I agree with this thread. Loved how they did events in galciv2.



The events in Endless Space I feel is lacking a lot atm. First off I struggle to find out what they really do, because as far as I can tell there is no indication of where the event is happening. Okay, I got 80% sensor range somewhere, does that apply to my whole empire or just one system? And if so, to which system does it apply? To be honest I just stopped reading the events after a while and just hoped they benefit me somehow.



I would also love it if the games background story was more present, like already suggested earlier in this thread, maybe by discovering endless tech, ships, artifacts, or maybe even a frozen endless person with DNA containing enhancements for workers or soldiers. There are many possibilities, and these could be gamechanging events. Atm I quit playing midway through games because it is clear that I'm winning and nothing can really change that. I feel like something needs to be done to spice up the post-colonizing part of the game.

Like this, can see it adding to the game

White_Mage wrote:
Yeah, with the lack of a morality system like in GalCiv2 it would be a lot better to simply do several options with different bonuses

Unless the diplomatic alignment became a bigger deal, rather than just affecting the way the AI deal with you

Events would be fun as long as they are not as terrible as some of the GalCiv2 mega-events. The jagged knife event was terrible and the speed limit one would ruin any game.

+1 this is what made MOO, GalCiv and SOTS jewells.

Not asking yet for a UN type ingame, too much design change i guess, but a wide range of random events is definitively welcome (when actually there isnt much event to impact positively/negatively production/food or treasury, or just random events with space rogues/monsters and so on).

Another +1 here, the meal always taste better with some spice on it. Also, as many others has said, if we have to do something the better, like "fix" a star which goes supernova (I don't know why, but I would enjoy very much to see this on a game), correct the axis of a planet that is going wild, decide if we resurrect some Endless guy from an hibernation chamber.. in adition, of course, to the non-interactive ones.

The game that have this, the better it comes.

what would be especially ideal would be an easy xml-based input system for players to make their own events, and behaviors. that would be truly great.

+1 To this. The more things that can mix it up late game the better IMHO.

I agree, anything that can break up a game from being overly formulaic is an improvement. Yes sometimes it may mean you lose a game you were winning, but that's part of the fun.

bwfcnut wrote:
+1'ing. Random events would add a great unpredictability to the game if they were on a par with most of these suggestions. I'd also love random events that require a decision, in a similar way to Civ 4, some being completely devastating and other giving massive benefits.

this would be great, do you advance your research yet kill thousands, or give up the advanced tech and make your people have a massive happiness boost?

Hehe.... An event where all the starlanes get randomised all over again in the late game could be a fun way to mess up everyone xD

+1'ing. Random events would add a great unpredictability to the game if they were on a par with most of these suggestions. I'd also love random events that require a decision, in a similar way to Civ 4, some being completely devastating and other giving massive benefits.

+1 to events



imagine the moon falling out of the sky changing the planet to an asteroid field , and affecting the other planet's orbit's transforming Terra type to barren , barren to lava , creating Terran from lava, etc...

imagine the moon drifting from the orbit of the first planet to the orbit of the second and making both planets unstable ... unless you build a plant stabilizer, fail to build one and a negative anomaly will form (ex: long seasons , Siesmic Activity, Permanent Monsoon or ... Molten Springs) leave unattended to long and the system will go intro chaos planet's getting flung into the cold of space

imagine a plague wreaking the population unless you either research a cure or ... make the planet barren

imagine the sun going supernova and ending your grip on the system making it a mad house where danger lurks and opportunity awaits as each race scrambles to colonize the new reconfigured system.

imagine the Endless Empire returning , determined to retake the galaxy and restore it to it's former grandeur , even if they have to build they're grand cities with your enslaved population or with their corpses.

imagine the Endless Empire returning , determined to help the underdog take the galaxy in their name ... as a lowly puppet ...

imagine pirates working together for a common goal .. to plunder and loot the known worlds...

imagine rogue scientists on a neutral system working on a doomsday experiment that will either doom the universe or make them Gods ... do you help them or destroy them ... the odds are ever in your favor

imagine a universal tidal wave of energy making space travel faster ... do you take the opportunity to strategically place your ships or do you squander the gift to keep the peace

imagination had no limit ... we are limitless ... listen to us ... we the players demand it ...

you shall give us in game events of varying scale or be doomed to .. whatever

+1 to events

Off the top of my head:





Galactic Curtain - The known galaxy has recently been divided by an massive energy curtain, cutting off many starlanes, which in turn has made invasion and trade for most empires quite difficult. As an result, it is likely for most of them to turn their eyes to neighbors that they previously didn't give thought to...

