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4X Endless Space 2

covr

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Since Amplitude Studios had shown their latest baby on the Gamescom 2015 , I feel obliged to shamelessly copy-paste known features of ES2. Original thread here: http://forums.amplitude-studios.com/showthread.php?80670-Known-Feature-thread

Multi Racial Population
Each Empire will consist out of multiple races, the ones you started with and the minors you assimilated (maybe also the ones you conquer, but that is unconfirmed). Each of those will have different needs and desires so it gets harder to keep them all happy. That is important because of...

Government
Every 40 turns a new leader will be elected (unknown if there are other styles of government besides democratic) and depending on the makeup of the parliament based on the election and the political platform of each party there are different policies that can be passed which affect science and production

Battle Plan
You can now make Battle Plans before the combat starts. That includes plotting the course of each ship group (or capital ship) on a 2D plane and assigning targets. Once the planning is done the battle runs automatically and can't be influenced. So it is a bit like Gratuitous Space Battles

Amplified Reality
Amplified Reality which we have seen in the trailer is actually in the game. By pressing space the orange overlay pops in and displays more information.

More immersion/narrative
The Narrative impacts the game a lot stronger but no details were mentioned.

Influence is in the game
I have seen the purple star resource symbol

Jiheu:Lane and Free movement
Movement will be lane based, but some ships like probes can move freely

Jiheu:Dynamic shifts in approval
Approval is based on the prevalence of the 8 different kinds of ideologies in the empire (Sophonts for example have a high science ideology. Having a multi race empire makes things more complicated as more ideologies mix) and how much in tune the actions you take are with that ideology (like building a lot of war ships). Outside events can alter the prevalence of ideologies (for example, being next to Carvers makes your population more fearful and increases militarism).

It sounds like Endless Space mixed with Endless Legend and Civilisation IV with all expansions. Which is good.

EDIT: Early access confirmed for 2016.
 
Last edited:

Raghar

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I just quoted game of one company, it has nothing to do with nationality, and the first isn't RTS. Considering homeword isn't exactly counted as RTS either and the second was inspired by homeworld...
 

bonescraper

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Battle Plan
You can now make Battle Plans before the combat starts. That includes plotting the course of each ship group (or capital ship) on a 2D plane and assigning targets. Once the planning is done the battle runs automatically and can't be influenced. So it is a bit like Gratuitous Space Battles
It will be like Endless Legend. Why? Why do they avoid combat with actual player input?
 

covr

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Maybe they've got poor combat AI programmers? It makes little sense, but there must be some reason.
 

whatevername

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It will be like Endless Legend. Why? Why do they avoid combat with actual player input?
They heard the rumor spewed out by nuMoO devs that 90% of MoO players don't use combat. So they thought nuMoO's target audience is consoletards and now they want to compete for that market.
 
Self-Ejected

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The ship battle announcement is not the complete story. We didn't get much in the way of hints out of them, but there will be more to it.
 

ArchAngel

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I enjoyed ES1 but I found combat in EL better so I don't mind if ES2 follows that design.
 
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I can see some potential in this. ES1 was a solid game on its own, even with the lackluster combat, and was an easy way to kill some time. Definitely going to see how this turns out.
 

Jimmious

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I think the concept is that you play as the emperor (or something of the sort) of a whole civilization , so actually commanding each regiment/ship in battle doesn't make sense. I can live with that as an approach.
 

Raghar

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Maybe they've got poor combat AI programmers? It makes little sense, but there must be some reason.
Actually creating battle plans and then allowing it to run at some speed, can be done on purpose. First it's more honest as it disallows absurd tactics. Second, it allows playing battle at high speed, and still have feedback which wouldn't happen with autoresolve. Basically they are planning to do something like Dominions 4 did, and I don't see people complaining about lack of direct control in D4.
 

covr

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Hi all,

We hope you've enjoyed the background story of Endless Space 2 we've shared here. Keep on giving us your impressions and feedback: we always find it very interesting! As you know, we were at Gamescom last week and had the pleasure to demo a pre-alpha version of Endless Space 2 to the press and very lucky VIP players we invited to the event!

This new game design document will give an overview of the available features you will discover in ES 2.



INTRODUCTION

Welcome to this galaxy, once the home to a starfaring race known as the Endless. Though the Endless are long gone, and their civilization burned out in a violent civil war, the legacy they left behind echoes into the future and the past. Now you arrive on the scene -- you, leader of a strong and eager nation that has only just discovered space travel. To the stars! The forbidding vacuum of space will not deter us from the glory of discovery! You wonder what mysteries you will find there -- strange alien races, powerful opposing nations, fantastic astronomical anomalies, vast riches, and perhaps even ruins of the fabled Endless.

