Endless Space Review

[ZippyDSMlee]

A bit over my head I prefer War/Star craft style TRS/TBS's. Dose anyone make those?

 

[Manthraxx]

It is a very good game, but I'm curious as to why no one mentioned the horrific tutorial.... it is probably the worst I have ever seen in my life!

it is actually simpler to just play the game and guess the functions

Huh, what was it that you found so bad about it? It seemed pretty standard straight forward to me. The only thing I found lacking was that a small number of topics/mechanics were never explained.

well the fact that they presented you with 2 full pages of raw text before you could actually DO anything didn't bother you? they gave you (almost) all the information, sure, but then you had to remember it from step 1, without the option of replaying it.

 

[Slycne]

well the fact that they presented you with 2 full pages of raw text before you could actually DO anything didn't bother you? they gave you (almost) all the information, sure, but then you had to remember it from step 1, without the option of replaying it.

Did you try it in alpha or something? I literally just started a new game with the tutorial turned back on and it's still the same. The tutorial boxes open whenever you enter a new menu/screen for the first time. Each box is a big picture with numbers corresponding to the text.

 

[tkioz]

no video review?

I like the game, it's okay...

But I've still yet to find a space game that's really got what I want. I love the battles in Sins of a Solar Empire... I like the management in Endless space...

I guess what I'm really looking for is a game like Civ 5 in space, where I can build an army and go fighting if I want, or I can go the peaceful path...

 

[veloper]

I've played a bit, and while it IS kind of nice...

Well, it's STILL no Galactic Civilizations 2.

Yeah ES is more than GC2.
Here atleast you can do SOMETHING during combat. All combat in Galciv2 amounts to a non-interactive cutscene.
Hopefully ES won't be hopelessly, deliberately unbalanced in the tech tree either. Psionic beams anyone?


Master of Orion 2 is still where it's at. Space empires 4 is the best of the MOO2 clones.
Then you have Distant worlds, which is a different type of game, but maybe still worth checking out.

Endless space and galciv 2 are the bottom of the 4X barrel.

 

[Ruhsey]

I've played a bit, and while it IS kind of nice...

Well, it's STILL no Galactic Civilizations 2.

Yeah ES is more than GC2.
Here atleast you can do SOMETHING during combat. All combat in Galciv2 amounts to a non-interactive cutscene.
Hopefully ES won't be hopelessly, deliberately unbalanced in the tech tree either. Psionic beams anyone?


Master of Orion 2 is still where it's at. Space empires 4 is the best of the MOO2 clones.
Then you have Distant worlds, which is a different type of game, but maybe still worth checking out.

Endless space and galciv 2 are the bottom of the 4X barrel.

Bottom of the 4X barrel huh? Clearly you need to play more bad 4X games, you've been dramatically privileged if you can say that.

Ever try Legend of Pegasus, or Ascendancy, MOO3, SOTS2, Starships Unlimited, or Call to Power II? There are many many failed 4X games, as they are not easy to make and balance. Even MOO2 is ridiculously unbalanced in stock form, despite all it's glory it couldn't stand up to the balance and refinement of today's titles, especially ES and GalCiv2! We getting very nit picky here-- I mean these two titles have their differences, but they are solid games with their own distinct flavor. I admire ES and Galciv because they are actually fun and functional. You'd really ought to browse the second hand 4X market more, and you'll come back to these modern titles (particularly these two) feeling blessed. They may not be your thing, but that by no means makes them bad games. Because we can talk about "real" bad games if you like.

 

[veloper]

I've played a bit, and while it IS kind of nice...

Well, it's STILL no Galactic Civilizations 2.

Yeah ES is more than GC2.
Here atleast you can do SOMETHING during combat. All combat in Galciv2 amounts to a non-interactive cutscene.
Hopefully ES won't be hopelessly, deliberately unbalanced in the tech tree either. Psionic beams anyone?


Master of Orion 2 is still where it's at. Space empires 4 is the best of the MOO2 clones.
Then you have Distant worlds, which is a different type of game, but maybe still worth checking out.

