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Frogsquadron

Frogsquadron

7 years ago Jun 15,2017, 14:06:58 PM

Tying up loose ends

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Hey everyone,


We often get requests for some more material to dive into the Endless Universe outside of the games. Something to keep immersing oneself into the lives of heroes and villains, as a hero holding a standard or a fly on the wall... So we listened and thought real hard about vignettes that could capture the spirit of each civilization in Endless Space 2. Comics seemed a great material to convey an atmosphere, and we hope you like these. In this second installment in our series, set in the Raian metropolis, a brooding figure crosses the bright city with a dark purpose.


Where does he come from, where does he go?


StoryEngine, lead writer on the project, with some more insight into the story:


For the United Empire comic we really wanted to tell a story that explored the tension at the heart of the culture. On the one hand, the Empire projects an image of a strong, healthy patriotic society led by the iron-ruler, Emperor Zelevas, where any citizen can fulfil their dreams provided they work for the greater good. On the other hand, as the faction trailer hints, this picture is not entirely true, and beneath the shiny surface many citizens lead tough, oppressive lives. By following a lowly cleaner who works at the prestigious Old Mezari Club in the heart of the capital, we get to see both sides--the servant classes on the edges, and the connected wealthy in the limelight. But in this story, there's more to the cleaner than meets the eye, and where his allegiance lies is something he's still struggling to understand ...


Just click it.


We hope you like this second installment, because there's still more to come! If you have any questions or comments, you can shoot them in this thread at Arkel, who leads the project!

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7 years ago
Jun 23, 2017, 5:27:59 AM

Not entirely sure how to feel about this, not because of the story itself. It's an alright tale of a hitman just doing his job, but because of the content. The United Empire is easily my favorite faction in Endless Space 2, but the "grungy, dirty, and poor" aspect of it feels...overplayed? I actually really like the faction questline in the main game because of Zelevas' genuine seeming desire to make sure that the empire is strong and prosperous(the line of "the people know their lives are better now, don't they?" is a good example). If only because the Russian influence feels stronger when you consider "Molotov Remembers" and the Stalin-Kaganovich messages. Where despite the monstrous methods, the actually seem to think they were doing what was best. I like the story, I just don't think it's my personal preference. But congrats to the artist for the artwork, good sense of black and white in both stories so far.


Which brings me to the next issue/personal qualm I have with this. The UE's buildings(and yes, I'm being pedantic, I know) are sorta...generic? At least to me, they don't seem rooted in any single style like the Lumeris one was(though maybe that was because we saw one building rather than a whole city). It's a nitpick, granted. But I can't help but wonder what the United Empire looks like when they want something to look beautiful as well as imposing instead of just...well...imposing.


All around, good stuff.

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7 years ago
Jun 22, 2017, 6:20:17 PM

I love this! Keep it up, please!

I hope there will be Craver comic very soon

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7 years ago
Jun 20, 2017, 10:31:32 PM

I loved it! Just hoped it was longer. Are there any plans for a sequel?

Updated 7 years ago.
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7 years ago
Jun 20, 2017, 6:17:25 PM
oga8867 wrote:

i'm korean... so i cant understand that comics exactlly


i mean, that guy(hansen) is lena's husband?

and he said lena was excuted.


then this comics timeline is after when end of United empire's quest?


Probably other Lena. Not Zelevas.

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7 years ago
Jun 20, 2017, 8:56:01 AM

Hi BenkoLenko,


Thanks for your thoughts. Glad you enjoyed it!


To clear up the events around Hansen's wife and daughter, it's important to understand that, years back, Hansen fought in the civil war that resulted in Zelevas taking full control--and the civilization becoming the United Empire. Mintz was a town occupied by enemy forces, and during this time Hansen's wife, Lena, was executed.


BenkoLenko wrote:

(spoilers)


Great comic. As intended, it delivers a revealing inside view of the Empire's social system - a strange mixture of totalitarianism, aristocracy, and modern consumer capitalism. (As a UE fan, I also like that at least some of the common people, as exemplified by Hansen's co-worker, buy all the propaganda genuinely support Zelevas and his glorious empire.) Hansen is neither an emotionless cog nor a cardboard disgruntled worker, expressing gratitude towards the admiral who tried to compensate him and urging him not to choose execution, but still performing his duty.


