Endless Space - Space Lord galaxy grabbin' LP

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Sun May 03, 2015 4:02 am #85435

Now that I'm not involved with this circus anymore I got more time to play games and edit vidya.

We had a lot of fun playing Endless Space once as a group, so I figured I'd focus on that for my next project.

Behold; we're going to rule the galaxy or die trying:

[youtube]ASLaI0Xec_w[/youtube]

Any feedback regarding presentation or audio/video doodads or narrative or gameplay is appreciated. Root for your dudes.

Beyond that though if any of you have ever wanted to do anything similar to this but haven't figured out the magic of audio/video recording, editing, and encoding but would like to know more feel free to ask here. I've been doing this kind of crap (live streaming and just plain recording) for like...5-6 years now...? Across 3-4 channels with another new project on the way. A few of you guys have already approached me and we've talked about doing some joint stuff but if you've been thinking about doing some kind of video project (it doesn't have to be video games, even) but need some production know-how this is a good opportunity to ask.

DrPillzRedux · Post by **DrPillzRedux** » Sun May 03, 2015 5:03 am #85445

Endless Legend and Dungeon of the Endless when?

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Sun May 03, 2015 5:22 am #85448

M-muh chronology. Endless Space was first, if I'm going to do all three I've gotta do them in order

Spoiler:

I'm going to insert a quick recap and run through of some of the game's features at the start of the next video because I falsely assumed the only people who would ever want to watch this would be hardcore game experts who have a million hours of Endless Space under their belts. I need to correct myself for calling Dungeon of the Endless "Endless Dungeon" and explain some of the basics of FIDS and victory conditions to the rest of the people watching.

Not sure if I should do that at the start of Episode 2 or make a quick aside video that's a brief rundown of this stuff. Probably just do it at the start of Episode 2 and mention "Skip ahead if you know this stuff to XX:XX for the actual epsiode!"

Alex Crimson · Post by **Alex Crimson** » Sun May 03, 2015 5:54 am #85450

Distant Worlds: Universe. Best space game ever, bro.

Kot · Post by **Kot** » Sun May 03, 2015 5:59 am #85451

Endless Legend > Endless Space
Also Roving Clans ftw.

Distant Worlds is good too, except sometimes (most of the time) it's a rollercoaster you have no chance to control.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Sun May 03, 2015 6:04 am #85452

I've tried it (Distant Worlds) but it's just too damn large and it reaches a point where you just call it as a win/loss rather than ever finishing a game.

I like Endless Space because it has a lot of depth but it's also a game that doesn't take you weeks to finish a game of.

I'm a huge...huuuuuuuuuuuuge fan of Twilight Imperium

Spoiler:

and Endless Space is the closest videogame analog of it I've ever played. Incidentally, I'm starting a four-man board games review/editorials show with a bunch of local folks. We're shooting for something like the Red-Letter Media/Giant Bomb of board games, and we should start shooting our first bits of content within the next two weeks.

But yeah Endless Legend plays great single player, I haven't had a chance to play it multi yet. I'm one of the few people who really like Endless Space's battle resolution and I'm not as impressed with what I've played of Endless Legend's. Also they fucked up FIDSI. It stands for Food, Industry, Dust, Science, Influence, but in the game the bars are actually displayed in the order of Food, Industry, Science, Dust, Influence. CONSISTENCY DAMMIT!

EDIT: I'm surprised nobody has complained yet that I didn't abuse the Pilgrim's racial ability to shuffle around my colonies, or that I've been kinda dumb (shaking off the cobwebs, I swear) when it comes to setting up my exploitations and shit.

Post by **Jordie0608** » Sun May 03, 2015 6:52 am #85454

An0n3 wrote:Pilgrims

You've lost already :^)

An0n3 wrote:I'm surprised nobody has complained yet that I didn't abuse the Pilgrim's racial ability to shuffle around my colonies

IMO it's not that a great idea in general, especially at the early game, but it can have uses.

An0n3 wrote:I've been kinda dumb (shaking off the cobwebs, I swear) when it comes to setting up my exploitations and shit.

I was going to until you beat me to it; more food = more pop = more IDS, always best to make food exploitation after colonization.

Also I'd suggest you tech up your exploitations as quick as you can.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Sun May 03, 2015 7:22 am #85455

While having a lot of FIDS is great, you can't win the galaxy with them alone.

I'm trying to rush my expansion/exploration techs first so that I can use my racial ability to pick up some developed colonies and then stab them down on the map like tent-stakes at my neighbors' doorsteps.

