I started my first game with the United Empire, simply because they were the first thing to choose. I scrapped that game though since I was way too slow and I think I should be better now. Any other faction I should choose for an easy start?
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Endless Space |Intel Thread| 4X Space Strategy by ex-Ubi/EA devs
- Thread starter Alex Connolly
- Start date
I started my first game with the United Empire, simply because they were the first thing to choose. I scrapped that game though since I was way too slow and I think I should be better now. Any other faction I should choose for an easy start?
Alex Connolly
Member
You're speaking to a dedicated UE player, so I'm opening the floor for recommendations. I did play a little Sower campaign before they were throttled somewhat in the beta...man, talk about unstoppable if left to their own expansionist devices.
I made a custom one now with these traits:
Sophons affiliation.
Science!
Should be fine enough for a start, right? I imagine that this would make for a quick start with the +Food and +Research
Alex Connolly
Member
Yeah, looks good to me! Let's hope for a few nice big tundra/arctic planets to set up some dirty great research hubs on and you'll be roaring along in no time.
Will they? Free content updates or paid DLC? How often will we see those updates?
Alex Connolly
Member
Every couple of months for free content, I read. Fighters/carriers will be out down the line, which is cool, amongst other things. I'm certainly up for supporting a nice slew of DLC expansions, ala GalCiv2 etc.
Sure, me too
Just wanted to know what and when to expect. Besides modding could add some stuff in between too, right?Alex Connolly
Member
Sure, me too
Absolutely. Looking forward to seeing what the modding community manages to do with ES.
So I finished up my game on normal difficulty. Had some trouble getting the last 20% of the expansion victory when I was using mostly missles and some kinetics on my fleets, so I made a cease fire. Fifteen turns later when I researched extra command points and level 5 beam tech, used my dust to retrofit my existing fleet into mostly beam weapons, declared war, then still found out that the enemy is still using mostly kinetics and missle defense, and had almost zero beam defense. I then proceeded to obilerate his entire fleet and conquered his empire in ten turns. My one fleet with equal or lower military score could destroy several of his fleets without losing any ships... it was ridiculous. Feels really broken.
One of the gameplay mechanics I haven't figured out yet is how to go about mixing ship types in a single fleet, feels kinda random and pointless at the moment. Also hero types could be far better balanced I think.
Haven't done any save/load in this game yet, I guess it's kinda forgiving at this point. Time to try the Serious difficulty I think.
One of the gameplay mechanics I haven't figured out yet is how to go about mixing ship types in a single fleet, feels kinda random and pointless at the moment. Also hero types could be far better balanced I think.
Haven't done any save/load in this game yet, I guess it's kinda forgiving at this point. Time to try the Serious difficulty I think.
Minor detail really, but I do hope they add a few more combat animations down the line, the slightly-downward-attacking-fleet offensive gets a tad bit repetitive.
That's the first thing being added AFAIK. The fighter ships alone will make the battles look much better.
What disappoints me a bit is the missing visualization of your progress. Its a great game, and this is just nitpicking, but usually you have some sort of easy visually discernible progress within one region. Civ makes that SUPER obvious and satisfying with the constantly changing and expanding city shape/buildings:
The planets in Endless Space dont change in any way, its just a spinning texture.
GalCiv2 had this screen for that:
Know what I mean? Its just not as satisfying to simply see a list of things you achieved that you dont even look at all that often.
I'll still play this game to death, and they thought of MANY things that make this game very enjoyable. This is the only thing missing that effects me a bit (aside from less content than GalCiv2 for example. But I am sure that will change).
The planets in Endless Space dont change in any way, its just a spinning texture.
GalCiv2 had this screen for that:
Know what I mean? Its just not as satisfying to simply see a list of things you achieved that you dont even look at all that often.
I'll still play this game to death, and they thought of MANY things that make this game very enjoyable. This is the only thing missing that effects me a bit (aside from less content than GalCiv2 for example. But I am sure that will change).
Alex Connolly
Member
Fair points, all. I'd certainly like to see, in regards to Toma's development wishes, some sort of visual hints from the orbital view of structures or settlements...nothing major to throw out the scale, but akin to those gorgeous anomalies they've rendered.
Kind of like SotS2 (still feel dirty and sullied just typing that unfortunate acronym)...
Early days, though. I think we'll see a lot of good stuff in the coming months.
