Now that the PC Gamer Weekender, GDC and PAX East are behind us, we're happy to finally announce that Update 3 for Endless Space 2 is coming to Steam on March 23, with the addition of a new major faction: the Riftborn!
Amongst other features and improvements, we're also super excited to release the Multiplayer mode (with up to 8 players in total), new solar winds, nebulas and trading ships bringing more life to the galaxy, AI improvements in Diplomacy and Battle, tweaks to the Battle System and Technology Tree, a tutorial for “Advanced” players, and more!
The Riftborn are the seventh playable faction in Endless Space 2 and also completely new to the Endless universe. Their gameplay revolves around a unique mechanic: the control of time, which they use to their advantage and to completely change the course of the game.
"Hailing from an alternate dimension orthogonal to the Endless universe, the Riftborn would've happily led out their abstract, timeless existences entirely ignorant of galactic strife, were it not for a breach that precipitated a disaster of unimaginable proportions. Like a poisoned blade slashed deep into clean flesh, the rift acted as a source of terrible disorder in the Riftborn's pristine, geometrical universe. Desperate, unable to halt the disease's advance no matter what they tried, the Riftborn took the last available course of action that might lead to their survival: Together with their strange time-shifting abilities, they stepped into the Endless universe."
Find out more about the Riftborn on the Official Wiki.
UPDATE 3
We'll detail the new features of Update 3 in the upcoming days, but here are some screenshots to keep you waiting!
JOIN US ON TWITCH
Tune in later today, at 5pm Paris time / 4pm GMT on Twitch to discover Update 3 and the Riftborn faction in action: https://www.twitch.tv/amplitudestudios.
Now that the PC Gamer Weekender, GDC and PAX East are behind us, we're happy to finally announce that Update 3 for Endless Space 2 is coming to Steam on March 23, with the addition of a new major faction: the Riftborn!
Amongst other features and improvements, we're also super excited to release the Multiplayer mode (with up to 8 players in total), new solar winds, nebulas and trading ships bringing more life to the galaxy, AI improvements in Diplomacy and Battle, tweaks to the Battle System and Technology Tree, a tutorial for “Advanced” players, and more!
The Riftborn are the seventh playable faction in Endless Space 2 and also completely new to the Endless universe. Their gameplay revolves around a unique mechanic: the control of time, which they use to their advantage and to completely change the course of the game.
"Hailing from an alternate dimension orthogonal to the Endless universe, the Riftborn would've happily led out their abstract, timeless existences entirely ignorant of galactic strife, were it not for a breach that precipitated a disaster of unimaginable proportions. Like a poisoned blade slashed deep into clean flesh, the rift acted as a source of terrible disorder in the Riftborn's pristine, geometrical universe. Desperate, unable to halt the disease's advance no matter what they tried, the Riftborn took the last available course of action that might lead to their survival: Together with their strange time-shifting abilities, they stepped into the Endless universe."
Find out more about the Riftborn on the Official Wiki.
UPDATE 3
We'll detail the new features of Update 3 in the upcoming days, but here are some screenshots to keep you waiting!
JOIN US ON TWITCH
Tune in later today, at 5pm Paris time / 4pm GMT on Twitch to discover Update 3 and the Riftborn faction in action: https://www.twitch.tv/amplitudestudios.
It's been a year since this last happened, so listen up: starting on April 3rd and until April 7th, we'll be welcoming players to our studio for a playtest of Endless Space 2!
Here are some details, if you're interested and want to sign up for the playtest:
You will playtest the then-public Update 3 version of Endless Space 2 with a member of the studio present to collect your feedback
We will provide coffee, tea, snacks and also some goodies, including a special Playtester forum badge!
The current version is only available in English
This is a volunteer playtest, each selected playtester will get to play for about 2 hours
Accommodation & transportation fees are at your own charge
You will meet the Amplitude team and visit our studio in Paris (note that unfortunately, the building does not have reduced mobility access)
DISCLAIMER: Since the test is happening on a build that will at the time already be available, in Paris, on a weekday, and travel & accomodation are at your own expense, please don't pour your savings into it. We're always happy to meet our community members from around the world, but there'll be better occasions! Beer2Gether events come to mind...
If you are still interested, check out the requirements and our guidelines below.
REQUIREMENTS
You need to be 18 years old or older
Applications are open to anyone except members of the press or video game affiliates
You need to speak either French or English but you must understand English, as it's the primary testing language for the game at the moment
NDA: you will most likely see or hear things we aren't ready to share publicly yet! You will simply need to sign our non-disclosure agreement
GUIDELINES
Shoot us a message from a valid email address your basic info (full name, forums username, date of birth, address and profession), at playtest [at] amplitude-studios.com and a quick answer to all these questions (keep it short, please, we receive a lot of applications!):
Which strategy games and 4X games other than Amplitude's have you enjoyed?