I'm puzzled and intrigued though about the aside on Hansen's wife and daughter. What did he mean by having them escape Mintz, whatever that is? Were they dissidents in a prison camp? inhabitants of a planet doomed to the Empire's equivilent of an ordo exterminatus?... Or does the empire simply execute family members of petty officers for the evul lulz?


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7 years ago
Jun 20, 2017, 1:15:16 AM

Spoiler alert!








i'm korean... so i cant understand that comics exactlly


i mean, that guy(hansen) is lena's husband?

and he said lena was excuted.


then this comics timeline is after when end of United empire's quest?


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7 years ago
Jun 17, 2017, 9:14:48 AM

Great adition to the UE Lore. I love it, and the choose of color realy make for the atmosphere of urban city / privileged vs commoners / heavy industry civilisation. I wish I knew what was the final speach of the Admiral though :/ keep up the good work.

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7 years ago
Jun 16, 2017, 5:44:13 PM

Great strip! United Empire is my favorite faction so far, and it captures the feel of them very nicely

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7 years ago
Jun 16, 2017, 10:17:42 AM

Thanks a lot for the feedback, as always. Your support is much appreciated and it is really cool to feel that you like this initiative!


To answer a remark seen above, it is true that the two comics we published for the moment take place in rather classic environments (a theather and a city) but you can be sure it happens to be a coincidence. The objective of the comics is to present you the diversity of the Endless universe through short stories with a strong emphasis on the lore. This is why we want to focus on different aspects, different frameworks, etc. The stories we presented you so far draw heavily from cultural references (noir in The Cleaner, Shakespearean drama in Upstaged), where we felt Dust and formidable technology might steal the spotlight or otherwise be detrimental to the story, but the spaceships, the sci-fi setting and in-game familiar figures will be back very soon. We will also see a lot of direct references to the Endless Universe in the coming comics as well.

Updated 7 years ago.
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7 years ago
Jun 15, 2017, 11:06:19 PM

Pretty cool, liked the look of the security guards. Hope we get to see more UE art because they have a cool aesthetic, the blend between industrial utility and aristocratic opulence. 

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7 years ago
Jun 15, 2017, 9:15:03 PM

Wow, cool there are comics. I haven't known that before. It's going to be a slow day tomorrow at work and I'm really looking forward in reading these!


This community offers quite a lot of things on different levels. I highly appreciate that. Perhaps I'll see the United Empire different after reading that comic. I've rarely ever played Lumeris and am looking forward to their comic, too. It's great to see that the factions aren't just hollow pictures in just another 4x game. I mean, there are quite some well made games which lacked depth and I wished they had some lore. So, I'm happy to see these comics here for ES2. This in combination with the game quests is quite something for a 4x game. 


Keep up the good work. It's outstanding and my newly found love for this game is still growing by each day. 


With my history of playing thousands of games in over 30 years of gaming overall, it's quite an achievement to get me hooked again. Just wanted to let you guys know. 


kind regards


Kray

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7 years ago
Jun 15, 2017, 7:30:05 PM

(spoilers)


Great comic. As intended, it delivers a revealing inside view of the Empire's social system - a strange mixture of totalitarianism, aristocracy, and modern consumer capitalism. (As a UE fan, I also like that at least some of the common people, as exemplified by Hansen's co-worker, buy all the propaganda genuinely support Zelevas and his glorious empire.) Hansen is neither an emotionless cog nor a cardboard disgruntled worker, expressing gratitude towards the admiral who tried to compensate him and urging him not to choose execution, but still performing his duty.


I'm puzzled and intrigued though about the aside on Hansen's wife and daughter. What did he mean by having them escape Mintz, whatever that is? Were they dissidents in a prison camp? inhabitants of a planet doomed to the Empire's equivilent of an ordo exterminatus?... Or does the empire simply execute family members of petty officers for the evul lulz?

Updated 7 years ago.
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7 years ago
Jun 15, 2017, 2:46:26 PM

I enjoyed this installment of the United Empire comic. I believe it captured the essence of the faction, which is a sort of cold-hearted selfish efficacy. Like their prized propaganda, a cold lie that efficiently brainwashes the public into believing they work for some sort of greater good. The main character in this strip chose efficient action over romantic idealism by executing his response before his target ever began to explain.

One thing that I hope to see in the future, is more use of technology. In this comic they are still using weaponry with shell casings and doors with locks and keys? At least explain why. Also, I would love to see the use of Dust, a technology so  advanced it seems to give those who can use it magic powers. You could say that its possibilities are “endless.” Sorry, I couldn’t avoid the pun…


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