While it's logical that more research or industry will get that done faster, and more food will accrue industry and science faster, there's a point at which you need to stop preparing for the strategy and start employing the strategy.

You'd be surprised how often I'm left in the dust (literally, because I never spend the stuff) on FIDS in multiplayer games yet win the day or at the very least remain a major player up until the end.

There's a concept in RTS and 4X games called "Sim Base" players. People who just want to build up and build up and build up all this really excellent potential, that only turns over into action when provoked. All that force wont do you shit if you can't project it. All your research wont amount to much if you aren't intelligently equipping your ships with those modules and deploying them to greet your neighbors. By focusing on expansion as top priority I get to try to take the first bites out of my competitions' landscapes before they get to these systems themselves, and they're bites I'll be equipped to chew when I'm dropping fully developed and populated colonies on their doorsteps.

In the early game you could focus on improving the colonies you have and upgrading your exploitations but, as an empire, I think you're better suited at trying to rush out and chomp up as much of the map as possible. Stake your claims while it's anybody's map. While someone else will have single planets in their handful of system that are really pumping out the FIDS I'd rather have more systems with more colonized planets carving out a bigger swathe. You can fight me for 'em later, and you'll probably win a few with your singular superior forces...but the ability to project a higher volume and the potential for more massed FIDS swinging back at you in repercussion typically wins out.

I should add though that we're both right on this, we just have different preferences and change it up based on what race we're playing. If I was playing Sophons or Sowers I would be more focused on investing in the systems I already had and less on the "land rush" that I'm currently aiming for. It's exemplary of how diverse Endless Space is and how many different ways you can play the game. I know I'm kind of preaching to the choir on that, a lot of us here already have this game and have even played it together, but if by some random chance you're here in the spessmens clusterfuck but haven't heard of Endless Space or played it yet bruh you gotta get on that shit.

Typically I play much more aggressive, warlike races such as the Hissho, Cravers, or Human Empire. What you're seeing in this LP is me adopting my "gobble everything up, then come to your door and punch you in the face to drink your milkshake too" playstyle to a race that is all gung-ho for making big early grabs at the map...but is comparatively much less tenacious when it comes to taking stuff others already have and may have some issues holding onto what they've taken. Fingers crossed, dis gon b good.

DrPillzRedux · Post by **DrPillzRedux** » Sun May 03, 2015 8:03 am #85462

anon

host a 12 person Dungeon of the Endless game

please

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Sun May 03, 2015 8:06 am #85463

It's been a long time since I played Dungeon of the Endless.

It didn't even have multiplayer back then.

Incomptinence · Sun May 03, 2015 8:16 am

Yeah endless things good. Fills the hole sots left in my heart by crashing and burning.

Been doing more legend guess I should get back into the original.

srifenbyxp · Post by **srifenbyxp** » Sun May 03, 2015 11:10 am #85491

Infinite Space is far superior that any other spess game

Steelpoint · Post by **Steelpoint** » Sun May 03, 2015 11:12 am #85493

You mean Distant Worlds Universe?

Once you can command a galactic spanning empire on full manual control, you'll have earned the title of 4x master.

So long as you set the victory conditions to something reasonable it's a blast.

Incomptinence · Sun May 03, 2015 1:00 pm

Pretty sure none of us is in deep enough to play Aurora so this one-upsmanship isn't going anywhere interesting.

Steelpoint · Post by **Steelpoint** » Sun May 03, 2015 1:19 pm #85503

Aurora ain't too bad but I much prefer something with a bit more substance graphics wise, I give Dwarf Fortress a pass simply because the few good texture packs help carry the weight of the shitty interface.

XSI · Post by **XSI** » Sun May 03, 2015 1:24 pm #85504

Few of us in the IRC played Aurora

Not for long as far as I know

onleavedontatme · Sun May 03, 2015 5:32 pm

Kot wrote:Endless Legend > Endless Space

Seconded. Skip ahead to the better game.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Sun May 03, 2015 5:49 pm #85538

Incomptinence wrote:Pretty sure none of us is in deep enough to play Aurora so this one-upsmanship isn't going anywhere interesting.

I've played it but I agree with Steelpoint. It's all crunch and no substance. In Dorf Fort your reward for learning to play it is some really crazy and amazing stories and interactions between your dwarves and eachother or the environment they're in. Aurora is nowhere near as rich once you've dug deep to the veins of gaming goodness. It's all menu mining and no gold.

Kor wrote:
Kot wrote:Endless Legend > Endless Space
Seconded. Skip ahead to the better game.

