Following in the footsteps of its critically acclaimed predecessor, Sins Of A Solar Empire II will seamlessly blend real-time strategy and 4X gameplay to deliver a grand space conflict equal parts immersive and intense, while introducing a whole new level of detail and raising the bar on what it means to become the ruler of a vast space empire.

Sins Of A Solar Empire II will once again explore the tragic war between the desperate Vasari, emergent TEC, and vengeful Advent as their struggle leaves them exposed to much greater threats. Each race will further distinguish their play styles with unique game mechanics, new and reimagined units, extensive research trees, and refined sub-factions. You take the role of leader of one of the game’s factions in order to build a stellar empire using force, trade, alliances, subterfuge and more.

Players will need to evaluate real-time celestial mechanics, observing the orbits of planets and moons while expanding their empires and maneuvering fleets. Meanwhile, savvy battle commanders must leverage ship positioning and point defense turret tracking speeds to intercept swarms of enemy missiles. At every level, Sins Of A Solar Empire II is packed with new features, mechanics, and customization that open up a host of new strategies and tactics.

Stardock and Ironclad Games released a new update for the Sins Of A Solar Empire II Technical Preview (Epic Games Store), adding the TEC Rebel faction, new and updated game systems, additional units, a random map and more.

Players have previously been able to play as the TEC Loyalist faction, but now they can also access the TEC Rebel faction with an expanded roster to bring into battle for both sides. There are new capital ships, including the Marza Dreadnought, Dunov Battlecruiser, and the Sova Carrier, as well as a new frigate: the Neruda Envoy.

In addition to the new faction and units, this update introduces a new culture system. This mechanic allows the TEC to spread their influence via Broadcast Centers, Envoys, and Trade Networks. These structures help accelerate commercial growth, improve neutral party relations, sabotage enemy forces, and more. If the enemy occupies opposing space, the structures there can even inspire the people to revolt, causing a rebellion that will threaten their hold. This is a glimpse at how Sins Of A Solar Empire II evolves asymmetrical gameplay and more will be shown as other factions and systems are added.

"Early Access is an important part of our development process and we’ve had a fantastic response from players so far,” said Brian Clair, Director of Publishing for Stardock. “The feedback we’ve received has already helped to inform some of our design choices.”

Based on player feedback, the research system has been updated so it's easier to see the full research tree. Technologies are now split into Military and Civilian tiers, which require a certain number of research labs to unlock. Once a tier is unlocked, players can research all the subjects under that tier. The research screen UI has also been updated to make the various subjects easier to view.

New ships, structures, and an additional random map type give Early Access players more to explore in addition to updates for UX, art, planet UI, and audio. For a complete list of changes, please visit the forums.

“Players who join us this early in the development phase have a real hand in helping shape the game,” Clair said. “If you want to be involved in a very community-driven process, now is a great time.”

Starting on your homeworld, you begin by exploring your local system. Each area in the game is pre-populated, however, so to expand you will need to use force of arms. To do this, you’ll construct capital ships, cruisers, frigates and strike craft to take over the planets around you. With each world, you can increase your empire’s capabilities and specialize your planets. You’ll also build research stations to learn new technologies and to unlock new ships. Eventually you’ll encounter another major player and it’s at this juncture you must decide if you want to try and be friends or not.

Sins Of A Solar Empire II demands a galaxy filled with thousands of units - from individual missiles to colossal titans - all while maintaining high fidelity visuals and smooth frame rates. Powering this is a new, custom 64-bit multicore engine called Iron Engine 3. This bespoke engine will also go a long way to addressing long-standing player requests like seamlessly rejoining multiplayer games and improved modding.

Sins Of A Solar Empire II is in development for PC (Epic Games Store), currently scheduled for 2023/2024 for $49.99.