Kind of like SotS2 (still feel dirty and sullied just typing that unfortunate acronym)...
Early days, though. I think we'll see a lot of good stuff in the coming months.
There is a minor effect based on the number of people you have on the planet, but that's it.
Lots more city lights. Nothing shows up on asteroids and they can be pretty hard to see on desert/arid worlds.
One population, medium Terran.
Full population, medium Terran.
Lots more city lights. Nothing shows up on asteroids and they can be pretty hard to see on desert/arid worlds.
Hm, didnt notice that before. But usually you reach the full lights change pretty fast since its rather easy to hit the max population. Would be really nice if the planetary improvements were represented in any way since those are the actual bulk of the progress that you are doing throughout the whole game.
This game completely flew under my radar. Heard about it today, read through this entire thread, and now I know it is a must buy for me.
Lately I have been spending hours upon hours on Anno 2070 and Civ 5, but miss something of a larger scale, with more focus on exploration etc.
And apart from that I am a huge fan of space games.
Going to buy this ASAP.
What does worry me a little though, is that combat sounds too automatic somehow? How is combat in ES compared to Civ for example? (I have not played any 4x space games before)
Lately I have been spending hours upon hours on Anno 2070 and Civ 5, but miss something of a larger scale, with more focus on exploration etc.
And apart from that I am a huge fan of space games.
Going to buy this ASAP.
What does worry me a little though, is that combat sounds too automatic somehow? How is combat in ES compared to Civ for example? (I have not played any 4x space games before)
I'm interested in this too.
truthiness
Member
I haven't played the game much at all, but it seems to me that I'm building the same improvements, in the same order, planet after planet.
Am I doing this wrong, or do other people find that they are building in almost the same sequence every game? I'm hoping I'm doing it wrong, but I haven't had any particular problems in any games yet, so I'm wondering if there just isn't much diversity in this part of the game.
Am I doing this wrong, or do other people find that they are building in almost the same sequence every game? I'm hoping I'm doing it wrong, but I haven't had any particular problems in any games yet, so I'm wondering if there just isn't much diversity in this part of the game.
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
So I played my first game last night, started a medium galaxy as the United Empire on newbie (just to get my feet wet and see how things work). So, after about six hours and over 100 turns in, I'm kind of getting my ass kicked. I'm third in score out of four races. My ships are finally tough enough to beat back pirates, but the red empire (human looking?) are at war with me and their ships are much more advanced than mine, I am at the point now that I just retreat from battle or I lose all of my fleet. I have peace treaties and open borders with the other two races (Pilgrims and Horatio) and am friendly with them both. The Horatio (yellow empire) have about twice as many systems as I do and are in second place, with huge borders (culture?). The orange empire, the Pilgrims, are in last place.
I thought I was doing well, but I'm losing. On newbie!!!
However, my first game has been a learning experience and I see where I made a few mistakes. I realize now that I let my fleet get outdated and ignored the warfare tree for too long. Now I'm playing catch up. I also spent quite a bit of time fighting happiness and working on the exploration tree. I may have over expanded a bit. I'm also getting the hang of the planetary exploitation stuff and which planet improvements are best for certain planets, how they work. I built quite a few improvements that were mistakes and did me no good at all. I've also learned to look at the happiness modifiers of planets and choose which ones to colonize appropriately, especially early on.
Interesting game. It's been fun so far. I love the presentation and interface, VERY slick and well done. I wish Galactic Civ II had an interface like Endless Space!
That said, so far I still prefer GC2 over ES overall. That might change quite a bit as I play more ES and get a few games to completion under my belt. But,. GC2 has a few things over ES that I feel are key things. One, the AI in GC2 is awesome, they feel and act like real opponents. Two, the ship building in GC2 is half of the game! Much better than ship building in ES. Three, the unique tech trees and playstyles for every race in GC2 really adds incredible depth and replayability to the game.
I'm not saying that GC2 is far superior to ES, in fact I'm pleasantly surprised just how much I like ES in comparison. I'm just saying that GC2 is still the better game IMHO. But I'm glad I bought Endless Space and I plan on playing it quite a bit in the next few weeks. Very fun and addicting game. Certainly the best space 4X since Gal Civ 2, no question. This is what Master of Orion III should have been!
I thought I was doing well, but I'm losing. On newbie!!!
