Endless Space

[Tzaero]

Just found this 4x game which is in development by Amplitude Studios which consists of former EA and Ubisoft members.
Its looks pretty polished and they seem to want involve the community in development of the game.

Skip to 1:12 for a look at the game.


A trailer that shows more of the game should be coming out later.

The game is supposed to be similtaneous turnbased for the galactic view, while combat is real time.
Its explained better in this interview.
http://www.spacesector.com/blog/2012/03/interview-with-amplitude-studios-on-endless-space/

More information on the mechanics is on the forums
http://forums.amplitude-studios.com/forumdisplay.php?2-Endless-Space

Screenshots:

http://i.imgur.com/62FLv.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/i0S44.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/OQAnI.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/UHULn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/dJWcg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Dnn3w.jpg

 

[Trash]

The screenshots are absolutely stunning and really bring me that MOOII vibe. Been a very long time since we've had a 4x game that could challenge the old classics so always nice to learn of new titles.

And goddamn. Those screens really do look awesome.

 

[JarlFrank]

This looks fucking sweet. Looking forward to this baby and hoping it won't disappoint like most space 4x games.

The battles look great, research looks interesting, nice large maps there... I only hope planet/empire management will be fun and complex too, which is the thing that most modern space 4x games lack.

 

[Jacqueline]

yay it looks super pretty and stuff, but

while combat is real time.

this really turns me off, real-time tactical space combat have not been able to please me since the last homeworld game and i do not see this changing anytime soon

 

[Destroid]

Meh, the tactical combat in 4x games is almost always pretty poor.


Thread detailing their design:
http://forums.amplitude-studios.com...n-Overview&s=8afa288d2e09e8cced8b86932b5bd9ac


I checked out the company, the founders are Mathieu Girard and Romain de Waubert one of whom was a lead programmer at Ubisoft on Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and a producer of some games, the other was a lead designer on BF1942 and BF2, along with a producer work on a slew of Ubisoft games, looks like some solid talent on this one.

 

[chewie]

Looks like an awesome alternative to the now Steam-exclusive X series. (Hear me DeepSilver? NO MONEY from me)

Thanks a bunch for this info!


..now let's hope this one does it right and doesn't get Steam exclusive, too

 

[Malakal]

Seems really promising.

Just hope they wont forget to code some AI. Those kinds of games dont play well in MP.

 

[Trash]

Really hope they'll ad a UN or Galactic Council or somesuch. I loved messing around with wider politics in games like Alpha Centauri (raising the sea level? Fuck yeah!) or hamfisting my opponent in GalCiv 2.

 

[Burning Bridges]

I don't know, these games with their brightly colored backgrounds, short engagement ranges, overdone action sequences, go completely against my ideas of combat in space.

 

[Destroid]

Auto resolve is an option.

 

[Raapys]

Hmm, mildly skeptical. Not sure I like the system/planet/economy stuff and hero activated abilities, though it's hard to tell without seeing it in action. Still, more 4x games is never a bad thing.

 

[Running Fox]

Interface looks like garbage. Glossy Plastic Shit.
Blurgh...
http://i.imgur.com/i0S44.jpg

 

[Destroid]

Mechanically it looks almost identical to MoO2.

 

[Burning Bridges]

This would be a good thing.

 

[JarlFrank]

I like Distant Worlds a lot and think it's the best of the recent space 4X games. Be aware that it's RtwP though. With the latest expansion it has a lot of features, is relatively bug-free, and is a lot of fun to play. Check out the demo or the "demo" to see if you like it. I would call it the best space 4X since MoO2 because there's no aspect of it that is utterly lacking, unlike with most other similar games released during the last decade.​

 

[Malakal]

Mechanically it looks almost identical to MoO2.

That would be excellent. A simple remake of MoO2 would be superb. Dont need no improvements.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Looks definitely pretty, for sure but not really sure about RT "tactical" combat. Hopefully there will be a demo at some point.

 

[Topher]

I'm assuming that the combat will be something akin to Dominions 3. The MoO2 remake/clone for iPad has simple RT combat, where the battles are played out by AI with the player setting up basic orders. It works surprisingly well considering and I could see a similar but more in depth system, again something closer to Dominions 3, working. I haven't seen any actual combat during my Aurora games but I believe it uses a RT system as well.

*Forgot who I was talking too... you're familiar with the combat in Aurora.

 

[Destroid]

Mechanically it looks almost identical to MoO2.

That would be excellent. A simple remake of MoO2 would be superb. Dont need no improvements.

I should be more specific - I mean the planet summary screen shows planet attributes are the same as MoO2, having research, food, production, money, morale and population all represented in pretty much the same way.

 

[Malakal]

Almost the same, there seems to be special resources at least.

 

[Father Walker]

Oh boy, those screens look tasty.

 

[GarfunkeL]

I'm assuming that the combat will be something akin to Dominions 3. The MoO2 remake/clone for iPad has simple RT combat, where the battles are played out by AI with the player setting up basic orders. It works surprisingly well considering and I could see a similar but more in depth system, again something closer to Dominions 3, working. I haven't seen any actual combat during my Aurora games but I believe it uses a RT system as well.

*Forgot who I was talking too... you're familiar with the combat in Aurora.

Ohohoh, if they had Aurora combat it would be brilliant - but it seems that they have a different combat "screen" from the empire "screen". In which case their RT battles might be just pretty animations where ships unload pretty colours at each other at unreasonably close distances.

 

[Malakal]

I'm assuming that the combat will be something akin to Dominions 3. The MoO2 remake/clone for iPad has simple RT combat, where the battles are played out by AI with the player setting up basic orders. It works surprisingly well considering and I could see a similar but more in depth system, again something closer to Dominions 3, working. I haven't seen any actual combat during my Aurora games but I believe it uses a RT system as well.

*Forgot who I was talking too... you're familiar with the combat in Aurora.

Ohohoh, if they had Aurora combat it would be brilliant - but it seems that they have a different combat "screen" from the empire "screen". In which case their RT battles might be just pretty animations where ships unload pretty colours at each other at unreasonably close distances.

What do you consider "reasonable" distances? 5 AUs? Other side of the solar system? Next solar system, battles only fought with unmanned drones and super long range missiles? Because realism doesn't matter if you want any space battles at all.

For me simple battleships-in-space or carriers-on-space-pacific is good enough. More fun too.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Well, either very abstract like in MoO1/2 where the combat was more like a fun little board game distraction from the main game or then at least David Weber level of "realism", in that beam armed ships fire at each other from tens or hundreds of thousands of kilometres away and missiles are shot million km's away. I don't mind the "space is an ocean" style of space combat, as it's an acceptable break from reality for fun's sake. If it's Star Trek space combat, ie showy but ridiculous as these ships are fighting as it were a WW1-era dogfight, it does eat away my immersion / demands too much suspension of disbelief.

Mind you, if the other aspects of the game are spot on, I should be able to overlook this aspect and just go with the flow.

 

[Ulminati]

consists of former EA and Ubisoft members.

Pass.