Well, we do like to time announcements with real-life happenings, so it's entirely possible we announce stuff the next time something happens in real-life for us? Who knows.

Frogsquadron wrote:

I haven't mentioned any dates, you guys are just speculating.

HE'S DENYING IT, IT MUST BE TRUE.

But, but, but, you said update 7.53 was yesterday ! This is a conspiracy !

I haven't mentioned any dates, you guys are just speculating.

God damn it, I'm in Barcelona during that time! This is completely unacceptable, Amplitude.

I hope someone makes an SOTS style random tech lines mod.  It would be a great time to alternate between games and keep that surprise going for each play through.

I read that thread on my phone at work when those patch notes dropped, it did not load the image. Thanks!

pax368 wrote:

mixerria wrote:

Eji1700 wrote:

Yeah with the new tech...uh...pie chart....revealed I didn't realize they were going back to something more akin to ES1 (although I hope they keep something like era's, i think they're good for pacing ) so i'm guessing most of this feedback is of little value right now.

If you look at the image you can see some kind of circles named with "Stage" and a number. I guess that's where they're doing eras. 

[snip]

Where did this screenshot come from? I check the forums regularly, check the DevBlog and the Wiki, is there some other source of ES2 info that I am missing?

Here you go: https://www.games2gether.com/endless-space-2/blog/489-progress-update-patch-live

mixerria wrote:

Eji1700 wrote:

Yeah with the new tech...uh...pie chart....revealed I didn't realize they were going back to something more akin to ES1 (although I hope they keep something like era's, i think they're good for pacing ) so i'm guessing most of this feedback is of little value right now.

If you look at the image you can see some kind of circles named with "Stage" and a number. I guess that's where they're doing eras. 

Where did this screenshot come from? I check the forums regularly, check the DevBlog and the Wiki, is there some other source of ES2 info that I am missing?

Such a shame... I'd consider coming to Paris (dismissing the language barrier), though unfortunately, I'm not even home in Germany, but in Austria on vacation. xD

SirBagel wrote:

Right, so probably around January 21st to 25th then! (Endless Day to all the philistines out there)

Same suspicion here. I was just writing this post when see you advanced.

Not sure about a specific day, but I think is very reasonable to assume that we'll get the update or at least a definite day around Endless Day celebration

Right, so probably around January 21st to 25th then! (Endless Day to all the philistines out there)

Somewhat like the weapons changes I feel this patch was a step back for colony tech.  I know the tech tree isn't done, but I really dislike just having 2 planet techs per Era with 2 more planets accessed per tech.

In the pre patch system with only one planet per tech you also would up getting some other bonus, usually one of the passives (which are also now grouped, more on that in a moment).  

I found this made your Era 1 gameplay especially quite varied since you didn't always see every single era 1 planet type, so you would only grab the ones you needed, and thus get different passive bonsues each run (expedition power, free move, etc).  You'd probably get them all eventually, but you wouldn't get them every single game.  You did generally grab at least one or two science buildings though so those planet types were usually among your options.

This would continue in era's 2 and 3 and made colonization tech interesting because there were two reasons to grab it, either the colony tech or the passive/science tech.

As it stands now, it's very shallow and linear.  If you see a planet you want, go get the tech, oh and you get a bonus planet tech free.  K.  It's very easy and common to leave Era 1 with all planet tech researched, and since there's now a "nothing but passives" tech as well, that's also a must grab (given that if there's any early game aggression you will likely be spending your planet build time on ships, so passive upgrades are really really good, especially the ship move).

Personally speaking i've found the new system makes colonization way too easy at all points, and homogenizes the empires a little (Especially since starting with a colony tech now means you have 50% of era 1 colony tech rather than 25%).  Splitting my tech priorities and which planets I wanted before the AI grabbed them was a real choice, and now it feels too easy to just grab them the moment I want it, and the variety in the early game that having a second tech associated with each planet type brought was a neat  twist on opening moves that seems lost in the new system.

Frogsquadron wrote:

Yup, new tech tree will be making its first appearance in Update 2, or at least, that's our current plan.

Any ideas when that may be coming out?   Your last comment on the time was fairly general, have you guys been able to narrow it down a bit?

I've actually been trying the Vodyani - challenging for me to play!   But their main quest line is broken, as you can't reach the system (missing tech?)

Yup, new tech tree will be making its first appearance in Update 2, or at least, that's our current plan.

