Hello, a brief question for the community and the devs, I am a huge fan of all the games they have created. :)

Will Endless Space 2 allow us to equip our space ships with large "main guns"? Something like the wave motion beam cannon from Space Battleship Yamato? 

I just think that something like main guns whether it's enormous beam cannons like Space Battleship Yamato or a huge rail gun like in Mass Effect (or other examples you come up with) would lend itself PERFECTLY to the cinematic nature of the space battles in this game.

Please please tell me this will be a feature in the game haha, if it currently is not planned, is there any chance we may see it in the future? :)

This may seem like it could be unbalanced or too powerful, but I'm sure talented devs like you could make it work, like making it be a weapon that has to be used sparingly or only on large ships, or as a special hero action, etc etc.

As always, thank you very much for all the hard work you put into this game, and all your games. I really appreciate it and can't wait to pick this up day one! :)

Special weapons its something that i suggested back in the days of ES1 as a feature for the Harmony DLC. It wasnt part of it to my disappointment buts something that i definitely want to see in the game especially if there are also special faction weapons.

   That's definite;y an interesting idea, and it lends itself to the cinematic nature of ES battles. As you mentioned, though, it could get unbalanced very fast so it would need some heavy restrictions on its effectiveness (Probably not its damage output, more likely how many uses each instance of the weapon/each ship that has the weapon can use, and definitely how much space it takes up along with resources, etc.).

Based on how the ship models are currently designed I doubt we'll be seeing any. However what if each race got a couple of dedicated artillery ships design specifically for such weapons?

BlackBird1696 wrote:

Based on how the ship models are currently designed I doubt we'll be seeing any. However what if each race got a couple of dedicated artillery ships design specifically for such weapons?

Sure, that could be really cool too, it'd probably be less dramatic and cool than the flagship having the ability, but it'd be something :P

AngelCorLux wrote:

BlackBird1696 wrote:

Based on how the ship models are currently designed I doubt we'll be seeing any. However what if each race got a couple of dedicated artillery ships design specifically for such weapons?

Sure, that could be really cool too, it'd probably be less dramatic and cool than the flagship having the ability, but it'd be something :P

Well you have to remember that main guns that run the length of a ship have to be aimed by pointing the entire ship at a target. This would be difficult to do while having to follow maneuvering orders.

While I would love to see spinal mounts, I doubt it will happen. However, even if all weapons have to be turreted, we could still hope for some main guns. Not quite as massive as a spinal mount, perhaps, but a proper "naval" gun on our ships. Something as seen in the Lumeris artwork (Bottom left in the second picture):

I think that would already be a big step in the right direction.

I suggested something similar a while back, where it wouldn't necessarily need to be confined to dedicated artillery ships, but rather to ships with multiple weapon ports lined up. Then, a "main" gun could take the place of say, three or four turret mounts. This means the weapon can only be placed on larger ships with JUST the right weapon slot placement and gives another strategic decision for players to make about their ships i.e. Do I want four different turrets on each side or one large railgun, laser cannon, etc, on each side?

This is a great idea!

A spinal linear cannon (ala Mass Effect dreadnoughts), nuclear guns (ala Starcraft Terran Battle Cruiser's Yamato Cannon), or even a utility-type temporary fleet shield (ala Vandread's Paxis). 

Just the first things that come to mind, but I think equipping one or two primary fleets with such weapons can add a huge layer of tactical and strategic value to the game. 

E.g., if an enemy knows that your primary fleet has a weapon, you can scare them into yielding a system instead of risking the loss of good ships. Alternatively, you can use such weapons to defend key points against larger numbers.

:D

To add, such weapons need not be limited to direct defense or offense. 

A ship that prohibits warp travel away from a certain system for example is of great tactical use to force battles,  or I dunno something that nullifies other big-gun weapons with a proc % chance every shot is also good.

OR even something that automatically brings your fleet to close-range combat distance (so you could focus on close range weaponry for that fleet and nullify enemy advantages at greater ranges).

vxbl4ck0utxv wrote:

   That's definite;y an interesting idea, and it lends itself to the cinematic nature of ES battles. As you mentioned, though, it could get unbalanced very fast so it would need some heavy restrictions on its effectiveness (Probably not its damage output, more likely how many uses each instance of the weapon/each ship that has the weapon can use, and definitely how much space it takes up along with resources, etc.).

Unbalanced... why? Whe have titans in EL! This superweapon mod or unique ships are the equivalent!

Undesconocido wrote:

vxbl4ck0utxv wrote:

   That's definite;y an interesting idea, and it lends itself to the cinematic nature of ES battles. As you mentioned, though, it could get unbalanced very fast so it would need some heavy restrictions on its effectiveness (Probably not its damage output, more likely how many uses each instance of the weapon/each ship that has the weapon can use, and definitely how much space it takes up along with resources, etc.).

Unbalanced... why? Whe have titans in EL! This superweapon mod or unique ships are the equivalent!

Not to mention their "imbalance" in a single region or battle, can contribute to strategic balance once the whole map is taken into account.