After seeing similar things mentioned in threads, I figured I'd promote my love of gamechanging "Galactic Events", a la GalCiv2. Specifically, I wouldn't mind a "Dread Lord" event like in GalCiv2. For those of you who haven't experienced it, randomly in your game (if you were unlucky) the "Dread Lords" would invade the galaxy. To survive, every civilization had to turn towards this new combined enemy or else face destruction. It was fun, game-changing, and really made it fun for the player to adapt.



I am a big proponent of an idea like this. "Galactic Events". They could be disabled if you want as a game option, but think of the possibilities! Imagine if some extragalactic race suddenly invaded with a high tech, hard hitting fleet and started devouring star systems. You could choose to try to end your wars and work with the other races to end your otherwise ultimate demise, or you might try "thriving" off of the chaos - exploiting and taking advantage of the downfall of other civilizations at the hands of this foreign menace in hopes that you might eventually gain the strength to beat them yourselves.



Oh man, that event was so fun when it happened. It makes me want to go play GalCiv2 again...but after tasting this game, I don't know if it would suffice!



The real power of gamechanging events like this is to force the player to adapt. Sure, standard, balanced gameplay is fun, especially when you are getting a hang of the ropes of the game or want something more predictable. But events like this really add depth, and more importantly LIFE to an already intriguing galaxy.



I'd love to see your "Galactic Event" ideas if you have them!



Here are some on my "wish list", if the idea of these events are considered:

-Extragalactic, high-tech/evil race invading. This one is a must!

-"Peacekeepers", a la Galciv2. Actually, this makes me want a "UN" type body in the game that you can join or leave. But that's a big game design choice.

-Supernova. A star goes supernova, obliterating many planets on a system and damaging or destroying fleets in orbit. Maybe there is some consolation bonus to the offended race with a research bonus given by the remaining black hole.

-"Mysterious Artifact". An ancient stargate or powerful artifact is found by a civilization. If they activate it, they might receive a huge advantage (or even maybe something really bad will happen!). Other players are notified and also know which system the artifact is in.

-"Derelict Ship Designs". An ancient ship design, or even a single super-ship (not associated with any of the races) is found and activated by a civilization. Do you try to kill it, or ally with the race that found it and ride the success?

-Galactic Depression, Famines, disease, etc. These hurt everyone, but can make an otherwise peaceful galaxy tense and edging on war!

-"Ancient Star Lane Discovered". Suddenly, a new constellation connection is found in the galaxy. You thought you were done with the colonization phase! Do you fight for the new opened territory, colonize it peacefully, or ignore it and deal with bigger issues?

-"Unique Tech Discovery". A scientific breakthrough spreads throughout the galaxy, and a new, otherwise unheard of tech tree opens up to all races. New weapons? New defenses? New ship classes? New improvements?



I'm sure you devs already have ideas like this in mind....you already have "minor" events implemented in the Alpha. Any dev who reads....the things I will do for similar mega-events to be incorporated...or even a hint on whether they are in the works

Yeah, with the lack of a morality system like in GalCiv2 it would be a lot better to simply do several options with different bonuses



Another option would be doing several options where a certain bonus escalated with an increasing detriment in another key area. Say you found a dust lode on some of hte most fertile soil in the planet. You could choose to extract it carefully for a minor bonus or tear the whole place up, at the cost of food production for a huge bonus

Tzares wrote:
I would really like more of the systemwide/small events. Like the planet events from GalCiv2. I tought they were wonderfull. Altho i guess they wouldnt work that well withoute the Good/neutral/evil system, but on the other hand you could make the discovery have different bonuses and negative sides, so that the choices are not that black/white.

I second that.



Events are great, but what's even better are events with decisions - and several outcomes based on them.

I can't say I really liked GalCiv2's way to deal with it, where evil options where always the most beneficial. I'd rather see us choose between different, but equally worthwhile/disastrous outcomes. Decisions that really make you think

I would really like more of the systemwide/small events. Like the planet events from GalCiv2. I tought they were wonderfull. Altho i guess they wouldnt work that well withoute the Good/neutral/evil system, but on the other hand you could make the discovery have different bonuses and negative sides, so that the choices are not that black/white.

