is embedded into powerful warheads that allow the missiles to temporarily phase-out, bypass enemy shields and cause damage directly to the hull.
• Gravity Warheads: Firing this device will increase the gravitational pull in a radius about the detonation point to such an extent that all phase-space operations will cease and sub-light travel speeds will be drastically reduced.
• Phase Gates: Your advanced phase-tunneling knowledge allows you to construct structures that can bend the phase-space landscape at will into convergent and stable phase lanes between key gravitational sources, thus freeing you from the restrictive dependence on naturally occurring lanes.

To make use of these devastating weapons, you must dive headfirst into battle in Sins of a Solar Empire Beta 4, which launched today. Legions of TEC scum have previously secured their place in the beta by pre-ordering the game at TotalGaming.net; perhaps we should follow suit and reclaim our position at the top of the galactic food chain.

Features of Sins of a Solar Empire Beta 3 include:

• Multiplayer for up to 10 players via LAN or Ironclad Online (ICO), as well as 14 custom maps to accommodate various multiplayer game types
• New artifact/planet exploration system allowing players to spend resources to have analysts and scientists survey a planet's geography, indigenous wildlife, and core industries to determine how best to exploit the natural wealth of the planet
• Introduction of the ominous Pirate Base, all new pirate ships and new pirate behavior allowing players to influence pirate factions by economic means through new additions to the Bounty System
• New environmental features, including space anomalies, a new planet type and planetoids that factor heavily into players’ tactical choices and overall strategies
• The revolutionary Smart Zoom to Cursor camera, upgrades to the cultural system that allow players to intimidate enemies with capital ships, improved research mechanics, tons of new artwork, and many more improvements, updates and fixes

Sins of a Solar Empire is scheduled for release in February 2008.