I really love Endless Space and Dungeon of the Endless, and I admire the fact that Amplitude is really delving deeper into this Universe they created. I have no idea, though, how to place the two games on a timeline. The only thing I know is that Dungeon of the Endless predates Endless Legend. Since the Harmony are as old as the Universe, and the Sowers were built by the Endless, I thought that basing ship modules around them would make sense, no matter the timeline! So, here we go, two ship module ideas:



Harmony Pod - 'Notes from sales brochure: Under no circumstances should you crash into a planet filled with dust. Just. Don't.'

Dust gives a malus on FIS income. Emergency Generators are replaced with Harmonizing Platforms. Harmonizing Platforms are immediately available. Floor size decreased slightly.

Unlock requirements: Do not buy anything from a merchant NPC in a winning game.



Harmonizing Platforms initially costs 10 industry and 11/12 dust, with a +5 industry cost for every Harmonizing Platform on the floor. Like Emergency Generators, they power the room they are in. But unlike emergency generators, major modules like food generators can be plopped on top of them. The dust loot bonus when operated on is replaced by a reduction in FIS malus. When a major module has been built on top of it, both modules are operated on by the hero. Also, they are built incredibly slow when there are mobs around or when a door is opened.



Most of all, to compensate the fact that Harmonizing Platforms cost more dust than is usually needed to power a room, the yellow crystal (what's it called?) can be relocated from the starting room to an empty Harmonizing Platform. The mob spawn behavior when the yellow crystal is lifted remains the same, and stops when the yellow crystal is plopped down. The Harmonizing Platform is deactivated for 1 door turn when the crystal is lifted from it.



Comments: I really like the idea of moving the yellow crystal around. I mean, when I first played the game I thought this was a feature. I died on the first floor, with Opbot holding the crystal, Max on defense, and with me desperately clicking at an empty major module slot every which way, hoping that Opbot would just drop the damn thing as mobs piled up around them.



I think this won't be a broken game type. Because of the dust malus, players would be forced to keep on building Harmonizing Platforms, and since they cost more dust than is needed to power a room normally, players would be powering fewer rooms than usual. The upshot is the ability to strategically place the yellow crystal anywhere the player likes. Plus, players would be wary to haphazardly move the crystal around, because they would inevitably need to clean up the mobs that spawn. The slow build time and 1 door turn delay is placed so that players could not farm mobs for dust by lifting the crystal and placing it back on the Harmonizing Platform again.



Sower Pod - 'Notes from the sales brochure: Its got ants. Lots of tiny, nano-scale ants that are after your furniture.

Higher starting resources. Zero intrinsic FIS income. Demolishing major modules refunds 25% of the industry cost to build it. (Increased industry income from industry modules. Decreased food income from food modules.) OR (increased offense/defense/support module health)

Unlock requirements: have in a game (winning or losing) 750 industry.



Comments: With this game type, players would be demolishing all their major modules before they scuffle towards the exit. Because of the nonexistent intrinsic FIS income, it would presumably start out rocky. But with the full inertia of all those saved up industry from the refunds, the strength of this ship module would start showing. The challenge would be to last that long. I don't know what's the correct refund rate, but the main idea is: there should be refund mechanic of some rate.



The two bonus groups in parenthesis are there just to coax the player in building stuff. I like the first one better, because not only does it fit the Sower lore of builders better, it would mean players would rely more on their defense/offense/support emplacements more than defending with a max level hero.



PS: what's the yellow crystal called? And, do the mobs have any special names? If not, we should totally start naming them.