Have you played Endless Space and/or Endless Legend? If so, how many hours? What was your favorite moment?
Have you played Endless Space 2? Same questions as above!
When will you be available for the playtest at the studio in Paris? List one or several days during which you will be available between the 3rd and the 7th of April and the time of day during which you are available: morning and/or afternoon (from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 8pm)?
There is no wrong answer as we are interested in all player profiles (especially newbies as they're harder to reach! Tell your friends in Paris!), so just be honest and we will consider your application.
DEADLINE
The deadline for submissions is March 8th, at midday (GTM +1). We will get in touch asap if you have been selected, so make sure you check your emails!
Please do not submit your details if you don’t meet the requirements listed above. Thank you and good luck!
It's been a year since this last happened, so listen up: starting on April 3rd and until April 7th, we'll be welcoming players to our studio for a playtest of Endless Space 2!
Here are some details, if you're interested and want to sign up for the playtest:
You will playtest the then-public Update 3 version of Endless Space 2 with a member of the studio present to collect your feedback
We will provide coffee, tea, snacks and also some goodies, including a special Playtester forum badge!
The current version is only available in English
This is a volunteer playtest, each selected playtester will get to play for about 2 hours
Accommodation & transportation fees are at your own charge
You will meet the Amplitude team and visit our studio in Paris (note that unfortunately, the building does not have reduced mobility access)
DISCLAIMER: Since the test is happening on a build that will at the time already be available, in Paris, on a weekday, and travel & accomodation are at your own expense, please don't pour your savings into it. We're always happy to meet our community members from around the world, but there'll be better occasions! Beer2Gether events come to mind...
If you are still interested, check out the requirements and our guidelines below.
REQUIREMENTS
You need to be 18 years old or older
Applications are open to anyone except members of the press or video game affiliates
You need to speak either French or English but you must understand English, as it's the primary testing language for the game at the moment
NDA: you will most likely see or hear things we aren't ready to share publicly yet! You will simply need to sign our non-disclosure agreement
GUIDELINES
Shoot us a message from a valid email address your basic info (full name, forums username, date of birth, address and profession), at playtest [at] amplitude-studios.com and a quick answer to all these questions (keep it short, please, we receive a lot of applications!):
Which strategy games and 4X games other than Amplitude's have you enjoyed?
Have you played Endless Space and/or Endless Legend? If so, how many hours? What was your favorite moment?
Have you played Endless Space 2? Same questions as above!
When will you be available for the playtest at the studio in Paris? List one or several days during which you will be available between the 3rd and the 7th of April and the time of day during which you are available: morning and/or afternoon (from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 8pm)?
There is no wrong answer as we are interested in all player profiles (especially newbies as they're harder to reach! Tell your friends in Paris!), so just be honest and we will consider your application.
DEADLINE
The deadline for submissions is March 8th, at midday (GTM +1). We will get in touch asap if you have been selected, so make sure you check your emails!
Please do not submit your details if you don’t meet the requirements listed above. Thank you and good luck!
[FIXES] - Fixed Food consumption bug related to Horatio Affinity - Fixed an error message when using system supervisors on exploited star systems, preventing the Vodyani from being played - Fixed a series of error messages generated when a pirate fleet was orbiting a rival star system - Fixed a skippable error message generated when entering a Space Battle with the minor faction types "Technologist" - Fixed an issue where damage that destroyed an external section of a ship was not applied to the core section - Fixed Short vs Short and Medium vs Medium trajectories - Fixed an issue where shields absorbed damage after the shield was disabled - Orichalcix and Quadrinix exploitation resources are now implemented & functional
[BALANCE CHANGES] - Science victory is now 5 times harder to research - Reduced engine and exploration modules cost and health bonuses - Reduced targeting weight of the civilian ships - Lowered number of Representative for Dictatorship and Federation, and the penalty per Representative not in Senate - Increased manpower given by Impervious Bunkers from 50 to 150
[GROUND BATTLE] - Added a prerequisite, forbidding to use the Local Resistance Ground Battle action when there is no more population
[FIXES] - Fixed Food consumption bug related to Horatio Affinity - Fixed an error message when using system supervisors on exploited star systems, preventing the Vodyani from being played - Fixed a series of error messages generated when a pirate fleet was orbiting a rival star system - Fixed a skippable error message generated when entering a Space Battle with the minor faction types "Technologist" - Fixed an issue where damage that destroyed an external section of a ship was not applied to the core section - Fixed Short vs Short and Medium vs Medium trajectories - Fixed an issue where shields absorbed damage after the shield was disabled - Orichalcix and Quadrinix exploitation resources are now implemented & functional
[BALANCE CHANGES] - Science victory is now 5 times harder to research - Reduced engine and exploration modules cost and health bonuses - Reduced targeting weight of the civilian ships - Lowered number of Representative for Dictatorship and Federation, and the penalty per Representative not in Senate - Increased manpower given by Impervious Bunkers from 50 to 150
[GROUND BATTLE] - Added a prerequisite, forbidding to use the Local Resistance Ground Battle action when there is no more population
[DISCLAIMER] OLD SAVES (UPDATE 1) ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THIS VERSION - REMEMBER TO START A NEW GAME [DISCLAIMER 2] PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF THE GAME ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON THE BETA TAB (Right click on the game in your Steam library > Properties > Beta): YOU CAN NOW CHOOSE TO GO BACK TO A PREVIOUS VERSION
[MAJOR CHANGES]
Added a new major faction, the Horatio!
