Endless Space

Matrix · 14-05-2012, 19:30

Seems like my type of game. I'll check it out later, but at the moment, I cannot and will not spend any penny. (I'm about to move country.)

Darkness · 15-05-2012, 07:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrix

Seems like my type of game.

Same here. From the picture that Shabba posted I'm getting memories of Master of Orion and I really liked that...

Shabbaman · 15-05-2012, 09:19

And all it took was an oversized picture

I wouldn't recommend buying it now, especially if you're strapped for cash. It's not that the game is bad, but as a player you need more information than is presented to you. I've solved most of my "why can't I do this" problems, but now that I'm waging war I've found it to be very annoying that you get so little information on the strength of your opponents. It might very well be that there's some tech that gives insight in any of this, but the tech tree is extensive enough not to know what everything does. I'm putting the game away until after the next big upgrade. If the developers actually changed anything for the better in that upgrade... well, then there's three more months to come up with a polished product. As it stands now, it's a nice game costwise... until you realise that civ5 is actually cheaper now than the 20 euros you have to pay for this. If I come across new articles or relevant information I'll post it here.

ProPain · 15-05-2012, 15:28

See, minecraft time. Only €19,95 and out of beta already!!!!!

Shabbaman · 14-06-2012, 11:42

Last week the beta was released, so it's time to link you a new article. The game is more than decent as it is now, I hope combat will get some tweaks though.

Oh, one more thing: this game already has working multiplayer.

Beam · 14-06-2012, 12:02

Looks very promising!

ProPain · 14-06-2012, 12:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shabbaman

Oh, one more thing: this game already has working multiplayer.

So they beat Civ V to that

Shabbaman · 14-06-2012, 18:45

That's why I mentioned it

Also, there's this preview, which reads more lik an advertorial.

Shabbaman · 18-06-2012, 10:42

I have to revise my stance on this game: Endless Space is brilliant. And now I will tell you why, and you will like the answer:

Endless Space is not linear.

Okay, I might have read too much on game theory, but I will translate this in Civ-terms, because that's a language we all speak. Civ is very linear. You start your first city, you start building something from a list that is presented to you, you start researching something from a list that is presented to you. Basically, the game plays itself: because there is a limited number of options presented to you, it's very hard to make the wrong choice. At this point, we enter a debate on why there are so many wrong choices in civ, and how brilliant we are because we make the right choices and a lot of people struggle on warlord. Especially for you I will rephrase that critical sentence: because there is a limited number of options presented to you, it's very hard to make the wrong choice. What, I did it again? Okay, it might just be me, but I find it very difficult to do something wrong in Civ. Whatever you do, it's not wrong anyway, you'll just fall behind. In Civ, falling behind is lethal.

Now we get to the part where I tell you why Endless Space is such a great game. Endless Space doesn't have a linear tech tree. Civ's tech tree is very linear: to get further up the tree, you just have to research techs that come before it, and basically you just have to research (or tech whore) everything (give or take a few techs). Endless Space's tech tree is split into different branches. Take a look at this picture of Endless Space's tech tree:

That's beaucoup techs, right?

The best thing is that you can simply ignore whole branches. The tree is pretty lenient on prerequisite techs as well (you might research something without researching the techs leading to it, in some cases), so you might even ignore a large part of the branch you are researching. Because the tech tree allows for more freedom, it's easier to be different than your opponents as well. But it's also easier to screw up, and that's what makes the game difficult. Civ is "do everything right, get ahead, win", whereas Endless Space is "hmm let's see, what do I want to do now?". And because research is FAST, you get more options in a short time. This gives you the feeling you have a lot of freedom to do what you want: it's just a feeling though, especially in the beginning you're still limited. But with every new tech you get more choices: different buildings, colonization options, ship modifications, empire modifiers. And unlike Civ, you don't need to pick all options, you could just ignore them.