As the emperor you have at your disposal a panoply of tools to aid your development. Powerful heroes to lead your fleets and govern your systems; a Senate who expresses the desires of your population and who will -- you hope -- pass laws that will support your vision; advanced sciences and technologies to permit you to build ever-greater cities and ever-deadlier ships... Well, what are you waiting for?! Onward! Upward! Your destiny awaits!





GAME DESIGN

THE POPULATION

Rationale
We want the population to be at the heart of empire management. The population of each faction will have its own unique character in terms of economic outlook, political preferences, and perception of the world. The player will need to pay attention to the composition of the population of their empire in order to make decisions that won’t anger their citizens.

Key points

The population
  • provides FIDSI bonuses specific to their faction
  • interacts with minor factions
  • supports and oppose various government policies
  • perceives the world their own way
  • can be composed of a plurality of races and opinions
  • is affected by a player’s decisions


THE SENATE

Rationale
The Senate represents the citizens of the empire, and is the tool the player will use to customize its empire throughout the game.
The Senate represents the voice of the population, forcing the player to adapt to and influence those opinions in order to achieve his or her goals. The player will be able to choose the type of government, which will affect the limits of the Senate’s influence.
Managing the Senate is mandatory if you want to grow and develop your empire! The player will have an additional level of challenge, as decisions might affect the population and, on a larger scale, the Senate.

Key points

The Senate
  • can enact laws depending on the available policies and the public support they have
  • is beholden to elections run every 20 turns
  • elections can be influenced by the player
  • and the population they represent are in constant flux


THE GALAXY

Rationale
The galaxy is filled with points of intersection, around which fleets can orbit. These "nodes" are connected to each other, forming a graph-like structure. Their connectivity influences the tactical aspect of the navigation. Exploration will be both more important and more challenging than in ES1.
To keep each game fresh, the galaxy is procedurally generated and customizable through numerous options -- from the shape and size to the composition of the galaxy itself. The galaxy is also full of randomly assigned elements that render every planet, system, and constellation unique to that game.

Key points

The galaxy
  • features randomly generated planets
  • is procedurally generated and fully customizable
  • is full of surprises! Anomalies, resource-rich backwaters, incredible aliens, wondrous sights, …
  • will support deeper exploration gameplay with a larger role than in ES1
  • is constantly evolving over the course of the game (new elements, events, discoveries, quests…)


ECONOMY

Rationale
We want the economy to be easy to comprehend. Therefore, resources are generated based on colonized planets and then multiplied by the population living on it. We build the economy around five elementary resources: Dust (money), Food, Industry,Science, and Influence. The player can thus choose what they want to focus on by distributing their population over different planets or systems to gain the needed resources.
In addition, the player can harvest more specific resources called Strategic and Luxury resources, which will allow him/her to access powerful bonuses to the elementary resources, construction, fleets, etc.

Key points

The economy
  • is predicated on the outpost and colony system as in ES1
  • is limited by the empire’s area of influence, which determines limits of control and frontiers
  • is influenced by the faction's unique aspects (traits, specialities, etc.)
  • builds on planet types to create a simple economic system
  • supports levelling systems through crafting blueprints!


BATTLES

Rationale
We want the player to enjoy watching battles and avoid micromanagement. To that end, we focus gameplay on all the many decisions that are taken before the battle:
  • Choice of the place where the battle occurs
  • Composition of the fleet (numbers and types of ships and their modules and armament)
  • The selection of a tactical plan that takes best advantage of the fleet construction strategy


For the cinematic aspect, we want to develop elements that allow a huge variety of situations in order to feel that each battle is unique and worth watching.

Key points

Battles
  • support grand strategical thinking, building off fleet composition and tactics
  • take place in a range of arenas, encompassing varied astronomical hazards
  • are cinematic! Beautiful to watch, and each one unique!


HEROES

Rationale
Heroes are powerful tools that aid the player in shaping their empire; they can be assigned as an Admiral on a fleet or a Governor in a solar system. Executing missions help them progress and unlock new skills that make them even more powerful. Each hero has a specialty, though they are all a useful bonus in any situation (up to a certain point).
The heroes will also develop their own story over the course of the game and acquire titles based on their feats.

Key points

The Heroes
  • progress through an RPG levelling system (skills, specialization)
  • experience a dynamic storyline (biography and titles)
  • are acquired over time depending on the player’s choices (focusing on war will tend to create Admiral heroes, for instance)


SHIP DESIGN

Rationale
The goal is not to expand the time required for ship design, but to make it more interesting and allow for better choices and more personalization. A battle will not be won by ship design, but it will play an important role in the outcome when combined with the ‘play’ tactical system for pre-battle planning.