Implemented a new Technology tree
Added Battle Play Cards
Reworked the game options menu
Added Advanced Culture in addition to Scavengers and Eucosial (Z'vali & Epistis are now advanced)
Added the Gnashast minor faction (Scavengers)
Added the Tikanan minor faction (Eusocials)
Added the Eyder, a Scavenger minor faction created by the community
Dictatorship can now use propaganda in star system to influence political orientation
Added population collection bonus when hitting certain thresholds
Updated the planet grid along the lines of temperature & biodiversity (previously temperature and humidity), along with terraforming process & FIDSI distribution
Implemented Supervisor (auto management of construction queue and population)
Quests:
Implemented the Horatio Chapter 1 and 2
Implemented the Sophons Chapter 3 and 4 (no Final Reward)
Implemented the Cravers Chapter 3 and 4 (no Final Reward)
Implemented the Lumeris Chapter 3 and 4 (no Final Reward)
Implemented the Vodyani Chapter 3 and 4 (no Final Reward)
Implemented the United Empire Chapter 3 and 4 (no Final Reward)
Achieving Minor Faction Quests with the Vodyani now doesn’t raze the Minor System but Brainwashes its population
Implemented 8 Deeds
Implemented 4 Wonders
[BATTLE]
Deck building
Added 16 battle play cards in the game
5 cards by default for a deck of 3
Added technologies to increase deck size and unlock cards
Cards have more complex effects, useful or not depending on the situation
Added deck panel in the military screen sidebar
Free deck changes every ten turns, otherwise it will cost influence
Before battle
Added automated defensive fleet merging before battle
Added window to select which Empire to attack on a system
Advanced battle screen
Changed the layout to highlight the play card choice
It is no longer possible to simulate your opponent’s plays
Added the 3 last plays used against you by the opponent
Added drag and drop to move the ships between your flotillas
Reduced minimum CP to unlock more flotillas
Added 3 sorting presets to sort the ships
Added locking state on ships to force them in a flotilla
Saved the fleet configurations from battle to battle
Added new Ship icons to show the roles
Added 3 stats buttons to compare the 2 fleets:
Military power (as currently)
Energy / Projectile power (takes into account the weapon and defence)
Range compatibility
During battle
Firing ranges are now fixed by phase
There are 3 phases with the same duration
Ranges between peered flotillas are set based on the intentions (e.g. Short vs Long => Long, Medium, Short ; Short vs Short => Short, Short, Short)
Peered flotilla is the priority target, other flotillas can be targeted based on distance
Improved Scan view
Improved ship labels: the left-side gauge shows damage taken (with misses, shield damage reduction and hull plating), the right-side gauge shows damage inflicted (same details), shield gage is now around the HP gage
Added flotilla label when the camera is far away
Added trajectories and targeting on the galaxy floor (thickness of the line shows the DPS)
Added damage taken numbers above the ships
Added Flotillas HUD:
Shows a list of ships per flotilla (with HP state and destruction feedback)
Shows the morale feedback (fleet gains bonus if there are more alive flotillas compared to the opponent)
Improved free cam:
Use shift to accelerate the camera move
Left click to lock the camera on a ship then use arrows or left click to rotate and mouse wheel to zoom
Data
Reduced range penalties (especially lasers and slugs)
Reduced the energy / projectile “hard counter” effect (e.g. shields also slightly stop projectile weapons and never completely stop energy weapons)
Increased defence module efficiency
Temporary removed critical hit stats (waiting for an implementation fix and a better effect)
Added damage bonus for strategic weapons (waiting for exotic effects)
Multiplied costs and damage of the missile and beam weapons by 1.5
Global weapon damage balancing
[DIPLOMACY]
Cravers can now close borders when the Militarists have a majority.