14-05-2012, 19:30	#1
Matrix Administrator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Tampere, Finland Posts: 4,828	Seems like my type of game. I'll check it out later, but at the moment, I cannot and will not spend any penny. (I'm about to move country.) __________________

15-05-2012, 09:19	#3
Shabbaman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Costa La Haya Posts: 8,494	And all it took was an oversized picture I wouldn't recommend buying it now, especially if you're strapped for cash. It's not that the game is bad, but as a player you need more information than is presented to you. I've solved most of my "why can't I do this" problems, but now that I'm waging war I've found it to be very annoying that you get so little information on the strength of your opponents. It might very well be that there's some tech that gives insight in any of this, but the tech tree is extensive enough not to know what everything does. I'm putting the game away until after the next big upgrade. If the developers actually changed anything for the better in that upgrade... well, then there's three more months to come up with a polished product. As it stands now, it's a nice game costwise... until you realise that civ5 is actually cheaper now than the 20 euros you have to pay for this. If I come across new articles or relevant information I'll post it here. __________________ "Our spam is backed with COMETS!"

15-05-2012, 15:28	#4
ProPain Customized Admin :) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: sailing the seas of cheese. Posts: 5,852	See, minecraft time. Only €19,95 and out of beta already!!!!! __________________ I fed my Dog the American Dream Well, he rolled over and he started to scream He said, I dig the taste of salt but it don't keep me alive yeah, yeah

14-06-2012, 11:42	#5
Shabbaman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Costa La Haya Posts: 8,494	Last week the beta was released, so it's time to link you a new article. The game is more than decent as it is now, I hope combat will get some tweaks though. Oh, one more thing: this game already has working multiplayer. __________________ "Our spam is backed with COMETS!"

14-06-2012, 12:02	#6
Beam c00l b33r Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Beat 'm up Scotty!. Lives in the Lands that are Nether. Posts: 5,094	Looks very promising! __________________ That was a pretty good gamble. -- Scotty, The Galileo Seven, stardate 2821.5, Episode 14 Linux never looked this good!

14-06-2012, 18:45	#8
Shabbaman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Costa La Haya Posts: 8,494	That's why I mentioned it Also, there's this preview, which reads more lik an advertorial. __________________ "Our spam is backed with COMETS!"

18-06-2012, 10:42	#9
Shabbaman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Costa La Haya Posts: 8,494	I have to revise my stance on this game: Endless Space is brilliant. And now I will tell you why, and you will like the answer: Endless Space is not linear. Okay, I might have read too much on game theory, but I will translate this in Civ-terms, because that's a language we all speak. Civ is very linear. You start your first city, you start building something from a list that is presented to you, you start researching something from a list that is presented to you. Basically, the game plays itself: because there is a limited number of options presented to you, it's very hard to make the wrong choice. At this point, we enter a debate on why there are so many wrong choices in civ, and how brilliant we are because we make the right choices and a lot of people struggle on warlord. Especially for you I will rephrase that critical sentence: because there is a limited number of options presented to you, it's very hard to make the wrong choice. What, I did it again? Okay, it might just be me, but I find it very difficult to do something wrong in Civ. Whatever you do, it's not wrong anyway, you'll just fall behind. In Civ, falling behind is lethal. Now we get to the part where I tell you why Endless Space is such a great game. Endless Space doesn't have a linear tech tree. Civ's tech tree is very linear: to get further up the tree, you just have to research techs that come before it, and basically you just have to research (or tech whore) everything (give or take a few techs). Endless Space's tech tree is split into different branches. Take a look at this picture of Endless Space's tech tree: That's beaucoup techs, right? The best thing is that you can simply ignore whole branches. The tree is pretty lenient on prerequisite techs as well (you might research something without researching the techs leading to it, in some cases), so you might even ignore a large part of the branch you are researching. Because the tech tree allows for more freedom, it's easier to be different than your opponents as well. But it's also easier to screw up, and that's what makes the game difficult. Civ is "do everything right, get ahead, win", whereas Endless Space is "hmm let's see, what do I want to do now?". And because research is FAST, you get more options in a short time. This gives you the feeling you have a lot of freedom to do what you want: it's just a feeling though, especially in the beginning you're still limited. But with every new tech you get more choices: different buildings, colonization options, ship modifications, empire modifiers. And unlike Civ, you don't need to pick all options, you could just ignore them. __________________ "Our spam is backed with COMETS!"