ENDLESS SPACE is getting its own thread now

[Pike]

Alright buckos, let's talk about Endless Space, because it was officially released today.

Steam Link: Endless Space on Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/208140/)

ABOUT THE GAME:

Turn based strategy 4X (a la Civ)
Very much MoO2 and Space Empires inspired
Runs on my crappy six year old computer
Wonderfully inventive alien races
Big ol' tech tree
Colonize star systems
Upgrade ships
Difficult even on easy!


So basically what I'm saying is that everyone should play it. Especially if you have played and enjoyed Civ/SMAC/MoO/et al. Also, teach me how to become better at it. :smash:

[Freya]

Speaking of MoO2, I tried playing it. IT didn't give me any instructions. :( I am confused. I don't know what I'm doing. I just keep clicking buttons.

I want to play Endless Space ever sense you showed me it. Stupid computer. i"m going to try to con someone into getting me a graphics card for my bday so we'll see how that goes.

[Pike]

Speaking of MoO2, I tried playing it. IT didn't give me any instructions. :( I am confused. I don't know what I'm doing. I just keep clicking buttons.

This is basically how you play any 4X until you learn the ropes!

[Jinx]

Pike, you should be hired by some company that makes strategy games, and just be their advertiser.

[Pike]

If I had a nickel for every time someone's bought a strategy game because I won't shut up about it, I'd have... well... I guess a dollar maybe.

[Madame Adequate]

The custom races option is hilariously broken. I've made a Sophon variant who are even more science-centric and it doesn't matter that I have other weaknesses because holy shit, I can just research my way out of any hole I've dug into.

[Kaspian69]

Hurray, the game is officially out and such. I've noticed that the computer controlled species really like to try and isolate me of late. They'll often colonize a star system that is a bottleneck connected to my own territories. It's been leaving me with little choice but to get more aggressive with my expansion in order to beat them to the punch.

[Madame Adequate]

Oh wow scratch my last, you want OP you go Full Horatio. Just made a custom race (called Hobbes :smug:) and their entire schtick was food production, pop cap, and heroes.

I've never SEEN an empire grow so fast.

[Freya]

DAMNIT I want this game. I hate you guys :( Sedate me with screencaps PLEASE.

[edczxcvbnm]

I have seen this game on steam and was interested but I am deep into Civ5 right now and don't really need another one of these right now. Plus I don't really have a great concept of the mechanics of this game as opposed to Civ. Is there stacking? How is diplomacy? It just came out so many of my wonderments have yet to be answered.

[Araciel]

Oh alright

[Madame Adequate]

I have seen this game on steam and was interested but I am deep into Civ5 right now and don't really need another one of these right now. Plus I don't really have a great concept of the mechanics of this game as opposed to Civ. Is there stacking? How is diplomacy? It just came out so many of my wonderments have yet to be answered.

Stacking - well you're in space so it's not like there's a limit on room :p What you do is shove ships into fleets (which can grow larger when you get the right techs) and then the fleets can stack infinitely, but a fleet can only launch one or two attacks per turn (though can defend any number of times).

Diplomacy is the game's weakest aspect IMO, which is sad because some of the race ideas are fucking golden. If there was ever a game that would benefit from a GalCiv2-style diplomacy this is it, but sadly everything is very impersonal and superficial.

(this game is infinitely better than Civ 5 but then unless you plan on getting SotS2 then upon buying any 4X you will probably have a better game than Civ 5)

[Bunny]

If I had a nickel for every time someone's bought a strategy game because I won't shut up about it, I'd have... well... I guess a dollar maybe.

When you get a job advertising for a game company make sure you charge more than a nickel for your services.

[Pike]

Duly noted.

[edczxcvbnm]

Stacking - well you're in space so it's not like there's a limit on room :p What you do is shove ships into fleets (which can grow larger when you get the right techs) and then the fleets can stack infinitely, but a fleet can only launch one or two attacks per turn (though can defend any number of times).

Diplomacy is the game's weakest aspect IMO, which is sad because some of the race ideas are smurfing golden. If there was ever a game that would benefit from a GalCiv2-style diplomacy this is it, but sadly everything is very impersonal and superficial.

(this game is infinitely better than Civ 5 but then unless you plan on getting SotS2 then upon buying any 4X you will probably have a better game than Civ 5)

OOOHhh...how sad that Diplomacy is the weakest part of the game. It is my least favorite aspect of Civ5 as it seems all geared towards screwing you over. *Enter Golden Age* *Moron asks for 75% of gold that you will not be able to pay for 30 turns* *Decline* *Moron holds a grudge for eternity*

Interesting aspect to stacking. Instead of tons of units on one tile it kind of forms a large scale force.