Endless space and galciv 2 are the bottom of the 4X barrel.

Bottom of the 4X barrel huh? Clearly you need to play more bad 4X games, you've been dramatically privileged if you can say that.

Ever try Legend of Pegasus, or Ascendancy, MOO3, SOTS2, Starships Unlimited, or Call to Power II? There are many many failed 4X games, as they are not easy to make and balance. Even MOO2 is ridiculously unbalanced in stock form, despite all it's glory it couldn't stand up to the balance and refinement of today's titles, especially ES and GalCiv2! We getting very nit picky here-- I mean these two titles have their differences, but they are solid games with their own distinct flavor. I admire ES and Galciv because they are actually fun and functional. You'd really ought to browse the second hand 4X market more, and you'll come back to these modern titles (particularly these two) feeling blessed. They may not be your thing, but that by no means makes them bad games. Because we can talk about "real" bad games if you like.

Why are you quoting an old post from over 6 months ago?
Let dead topics rest in peace. But, since you are new here, going by your post count of 3, I'll humor you and I'll try to be friendly.

First of all I think Galciv2 is pretty dull and that's an understatement.

Now our proverbial bottom of the barrel can hold alot of dross, not just one or two items. It basicly boils down to this: why try to entertain yourself with something worse, when you can play a much better game? There is a point somewhere about the level of mediocrity where it just doesn't matter anymore how bad a game exactly is. It's just nolonger worth your time playing it.

The devs of GC 2 had the luck at one time that 4X games set in a spacefaring setting were pretty rare and GC2 was the pretty one of that old bunch, when you consider graphics alone that is. The best you can say about it, is that because of the gfx, the game became a first entry point into the genre for many younger gamers.

The game itself was an example of really poor design in every possible way, from a lack of real early to midgame threats in standard games, to a purposely unbalanced tech tree, to a complete lack of control during combat sequences, to a very simplistic and broken economy (the "slider problem").

All in all it makes GC2 a dull empire management routine, that is pretty easy to figure out:
all out colony rush, focus on better drives during the rush, leave the colonies undeveloped until mid game, maximize growth ferrying colonists around, focus on economic techs first, while you climb out of debt, until it's time for the AI to get around researching planetry evasion techs, before then change your own research and spam some cheap, fast ships with either sensors or 1 damage pea shooters.

Now you are golden. When/if at war, create a wide net (don't garrison) of these frail ships to be on the look out for undefended enemy troop transports. You may lose some as real warships may sometimes catch you, but it won't matter; make some more cheap stuff. We are now at midgame and your economy should be rocking. If you mastered this early phase, then you can hold out almost indefinitely with enough pea shooters.
Now it's time to research the evil alignment so you can research psionic beams and steamroll the other empires one at a time, starting with the weakest one available. After your first conquest it will only get easier from then on. AIs will be less hostile as you military grows with your economy; you will pick when and where to wage war. You can expand; they won't.
Game solved.
All you can master, is to optimize this routine (tech order, ferrying population more efficiently, economic planet specialization, etc.) to succeed at high difficulty levels; there's never any real military strategy or tactics involved in this critical phase and after that, as the game progresses, you'll only get more and more room to screw around at your leisure.
It's all about mastering the early colony phase and following the economic recovery. The game in already in the bag before the lack of tactical combat has even started.

 

[Ruhsey]

I've played a bit, and while it IS kind of nice...

Well, it's STILL no Galactic Civilizations 2.

Yeah ES is more than GC2.
Here atleast you can do SOMETHING during combat. All combat in Galciv2 amounts to a non-interactive cutscene.
Hopefully ES won't be hopelessly, deliberately unbalanced in the tech tree either. Psionic beams anyone?


Master of Orion 2 is still where it's at. Space empires 4 is the best of the MOO2 clones.
Then you have Distant worlds, which is a different type of game, but maybe still worth checking out.

Endless space and galciv 2 are the bottom of the 4X barrel.

Bottom of the 4X barrel huh? Clearly you need to play more bad 4X games, you've been dramatically privileged if you can say that.

