Thanks

I am definately picking this one up on release.

Originally Posted By Swatter (9 JUN 2012 1:39pm)

I am definately picking this one up on release.

Why wait? You not only save a couple of dollars, you get to play the Beta, which is rock-solid AND provide input on the development.

Originally Posted By tgb123 (9 JUN 2012 2:13pm)

Originally Posted By Swatter (9 JUN 2012 1:39pm)

I am definately picking this one up on release.

Why wait?

PEER PRESSURE! PEER PRESSURE! 

No kidding.

After the first few minutes of one of James' vids on this, I gotta have it.  

Looks like I'd actually enjoy the card thing for combat.  I hate fighting a 3D camera and that's a good solution.  Hopefully in the future, games like this will also be using some CCG/tabletop style card combat - like having a Guardians of Graxia type tactical battle within these grand strat games.  That would be wonderful.

Nefaro, this game is excellent and after the beta release, pretty much fully featured.  

Originally Posted By tgb123 (9 JUN 2012 2:13pm)

Originally Posted By Swatter (9 JUN 2012 1:39pm)

I am definately picking this one up on release.

 

Why wait? You not only save a couple of dollars, you get to play the Beta, which is rock-solid AND provide input on the development.

 

 

Too busy with life. I will probably wait a couple of months after release anyway, after a few patches. The games I jump on the bandwagon early for are few and far between.

Although I did beta test a game put out by Western Civ and made a suggestion they liked so much they put it right in. There are advantages to being in a beta, I just don't have the time.

Originally Posted By Joram (13 JUN 2012 6:03am)

Nefaro, this game is excellent and after the beta release, pretty much fully featured.  

Thanks.

I grabbed it shortly after my previous post.  Played for a short time, and I'm really impressed with the interface.  That's something that just doesn't get as much attention & praise as it should - makes things so much easier to get into. 

I was a bit concerned at some mention of it being too simplistic, but it's not as bad as that sounded.  I didn't want it to be on the GalCiv level and fortunately it has more going on than those did.  

I really don't get the "simplistic" label.  Other than combat, the other 3 X's are as deep as other games of the genre.

Originally Posted By tgb123 (15 JUN 2012 8:00am)

I really don't get the "simplistic" label.  Other than combat, the other 3 X's are as deep as other games of the genre.

 

YEah, I find planet development and research to be very deep, especially compared to SoTS and even Distant Worlds. That said, things like trade and/or "private sector" are abstracted. Doesnt feel like a "living galaxy" like Distant Worlds. Of course, few 4xs do. I like the "heroes" as well...adds personalization

Rock, Paper, Shotgun article on it:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/06/14/a-better-beta-infinite-joy-in-endless-space/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rockpapershotgun%2Fsteam+%28Rock%2C+Paper%2C+Shotgun%3A+Steam+RSS%29

I gotta agree - this thing is quite impressive and it's still beta. 

"These are fine days we're livin' in bros.  We're jolly green giants walking the earth.  With guns. "

Originally Posted By Mikeck (15 JUN 2012 11:40am)

Originally Posted By tgb123 (15 JUN 2012 8:00am)

I really don't get the "simplistic" label.  Other than combat, the other 3 X's are as deep as other games of the genre.

 

 

YEah, I find planet development and research to be very deep, especially compared to SoTS and even Distant Worlds. That said, things like trade and/or "private sector" are abstracted. Doesnt feel like a "living galaxy" like Distant Worlds. Of course, few 4xs do. I like the "heroes" as well...adds personalization

I agree that Distant Worlds is deeper in many ways.  Even parts of SotS 2 are deeper. That doesn't mean that Endless Space is "simplistic".

I actually like how the combat is set up.  Although I'd prefer seeing an extra combat round or two.  Three picks suffice I guess.

It is interesting that the game is due for release very soon and the A.I is so bad that the only non cheating A.I level in easy.Not a good sign.

Originally Posted By AAshbery76 (17 JUN 2012 1:33pm)

It is interesting that the game is due for release very soon and the A.I is so bad that the only non cheating A.I level in easy.Not a good sign.

Hmm, Warlock-Master of the Arcane Syndrome I belive it's called. 

Very soon?  It just went into Beta a week ago and is scheduled to release the end of August, I believe.  That's two and a half months to work on balancing and A.I.

Originally Posted By tgb123 (17 JUN 2012 6:08pm)

Very soon?  It just went into Beta a week ago and is scheduled to release the end of August, I believe.  That's two and a half months to work on balancing and A.I.

 

I hope they get it up to speed in that time.  The AI, and it's Diplomacy, is pretty much the only concern I have.  With a couple months scheduled for that, and tracking down the more unusual bugs, I'm encouraged.

Originally Posted By AAshbery76 (17 JUN 2012 1:33pm)

It is interesting that the game is due for release very soon and the A.I is so bad that the only non cheating A.I level in easy.Not a good sign.

I don't think that's a very fair criticism as it's all semantics on how the different companies assign their levels.  I guess I prefer that it be named on how I expect it to play and care less about why it plays that way.  So if it takes bonuses to feel like 'normal' difficulty, then that's fine by me.

Update:  Looks like it's going to be released July 4th. 

Always been up for a July release. Sadly that offers little time to include even the basics-an A.I. for one and to me it's stupid to release this game with the A.I. it has right now-but there are other nagging things that are missing as well. Simple things like auto explore-or a message for "ship without orders."