However, my first game has been a learning experience and I see where I made a few mistakes. I realize now that I let my fleet get outdated and ignored the warfare tree for too long. Now I'm playing catch up. I also spent quite a bit of time fighting happiness and working on the exploration tree. I may have over expanded a bit. I'm also getting the hang of the planetary exploitation stuff and which planet improvements are best for certain planets, how they work. I built quite a few improvements that were mistakes and did me no good at all. I've also learned to look at the happiness modifiers of planets and choose which ones to colonize appropriately, especially early on.
Interesting game. It's been fun so far. I love the presentation and interface, VERY slick and well done. I wish Galactic Civ II had an interface like Endless Space!
That said, so far I still prefer GC2 over ES overall. That might change quite a bit as I play more ES and get a few games to completion under my belt. But,. GC2 has a few things over ES that I feel are key things. One, the AI in GC2 is awesome, they feel and act like real opponents. Two, the ship building in GC2 is half of the game! Much better than ship building in ES. Three, the unique tech trees and playstyles for every race in GC2 really adds incredible depth and replayability to the game.
I'm not saying that GC2 is far superior to ES, in fact I'm pleasantly surprised just how much I like ES in comparison. I'm just saying that GC2 is still the better game IMHO. But I'm glad I bought Endless Space and I plan on playing it quite a bit in the next few weeks. Very fun and addicting game. Certainly the best space 4X since Gal Civ 2, no question. This is what Master of Orion III should have been!
Civ sort of has the same issue. But actually, I thought that Endless Space is a bit more diverse in that regard since looking at the different planets and resources got me to do other researches. You dont have a lot of stuff to chose from in the beginning, which is why you always start with the same stuff, though yeah.
I also really like how the different traits/ability change my playstyle. Starting with the whole map uncovered or with the "No peace" trait, makes for completely different games.
Anyone know how to identify the homeworlds of other factions for the supremacy victory?
No, this is still a mostly single player game with p2p multiplayer.
No, this is still a mostly single player game with p2p multiplayer.
LumpOfCole
Member
I just won an extra copy of Endless Space from posting a comment on some contest at TechZwn.com or something, and I wanted to give to a friend since game is right up his alley.
Like a dumbass though I activated it in Steam because I wanted to turn it into a Steam gift that he could click on and open like a present, but what actually happened was it immediately registered it to me because it was a special edition code and not the standard edition that I bought for myself. I just wasted a $35 code on myself to get a race skin that I don't care about at all :\
Here I was given something great and I flushed it away
Like a dumbass though I activated it in Steam because I wanted to turn it into a Steam gift that he could click on and open like a present, but what actually happened was it immediately registered it to me because it was a special edition code and not the standard edition that I bought for myself. I just wasted a $35 code on myself to get a race skin that I don't care about at all :\
Here I was given something great and I flushed it away
I have not won a game on newbie yet.
bonesmccoy
Banned
There should be a crown symbol next to the planet's name.
Regretting my purchase.
This game is well polished and generally fun, but it suffers from the same typical flaws that so many 4x games do. Bad AI, abusable diplomacy, mediocre combat, and the simultaneous turns has a ton of problems related to initiating combat and invading systems.
If you don't care much about the AI or diplo abuse, you could definitely have some fun with it, but I'm slowly realizing that the 4x genre may just not be for me anymore
This game is well polished and generally fun, but it suffers from the same typical flaws that so many 4x games do. Bad AI, abusable diplomacy, mediocre combat, and the simultaneous turns has a ton of problems related to initiating combat and invading systems.
If you don't care much about the AI or diplo abuse, you could definitely have some fun with it, but I'm slowly realizing that the 4x genre may just not be for me anymore
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
LOL! Good, I actually like hearing that. I consider myself an above average player when it comes to 4X games, and the fact that I was losing so badly on the newbie setting was bothering me!
Regretting my purchase.
This game is well polished and generally fun, but it suffers from the same typical flaws that so many 4x games do. Bad AI, abusable diplomacy, mediocre combat, and the simultaneous turns has a ton of problems related to initiating combat and invading systems.
If you don't care much about the AI or diplo abuse, you could definitely have some fun with it, but I'm slowly realizing that the 4x genre may just not be for me anymore
Honestly, so far the diplomacy in this game seems pretty good to me. As far as AI strategy and tactics go, I don't have enough playtime yet to really make a call on it. But yeah, a lot of 4X games do suffer bad AI. Warlock: Master of the Arcane is a game that I love, but the AI isn't very good. Civ V's AI is my biggest beef with the game, so disappointing. Gal Civ 2 is an exception and the yardstick for AI that I hold all other 4X games up to.