I think the next update will contain the update to the tech tree and rework the system.  I'm holding off agreeing either way until they flesh the whole system out a bit more or it gets a bit further along.

Eji1700 wrote:

Yeah with the new tech...uh...pie chart....revealed I didn't realize they were going back to something more akin to ES1 (although I hope they keep something like era's, i think they're good for pacing ) so i'm guessing most of this feedback is of little value right now.

If you look at the image you can see some kind of circles named with "Stage" and a number. I guess that's where they're doing eras. 

Yeah with the new tech...uh...pie chart....revealed I didn't realize they were going back to something more akin to ES1 (although I hope they keep something like era's, i think they're good for pacing ) so i'm guessing most of this feedback is of little value right now.

Eji1700 wrote:

Somewhat like the weapons changes I feel this patch was a step back for colony tech.  I know the tech tree isn't done, but I really dislike just having 2 planet techs per Era with 2 more planets accessed per tech.

I found this made your Era 1 gameplay especially quite varied since you didn't always see every single era 1 planet type, so you would only grab the ones you needed, and thus get different passive bonsues each run (expedition power, free move, etc).  

Personally speaking i've found the new system makes colonization way too easy at all points, and homogenizes the empires a little (Especially since starting with a colony tech now means you have 50% of era 1 colony tech rather than 25%).  Splitting my tech priorities and which planets I wanted before the AI grabbed them was a real choice ... twist on opening moves that seems lost in the new system.

I agree.  While it seemed a little unnatural for some of the passive abilities to be grouped with a colonization tech, it made for much more varied gameplay.  I found myself making hard choices.  

I think that the other key change to tech made the problem of foregoing a colonization tech irrelevant, since it's easier to go back and research the previous era's tech.

I recognize it's due a major overhaul, so perhaps there will be changes to the tech system that restores the sense of diverse opening moves in tech.

Romeo wrote:

Eji1700 wrote:

Asuzu wrote:

I disagree simply because the planet colonizing techs were and will be a "must-have", which is tunneling your research plans always, and makes you pick same teching options over and over again.

And I really think the colonizing techs were taking ways too much out of 10 picks you had per era.

I don't really see this for two reasons:

1. While maybe eventually "must haves" I never felt I wanted all 4 techs before I left era 1, in fact often doing so felt like a total waste of tech.  I only grabbed the planet tech for planets that I found, and if I absolutely had to have some system and didn't have the tech yet it was easy enough to camp it with a fleet (which was a must have).  I very often went to era 2 without all planet techs researched and did fine.  I was much more concerned about getting my first hull tech before I found angry AI next door who either already had it, or god forbid, were the cravers.

2. I don't think "10 and done" is good design for era's.  I routinely find myself going back for one or two techs in the mid game, especially during era 2/3.  I'll almost always 100% skip the "dust buyout" tech because the ability to buy things with dust is near worthless right now in the early game (given how expensive everything is) and the system unique isn't that good for how difficult it is to build (and with early game build time almost always mandatory going towards colony ships and fleets depending on race it's rare that you have time for it).  That said come the mid game its essential for almost every race and totally worth going back for.  Ditto on colony techs once you start expanding your systems because you're hitting the pop cap on planets.

Personally whatever the solution I do hope that i'm not just looking at each era only and that some techs remain worth doubling back for because otherwise why even pretend to have era's?  By making colony tech only 2 techs there's no point not to grab them at every single era, and again even if you get them in different orders it doesn't change your gameplay at all, while even if you must go all 4 techs in the old system, the order you get tehm in, and the order you thus got the passive in, does affect the early game (two science buildings, and 4 different passives if I recall right, which can have a heavy effect on where you go and what you do).

1. Bump the difficulty up. If you're not grabbing the best planets, you will lose. Not a question of if, just when.
2. In general, it's worth picking up those techs ahead of time, rather than having to go back. Every tech you take pushes the cost of successive techs up. So if you're taking more Era I techs, Era II and III just got even slower to research.

Again, there's already not a reason to ignore them. Most of them are coupled with decent unlocks anyways, and the colonization techs affect quest options, conquest options, influence options... You really, really should be grabbing them by default.

I really haven't found 1 true at all.  If anything i'd rather have 3 meh systems than 1 great one simply because I can outproduce my opponent, I certianly haven't found 2 true, ESPECIALLY in era 1 where getting quick ship research is vital, and if neighboring cravers, will usually require following up with weapon tech.

