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Frogsquadron

Frogsquadron

7 years ago Jan 24,2018, 14:46:57 PM

Star-crossed lovers

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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 new installment in our series, set on a very special planet, a Vaulters Sentinel makes a choice.





Slowhands, lead writer on the project, wanted to share these thoughts:


Another comic, another narrative challenge... 

 

The Vaulters are a particularly demanding case, given that there is more lore out there (because of ES1, Dungeon, and Endless Legend) than there is for any other ES2 faction. More information extant means that there is less flexibility to invent things, and that there are players who will know if we get things wrong! 

They are also difficult as their story in ES2 is a direct continuation of the EL storyline, which is another constraint. And finally, to make things really complicated, their iconic hero, Opbot, was already in the game--with a biography selected by the community. 

 

The Vaulters have long been a community favorite, so their tale had to make sense to those who already knew them well, but without confusing newcomers. 

So what story should we tell?

There were a number of ideas: surviving the crash-landing of the Argosy (which for obvious reasons would have put us in a whole lot of trouble!); the struggle of those left behind to find their ancient vaults; a hunting rite of passage for a youth translated into space; Opbot's history and disappearance...

 

Spacetroll (Creative Director -ED) really liked the emphasis on the families torn apart by the departure, underlining the desperate gamble that both parts of the Vaulter society were taking. One is flying into the void in an inexpertly rebuilt ship held together by welding and hope; the other is fighting the Necrophages in the hopes of holding them off long enough to find their old underground cities. To fit that in 8 pages, however, we decided to simplify and focus on a single family--the leaders. That's how we came up with this comic.







We hope you enjoy this story! If you have any questions or comments, you can shoot them in this thread at Arkel, who leads the project. And if you want to learn more about our comics, you can rewatch our comics livestream on Youtube!

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7 years ago
Jan 25, 2018, 8:06:42 AM

Really enjoy these comics - have you guys considered posting them through the Steam news for ES2 as well? They're too easy to miss for casual players!

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7 years ago
Jan 27, 2018, 2:57:27 PM

Constructive Criticism:

Since we're in the future, I think that relationship between two people are outdated and my personal opinion is that they're outdated even today. I think, I would like to read a comic in which 3-4 or more people have a love relationship together.

I'd also love to see interracial relationships, here it's only two human vaulters, but what about the lumeris? Shouldn't humans also be able to love lumeris, especially since they're females have such a unique physique. 

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7 years ago
Jan 25, 2018, 8:14:36 PM

I'm probably the only one but...


Pff -_- i'm so disapointed... they're leaving their "home", hard enough i think, a happy ending once ?  I cant believe it ends like that ! By their Claws... I don't know, its a hidden joke around matriarchy or something ?


I was fearing that kind of tragic ending. Damn frozen planet and game of throne... I also was expecting a smarter young second of the bloodline : "i'm sick"  SERIOUSLY ?!? Are you really able to yield +1 science on this damn snow or did it just freeze your brain ? Why i spent tons of dust and industry on science building ?... And please, 'phages... Ok, I like playing pacific factions (AI is so annoyingly agressive, in almost every game...) BUT i always exterminate cravers or phages or any other weird creatures which can't speak but hold a weapon ! It's in the game rules, in the description ! Very clearly : KILL THEM BEFORE THEY KILL YOU ! Why are they still alive ? Aren't you the smart guys ? Pff ! That Zolya is weak, i'm absolutely not surprised her pregnant daughter stupidly died before the launch and i'm sure she lose all her wars against that arrogant tree king and his hords of twi'leks.


ES3 comic : Discover how the cravers ended the Vaulter's journey among the stars. 


Our next game with Horatio, We will not even beautify them... We will let them in their insignificance. They will remain in a Zoo on Auriga !

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7 years ago
Jan 25, 2018, 11:50:23 AM
C0ldSn4p wrote:
JorgasElite wrote:

Speaking of Necrophages, could it be possible that there are still eggs somewhere? And could a Broken Lord still be alive, using the plentiful dust of Auriga?

At least one Broken Lord made it to space in ES1. So even if it's retconned I wouldn't assume we'll never hear from them again. It would be especially interesting to see how they interact with the Harmony if both would return.

Broken Lords might survive a harsh winter. There is a special Broken Lords hero who can be revived by the use of Dust. Maybe a Broken Lord in heavy winter just shuts down and needs a reboot. But that is a theory. 

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7 years ago
Jan 25, 2018, 10:27:37 AM
JorgasElite wrote:

Speaking of Necrophages, could it be possible that there are still eggs somewhere? And could a Broken Lord still be alive, using the plentiful dust of Auriga?

At least one Broken Lord made it to space in ES1. So even if it's retconned I wouldn't assume we'll never hear from them again. It would be especially interesting to see how they interact with the Harmony if both would return.

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7 years ago
Jan 25, 2018, 9:22:40 AM
Frogsquadron wrote:
Ridiculi wrote:
Pluvinarch wrote:


Page 2

Dara, the merchant, seems different. His hair and his dresses feels like he is a Roving Clan merchant settled with the Vaulters. But that is just another wild guess.

But there are some obvious elements from Endless Legend here: legendary weapons at the entrance and a Dorgeshi mask. And a Vinesnake on a tube.

I assumed he was a Delver without his mask

He is a Roving Clans merchant.



watzisname wrote:

Is there any way that the concept artwork and lore related artwork could be put into a little showroom like in Dungeon of The Endless? That would be a really cool addition for when the major content gets wrapped up (quite a bit from now I know), just a thought as I liked seeing that in the game before.

Interesting suggestion, how about you make an idea out of it, see if you can get traction for it?

It could be a cross / readaptation of that idea. Maybe getting in contact with the person that wrote it could be a good way to flesh out their idea?

