First I'd like to say I'm really excited for another 4x game (loved Endless Space) from you guys and will definitely pick founder edition when my paycheck comes in ^^ (Hopefully only few days of waiting). For now I am satisfying my newly found addiction by watching every possible gameplay video on youtube and I'd love to share my thoughts so far.



Biggest problem so far seems like choice in EL is not really about choosing one thing over another but only the order in which player can get them. I will give some examples:



1. City location and city itself - it is certainly important but only at first as with time you can get all you need with expanding. It is expensive early but eventually you can get everything you need in city "border" so location looses importance. What if the tile you settle on actually mattered? Settling on plains could give +20% to food production for the entire city but reduce production by 20% as well. Settling on arctic tile could give -30% for food but +30% on science and desert could be -20% to food -10% to production but +25% to gold. (which would also additionally increase amount of choices by making producing food boosters interesting strategy). Alternatively if you don't want negative mods then make it small boosts like desert +5% to dust or forest +5% to production. Or even better base it not on starting tile but on percentage of tiles so if the majority or tiles is forest it is forest city and it gets bonus to production - this would make placement of borough streets even more vital.



2. Anomalies - they are bland. All they do is they give +X to tile yeld. Here variety is a key IMO and don't limit it to boring numbers. For example add one that stops healing in X tile range or halves movement. Add ones that give unique bonuses if they are in city range like every produced unit gets a trait (more health, extra damage against flying units, life leech ect.) Also allow some anomalies to give special building in cities on top of usual bonus like after building it every forest gets +0.5 research (maybe something to do with fireflies).



3. Location on maps - I like what I saw so far but why not add more options? Instead of mining a titanium you could use it in your production process making stronger tools. You wouldn't get +1 global resource but nearby city would get +5% production. What if you didn't want to bother with collecting luxury resource but would allow locals to use it for themselves so they not only be happier but local trade would get a boost.



4. Minor factions - Love the concept so why not build on that? Maybe those nasty snakes from nearby town killed your precious settler and you can't stand idea they could live another second? After you raze their town instead of assimilating them you declare them your sworn enemy. You get good bonus for forgoing the new unit and additional smaller bonus for every village razed in your territory. Or instead of huge bonus some of your units would swear vengeance on your new enemy and specialize in hunting them so that way you would also get alternative unit. Because adding 16 new unit models to the game could be a lot of work maybe reuse some other minor factions? For example declaring arachinds would gave you favor of rogue snakes (and those would has less health but more critical ect.).



5. Technologies & Buildings - Some technologies are must to research for example building adding +30% to production is too valuable to skip it so maybe it would work to add some flavor to few buildings allowing alternative versions. For example you could build regular mill and get +30 production but you could decide to go for industrial one that would give additional 5% but pollution would spill on fields and city would suffer -5% food. Or if you would want to stay away from negative modifiers community mill that would give only 20% production bonus but would make people happy and maybe increase +5% dust. Another option would be a borough streets that gave less bonus per level but require one less street for upgrade.



6. Technological eras - they are good idea but I feel that seem ok. As far as I was able to find out nothing really happened after you advanced to new one and they seem like milestones. So allow player to choose form 2-3 options for example people rejoice and build monuments in every city giving inspiring hard work and giving +2 of every resource in every city or they honour you with gifts and you gain 2-3 food supplies or maybe you decide to use this breakthrough to motivate your scientists and get +20% research for 10 turns.



This is what came to my mind after spending 10+ hours watching other people playing so it may not be accurate and it is just some solutions to what I considered maybe not a problem but a concern because as I said I think there is a little true choice in the game as of now and it mostly boils down to choosing when not if. One of the best ways to show our choices really matter is adding some mutually exclusive options. Of course not everything should be picking X and discarding Y so for example in point 5 not every building would have alternative versions but maybe 4-5 key ones. I clearly have no idea which options would be plausible at this point of game development and what would actually align with the developers' vision for Endless legend so to sum up I think this game would benefit from those general improvements:



1. City specialization and increased importance of city placement

2. Interesting anomalies not just plain modification for FIDS of terrain type.

3. Option to instead of mining resource for global bonus give option to use it locally.

4. Less generic assimilation options. There should be difference between forcefully and amiably "convincing" faction to join you

5. Some mutually exclusive choices to increase feeling of "making the difference"

6. Advancing to new era should come with bang, not oh well now I can research new stuff.

7. More choice is better



Soo, sorry about this wall of text ^^"

Some good ideas. i think my preferred are 1, 2 and 6. These three would have a huge positive impact i feel. I would like to see things go this way.

Definately like 2 and 3



Anomalies need something - a unique building for each would be an interesting idea.

Strategic resources also need something, especially when early ones become obsolete. An alternative extractor (for fids or passive military bonus?) would be cool.

I love the 6. And as others 2 and 3 would be nice additions.