It is the year 2405, and human scientists have discovered a new technology, the Node Drive. This is an innovation that will finally allow travel from star to star at speeds faster than light.
As mankind is poised on the brink of a new era, tragedy strikes, as the first inter-colony ship is destroyed and Earth is ravaged by an alien force. What was supposed to be the dawning of a new era instead was stymied by a grim, new reality... We are not alone...and we are no longer safe.
Features
- 4 distinct races - Human, Hiver, Tarkas and Liir - each with their own technology advantages and disadvantages.
- Each race has a unique mode of transport between star systems, creating very different styles of play, depending on what race you choose to control.
- Over 150 distinct technologies to research on a dynamic tech tree that changes from game to game. While the core technology of the tree is consistent, certain offshoots are random from game to game. There is no perfect path up the tech tree to memorize and exploit, because the path keeps changing!
- New technology reflected in detailed ship models, weapons and combat effects. Over 40 weapons from six different weapon classes, in various size classes, from point defence, turrets, to massive spinal mounts!
- Players can design and build ships from three size classes - Destroyer, Cruiser, and Dreadnought - by mixing and matching ship sections (command, mission, and engines), then outfitting them with armour and weapons to suit their preference.
- Up to 8 players can play against the AI and one another over LAN or online
- Choose from a variety of scenario campaigns to play alone or with friends, each adding more colour and depth to the Sword of the Stars universe.