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7 years ago
Jan 25, 2018, 9:01:31 AM
Ridiculi wrote:
Pluvinarch wrote:


Page 2

Dara, the merchant, seems different. His hair and his dresses feels like he is a Roving Clan merchant settled with the Vaulters. But that is just another wild guess.

But there are some obvious elements from Endless Legend here: legendary weapons at the entrance and a Dorgeshi mask. And a Vinesnake on a tube.

I assumed he was a Delver without his mask

He is a Roving Clans merchant.



watzisname wrote:

Is there any way that the concept artwork and lore related artwork could be put into a little showroom like in Dungeon of The Endless? That would be a really cool addition for when the major content gets wrapped up (quite a bit from now I know), just a thought as I liked seeing that in the game before.

Interesting suggestion, how about you make an idea out of it, see if you can get traction for it?

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7 years ago
Jan 25, 2018, 5:09:38 AM

Very nice comic, it's wonderful to see the Vaulters represented at the end of the tech tree of Endless Legend. It's pretty heartbreaking to not only see them leave behind their people, but to also have them be left fighting hordes of starved Necrophages. 


Speaking of Necrophages, could it be possible that there are still eggs somewhere? And could a Broken Lord still be alive, using the plentiful dust of Auriga?

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7 years ago
Jan 25, 2018, 5:07:35 AM

Is there any way that the concept artwork and lore related artwork could be put into a little showroom like in Dungeon of The Endless? That would be a really cool addition for when the major content gets wrapped up (quite a bit from now I know), just a thought as I liked seeing that in the game before.

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7 years ago
Jan 24, 2018, 11:37:54 PM
Pluvinarch wrote:


Page 2

Dara, the merchant, seems different. His hair and his dresses feels like he is a Roving Clan merchant settled with the Vaulters. But that is just another wild guess.

But there are some obvious elements from Endless Legend here: legendary weapons at the entrance and a Dorgeshi mask. And a Vinesnake on a tube.

I assumed he was a Delver without his mask

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7 years ago
Jan 24, 2018, 11:16:52 PM

This comic does flat out show that the Grey Owl and Argosy endings are both canon for Endless Legend, but the Vaulter Expansion with the Argosy sorta showed that anyway. But it's a nice confirmation. A really good comic overall. 

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7 years ago
Jan 24, 2018, 10:11:02 PM

What a pleasant surprise to see a new comic! And a nice timing, too, right before the DLC! 


You made me happy. 


And then this instant, the comic hit me right in the feels.


Well done guys, well done. :)

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7 years ago
Jan 24, 2018, 6:47:35 PM

Love this comic! It's awesome to see something drawn of how the Vaulter's story ended in EL. I also gotta say I absolutely love the Vaulter's aesthetics, their outfits and such, with a nice blend of viking esque appearance blended with futuristic.

It's great you guys took the road of a continued story, even if it meant some constraints. While it's great to have that freedom, exploring areas and races never seen before, further cementing old things, giving them character and appearance can sometimes be more rewarding, which is what makes Vaulters such a great race, connecting the two games instead of feeling distanced.

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7 years ago
Jan 24, 2018, 6:38:32 PM
Pluvinarch wrote:

Easter Eggs...


[SPOILERS]


Page 1

First of the line is drawn with advanced age. It is interesting to see that a lot of time passes from her youth (from Endless Legend diplomatic art) at the settling of the first Vaulter region to finishing the Grey Owl quest. 

The male Vaulter talking could be Raudd Klapatch, a new hero in ES2, but frankly a lot of male Vaulters might look like red haired vikings, so that's just a possibility.


Page 2

Dara, the merchant, seems different. His hair and his dresses feels like he is a Roving Clan merchant settled with the Vaulters. But that is just another wild guess.

But there are some obvious elements from Endless Legend here: legendary weapons at the entrance and a Dorgeshi mask. And a Vinesnake on a tube.


Page 4

At this point sentinels are totally ready for space travel, they use modern guns that are different from the crossbows of the EL marine units. But melee weapons are still present (just like the ES2 Vaulter loading screen).


Thanks for the little info!


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7 years ago
Jan 24, 2018, 5:49:13 PM

Easter Eggs...


[SPOILERS]


Page 1

First of the line is drawn with advanced age. It is interesting to see that a lot of time passes from her youth (from Endless Legend diplomatic art) at the settling of the first Vaulter region to finishing the Grey Owl quest. 

The male Vaulter talking could be Raudd Klapatch, a new hero in ES2, but frankly a lot of male Vaulters might look like red haired vikings, so that's just a possibility.


Page 2

Dara, the merchant, seems different. His hair and his dresses feels like he is a Roving Clan merchant settled with the Vaulters. But that is just another wild guess.

But there are some obvious elements from Endless Legend here: legendary weapons at the entrance and a Dorgeshi mask. And a Vinesnake on a tube.


Page 4

At this point sentinels are totally ready for space travel, they use modern guns that are different from the crossbows of the EL marine units. But melee weapons are still present (just like the ES2 Vaulter loading screen).



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7 years ago
Jan 24, 2018, 5:12:49 PM

That was heart-wrenchingly beautiful!


I also only now realised there way a Vodyani comic already, somehow I had missed that.

The question now is … will there be further comics set on Auriga from the other Endless Legend factions? =)

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7 years ago
Jan 24, 2018, 4:12:27 PM

This comic is a GODSEND. Thank you so much. I've been doing some writing for an Endless Legend D&D setting and seeing a blonde Vaulter has just made my work so much easier.

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7 years ago
Jan 24, 2018, 3:16:05 PM

Nice.  But look at the constraints as a good thing.  There are many who do not like it when already established lore is retconned no manner the reason.

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