The following terms are no longer blocked by the "Eternal War" trait: open/close borders, vision sharing, map sharing, trade agreement, science agreement. Note that most of these are already gated by the peace relation state, so it is redundant to block them directly.
Eternal War no longer prevents empires from sending Dust to reduce pressure (the description of the trait only talks about peace).
Map sharing is no longer possible in Cold War.
[UI]
You can now rename planets that you colonise, except unique ones
Changed enemy plays display on Advanced battle setup screen
Improved diplomacy screen and truce notifications
Added a notification for rebellion
Added a modal panel for the system political event (accessible with a button in the system management)
Scan view economy has been modified (last stage added (system rank))
Changed position of the open political overview system button in the colony side panels
Changed how enemy plays are displayed
[VFX]
Added new skyboxes: Red Dwarf and Binary Solar System,
Shield FX has been improved
Added transition between ground battle notification and ground battle visual
Added special nodes
BlackHole
SolarNebular
SpaceCloud
[AI]
Fleet behaviour tweaks:
More reactive fleet missions
Motherships can now detach to attack
Invader ships wait to have full manpower to leave to attack
Added buyout of system by influence
First Spaceport use (only when system is over populated and unhappy)
Now able to send civilian ships from systems to outposts
A lot of improvements for the general stability of the IA
AI's desire for more systems increases as its planets are depleted (whether they are Cravers or not). AI will raze its worst depleted planets when over its over-colonization threshold
Added ability to propose Open Borders in specific cases
AI now evaluates map exchange in diplomacy
Reinforced buying luxury on the market when a rebellion is under way
Forced root priority of Buying resource on the market to 1 instead of 0.2
AI now declares war before moving (instead of after) if the player closes its borders to the AI
[FIX]
Improved the overall stability and performance
Fixed several serious errors
Prevent the Garrisons button from being displayed uninitialized in some situations.
Fixed Lumeris being able to colonize planets they haven't discovered yet
Fixed game speed multiplier being applied to Emperor's Will state
Fixed Benthys not using second assimilation trait. Improved tooltip for the trait
Image and description of unique planet are now related to the unique planet instead of its type
Fixed Outpost buyout button appearing on colonized systems
Updated Planet tooltip to display origin of effects, instead of grouping everything.
Fixed camera not zooming on fleets when the player does not own a system
Numerous minor fixes!
KNOW ISSUE
When playing as a Vodyani, the Supervisor will generate a crash
[DISCLAIMER] OLD SAVES (UPDATE 1) ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THIS VERSION - REMEMBER TO START A NEW GAME [DISCLAIMER 2] PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF THE GAME ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON THE BETA TAB (Right click on the game in your Steam library > Properties > Beta): YOU CAN NOW CHOOSE TO GO BACK TO A PREVIOUS VERSION
[MAJOR CHANGES]
Added a new major faction, the Horatio!
Implemented a new Technology tree
Added Battle Play Cards
Reworked the game options menu
Added Advanced Culture in addition to Scavengers and Eucosial (Z'vali & Epistis are now advanced)
Added the Gnashast minor faction (Scavengers)
Added the Tikanan minor faction (Eusocials)
Added the Eyder, a Scavenger minor faction created by the community
Dictatorship can now use propaganda in star system to influence political orientation
Added population collection bonus when hitting certain thresholds
Updated the planet grid along the lines of temperature & biodiversity (previously temperature and humidity), along with terraforming process & FIDSI distribution
Implemented Supervisor (auto management of construction queue and population)
Quests:
Implemented the Horatio Chapter 1 and 2
Implemented the Sophons Chapter 3 and 4 (no Final Reward)
Implemented the Cravers Chapter 3 and 4 (no Final Reward)
Implemented the Lumeris Chapter 3 and 4 (no Final Reward)
Implemented the Vodyani Chapter 3 and 4 (no Final Reward)
Implemented the United Empire Chapter 3 and 4 (no Final Reward)
Achieving Minor Faction Quests with the Vodyani now doesn’t raze the Minor System but Brainwashes its population
Implemented 8 Deeds
Implemented 4 Wonders
[BATTLE]
Deck building
Added 16 battle play cards in the game
5 cards by default for a deck of 3
Added technologies to increase deck size and unlock cards
Cards have more complex effects, useful or not depending on the situation
Added deck panel in the military screen sidebar
Free deck changes every ten turns, otherwise it will cost influence
Before battle
Added automated defensive fleet merging before battle
Added window to select which Empire to attack on a system
Advanced battle screen
Changed the layout to highlight the play card choice
