After the politics are revealed i had some thoughts about which race may appear and politics they may follow. From basic info seems the total races at least at start, will be 8 (although still hoping for more, 10 should be ideal).



If we take into account that each race will use 2 politics at start (based on the fact that on the video the Sophons are using 2 political parties and later appears a third) my speculation about the possible races is:

Sophons Scientists - Pacifists

Cravers probably Militarist and Industrialists



We dont know the rest yet but lets fill the gaps with some guesses

Vaulters seems to be a probable race and my guess is Militarists and Scientists



United Empire is not confirmed but i believe will be appear and although the politic that suited them most have been removed (Merchants) i would say Industrialists and Religious. Why Religious? Dont know, maybe something about the intro in ES 1 about a Temple of Wealth with the Emperors as High Priest.



Amoeba is another non confirmed faction that i believe will make a comeback in ES 2. I thing Pacifists and Ecologists is the most logical politics for them.If there is a faction that may start with 3 political parties that most probably will be the Amoeba but i dont know what else may suit them.



Hissho is also a non confirmed faction that probably will be in the game also mostly because of the starship at the intro. Militarists is the most logical politic for them and as a second political ideology i would say Religious. Why? Again because of the intro in ES 1 with all those rituals and fights for honor. Would be nice to have Zealot bird-like crusaders that fight the entire galaxy.



That brings us to 6 races and if we consider 8 races in the start of the game then it will be 2 among Sowers, Pilgrims(hope they are on of those who will return), Horatio and Harmony. Not counting Sheredyn cause i never counted them as a full race but just a rework for UE.



If we give politics to those races i would say Industrialists and Pacifists for Sowers since all they want is to build a Garden of Eden for their masters.



Scientists and Colonists would be nice for Pilgrims but since Colonists is no longer available i would say maybe Ecologists in that spot.



Horatio probably Religious since they think Horatio is something like a ''God'' for them, but i cant make up my mind for the second.



For Harmony maybe Ecologists since they want to ''save'' planets from Dust and as a second maybe Militarists since they are willing to fight to cleanse the galaxy from it.



Personally i hope the starting races would be 10. 8 was at first game, 8 was at EL. Its 2015 soon to be 2016 we want more . Still if only 8 races are the start, i hope there is gonna be at least one new race.



P.S I forgot the Automatons. So for them i would say Ecologists and Pacifists but that traits i picked them both for Amoeba and i doubt there will be 2 races with exactly the same politics but i dont know what else to pick for them.



What do the rest of the people think ?

From the design doc:

At the beginning of the game, each faction starts with one or two political ideologies unlocked, depending on their population.

So some factions will have only one political ideology to start. Maybe half-ish, so like four of them?



It seems likely to me that Hissho would only have the Militarist ideology, and maybe Cravers as well. Vaulters might just have Scientists, depending on how much they want to emphasize the Defense theme and to what extent Militarist = Offense. You're right that Horatio are a little hard to nail down what their ideology is, but I'm guessing they only start with one because doing otherwise would mean that *gasp* some Horatio disagree with other Horatio!

I agree with you about the Sophon, they are probably scientist/pacifist. The Cravers will indeed be militarist, but I doubt that they will have a second base politic, because colonizers fit them well, and since that politic have disappears, I think they are one of the faction who will have only one base politic, since they probable second politic have disappears.



Vaulter seems indeed to be one of the most probable race, and scientist is a probable politic for them, but I don't see why you turn them into militarist, since they are not that aggressive.



I am convince that the UE will return, some artwork are strongly related to them. Like you, I think merchant will have fit them well (they are capitalist) and industrialist also fit well with them, but I don't really get why you put religious. It don't have a strong relation with the lore, or the gameplay. (It is explain in GDD 5 that the religious politic will give strong heroes). I rather see them as militarist.



The Amoeba need to return, they are one of the most emblematic faction, and are important part of the lore. Moreover, it seems that the devs like their gameplay, because EL's drakens have the same (need confirmation; I never actually play EL). I agree with you about them, they would probably be ecologist/pacifist.



Nothing to say about the Hisshos. I think you got is right.



The Sowers are unsure to return, but I would really like to see them again, even if they are quite hard to play. They would probably be industrialist, and the former colonizer politic fit well both they lore and gameplay, but I don’t see them as pacifist at all. Even if they only want to terraform all the planet into tundra like, they will not be especially gentle with the population. If the native don’t bother, they will not use energy to kill them, since it is not a priority. I f a system dare to defend, they will crush their defense, in order to terraform peacefully. So, if I have to choose a second politic for them I will choose religious, because it feet their lore, and because they have the most interesting heroes in ES1



I never play the Pilgrim, I can’t’ help you with those.



I really hope the Horatio will return, since they have a very fun and interesting lore, and an interesting gameplay. According their lore and gameplay, they would definitely be religious (it almost seems that the religious politic was designed only for them). For the second politic, I guess the former merchant things would have them well, since they are attached to dust.