I like the Extragalactic threat, I think I posted that in another thread.

The events minor or major can definitely create a butterfly effect that can change the course of a game, totally dynamic. If any of the Devs are reading this they should sticky it. I would like to see what more people would say.



I like this idea though,

A moon orbiting one of your planets begins to fall out of orbit (sabotage from another empire, scientific mystery or just destiny =P) severely cripples, destroys or benefits your empire. (a mini event with a mini event in it? Say you see the effect immediate or a few turns later)

Neutral factions or Pirate bases/outposts popping up would be a cool one.

Planets with mysteries inside/around/on them, superweapons, technologies, races and other unique or funny things..

I personally think they should add an inside joke into the game, an event or something special that you'd find surveying a moon or a planet condition.

Mansen wrote:
As far as "Grand Menaces" - game changers. I think they should be limited by default, and be "slideable" in percentage change for players who want a challenge/interesting game. I'd prefer them to affect everyone though, not "random player who finds it first"

I understand where you are coming from, and I think a slider or other option limiting these events would be the best solution. Personally, I don't mind events benefiting others...it makes the game so much more entertaining and unique. For me and 4x's, it's more about the story of that game I'm playing and less about balance (I have the opposite opinion about RTS's). In GalCiv2 there was a random event that gave a struggling civilization a "powerful artifact/prophecy" which boosted their economy and just about everything else. The event was known to everyone, and it said something along the lines of "if you don't do anything to stop them....they might win". In the end, the race who receives it doesn't usually win because smart races will immediately start to curb their power through diplomacy or aggression. It is fun in the end, though!



The more I think about these events the more I believe that they would breathe so much life into the Endless Space Universe. It makes for a much more compelling "story" each time you load a game, and really makes you feel like you are running an empire in a dynamic galaxy instead of just going through the motions in a...well, video game!

I wouldn't mind "Grand Menaces" and "Small Menaces" as SOTS tend to call them. Small annoyances like swarms of bugs infesting neutral systems or pirate attacks. Small challenges that are sufficiently annoying to require you to deal with them.



As far as "Grand Menaces" - game changers. I think they should be limited by default, and be "slideable" in percentage change for players who want a challenge/interesting game. I'd prefer them to affect everyone though, not "random player who finds it first"

SOTS had events more like Cithlulian space horrors that moved in and attacked sections of the galacy.



Things like planet destroying superweapons that have long scince destroyed their masters, galatic peacekeeping weapons that are trying to prevent people from killing eachother (With a bigger laser), and Von neumann probes who were just trying to map the universe and you go in the way.

Igncom1 wrote:
They can be interesting as long as they 'Can' be counterd, i remember from GC2 the jagged alliance stealing my worlds immedietly, and also all of my and amy enemys technology.



Thats when i stoped playing.



But the major events from Sword of the stars is just awesome, hell they can even win the game for themselves if you fail to stop them!

Yeah, no event should entirely screw over just one civilization, but at the same time it is difficult for these events to be inherently "fair". I've never played SoTS, but maybe you have some thoughts on how we can make these events more "fun" than negative? Duncan pointed out that always giving the player a choice might help, and I tend to agree. For the "Dread Lords"-esque scenario, pure Econ civilizations might be able to "pay them tribute" to prevent an attack. That way it doesn't just help those who went heavy military. Then again, that scenario tends to endanger EVERYONE, so it becomes a bit more "fair" because of that.

Agreed. I think some like Galactic Famine/Disease and Unique Tech Discovery would be fairly easy to implement, but I really like some of your more ambitious ideas... Especially Ancient Star Lane. Something like that has the potential to turn the game around for a player who got a poor starting spot and had a tough time expanding early on.



I also think it would be really cool to give the player the option to make a decision one way or the other on some of this stuff as it occurs, and not just have, for example, "something bad happened to you and there's nothing you can do about it" in every case of a negative random event.

They can be interesting as long as they 'Can' be counterd, i remember from GC2 the jagged alliance stealing my worlds immedietly, and also all of my and amy enemys technology.



Thats when i stoped playing.



But the major events from Sword of the stars is just awesome, hell they can even win the game for themselves if you fail to stop them!

I remember those events from GalCiv2 and they really made the whole game much more interresting, so I definitly agree with you.

I think random events such as these can only add more flavour to the game and provide a constant fresh challenge