It is no longer possible to simulate your opponent’s plays
Added the 3 last plays used against you by the opponent
Added drag and drop to move the ships between your flotillas
Reduced minimum CP to unlock more flotillas
Added 3 sorting presets to sort the ships
Added locking state on ships to force them in a flotilla
Saved the fleet configurations from battle to battle
Added new Ship icons to show the roles
Added 3 stats buttons to compare the 2 fleets:
Military power (as currently)
Energy / Projectile power (takes into account the weapon and defence)
Range compatibility
During battle
Firing ranges are now fixed by phase
There are 3 phases with the same duration
Ranges between peered flotillas are set based on the intentions (e.g. Short vs Long => Long, Medium, Short ; Short vs Short => Short, Short, Short)
Peered flotilla is the priority target, other flotillas can be targeted based on distance
Improved Scan view
Improved ship labels: the left-side gauge shows damage taken (with misses, shield damage reduction and hull plating), the right-side gauge shows damage inflicted (same details), shield gage is now around the HP gage
Added flotilla label when the camera is far away
Added trajectories and targeting on the galaxy floor (thickness of the line shows the DPS)
Added damage taken numbers above the ships
Added Flotillas HUD:
Shows a list of ships per flotilla (with HP state and destruction feedback)
Shows the morale feedback (fleet gains bonus if there are more alive flotillas compared to the opponent)
Improved free cam:
Use shift to accelerate the camera move
Left click to lock the camera on a ship then use arrows or left click to rotate and mouse wheel to zoom
Data
Reduced range penalties (especially lasers and slugs)
Reduced the energy / projectile “hard counter” effect (e.g. shields also slightly stop projectile weapons and never completely stop energy weapons)
Increased defence module efficiency
Temporary removed critical hit stats (waiting for an implementation fix and a better effect)
Added damage bonus for strategic weapons (waiting for exotic effects)
Multiplied costs and damage of the missile and beam weapons by 1.5
Global weapon damage balancing
[DIPLOMACY]
Cravers can now close borders when the Militarists have a majority.
The following terms are no longer blocked by the "Eternal War" trait: open/close borders, vision sharing, map sharing, trade agreement, science agreement. Note that most of these are already gated by the peace relation state, so it is redundant to block them directly.
Eternal War no longer prevents empires from sending Dust to reduce pressure (the description of the trait only talks about peace).
Map sharing is no longer possible in Cold War.
[UI]
You can now rename planets that you colonise, except unique ones
Changed enemy plays display on Advanced battle setup screen
Improved diplomacy screen and truce notifications
Added a notification for rebellion
Added a modal panel for the system political event (accessible with a button in the system management)
Scan view economy has been modified (last stage added (system rank))
Changed position of the open political overview system button in the colony side panels
Changed how enemy plays are displayed
[VFX]
Added new skyboxes: Red Dwarf and Binary Solar System,
Shield FX has been improved
Added transition between ground battle notification and ground battle visual
Added special nodes
BlackHole
SolarNebular
SpaceCloud
[AI]
Fleet behaviour tweaks:
More reactive fleet missions
Motherships can now detach to attack
Invader ships wait to have full manpower to leave to attack
Added buyout of system by influence
First Spaceport use (only when system is over populated and unhappy)
Now able to send civilian ships from systems to outposts
A lot of improvements for the general stability of the IA
AI's desire for more systems increases as its planets are depleted (whether they are Cravers or not). AI will raze its worst depleted planets when over its over-colonization threshold
Added ability to propose Open Borders in specific cases
AI now evaluates map exchange in diplomacy
Reinforced buying luxury on the market when a rebellion is under way
Forced root priority of Buying resource on the market to 1 instead of 0.2
AI now declares war before moving (instead of after) if the player closes its borders to the AI
[FIX]
Improved the overall stability and performance
Fixed several serious errors
Prevent the Garrisons button from being displayed uninitialized in some situations.
Fixed Lumeris being able to colonize planets they haven't discovered yet
Fixed game speed multiplier being applied to Emperor's Will state
Fixed Benthys not using second assimilation trait. Improved tooltip for the trait
Image and description of unique planet are now related to the unique planet instead of its type
Fixed Outpost buyout button appearing on colonized systems
Updated Planet tooltip to display origin of effects, instead of grouping everything.
Fixed camera not zooming on fleets when the player does not own a system
Numerous minor fixes!
KNOW ISSUE
When playing as a Vodyani, the Supervisor will generate a crash