Here's what to expect from Sins of a Solar Empire 2 early access on October 27

pcgamer.com:

Sins of a Solar Empire 2 developer Ironclad Games and publisher Stardock Entertainment have confirmed that the 4X RTS will launch in early access via the Epic Games Store(opens in new tab) on October 27. We already had a pretty good idea of the date, since Epic included it on the store page last month, but now we know what it will actually contain. 

Good news: You'll be able to muck around with all of the «core systems», letting you see how the celestial mechanics, diplomacy, warfare and all that good stuff works, Ironclad co-founder Blair Fraser told me.

«If you remove a single piece of it, other parts just don't work,» he says. «So we've got to put it all in, but just restrict the content, enough so that the systems operate but not to give away everything.» 

One of the big changes that you'll be able to see in action is the dynamism of the galaxy. It's always in motion, with planets orbiting stars and moons orbiting planets. This means you really need to keep an eye on celestial mechanics when planning long trips. If you're in a rush to get your fleet to a planet that's about to be attacked and another planet intersects with your route, you're going to be waylaid. 

Along with the celestial mechanics, you'll be able to see how the ship combat system has evolved. The headline attraction here is turrets. These turrets are all individually simulated, spinning around and trying to find targets. Each missile is also a simulated projectile that your turrets will need to shoot down—thankfully that's handled automatically. Positioning is incredibly important, then, and you'll be able to use your beefier ships like a wall, protecting the glass cannon artillery at the back. 

You can read more about these things in our exclusive