Hi,

To clarify before starting this post:

It will be long.

It doesn't wants to be offensive and saying everything is a disaster, indeed I think ES2 has lot of potential and can become an AAA, but at this moment of EA it has a lot of work to do.

It will be centered on the problem of having to research everything and having to build every improvement on every system, and at same time using new features introduce in this game. I know there are around lots of other, and I'm sure better solution, so if you have don't hesitate and post it here.

Won't speak of combat, there's a good and non-offensive thread here.

I'll have to deal a bit with tech tree, but I won't go further, because there a various threads and some good ideas like this one.

Won't speak of resources too, as there are good discussion around, and don't want to merge it there, although it may collaterally influence some things I'll speak of. 

Let's start.

The actual situation.

Actually this game had the feeling of forcing you to research almost, or everything in each era and forcing you to build every improvement in every system. Lots had been written about it, so I wont explain. If you have time and patience enough, you can read this post, although I don't share its tone, I think most of it's contents are right, and share most of XDAvenger93 concerns.

This situation is not new, and had been for long a malus of lots of 4X games. If you want to keep on other players trail, you need enough science and industry, or otherwise you'll lose. In case of Civ series games (I think they're an example know by most 4X players, for this I use as an example), it forces you to research everything, but you can still miss buildings in some cities, due to its citizen management, and playing with terrain (to be honest in EL the terrain is also very important, and gives you a point there), but in ES you can't play with terrain.

Why I think this is happening?

I think this is happening because the actual 4X creates a circle, that for one or another reason, is specially marked in ES2 actual stage. this circle works as follow:

1. If you want to win, you need industry. It has been stated in lots of youtube 4X ans other strategy games: Industry is what wins wars. You need industry even to win with other victory conditions, said to build a wonder, or you quest final spaceship and left Auriga.
2. Industry came from buildings, terrain, pop, and other sources. but in ES2 the only way to get interesting % increases is buildings, as actually you don't have terrain, and also most bonus to pop output are gained through buildings.
3. To maintain this industry you need workers. But where is the food to grow your pop and workers coming from? Actually good % and other cheesy bonus comes from system improvements (aka buildings). So you need to build food improvements, other way you'll be beaten by more populated empires.
4. If you want to keep on the run, you also need science. It allows you to unlock better industry buildings. But where is actually science come from? Another time the interesting % increases and bonuses comes from system improvements. Of course like in other FIDSI production there are some improvements that increase planet/pop bonuses, but again the main stuff goes through buildings.
5. Is there any system to block it and make player choose within buildings, having to prioritize and exclude some of them? Well, to be honest, yes, it is: an upkeep in dust. All previous 4X had to deal with same issue, and the upkeep idea has been largely extended since long. But, where is dust coming from? Again interesting bonuses are coming from, or at least requires some sort of buildings.
6. When you look at it from afar, points 2 to 5 may be summarized in: you need buildings to build more buildings, which at same time sustain these buildings"

All that puts the game in a circle that retrofits itself, making mandatory most buildings.

To get things worse, also influence, or at least bonus to it, is coming from system improvements. Although influence is not so directly retrofitting this circle, it could do it in indirect ways like being needed to vote laws in senate.

Note that I don't speak about mandatory techs like colonization ones, I made a post about this, to not get all that too tiresome to read.

How I think it can be fixed?

Well, indeed Amplitude found a good solution before I write this post. Let's look at GDD about empire management:

Economy basics

The FIDSI

As in the previous game, the core of the economy will be FIDSI. For each Resource, we try to focus on different ways to obtain it, even if Food, Industry, Science and Dust will always be on Planets.

Food

Used to compute population growth, it’s localized to a specific system.

Mainly produced by:

• Planets
• Improvements
  
  

Can also be produced by:

• Population
• Trade
  
  

Industry

Consumed to build ships and all the improvements, it’s localized to a system.

Mainly produced by:

• Planets
• Population
  
  

Can also be produced by:

• Improvements
• Trade
  
  

Dust

Produced within systems, it’s then stocked on Empire, and managed at a global scale. It’s used to buy different elements, and pay the maintenance of Ships and Improvements.

Mainly produced by:

• Trade
• Population
  
  

Can also be produced by:

• Improvements
• Diplomacy
• Planet
  
  

Science

Produced within systems, it’s then stocked on Empire and managed at a global scale. It’s consumed to unlock new technologies.

Mainly produced by:

• Diplomacy
• Improvements
  
  

Can also be produced by:

• Trade
• Planets
  
  

Influence

Produced within systems, it’s then stocked on Empire, and managed at a global scale. It’s used for passing laws, interacting with the government and Diplomacy.

Mainly produced by:

• Diplomacy
• Improvements
  
  

Can also be produced by:

• Population (Happiness)

FIDSI, and good bonus to its production should come from different sources, and ideally not being all of them system improvements.

In short: "If you make FIDSI come from different sources you'll break the circle".

To be fair: they make some % empire-level bonus come from laws, but it seems still doesn't fix the issue.

But for some reason it is not working as intended, and all good bonus to FIDSI are still coming from system improvements, at least in an indirect way.

I got some ideas on how to make this idea work, but first some considerations.