The Harmony will surely be ecologist, and militarist seems to be the most adapted second choice, but I have an idea: if they are basically ecologist/scientist, they will have the same duality that thy have in ES1. (But at least, we can say they will not be religious: a heroes based politic is not relevant for a faction who can’t get heroes.)



Even If I think there is not a single chance that the Automaton appears in the base game, I would really like to see them in ES2since they are my third favorite faction (after Amoeba and Cravers), so I hope they will be added in a DLC (or a free update like in ES1). For me they are related to 3 politic: ecologist according to their lore, industrialist according to their gameplay, and pacifist according to their lore and gameplay. So, since they are isolationist, I will say they have ecologist and industrialist for base politic, and pacifist is the easiest of the other politic to discover.



Since I discover ES recently, I discover Sheredyn as a fully created race, not as a UE skin, like the elder. So, even if I don’t particularly like them, I see them as an independent faction. Since they are an army before everything, they would indeed be militarist. For the second politics, all I see is merchant, since they are the most dust-based faction in ES1.



Finally, I must say I would like to see every single faction of ES1 in ES2 (yes, even the Vaulter) but I know that it would be really difficult, especially since the devs say that they would like to accentuate the asymmetry between the race, so I have a proposition: some faction can be merge, like UE and Sheredyn, or Sophon and Pilgrim, and have a faction trait who depend on the governor. I explain: you’re a Sophon, you have your approbation science bonus. But in the next election, your Sophon ecologist governor is dumped for a pilgrim pacifist governor. You will not only lose your ecologist bonus for a pacifist one, but moreover, your science bonus will disappears but you will be able to move an entire colony from system to system. Do you thinks it’s a good idea?



By the ways, since UE is composed in many independent organization (Dust collective, Sheredyn, other unknown faction), maybe that can be their new trait, to have many different trait who can be switch.

I really hope to see all the ES faction in ES2, modified and adapted as needed, with restyle and new lore details... but ALL the factions... i will like to see more choices appear, not lose some...

I love the ES's factions and their lores... any faction is worth play at least ones, i will like to feel the need of rediscover all the playstyles and discover the new ones!

I'm not even have a chance to play ES but I seriously hope that they bring Drakken to ES2.

In my opinion, winter in EL is not something like Tsunami right? So I think most of the EL races can have a chance to go to space if they really want to.

Something like Roving clan could even try to find the rich in the outer space (or just want to exploring) so they began the seeding to go to space by savage the Vaulter's techs,

"Drakken could be something like some of the citizens are starting to revolt and distrust Drakken's archive so they make a super secret spy agency that protest and defend themselves from the government (the Twelve) and went with the special research like body augmentation to withstand against winter and went to space with spaceships. They willing to lose some of the ancestors' abilities like magick and most of the archives (that they think it's not necessary) for sciences and their survival instincts. This leads to conflicts with the conservatives for some issues like quantity people more than quality, augmentation, weapons and ethic issues but they acknowledge this and keep going. Some years later, they found some of the Vaulters' techs, study their blueprints and made their own spaceship. Some more years later, they test the spaceships and sent to the space with drones. They keep trying and until the final spaceship testing, they can send a spaceship to outer space without exploded like a firework show. Guided by their survival instinct and their will to survive and hope for a salvation, they made their final efforts to send the colonists into the new world. Packs with some knowledge in a digital form and some innovations like foods that they invented into their spaceships. They are ready to go to the outer space. Some Drakkens will see them as the traitors and willingly to remove these undying fortitude colonists from their archives, but they see themselves as the hero. For that one day they will proudly tell their legacies to other people, and find the way to arise their ancestors back for the glory even they have to carry their burden and the hatred from her people." (sorry if this is too long. I really wish to see the dragons go to space. There are not many dragons/wyvern in the space that is not aliens or the unintelligent creatures in the game industry. I see a guy did it but it's not in the game industry and...a little cruel and sex-centric. Really wish to see Drakken goes through ES2 . I would instantly buy the game if there is a good dragon looking race (or Drakken) in ES2 + good AI and wow game mechanics too (I will read ES2 details soon). Anyway if I made the story to be lore unfriendly, I am sorry. I'm trying to make the story for them as I think their are too many plot holes (except Vaulters) whether some of them can really do anything or not because the story just mark everything in Auriga as totally dead. By the way I am really not sure at all if Auriga's winter is instantly destroy everything after the Vaulters goes to space that day.)



And if someone or any developer asks me why I can write Drakken alone. Namkang is the one that makes me buy EL. Not kidding. Also I don't know what to write about the other races at all because I rarely play other races.

I spy, with my little eye, a Wild Walker.

Anyone else see what I'm seeing? Or am I just wrong about that? Right there, on the escalator...

Not a Wild Walker. lol



Much like the humans on this picture, he is part of the "generic placeholder species in ES2".

I would like to see the Vaulters in ES2, since they are my favorite faction in EL. IMO the idea of survivalist technolover space vikings is badass and I quite like their backstory.



I kind of understand why some people are all "meh" about them because it's just another human faction. But to me they are the most relatable empire.