>Hobbit prefers fantasy game over sci-fi game

Kot · Post by **Kot** » Sun May 03, 2015 7:00 pm #85550

An0n3 wrote:
Incomptinence wrote:Pretty sure none of us is in deep enough to play Aurora so this one-upsmanship isn't going anywhere interesting.
I've played it but I agree with Steelpoint. It's all crunch and no substance. In Dorf Fort your reward for learning to play it is some really crazy and amazing stories and interactions between your dwarves and eachother or the environment they're in. Aurora is nowhere near as rich once you've dug deep to the veins of gaming goodness. It's all menu mining and no gold.

Kor wrote:
Kot wrote:Endless Legend > Endless Space
Seconded. Skip ahead to the better game.
>Hobbit prefers fantasy game over sci-fi game

If it was Wh40k then ok, but it's weird Mary Sue self-insert weaboo so mehhhhh.

Reyouka · Post by **Reyouka** » Mon May 04, 2015 3:22 am #85633

I remember when it was us versus the universe in that one game we played, Anon.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Mon May 04, 2015 4:10 am #85637

Reyouka wrote:I remember when it was us versus the universe in that one game we played, Anon.

Only barely. I think you had just gotten the game...? That was even longer ago...

-------------------------------

I've got a vidya going up that's like a walkthrough for what all this shit means in the game. If the idea of conquering a small galaxy sounds cool to you but you don't know what the fuck you're looking at, check it out. if you're trying to follow along but not sure what the hell "FIDS" is or why any of it matters this will help.

If you've played the game a bit there's probably nothing to learn and you can just skip over it. I should have the next part of the playthrough up sometime tomorrow.

Post by **Jordie0608** » Mon May 04, 2015 7:51 am #85650

An0n3 wrote:-snip-

Have you played the vaulters? They're great for large empires.

Reyouka · Post by **Reyouka** » Mon May 04, 2015 9:10 pm #85728

An0n3 wrote:
Reyouka wrote:I remember when it was us versus the universe in that one game we played, Anon.
Only barely. I think you had just gotten the game...? That was even longer ago...

-------------------------------

I've got a vidya going up that's like a walkthrough for what all this shit means in the game. If the idea of conquering a small galaxy sounds cool to you but you don't know what the fuck you're looking at, check it out. if you're trying to follow along but not sure what the hell "FIDS" is or why any of it matters this will help.

If you've played the game a bit there's probably nothing to learn and you can just skip over it. I should have the next part of the playthrough up sometime tomorrow.

Actually I've owned Endless Space since it first came out, I just never played it much. It was the one game we ran were we all kept spamming 'top kek' constantly.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Mon May 04, 2015 9:20 pm #85729

Reyouka wrote:
An0n3 wrote:
Reyouka wrote:I remember when it was us versus the universe in that one game we played, Anon.
Only barely. I think you had just gotten the game...? That was even longer ago...

-------------------------------

I've got a vidya going up that's like a walkthrough for what all this shit means in the game. If the idea of conquering a small galaxy sounds cool to you but you don't know what the fuck you're looking at, check it out. if you're trying to follow along but not sure what the hell "FIDS" is or why any of it matters this will help.

If you've played the game a bit there's probably nothing to learn and you can just skip over it. I should have the next part of the playthrough up sometime tomorrow.

Actually I've owned Endless Space since it first came out, I just never played it much. It was the one game we ran were we all kept spamming 'top kek' constantly.

I have a hard time remembering who was in that game beyond Myroc's spaghetti moments:

[youtube]uHy_4dfgTZA[/youtube]

FUCK YOU SPACE NATO YOU CANT EMBARGO OUR KEKS

EndgamerAzari · Mon May 04, 2015 9:48 pm

Sir Topham Kek

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Mon May 04, 2015 10:08 pm #85743

Next episode is up! We meet our neighbors. They aren't very nice people. This neighborhood sucks.

[youtube]qLIQczY2obo[/youtube]

Watch these in 720p60 for best vishools.

Cipher3 · Post by **Cipher3** » Mon May 04, 2015 10:52 pm #85753

Kot wrote:Endless Legend > Endless Space
Also Roving Clans ftw.

Eh, Broken Lords or Wild Walkers are my cup of tea.

Incomptinence · Mon May 04, 2015 11:02 pm

Cultists break the latest expansion over their knees. Oh wonders and building tall pffft look at all this extra pop I got having one bloody city and getting convert pop PING done! Only trouble is getting the strategic resources for the damn things but cultists is pretty much selling of shit you don't need personified. They are basically super districts and I managed to monopolize every last one and level them to three getting disgusting bonuses.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Mon May 04, 2015 11:06 pm #85758

I'd like to play that game more eventually or try multiplayer but I haven't gotten into it too much.

