I'd like to promote votes for the Faction Contest while addressing some issues with fairness.

For some reason we can vote early in the contest even before most people have put in their entries.  This is a new feature that wasn't in any other contest before. This has created an unfair slant toward one of the first posts, which has almost 3x the votes and over 3x the views over the second most popular entry.  Newer posts are still coming in and because of the early voting, they don't have a chance at getting recognition.  You can vote as many times as you like, but how will this help when there is already a clear winner from day one?  It is likely that the entry that soaked up the most votes will also win in the finals, just like the previous Quest contest. I challenge the voters to prove that just because you get inequitable attention doesn't mean you are the best idea for a new Quest/Faction in Endless Space 2.  A polling system needs proper balances to ensure everyone gets a fair chance.  Don't let this unjust new voting method ruin the contest.  Don't jump on the bandwagon, give the other entries a chance!

I encourage a vote for a more unique faction.  Remember the Harmony from Endless Space?  How different they were, a race made of crystals, with distinct rules that don't use Dust, aren't effected by approval modifiers, and cant use heroes?  Or how about the Cultists from Endless Legend? How strange they were, with the goal of ending everything, with only one city allowed and the ability to convert pacified villages?  These factions are fan favorites because they broke the mold and put a clever spin on the more traditional factions in the Endless games.

Why not chose a new faction that is even weirder?  A truly alien lifeform?

How likely is it that if we encounter true extraterrestrial life, it will have human traits?  Two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth that speaks language we can perceive.  Bipedal with mannerisms we can relate to?  With desires and needs that we understand?  It is more believable that if we ever witness another life form, it will be so incomprehensible

that we will not be able to understand each other.

Challenge the game developers at Amplitude to incorporate something unique.  There are many strange new ideas in the Faction Contest, lots of other great entries to choose from. Don't just give up your vote to the clear winner without reading through the others.  If you agree with me that this new voting system is extremely flawed, let the devs know you want it changed in the main thread.

But I encourage you... please check my idea at

https://www.games2gether.com/endless-space-2/forum/105-major-faction-creation-contest-game-design/thread/19973-the-weatherkin-sentient-clouds

If you do like my idea, which of course I am promoting, please give me a vote!   There is even a recent post that is pretty much a copy of my idea (probably inintentionally), but if you like them more, give em a vote!  

Vote for something original and unique

Vote for something truly alien that will break the mold

Vote for something new to make ES2 different  

And if you like my idea...

I agree that the way the contest works right now needs improvements. Right now, it has the "youtube issue" of first exposure. I do hope something unique and interesting will win (even if my own faction probably won't qualify for that once I do get around to posting it).

With your high score and all your founder and vip awards, it is sad that as an experienced Endless fan you wouldn't get a fair chance if you post this late.  Only 5 days left before they declare the finalists.

I know the feeling.

Some of the submission in this contest didn't even get a single vote which is a shame because there are some really good ideas out there.

Well, there's always a hope that devs can find a post with low score, think ,,Hm, good idea'' and use it, for example some traits from your faction will become traits of another one.

I think at this point, the fairest course of action would be for the devs to pick their favorite top 3, regardless of votes.

That would go against the entire point of the Games2Gether, though. I do think it may be necessary for them to restart the whole vote, though.

I'm afraid it's too late for that as their hands are tied. Like it or not, a lot of people voted for those entries, even if they didn't browse every page in the contest section.

It's like saying people aren't allowed to vote for certain political parties because they aren't aware of the existence of several others.