Ever try Legend of Pegasus, or Ascendancy, MOO3, SOTS2, Starships Unlimited, or Call to Power II? There are many many failed 4X games, as they are not easy to make and balance. Even MOO2 is ridiculously unbalanced in stock form, despite all it's glory it couldn't stand up to the balance and refinement of today's titles, especially ES and GalCiv2! We getting very nit picky here-- I mean these two titles have their differences, but they are solid games with their own distinct flavor. I admire ES and Galciv because they are actually fun and functional. You'd really ought to browse the second hand 4X market more, and you'll come back to these modern titles (particularly these two) feeling blessed. They may not be your thing, but that by no means makes them bad games. Because we can talk about "real" bad games if you like.

Why are you quoting an old post from over 6 months ago?
Let dead topics rest in peace. But, since you are new here, going by your post count of 3, I'll humor you and I'll try to be friendly.

First of all I think Galciv2 is pretty dull and that's an understatement.

Now our proverbial bottom of the barrel can hold alot of dross, not just one or two items. It basicly boils down to this: why try to entertain yourself with something worse, when you can play a much better game? There is a point somewhere about the level of mediocrity where it just doesn't matter anymore how bad a game exactly is. It's just nolonger worth your time playing it.

The devs of GC 2 had the luck at one time that 4X games set in a spacefaring setting were pretty rare and GC2 was the pretty one of that old bunch, when you consider graphics alone that is. The best you can say about it, is that because of the gfx, the game became a first entry point into the genre for many younger gamers.

The game itself was an example of really poor design in every possible way, from a lack of real early to midgame threats in standard games, to a purposely unbalanced tech tree, to a complete lack of control during combat sequences, to a very simplistic and broken economy (the "slider problem").

All in all it makes GC2 a dull empire management routine, that is pretty easy to figure out:
all out colony rush, focus on better drives during the rush, leave the colonies undeveloped until mid game, maximize growth ferrying colonists around, focus on economic techs first, while you climb out of debt, until it's time for the AI to get around researching planetry evasion techs, before then change your own research and spam some cheap, fast ships with either sensors or 1 damage pea shooters.

Now you are golden. When/if at war, create a wide net (don't garrison) of these frail ships to be on the look out for undefended enemy troop transports. You may lose some as real warships may sometimes catch you, but it won't matter; make some more cheap stuff. We are now at midgame and your economy should be rocking. If you mastered this early phase, then you can hold out almost indefinitely with enough pea shooters.
Now it's time to research the evil alignment so you can research psionic beams and steamroll the other empires one at a time, starting with the weakest one available. After your first conquest it will only get easier from then on. AIs will be less hostile as you military grows with your economy; you will pick when and where to wage war. You can expand; they won't.
Game solved.
All you can master, is to optimize this routine (tech order, ferrying population more efficiently, economic planet specialization, etc.) to succeed at high difficulty levels; there's never any real military strategy or tactics involved in this critical phase and after that, as the game progresses, you'll only get more and more room to screw around at your leisure.
It's all about mastering the early colony phase and following the economic recovery. The game in already in the bag before the lack of tactical combat has even started.

Just because I have three posts doesn't make me new here. I just usually don't post on the escapist.

Sorry for reviving the dead posts, I forgot to check the date/time.

I take issue with what you say still, GalCIv 2 is immensely complex and tactical especially with the final expansion which changes a lot of elements. Maybe not combat wise, but man you even had to write over 600 words about the economy just to describe how to beat it. Hey if you've kicked it on the hardest diff level, and it's boring you, good on you mate. But for me it still provides quite the fight, and that's before the diff levels start cheating. Also the diplomacy is first rate, so factor in that in too.

I like SEIV, ES, MOO2, and all these first rate 4X games. There is a reason so many others play them as well. I am just saying you may not give them merits, but I regard that as opinion, because they are the cream of the crop if you played your fair share of 4X games. The reason I play all these is because EACH has a different feel and play style. Plus it helps if I get bored of one. That is why I don't just commit to one 24/7.

Thank you for humoring me though.