Altough I do not prefer to play as Horatio or the United Empire, I am not opposed to their includement in the game in any way! Diversity is always a big plus!

Yueran wrote:
A Harmony vs. Broken Lords scenario. I really hope Amplitude takes full advantage of these two naturally-opposing factions. I mean, those two are just asking for an existence-long rivalry.

Word. Would love to see this.

Frogsquadron wrote:
Not a Wild Walker. lol



Much like the humans on this picture, he is part of the "generic placeholder species in ES2".

Awww.

Are you SURE about that? That fellow in the background looks an awful lot like a wild-walker to me.

You didn't just add wild walkers to the game and give them a more ES appropriate name, did you?

I mean, cmon, that thing clearly has a skin shaded hood of sorts and extends to the back of its shoulders. Sure it isn't a wild walker just keeping their... ears close to their body?

Dangit, oh well. Generic placeholder it is then.



As an aside, it'd be kindof interesting to see them in ES, lorewise. I mean, just what does a shapeshifitng race in tune with nature and in sync with their home planet do once they become a space travelers? Does each Wild Walker planet develop a wildly different culture as they adapt to the unique climate of the planets?

HappyHead wrote:
Awww.

Are you SURE about that? That fellow in the background looks an awful lot like a wild-walker to me.

You didn't just add wild walkers to the game and give them a more ES appropriate name, did you?

I mean, cmon, that thing clearly has a skin shaded hood of sorts and extends to the back of its shoulders. Sure it isn't a wild walker just keeping their... ears close to their body?

Dangit, oh well. Generic placeholder it is then.



As an aside, it'd be kindof interesting to see them in ES, lorewise. I mean, just what does a shapeshifitng race in tune with nature and in sync with their home planet do once they become a space travelers? Does each Wild Walker planet develop a wildly different culture as they adapt to the unique climate of the planets?

Wild walkers can be generic placeholders too. It makes sense that the artists at Amplitude would have placeholders look similar to stuff they already have, otherwise they'd have to come up with new extra-generic designs or use humans everyhwere.

vini_lessa wrote:
And please, don't insert more animal/flurry/silly races lime Dragon-people or Bear-people, etc. One of the things I appreciate most about Endless Space is how its races feel genuinely scientific, instead of fantasy-based with sci-fi makeshift like most other space 4X games out there. Its the first sci-fi game since Alpha Centauri that made me hooked in its setting and wanting to digest every bit of it. So, please, more amoebas and cloning and virtual viruses and rogue AIs, etc. I love it.

Agreed. Endless Space should be science fiction first and foremost.

The Factoins i would love too see back in ES2 would be 1.The Sowers because i loved their Lore and their Playstyle in ES 2.The Vaulters because they were in the othere both games and I liked the long story from the Vaulters.

3.The Broken Lords with their unique playstyle 4. The Harmony they are very special too and they would interact very interesting with the Broken Lords .

With several dev diaries highlighting how popular Horatio is within the dev team, I think it's highly likely that Horatio will make a come back. Which is great, I miss the arsehole(s).

You miss Horatio's arseholes? Each to their own.

Cant understand the love for Horatios too.



They look all the same.



But in the end there's no accounting for taste.

If Vaulters will appear, they MUST have more unique design of spaceships. Something similar to their cities in EL, a stylistic hybrid of hi-tech and ancient(I know, it sounds strange)

Broken Lords reappearing would be interesting. They're one of my favourite factions as they have very unusual game style and interesting lore.

And I also would like to see(as a new race)something like a grey goo: large buffs to production and VERY expansive; spreading everywhere they can.

I just hope that the United Empire is back, they were my favourite faction by far. Well, I'm pretty sure they will be in ES2, given how they are a core faction, but if they don't, I WILL RIOT.



I love everything about them, the lore, the aesthetics, the focus on industry and trade (it really fits my playstyle). I mean, is there a way for you not to like an industrialist quasi-feudal aristocratic Empire?

I am a sucker for human races and I love how they aim for a more narrative background and red string in the sandbox so I would love the UE and Vaulters to have some neat interactions. Especially with the UE though I hope for the Sheredyn to make a comeback. Maybe though they will just be another Reskin, something I would be okay with, as long as we then get the Mezari for the Vaulters.

This is possibly my favorite thread on the forum. Love seeing you guys read into the flight of birds and everything to make predictions. lol

Frogsquadron wrote:
This is possibly my favorite thread on the forum. Love seeing you guys read into the flight of birds and everything to make predictions. lol

I'm really liking the energy people have and the enthusiasm for their favorite races.



Lets face it though covering the base extremes we need a Pro War, Pro Peace, Pro Dust, Pro Science, Pro Industry, Pro Food? So Cravers, Amoeba, United Empire, Sophons, Sowers and maybe Horatio? At least they seem to fit pretty snugly in those slots; even if some of the old races are not used as major factions they could easily become minor ones if there is no plans to make them big.



Its kind of funny, Ive been so out of sync that I completely missed the Endless Space tease back in August last year. This is also, what, like, my first post in a year I think.