Hello everyone excited about the future new faction for Endless Space 2. I am interested in seeing what the community would like to see for a ship design. Maybe we can help influence the options of ship designs that we have to choose from. Shoot out some graphics if you can to help us visualize what you have in mind.

-Capt. Tyco

true about the cravers

I really like the idea of them working along side the heritic leader. Being his information source.

For the ship design itself we could look at the fact that these are shadow wraiths and technically dont need a actual hull of a ship in order to function. The ship could look like an exo skeleton or just framework. While maybe not the coolest looking ship, would make sense for a formless race. But i guess you could look at it that if they are maybe a slaver race, using other species to operate their ships for them then they would need a hull.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rj0TEUylrA

This is kind of what i had in mind for a ship intro. Coming out of a Shadowy space storm of sorts would look pretty intense. The decloaking is also great.

That is exactly along the lines I was thinking when they were invading, however they would be invaded like any other species except there colonies would be unable to be taken over; would need to be recolonised by another to gain what was there.  

Thanks for the ideas so far guys. The stealth effect entry into battle would be a very cool effect. Would also go along with the advanced species idea, would be a nice touch.  The alternative for standard ground invasion would be a good thing to have as well. Heres an idea what if they would use their soldiers instead of war troops but as espionage units. They would instead cause civil unrest on the system and the planet would fall in 10 turns or faster depending on troop levels on the ship and their levels. Would be a very cool touch. 

Though it would be hard to say how this could be implemented maybe the  spy faction could be able to assign their heros to other factions planets and they would be able to gather intelligence whether that would result in stolen resources per turn or when they are higher levels the occasional technology. Would add a new dynamic to heros other just managing your systems and fleets.

I like the idea of having an off hyperlane race. This would maybe help tie in their story that they cut themselves off from the rest of the galaxy for many years and are now returning to the rest of the galaxy.

I think the ability to cloak your systems would be very neat. Would be funny to see a system in the middle of the galaxy suddenly just dissappear. Wait.. Wasnt there a system there? Maybe even having the ability to cut off hyperlanes would be a neat ability to have for the race. would help slow down enemy fleets.

Keep the ideas coming these are enjoyable to read. Hope the developers come by to visit and maybe draw some inspiration.

Ok enough of my star trek nerdyness, but a faction with a form of invisibility, special scanning/anti scanning.

And I'd love to have that feeling of something wraithlike decloak around my homeworld and have to think "OH DJKFHSFKJHDJKHSDJKFDSF EVERYBODY GET HOME NOW OR WEESZZAAA GONNNA DIIEIEEEEE"

That is all.  

Hope you enjoy'ed me jacking all kinds of material that I am sure is under copyright, thankfully youtube was nice enough to let some of this go.  

Cheers!

I wonder if the new faction can also be an opportunity to expand on various other exiting aspects of the game, even tie into their Espionage angle in defending themselves, like Cloaking their Systems with specialized System Improvements. I enjoy watching battles from time to time, and having such visuals in the Battle intro is certainly welcome.

I would like to see System improvements that allows factions to eventually create full on Commercial Star Lanes between systems as an addition to System Node connectivity so that those quest related systems could be joined with the rest of an empire and no longer be isolated if a player wants to build them. Plus could have a side benefit of requiring more effort to explore and colonize habitable Star Systems, and also be a means to have Wormholes feel more special if they would be a new sort of rare phenomenon and/or even a stage in Intergalatic travel.

 I wonder if it could make use of the Trade Route system, to create such highways so to speak. Feel that it would suit the Lumeris and Empire best, followed by the Sophons.

Then to play off of that, the Unfallen wouldn't have a need for them with their Vines, the Vodyani could have a different Networking System. The Vaulters have their Portals

1. Vaulters with their early Portals would, bypass such a system and have the best means of moving Intergalactic commerce and Military.
2. Sophons could be able to research Artificial Wormholes as a step beneath the Vaulters in moving between the most distant Systems in their Empire.
3. Lumeris could be able to research something like Merchant Marines and/or Space Traffic Controllers either as System Improvement and/or as Faction related boosts to be able to create such Trade Corridors regardless of Constellation Star Connections or Wormholes.
4. The United Empire could have something similar to the Lumeris, with the difference likely being at what Stage could such Research be conducted.
5. Unfallen have their Vines.
6. Vodyani could have some form of Quantum Entanglement tech that could provide a means to have Arks have an Independent Connectivity Network to the other Empires.
7. The new Faction could research something that helps them cloak their systems in ways that would require Exploration Modules to track and invade them, could add interesting aspects, as the Boarding Pods have.

I hope that these ideas are such to compliment and contribute to the game.

I would start off with the intro of the ships into combat. Since they are a shadow wraith species then one could suggest that they enter in through some sort of shadowy plume of space smoke (yes super technical) or a space storm. Once in the field of battle the shadowy aura or smoke could be emminating from the ships as they travel distorting them slightly even. Another option could be that since they are a very ancient race and pre-date the endless then they could have very advanced ship designs and technology. They've had a lot of time to work on their technology and they could have a seamless transition into the battlefield. Instead of the other races which seem to tear a whole into the battlefield and come flying out of it, The shadow wraiths could open a portal window and drive through and close it behind them. They could also just materialize into the battlefield instead of having to warp in. Both of these are assuming that this race has been continually advancing and has better control of warp travel then the other younger races which is not too hard to believe.

some kind of visual cloak. instead of warping in I want the ships to have some kind of beautiful cloaking device. I also would like to see more functionality from scanners and a race that has a different invasion mechanic and invisible (information wise) ships.

that would be my dream. The Romulans of ES2.

so basically I agree with the post above with a little bit different flavor but the gist is generally the same. it's a long time coming but I'm sure with an amplitude it will be well worth it. Super excited!

I kinda wish they changed the Vodyani so they got offlane benefits as well, but damn that would be so cool if Amplitude created another faction that was truly nomadic and didn't require systems in order to function. 

& yeah most people in the states don't know what May Day is, or even that, in their own country, that this month is national AAPI month 

haha cheers 

CLOAK CLOAK CLOAK CLOAK

Cloaking device seems like an awesome addition to the game... But i just wonder how that could work whit movement speed. Imagine if we have a cloaking device on a fleet whit 16 movement speed? they could simply reach the home system of any player in under 3 turns, in most cases... and that would make that faction really strong, i believe. Maybe we will have to choose between Cloaking device and slow movement speed wraiths, or high movement speed wraiths and no cloaking device. 

Im sorry plutar :3

Or make cloaking device last a maxium of a single turn and make those special factions also have a trait where they can see the vision range of enemy fleets, so they can cloak and exit sight before the enemy can see them? 

Omg. This is starting to become good :D