I do agree on the combat though, I'm not liking the card style too much. It's an interesting design choice, just not much fun to me. Reminds me alot of the ship combat from Skies of Arcadia for the Dreamcast, but less fun than that was for some reason.
Still, I'm not sorry I bought it, and I'm looking forward to playing a lot more of Endless Space.
Alex Connolly
Member
Regretting my purchase.
This game is well polished and generally fun, but it suffers from the same typical flaws that so many 4x games do. Bad AI, abusable diplomacy, mediocre combat, and the simultaneous turns has a ton of problems related to initiating combat and invading systems.
If you don't care much about the AI or diplo abuse, you could definitely have some fun with it, but I'm slowly realizing that the 4x genre may just not be for me anymore
Fair call.
I suppose, and this was said on 3MA, GalCiv2 has had the luxury of some hefty expansions to bring those aspects you mention above and beyond genre colleagues. We'll see what happens with ES.
Gawd, running the risk of sounding like a dirty, dirty apologist!
Hey, i like this game but multiple questions if you guys could answer:
How do trade routes work?
Influence is the color circles?
How do you remove expansion / overpopulation dissaproval?
What does " +6 XP on building on star system " mean?
+20% "Dice image". Whats the dice?
Thanks
How do trade routes work?
Influence is the color circles?
How do you remove expansion / overpopulation dissaproval?
What does " +6 XP on building on star system " mean?
+20% "Dice image". Whats the dice?
Thanks
Nah, you'd be an apologist if the game was blatantly unfinished and missing core features. This is a good game that can only get better with patches/expansions.
Hell, Civ IV wasn't that great before all of the extra content.
MrNyarlathotep
Banned
Been playing since the alpha and still don't know :/
Yeah, and also sensor range
there are techs that outright reduce it, and also techs that let you build improvements to reduce it
Any ships built there start with an experience bump
Its a resource IIRC
If you are at peace with another empire, the game will automatically set up trade routes between planets in your empire and those you are at peace with. They provide additional dust and research points.
Yes, influence is the coloured circle.
Expansion disapproval can be mitigated with certain techs in the bottom tech tree. The techs in question will have a green star in the top right corner.
Each individual ship you build has it's own XP rating. That building will provide a 6XP bonus to each ship that is built in that system.
I don't know what the dice icon is for. I don't recall seeing that one. Where did you see it?
EDIT: Dammit MrNyarlathotep! That's what I get for going looking for that dice icon. The coloured circle isn't strictly sensor range. The two usually overlap, but there are several effects that can make sensor range bigger or smaller.
thanks guys, i dunno if its actual dice but it sorta looks like one, and since hovering it doesn't do anything im sorta confused
Oh! That's sensor range.
Oh it does look like a sensor lol;
There is no one single location to show what all the icons mean. Most of them are specifically pointed out if you stop to read all the tutorials or look through all the different screens, but there are a couple like the sensor icon that don't seem to be specifically stated.
A shame, but each playthrough I get a better hang of things.
TyrantGuardian
Member
Am I the only one who doesn't mind stumbling around with a game like this? Half the joy is discovering all of the game mechanics through simply playing the game. It sure as hell is more enjoyable than reading through a book's worth of tutorials. The game isn't all that complex and the UI is mostly self-explanatory.
That said, after 30-something hours, I went to the official forums which have a very good FAQ thread that mostly resolved any remaining question marks I had about the game.
That said, after 30-something hours, I went to the official forums which have a very good FAQ thread that mostly resolved any remaining question marks I had about the game.
Alex Connolly
Member
You can SHIFT+click system nodes if you'd prefer to plan a long journey yourself, IIRC.
It depends on the game. I play RPGs a lot so learning about hidden mechanics are fun. However I do like having a good graps on the basic tools. With a game like Endless Space this just extends its shelf life.
lol, another thing I didn't know. Useful though. Gracias.
Alex Connolly
Member
My pleasure. We'll get a damn fine FAQ/Beginner's Guide to ES at some stage, surely. The forums over at Amplitude are brimming with lots of good info, it's just a case of culminating the helpful mess.