I've only played as the Ardent Mages. The Drakken dudes look really cool. I'm interested to see how forcing alliances and shit on people can work out in a game. I'm glad there's finally some kind of mechanic for that.
Twilight Imperium has a really cool function in the political phase where you can sanction people and force them into treaties and shit so someone going totally gung-ho military all the way can get parried and fucked over by someone who is good at political manipulation.

Barely any videogames ever capture the idea that "the pen is mightier than the sword" in that regard. CK2 has some intrigue shit you can do but that's a Grand Strategy game and a different beast.
Any ability to straight up politically veto or nullify someone's aggression towards you is fucking great. Diplomacy makes the world go round.

callanrockslol · Tue May 05, 2015 1:55 am

Steelpoint wrote:You mean Distant Worlds Universe?

I don't think anyone would pay $60 for a 5 year old game when true autism is free.

I wanna play more endless space multiplayer with my infinite money again.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Tue May 05, 2015 2:06 am #85782

I've noticed a bunch of people seem to be inspired to pick up Endless Spess again since I started playing this. We could get some multiplayer action in again.

We'd need to organize it ahead of time though: to play a game of Endless Spess multiplayer kinda requires everyone to agree to a day and time every week to play the damn game.

Reyouka · Post by **Reyouka** » Tue May 05, 2015 7:00 am #85820

I'd be up for Endless Legend after Friday, my paycheck drops then and I've been planning forever to pick it up. Endless Space, maybe. My work schedule isn't stable at all.

Post by **Jordie0608** » Tue May 05, 2015 7:58 am #85824

An0n3 wrote:I have a hard time remembering who was in that game beyond Myroc's spaghetti moments:

You were red Hissho North Korea
Rey was teal Automaton backwater
I was green Sower territorial jumble
Upgradecap was blue United Empire NATO spokesman
Myroc was yellow Sophon tech-induced space nirvana
Dezzmont was yellow Horatio professional argument starter

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Tue May 05, 2015 5:10 pm #85898

I've tried to figure out a way to record something like that so that we could possibly capture the "table talk" and the side chat as well. A big part of the game's multiplayer is wheeling, dealing, and arguing with other players.

That game got off the rails at the end. Was it maybe Myroc who oppressed you guys into being his bitches and forking over all your goodies? The NATO block was a sham and our valiant North Korean defenders watched as one of you subsumed all the others in shackles and then came knocking on our peaceful skeleton realm.

[youtube]Co6d3h-NpS8[/youtube]

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Wed May 06, 2015 4:13 am #86063

Damn this one ran a bit long. Open galactic warfare is srs bsns.

[youtube]nku8L-qEIJ0[/youtube]

Bonus points if you can identify all the dogs barking and people in my neighborhood yelling at eachother and playing basketball. I had left a window open and I'm not sure I was able to eliminate all the background audio.

mrpain · Post by **mrpain** » Wed May 06, 2015 8:34 am #86127

This has been sitting in my backlog for a while. I might dust it off, or I could try to get into StarDrive 2 again. We'll see, we'll see.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Wed May 06, 2015 9:34 pm #86287

We could try to setup some fast as fuck multiplayer game. Set speed to fast, smallish galaxy, get right to mixing it up.

mrpain · Post by **mrpain** » Thu May 07, 2015 8:19 am #86429

An0n3 wrote:We could try to setup some fast as fuck multiplayer game. Set speed to fast, smallish galaxy, get right to mixing it up.

I'll reinstall it sometime soon. If you ever see me online on steam and feel like getting it going give me a shout out.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Fri May 08, 2015 12:22 am #86589

>crushing the shit out of your enemies
>they "offer" you a cease fire
>refuse to give you any money, territory, research, or other compensation

[youtube]RgXB-xyLFzk[/youtube]

Your offer only makes my murderboner grow stiffer and meaner
If I wasn't going to fuck your people to extinction I am definitely doing that now

Incomptinence · Fri May 08, 2015 10:14 am

Is there a way to see my disharmony modifier when playing harmony?

Been being crystals. Far as I can tell their mind body slider is mostly a trap and the main thing to do is just focus on industry. Build it all you keep it for free i guess.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Fri May 08, 2015 6:27 pm #86766

Isn't your system's approval rating basically your disharmony modifier when playing as Harmony?

I've never tried to use them, they seem way too gimmicky for me and that's coming from someone who loves playing as the Cravers.

Actually speaking of Cravers...