What the game really needs is a soul. Like so many 4x games of late it just does not have one. About the only real race intreractions your exposed to is the description boxes setting up a game-after that it's all thrown out the window. There's NOTHING whatsoever to pull you into any lore or have any connection to the race your playing or the others your fighting. They are mere small pic icons and any events that happen at all are mere text pop-ups.

even lame lazy 4x attempts like Gal Civ at least showed a single vid on first colony landing. it uses GNN for ambience and the diplomact screens do feature the other races faces and expressions. Course that title also puts a uniform on a hampter to pass as sci-fi -has no star lanes nor combat to speak of-so the title isn't ever going to be concidered great by me- but here in Endless space you do have a lot of that- plus a half way combat thing at least-but no other attempts to pull the player in.

 What makes Mass Effect such a good title? The console combat?-small levels or the lite RPG mechanics? NOT AT ALL. It's Lore. It's atmosphere. And it is achieved by little effort. It's in game encylopeadia, it's music, and it's attempt to at least spend more than 3 minutes with coming up with an interesting alien race. Once that LORE grabs you, you overlook all the forementioned weaknesses.

Here if ONLY they'd put race screens in in diplomacy. If only they created a few ambient movie clips for big events---one's like colonizing your first planet-, your first hard planet-when you first encounter another alien race? They use the..."but we're small' excuse but I say bull. That 9 minute vid on my website I did in off hours over a week. Give me 8-10 hour days uninterupted by real life work and 3 weeks and I'd have full CGI for every race in diplomacy, every races events and every races first contact. Give me another 3 weeks I'd have an end game encylopedia not unlike Mass Effects. By myself.

 the combat? Whatever. Be nice to have fun great tactical battles sure--any 4x space games out there with any? If you can't do that I guess it's a better substitude than what GAL civ does or the rest of them.  But without a soul and brain it doesn't matter.

I haven't played it enough to really form an opinion about the AI or anything else really. I just took it for a 1 game quick spin where I was just doing things pretty rapidly. It's always interesting to see what is important in a game to different people. Lore and stuff, I don't bother reading it much. Movie clips, I may watch once but after that I really hope they have an easy way to skip it. Good game mechanics is what makes a game interesting to me, specially for a strategy game. In a story driven RPG or shooter I can appreciate the move clips much more. To me, strategy games don't need that stuff. It can help in a story driven campaign but this doesn't have that.

What I haven't really seen is a comparison with other 4x titles currently available like GalCiv2 and Distant Worlds.

Anyone?

Originally Posted By ghostryder (27 JUN 2012 5:42pm)

it's stupid to release this game with the A.I. it has right now

The AI has gotten a lot better recently: I'm currently in last place in the new game I started in all categories. The AI knows how to run the economy and builds a formidable military, but still colonizes too many bad planets and doesn't switch weapon/armor combos mid-game often enough.

Originally Posted By Blakjack (27 JUN 2012 6:42pm)

What I haven't really seen is a comparison with other 4x titles currently available like GalCiv2 and Distant Worlds.

Anyone?

Endless Space is very approachable.

Distant Worlds feels like a living universe.

Gal Civ 2 has robust ship design.

Sword of the Stars has 3-D galaxies.

I haven't played it enough to really form an opinion about the AI or anything else really. I just took it for a 1 game quick spin where I was just doing things pretty rapidly. It's always interesting to see what is important in a game to different people. Lore and stuff, I don't bother reading it much. Movie clips, I may watch once but after that I really hope they have an easy way to skip it. Good game mechanics is what makes a game interesting to me, specially for a strategy game. In a story driven RPG or shooter I can appreciate the move clips much more. To me, strategy games don't need that stuff. It can help in a story driven campaign but this doesn't have that.

Oh i play and enjoy them if they lack it. I played Space empires IV to death and that game was spreadsheet dry and lifeless as they come-and as JaguarUSF points out the system is very approachable. There is no need for a tutorial and your head will not spin at first as it surely will as you watch Distant worlds play itself. IF they'd stick those bare basics in- the auto explore, the ship without orders --you'd probably easily have an 80 score game---assuming the A.I. gets a little beefier and they spend some time optimizing the code----but the classics, the all time greats ooz with atmosphere and LORE--no you don't need it but it's what sends a title over the top-and yes you have to balance it against repetativeness --as Gal Civ as example shows you only one colony clip and no more--but alas like their last game Gal Civ doesn't have the lore to convey--but this title does. The beginning pop up art and basic race pictures are screaming for it. And yes it's not needed but anyone who has played Emperor of the Fading Suns understands what lore can do ---along with some kick-ass strategic combat---Too bad that title also was brain dead--but Emperor's Bane:The gambit A.I. has been in dev'ing over 2 years and it'll kick your arse--and the lore is forefront.

 So just wait-your ideas on Lore needed or not WILL change forever about 4x'ing gaming over planets with tactical combat. You in fact will probably say, "so that's what's been missing?" or at least that has been always my goal with it. I like to roleplay the race I'm playing.

or doesn't the 10 second vid spark an interest? Doesn't take a lot to make something interesting.

Does "so just wait" by any chance mean Emperor's Gambit is going to available soon? 

Hoping. . . Hoping. . .