Key points

Ship Design
  • is supported by a slot system
  • allows systems to be linked to create synergistic designs
  • is predicated on "one hull = one role"
  • evolves with technology breakthroughs (new modules, unlock slots / links)


RESEARCH

Rationale
The technology tree is key to helping the empire progress through the game; it both enhances the available game mechanics and unlocks new ones.
We want to give freedom to the player so they can decide how to approach the available technologies. However, we will add a link system between some of the technologies in order to create a puzzle-type gameplay, reflecting the course of scientific endeavour.

Key points

Research
  • controls the pace of the game (Era split)
  • gives unique choices for each faction
  • of certain technologies will require prior technologies to have been unlocked (logical science/science-fiction based reason)
  • technologies will sometimes be unlocked through unique quests and events


DIPLOMACY

Rationale
Since Endless Legend, we’ve tried to make diplomacy more real in terms of relationship dynamics, including a resource to tie it closely to the economy and avoid hectic behaviours. We will continue on working this path for Endless Space 2.
There are three main areas of interaction: Diplomatic treaties, coordination, and trade.

Key points

Diplomacy
  • allows coordination between empires
  • needs to be thought on the long term
  • is built on treaties, gifts, agreements and betrayal…
  • reinforces the geopolitical aspect of the game
  • is bound to the political systems
  • allows impressive reversal
    smile.png




TRADE

Rationale
We want the player to have an active gameplay that revolves around trade routes; the gameplay should be as challenging, interesting, and rewarding as military gameplay. Still, we want to avoid micromanagement.

For that, we’re going to place them as managers of vast trading companies which have to build their networks. By doing this, we encourage the player to focus on working on the big picture instead of doing micromanagement.

Key points

Trade
  • like in EL will be supported by a Marketplace
  • companies are developed by placing concrete elements (stations, offices, etc.) to create trade routes
  • allows players to accumulate Dust, Science and other resources
  • can be increased by building trade ships, and investing in the development of trade companies to increase their power
  • can be made more lucrative by investing in trade companies to receive a part of their profits



NARRATIVE EXPERIENCE

Rationale
We want the player to enjoy the whole journey and not only the end of the game. For that we’re going to use different tools to reinforce the narrative experience. These will include quests that reveal the background of the galaxy and the major and minor factions and After Action Reports that can be shared with friends. We want the player to feel that each game is a unique story with a unique outcome driven by their choices.

Key points

Narrative experience
  • will be supported by faction quests and background stories of the galaxy
  • will feature side quests and events!
  • will be enhanced by heroes' narrative evolution
  • is strengthened by After Action Reports
  • can be shared through G2G via game story albums



WINNING THE GAME
In a sandbox game like ours, it is important to provide the tools and motivation that allows the player to play and win as they wish. War is only one way to succeed, because we will encourage players to show superiority in other important fields such as economics, science and diplomacy. In total we have at least eight possible victory conditions, all of which are totally different.



VIP Feedback

Tax rate
  • There won’t be any tax rate as in endless space, but some laws will influence taxes.


Economy
  • We’ll work on differentiating the production of the different resources.
  • Binding luxuries to specific planet type, to restrict terraformation is a nice idea!


Galaxy
  • Systems still contains planet


Research
  • We don’t think; we’ll go for random technology (except those you acquire through quests).
  • Weapons and defences will be more inspired from Endless Legend than Endless Space, meaning you will have more variety within a same weapon’s family.


Game Dynamics
  • We’re going to make the game for pacifist player more interactive and deep by working on the trade and diplomatic system.


Battles
  • Of course, we got a lot of posts regarding battles, but this will be discussed deeply in another Game Design Document.
    smile.png

So it's Endless Legend in space. I'm sold. But also worried.
 

ArchAngel

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I like it a lot that they are using what they learned from Endless Legend and applying it to make a better ES. Endless Legend is my most favorite 4x fantasy game after Master of Magic and I now have high hopes for ES2.
 
Self-Ejected

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Amplitude have one of the best PR departments in the indie sector. Good thing they also make good games.
 

Space Satan

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As long as they stick with "Three weapon types- Three protection types", instead of MoO formula of "Lots of weapons - only two armor types" game will be tedious boring shit like original ES was. Dipomacy was godawful, never even touched the screen because it was useless and boring.
Ship design was one of THE most horrible parts of the game. Manage 1230983241709812340971209 slots of engines, armor, shilds, lasers and million other shit to find that after only a few turns your ship is dead obsolete and you have to start anew. It is much simple to mash "Automate design" and build tons of shitty ships to swarm the enemy. Game had potential but mechanics were disgusting and retarded. Should they learn, maybe ES2 will be neat, but i'll tale it sceptically until release.
 

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