Heh, I wouldnt call incarceration in America today a pushishment, More like an extended stay in club fed. Hell the crooks get 3 free meals a day, a free roof over their heads. Free clothing, Cable, Library's, Weight rooms, Medical care, and Internet access. At the TAXPAYERS (our) expense! The only worry they have is getting their ass's kicked.., or worse if they aren't gay. They live 100% better than most of the honest law abiding people here. Whats worse is they are "respected" for being in prison like its a badge of honor. 9 of 10 convicted felons wind up back in prison (must be all the freebees). Our media isnt helping by glorifying the drug addict, and "thug" lifestyle ether.

Yea,.. Incarceration is a punishment. Time to wake up. (sorry for the rant, but this is an issue that really burns my ass)

On topic:
The game has plenty of backstory to it. I kinda wish the dev's would put the lore page back up. It was quite an interesting read. If anyone remembers Star Control 1 it didnt have a campaign just a series of preset sandbox scenarios (and some very vague backstory).

LOL! I like the idea of the Vasari running away from "themselves". It is possible that nothing is chasing them at all. That the never was a "threat", but due to unfortunate circumstances these particular Vasari believe there is one, and became fanatical about it over the years.

Your description of incarceration holds for low security (and maybe some medium security) prisons. However, maximum and super-maximum security prisons (where we put most of our murderers, rapists, and the like) are no pinic. Definitely no TV, one hour outside the cell a day, a small maybe 8x4 cell, and oh yea, being raped by other prisoners (common in medium security facilities as well). If you commit a white collar crime, you go to a low security prison and life isn't too bad (you are still controled and without freedom which does suck...oh yea and getting a job is a bitch with a criminal record). If you commit a violent crime or are a drug dealer, life isn't nearly so cozy (and your ass is a lot sorer).

Doesn't make sense -- wouldn't they receive the signal directly, and get shut down themselves?

And how would that cause an entire crew to go mad with terror?

Take the prison discussion to the Off-Topic forum, please.

The crew went mad with terror because the virus wiped out all their porn.

Graaaaagh! Keep that virus away from Earth!

Uuhhggg! Keep Vasari porn away from Earth too.

Watch out, Yarlen is probably going to try telling us that porn is considered an off topic subject.

Don't do it Yarlen, you'll lose a lot of potential purchases if you confirm porn doesn't play a vital role in the game. As it is, with the title being 'Sins', you can bet some pervs will pick it up by accident.

Brilliant marketing ploy, by the way. Wouldn't that be cool if you surpase World of Warcrfat in sales because of the 'perv' variable.

The brilliant marketing ploy would be to make a game with an acronym PORN, while having nothing to do with it

The Vasari are running from something related to how their empire was formed, they were more or less conquerers and enslavers, and the game is called 'Sins' of a Solar Empire, they are easily the empire in mind IMO, and thus their sins are being punished by the mysterious insanity/blackout wave.

It could be that they enslaved a poor pathetic minor race that was under the protection of a god-like being, who is striking out in vengeance angainst the Vasari, relentlessly, and simply driving their entire race into madness.

Or the Vasari activated some ancient artifact they found on a world and was brought to their HW for study, whatever it is, is obviously a horrible weapon of sorts lol.

Perhaps they opened Hell. These would all be decent twists, but I really don't think it will be the big bad aliens, just too typical, and it has to be in some way related to the crimes of their former empire.

...or it could be they lost their porn.

Beware the cyberdemons!

Don't forget the TEC being punished for its sin of intolerance against the advent. That's two out the three empires being punished. The Advent was already punished by being exiled so all the empire's sins are causing retibution to come upon themselves (at some point).

Here's my new guess about what the Vasari are running from (I realized that the last one wouldn't work after reading the lore again and seeing that a Dark Fleet ship did return to the current Vasari exiles so its more than a communications blackout). The Vasari have encountered a being so depressing that all who encounter it commit suicide. This being's name is...MARVIN!   

or have everything to do with it...

but im offtopic so ill stop

For you, this kind of thing is always on topic

sounds like porn to me...

Ok, no more porn theories, new tact.

Old broadcast signals from the tec had just reached vasari space. The horrific images caused mass suicides, terror stricken rioting, the central government collapsed into anarchy, and doom sayers began re-broadcasting the vile children's shows to spread news of the end times and the coming apocalypse. All returning ships picked up the broadcasts, killed themselves, went insane, etcetera.

It wasn't porn, even worse aliens, or a computer virus. It was the teletubbies.

how is that related to the formation of the Vasari empire?

and what is the "sin" of the Advent? they are rather prestine considering.

The sin of the Vasari: (Lust) Ruthless conquest, and the lust for power. Retribution: It all comes crashing down on them in ways that have yet to be explained. They became space gypsies looking for a new home.

The sin of TEC: (Greed) TEC initially tried to incorporate the Advent into the trader coalition, because they thought they could profit from it. The Advent wanted none of this. So TEC forcibly exiled the ancestors of the advent (much like how 19th century America relocated the Native American's) The Advent acts of social deviancy, and taboo was just an excuse to rally the trader worlds behind the cause. Retribution: The Advent return, and exact harsh vengeance during TECs war with the Vasari.

The sin of the Advent: (Wrath) Vengeance, and the merciless slaughter of TEC. Retribution: Defeat, and possible annihilation of their entire race.

Last line is pure speculation, but it fits in with the lore. Now it is really bugging me is what wiped out the Vasari empire? Was it an outside source? a massive revolt? or did it simply just collapse in on itself? The Vasari ruled its empire from orbit. Believing that minimal presence would prevent revolts. Perhaps they should have reconsidered that line of thought. If they were in orbit who was watching the subjects on the surface's of these worlds? It may have been a coordinated multi world revolt being that no one was really monitoring the surfaces as long as the Vasari got what they demanded (think battlefield earth).

Except... how do you co-ordinate when you can't travel from planet to planet?

And how does that drive the crew of the fleeing ship "map with terror"?

The name of a game is "Sins of a Solar Empire", not "Sins of Solar Empires". The ancestors of the tec exiled the advent and broadcast the teletubbies, problem solved.

And the Vasari picked up the teletubbies broadcast from a 21 century Earth. That is what drove them mad with Terror.

what if they attempted to conquer what they thought was an inferior race only to find they were not so inferior after all. or maybe had some special talent, like psychic abilites, mind control/ mind reading and the likes.

rather boring explanation though, personally I rather go with any kinds of virus-like ideas. fits the description most.

wow....now we're talking about teletubbies.....omg....lol....this post was about the campaign.....now its the campaign of the teletubbies....lol...

Can you think of a more horrifying nemesis?

Winnie the Pooh and Piglet are up there.