I actually enjoy the hell out of Civ5. I am not big into the 4X game sphere in the first place but I know one aspect that many people dislike about Civ5, I greatly enjoy and that is the lack of stacking. While I have not played Civ4 (Come on Steam Sale!) I have played Civ2 to death and despised stacking in that. Like I said though, I am not big into the 4X game world so I am probably coming from a different view point on these games.

I do hear that Galactic whatever the fuck 2 is going to be onsale in a pack during the Steam Sale though and I plan on picking that up. Who knows how my opinion will change about all of this in time as I delve into other types of 4X games.

[KentaRawr!]

I thought this was a thread for Infinite Space and then I was sad. :(

[Madame Adequate]

Stacking - well you're in space so it's not like there's a limit on room :p What you do is shove ships into fleets (which can grow larger when you get the right techs) and then the fleets can stack infinitely, but a fleet can only launch one or two attacks per turn (though can defend any number of times).

Diplomacy is the game's weakest aspect IMO, which is sad because some of the race ideas are smurfing golden. If there was ever a game that would benefit from a GalCiv2-style diplomacy this is it, but sadly everything is very impersonal and superficial.

(this game is infinitely better than Civ 5 but then unless you plan on getting SotS2 then upon buying any 4X you will probably have a better game than Civ 5)

OOOHhh...how sad that Diplomacy is the weakest part of the game. It is my least favorite aspect of Civ5 as it seems all geared towards screwing you over. *Enter Golden Age* *Moron asks for 75% of gold that you will not be able to pay for 30 turns* *Decline* *Moron holds a grudge for eternity*

Well with ES it's not really that it's stupid (It's not a genius either but), the diplomacy tends to make sense and it explicitly tells you things like "You're growing really stupidly powerful and people are getting scared" and stuff like that, it's just that it's all impersonal and interchangeable. With the sole exception of the Cravers (because their only diplomacy options are War and Cold War) every race is essentially the same to deal with in diplomacy terms, and it's not that it's bad so much as it's a crying shame because some of the race ideas are so damned good.

I can understand not liking unit stacking especially in civs where doomstacks can reign supreme, but the 1UPT system of Civ 5 just doesn't work in my eyes because the game isn't big enough and you end up with the entire world carpeted in units. Not to mention the 1UPT decision influenced everything else in design terms and this has made it a game I just don't like or enjoy one bit :p

[edczxcvbnm]

Well with ES it's not really that it's stupid (It's not a genius either but), the diplomacy tends to make sense and it explicitly tells you things like "You're growing really stupidly powerful and people are getting scared" and stuff like that, it's just that it's all impersonal and interchangeable. With the sole exception of the Cravers (because their only diplomacy options are War and Cold War) every race is essentially the same to deal with in diplomacy terms, and it's not that it's bad so much as it's a crying shame because some of the race ideas are so damned good.

I can understand not liking unit stacking especially in civs where doomstacks can reign supreme, but the 1UPT system of Civ 5 just doesn't work in my eyes because the game isn't big enough and you end up with the entire world carpeted in units. Not to mention the 1UPT decision influenced everything else in design terms and this has made it a game I just don't like or enjoy one bit :p

Thank you for the insights into this game. I think I will pick it up in a couple of weeks after I finish up whatever game of Civ I am in the middle of right now.

[Slothy]

I want to buy this game so I can be cool and make Pike like me more, but I am too poor at the moment.

Soon though.

[Pike]

If I was rich I would buy it for everyone. Sadly, I am not rich.

[Slothy]

I'm bringing this thread back because I was momentarily not poor, then bought this game so I'm poor again. But now I have something to show for it. Only got to play for about 45 minutes last night, which was precisely enough time to decide on a race, research a technology and begin colonizing another star system. I've yet to encounter anyone else, though I did see another ship which turned around and left before it made contact. Kind of funny since I realized after zooming out that my galaxy seems quite small and there are four other AI factions because I wanted to have plenty to conquer. I'm dying to get home tonight and play more even if I still only have the most basic understanding of what the hell I'm doing and am probably playing terribly.

[Pike]

It takes a bit to unravel (as with most new 4X games) but once you do it's solid fun. I just wish there were more races. And bigger playing fields.

[Tigmafuzz]

I just wish there were more races

You traitor. Sophons4lief

[Pike]

I just wish there were more races

You traitor. Sophons4lief

I need more races to kill.

[Quindiana Jones]

Where's the fun in genocide if you can't do it over and over again?

[Slothy]

Damn you imperial bastards for blowing up one of my ships when I had no idea what was happening! :irked:

You can bet I reloaded that save. Is there a way to retreat on my turn if I'm totally outmatched? I couldn't find anything and just kind of got stuck in orbit of one of their planets I stumbled on and got shot to pieces. If not, then I'm just going to stockpile some ships and start researching some heavier weapons.