Some basics I assumed:

• I like factions snowballing in its area, as I think it creates more interesting and defined playstyles. Also supports Amplitude's idea of asymmetrical gameplay.
• They'll put some migration implemented, influenced either by propaganda or happiness. To be fair: propaganda had been mentioned in GDDs.
• To implement my idea, you'll need a more stable senate, and pop ideologies, so I'll go a bit into it.
• I wan't to make it in a way it gives more importance to pop, making it work as terrain does in EL, and also more importance to minor factions.
• I think Amplitude ideas about population in this game are awesome, and one of most breaking I've seen since long, so I want to build my idea a bit around it.
• As EA progress and before release I hope they'll give more importance to trade.

My ideas about factions and gameplay:

As I stated before, I think each faction should have its gameplay style, just to clarify with examples, how it should create a different approach:

• An industrialist faction is centered on building things. Just like now.
• An economic centered faction, should be able to skip most of industry buildings, as  they don't build anything, instead they buy fleets and improvements. It allows them to skip certain techs and obviate certain buildings. Also they should get more science from trade than other sources, and could buy food to grow their pop.
• Sophons. Ups! sorry, a science centered faction should play centered on it. Being able to get science from everywhere, but building/buying only few advanced things. They should be able to do it by unlocking tech with general bonuses, rather than specific improvements techs.
• Military doesn't build or do anything. Instead they get dust from conquering, and use improvements from occupied systems.
• An Horatio-like faction gets everything from massive food and pop, that gives them lots of FIDSI regardless they have small % bonuses.

Mmmhh I'm extending too much on this, but I think you got the idea before, just to make it clear.

So, how I think it can be fixed? (again)

My proposal assumes a better senate and pop stability, and I'll go into it later. But for now:

Representative bonus:

Each political party representative should give different bonus, allowing a different origin to % bonus rather than coming from improvements. They'll give FIDSY and other bonus like this:

Industrialist --> Industry

Scientists --> Science

Ecologists --> Food

Pacifists --> Dust

Religious --> Influence

Militarists --> Different bonus to fleet performance and ship production.

(Ok, that was obvious, not trying to insult you, only put it clear)

This way each representative you have from each party will give you a bonus at system level and an empire level, as follows:

• System level: I propose a 1% bonus to corresponding FIDSI, for each representative, while militarists gives it to Manpower. They also lowers the costs of its ideology buildings by 1% per representative, or ships in case of militarists. I think this way allows to:
  • Give a different % bonus that are not coming from buildings.
  • Try to break the circle.
  • Makes ideology and representatives more important and interesting.
• Empire level bonus: I propose a 0.1% bonus per representatives, as at this level will be more representatives, and may be too hard when stacking with bonus at system level. the'll give this bonus in different areas:
  • Trade: ecologists, industrialists and scientists gives bonus to its corresponding FIDS in trade routes income. I know that actually is no food or industry bonus, but Amplitude mentioned in their GDDs.
  • Military: Militarists gives bonus to ship values (not sure about values). the idea behind this is that you allow militarists factions to match with more advanced or numerous fleets from other factions, and also provide a bonus while they haven't a FIDSI.
  • Diplomacy / senate: Religious reduce costs of laws and diplomatic deals. It's to compensate lack of own FIDS to this party, not getting bonus in previous areas. Also stacks and allows a bit snowballing with influence bonus. Furthermore increases the interest in laws as a % bonus to FIDS. I also considered religious party giving some bonus to academy/heroes, but was not sure how to do it.
  • Tech: each representative gives a 1% bonus to research past era techs of its ideology. Few ideas behind this:
    • Give some bonus to past era techs research, solving partially actual issues with its high research costs.
    • Better to snowball each faction in its are of gameplay.
    • Be careful: omniscience may stack with it if Sophons have quickly advanced.

All that should give an alternate % increase to FIDSI, allow factions to snowball in its area and gives a more important role to populations, political parties and senate.

But that's not enough. If you're not tired, I'll be glad you continue reading.

Making senate more stable:

All that I explained before won't work if you don't have an stable or at least predictable/controllable senate. As I think it will be fixed, and can be fixed only tweaking weights of actions, events, improvements, etc.. on your pop opinions, I'll have some suggestions.

To make bit clear before, I mostly agree with this post of syscryp:

Parties and voting

The way the parties' support is influenced by decisions is backwards at the moment. Voters should react against decisions they disagree with by voting for the party that is closest to their views, but the way the system is designed at the moment, populations basically just shrug and say 'meh' to decisions they should completely hate. 

For example, build a science improvement, and Religious-inclined voters react with a small increase in their support for the Scientists party. That makes no sense. They should react by increasing their support for the Religious party.  

In the real world, people tend to vote against things they hate more than they vote for things they like. And building this dynamic into the game would create political consequences for decisions that are unacceptable to your population.

So:

• If you start a war, or build lots of warships, pacifists in your population should switch support to the anti-war party in protest. But militarists in your population will be filled with jingoistic fervour and increase their support for the militarist party. Everyone elseshould more or less get on with their daily lives and continue voting for the status quo (i.e. it's not that much of an influence on them)
• If you build factories all over nice green countryside, voters who care about the environment should switch to the Ecologist party. But the people who want to work in those factories (i.e. industrialist populations) should be delighted and increase support for the industrialist party. Everyone else shrugs and carries on.
• If you knock down a church to build a laboratory in its place, religious folk should be outraged and vote for the religious party. But scientific populations should be delighted and vote for the scientific party. Everyone else says 'meh' and carries on more or less as before.

I won't go exactly this way, and maybe in opposite way sometimes, for sake of gameplay.

My propositions to make senate more stable, and pop more intere