[youtube]JU6x6hIGskg[/youtube]

Never had any idea these guys were such pains in the ass to fight against.

Post by **Jordie0608** » Sat May 09, 2015 6:50 am #86870

I might be wrong but I remember not being able to find it when I played them, I also remember not being able to notice if it actually had any effect at all.

Disharmony are another one of those races that start weak but end up absurdly powerful if they're left alone. Just like the Sophons the best way to deal with them is before they can fight back.

Incomptinence · Sat May 09, 2015 11:16 am

Ah I found it. Really obscure only pops up if you hover the mouse over your fis in system to see the modifiers. Only shows what is lost not what the percentage is etc etc. Negligible but then I was avoiding dust rich worlds probably not worth teching to get rid of. You can probably bum rush a whole constellation and not care. Not sure the dust negating improvement would be worth it, maybe tranform em eventually instead I dunno.

The mind body slider is mostly a trap as I thought enough in either to give you a leg up is quite crippling. Important stuff, no upkeep, industy to food conversion and resonant ships.

The first is probably the only way their no repair no upgrade fleets will stand the muster spam em with wide load industry. prioritise industry hugely you can turn it into food and while resonant ships eventually becomes irrelevant in late game it lets you boost up colonies in hostile areas which you thrive in because hey no morale. Flounder around until they get that max pop 50% all booster (noice) and gas giant colonisation sure one of the three is shit to you but just tapping dat smelly methanus and multiplying (no sado) it is power. Do not touch body slider to get pop just have industry to turn to food at least till you have ton of planets full then I guess you can multiplier your sci up. You are good with strategics so game for your abundances use the exploitation if you need to, hey if you can't repair ships at least get em cheap. Probably suited to late military victory without upkeep industry is unleashed and you can just shit out ships forever.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Sat May 09, 2015 5:45 pm #86926

I play as Cravers. My preferred tactics are

[youtube]hPkHi1Jrc_c[/youtube]

I could try hosting a multiplayer game again sometime but we'll have to put the clock on fast and make the galaxy smallish with lots of connections.

Jordie wrote:-snip-

The newer military options ensure that Sophons need to be a lot more defense minded than in the past. Their major drawback (having reduced system defenses) is a lot more pronounced now that you can use troops to instantly invade and take over systems. They're highly susceptible to smallish fleets (2-3 ships) of troop carrier/bomber type invaders coming through and conquering all their shit.

Sowers are inarguably the worst race in the game. Their ability to rapidly expand and claim territory all over the place doesn't mean dick when anyone can just wardec them for free, or take advantage of cold war status to invade their outposts. They've got this great ability to land rush but no ability to actually keep anything they grab. A smart, growth minded Pilgrims or UE player can play very similarly but have better traits for fending off anyone who comes knocking later.

Hissho are the best IMO. Their affinity bonus can easily spiral out of control and turn them into a table-clearing bulldozer. If they go on an invasion spree they can stack a potential +60% to all FIDS across their entire empire and suddenly they're producing more research than the Sophons, more industry than the UE, more food than the Horatio, and more dust than the Sheredyn. Not to mention a +20% damage bonus to all weapons and more potential boosts/free experience/etc. from their racial tech. If you pick your first target well and fight well against them you get setup to stomp your way through the rest of the board like it aint no thing.

Incomptinence · Sun May 10, 2015 1:29 am

Oh weird the harmony industry to food thing and harmony exploitation to get +1 on a deposit meaning they only need 2 of a resource to get exploitation aren't listed on their wiki even dunno when those were added in they are cool tho.

Yeah playing a game would be nice I guess not got experience in fast 1v1 me bro size galaxies.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Sun May 10, 2015 6:31 am #87009

I've been asking around for good settings for having a multiplayer game that progresses at a decent clip without being claustrophobic.

Current suggestion is to just use the regular galaxy setup with the regular number of players and all but to just set the game speed to fast.

If there's a night during the upcoming week when people are free to commit to an entire evening of SPESS BATTEL I'm down.

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Wed May 13, 2015 2:13 am #87767

100 years of galactic warfare! Updoots!

[youtube]533P5uxPYHI[/youtube]

[youtube]vbwIl8E-WGI[/youtube]

Incomptinence · Wed May 20, 2015 11:26 pm

Ended space again?

Timbrewolf · Post by **Timbrewolf** » Sat May 23, 2015 5:25 am #90010

No just delayed because of some IRL shit. I have the next episode ready to go for Monday.

Incomptinence · Sat May 23, 2015 11:39 pm

I meant more the people playing together but okay.