The Haroshem are very cool. It ist very Sadly that 2meter high adorable Cat like aliens with 6 cm tusks not possible because EA got the copyrights of the Kilrati.

Cat-people are a bit overplayed, though, don't you think? I'm a bit tired of the old "animals as alien races" trope, and I think I'm far from the only one!

Frogsquadron wrote:
Cat-people are a bit overplayed, though, don't you think? I'm a bit tired of the old "animals as alien races" trope, and I think I'm far from the only one!

What about the Hissho? They're kinda Samurai Space Birds.

They're avian in origin, but I believe there's a bit of a discrepancy between "take an animal and chuck it into a space suit" and this:

Frogsquadron wrote:
Cat-people are a bit overplayed, though, don't you think? I'm a bit tired of the old "animals as alien races" trope, and I think I'm far from the only one!

+1 to this - the races in Endless Space are some of the most interesting in terms of design and lore in space 4x games atm (at least in my opinion). They manage to feel alien enough while still being relatable, and I am left feeling I want to learn more about them - about their histories, cultures and the way they see the world. There is still room for improvement (there always is) - but Endless Space does beat out Master of Orion (has a few too many 'animals in space suits' - though I am very fond of the Silicoids) and Galctic Civilizations (a few too many 'Star Trek'-like humanoid races) in terms of race design.



With regards to the Hissho specifically - the biggest weakness in their design is probably that the 'Samurai/Japanese' part of their aesthetic is a little bit too obvious - if the visual cues were made to be a little more subtle people may be less quick to dismiss them as just being a simple 'Space Japan' analogue. Small things like changing the shape of the blades (so they aren't so katana-like) or changing the shape of the armour slightly (i.e. changing the shoulderpads so they look less like sode) might be enough to achieve that. I'd also suggest reducing the amount of straight lines and square/rectangular shapes in their architecture (a common element in Japanese buildings) - having circular buildings, for example, might evoke the image of a bird's nest, tying in to the Hissho's avian heritage while avoiding the visual cues that link it to a familiar Earth culture.



I hope that this doesn't come off as being too critical though - I do actually think the Hissho are pretty well designed overall. The Mesoamerican design elements have just the right level of subtlety, and I like how the use of armour conceals and breaks up their appearance enough so they aren't too obviously bird-like (unlike the Alkari from MoO). I'm really excited to see how the designs of all the ES1 races evolve. Right now my biggest concern is that not all of them may make the leap into ES2 (even with expansions/DLC) - which would be a real shame as I feel that all of them bring something unique to the setting.



P.S. Also: Sowers and Amoeba 4 Life!