Eji1700 wrote:

Asuzu wrote:

I disagree simply because the planet colonizing techs were and will be a "must-have", which is tunneling your research plans always, and makes you pick same teching options over and over again.

And I really think the colonizing techs were taking ways too much out of 10 picks you had per era.

I don't really see this for two reasons:

1. While maybe eventually "must haves" I never felt I wanted all 4 techs before I left era 1, in fact often doing so felt like a total waste of tech.  I only grabbed the planet tech for planets that I found, and if I absolutely had to have some system and didn't have the tech yet it was easy enough to camp it with a fleet (which was a must have).  I very often went to era 2 without all planet techs researched and did fine.  I was much more concerned about getting my first hull tech before I found angry AI next door who either already had it, or god forbid, were the cravers.

2. I don't think "10 and done" is good design for era's.  I routinely find myself going back for one or two techs in the mid game, especially during era 2/3.  I'll almost always 100% skip the "dust buyout" tech because the ability to buy things with dust is near worthless right now in the early game (given how expensive everything is) and the system unique isn't that good for how difficult it is to build (and with early game build time almost always mandatory going towards colony ships and fleets depending on race it's rare that you have time for it).  That said come the mid game its essential for almost every race and totally worth going back for.  Ditto on colony techs once you start expanding your systems because you're hitting the pop cap on planets.

Personally whatever the solution I do hope that i'm not just looking at each era only and that some techs remain worth doubling back for because otherwise why even pretend to have era's?  By making colony tech only 2 techs there's no point not to grab them at every single era, and again even if you get them in different orders it doesn't change your gameplay at all, while even if you must go all 4 techs in the old system, the order you get tehm in, and the order you thus got the passive in, does affect the early game (two science buildings, and 4 different passives if I recall right, which can have a heavy effect on where you go and what you do).

1. Bump the difficulty up. If you're not grabbing the best planets, you will lose. Not a question of if, just when.
2. In general, it's worth picking up those techs ahead of time, rather than having to go back. Every tech you take pushes the cost of successive techs up. So if you're taking more Era I techs, Era II and III just got even slower to research.

Again, there's already not a reason to ignore them. Most of them are coupled with decent unlocks anyways, and the colonization techs affect quest options, conquest options, influence options... You really, really should be grabbing them by default.

Asuzu wrote:

I disagree simply because the planet colonizing techs were and will be a "must-have", which is tunneling your research plans always, and makes you pick same teching options over and over again.

And I really think the colonizing techs were taking ways too much out of 10 picks you had per era.

I don't really see this for two reasons:

1. While maybe eventually "must haves" I never felt I wanted all 4 techs before I left era 1, in fact often doing so felt like a total waste of tech.  I only grabbed the planet tech for planets that I found, and if I absolutely had to have some system and didn't have the tech yet it was easy enough to camp it with a fleet (which was a must have).  I very often went to era 2 without all planet techs researched and did fine.  I was much more concerned about getting my first hull tech before I found angry AI next door who either already had it, or god forbid, were the cravers.

2. I don't think "10 and done" is good design for era's.  I routinely find myself going back for one or two techs in the mid game, especially during era 2/3.  I'll almost always 100% skip the "dust buyout" tech because the ability to buy things with dust is near worthless right now in the early game (given how expensive everything is) and the system unique isn't that good for how difficult it is to build (and with early game build time almost always mandatory going towards colony ships and fleets depending on race it's rare that you have time for it).  That said come the mid game its essential for almost every race and totally worth going back for.  Ditto on colony techs once you start expanding your systems because you're hitting the pop cap on planets.

Personally whatever the solution I do hope that i'm not just looking at each era only and that some techs remain worth doubling back for because otherwise why even pretend to have era's?  By making colony tech only 2 techs there's no point not to grab them at every single era, and again even if you get them in different orders it doesn't change your gameplay at all, while even if you must go all 4 techs in the old system, the order you get tehm in, and the order you thus got the passive in, does affect the early game (two science buildings, and 4 different passives if I recall right, which can have a heavy effect on where you go and what you do).

anyway it's a filler system for now, all planets and colonization systems will be reworked soon i believe.

I disagree simply because the planet colonizing techs were and will be a "must-have", which is tunneling your research plans always, and makes you pick same teching options over and over again.

And I really think the colonizing techs were taking ways too much out of 10 picks you had per era.