Heh, I remember an old 4x strategy game that was centered around terrestrial operations: Deadlock II. It was a pretty awesome game if my memories are not failing me. The ground combat took place in provinces, which had cities and infrastructure built in them - so when buildings got shot up during the fight, they could be destroyed. This included both civilian and military defense structures, and individual units navigated the city while the fight took place. Searched the net for a video of the combat, but it looks like a screenshot would have to do.









As you can probably guess, I would like something similar to this to represent the terrestrial combat in Endless Space.

is there any way to get that game, sir? i'm tired of this new era game already.........most of them are seriously bad, old school game have more fun and gameplay.

As RooksBailey said, all I really want are a bit more visuals showing ground combat then build on a whole new system for it

Amazon or Ebay is your best bet.

I would be satisfied if there was an animation during sieges.



For example, while a fleet is invading, you zoom in on the solar system and you can see ships ferrying to the surfaces of colonized planets, similar to the meteors anomaly, and explosions rolling around the surface.



The developers can decide if it intensifies as turns progress along.



For sake of time, I think this would be satisfying for many as it visually shows invasions beyond a bar, and it really does not effect game mechanics and balancing.

Ahh! I agree, as I stated here. ^^^

yorkgrass wrote:
There is an relatively easy way to add an graphic improvement on invasion, just add and appearance related wonder-like graphic, so when one system is under attack the most populated planet will temporarely add an wonder graphic, which includes explotion on the planet surface, laser shooting towards sky, and faction defence fighter fly around and shot in the air. also invasion ship orbiting the planet, invasion fighters also fly and shoot around! fighter's appearence are related to the defencer and invader, also you can have many stages according to who's winning or what ground defence improvement they've got or what invasion module on the ship. you got the idea!



so all the graphics are in the system view, but not the galaxy view, just a few wonder-like graphic to make, with some possible coding~ at least it is what i find easy to do~

Personally, I wouldn't mind something like MOO2's system, including how worlds have militia from the population, and produces garrison units autonomously over time.

I would rather just have the visualisation of ground combat with the games normal invasion game-play.

ben_caleb wrote:
I would be satisfied if there was an animation during sieges.



For example, while a fleet is invading, you zoom in on the solar system and you can see ships ferrying to the surfaces of colonized planets, similar to the meteors anomaly, and explosions rolling around the surface.



The developers can decide if it intensifies as turns progress along.



For sake of time, I think this would be satisfying for many as it visually shows invasions beyond a bar, and it really does not effect game mechanics and balancing.

This post above and this:

Igncom1 wrote:
I would rather just have the visualisation of ground combat with the games normal invasion game-play.

These two posts perfectly represent what I would like to see in system invasions in Endless Space.



Like ben_caleb mentioned, there could be visual effects of the invasion in the system view, as well as there could be a simple visualisation of ground combat as Igncom1 mentioned.

Igncom1 wrote:
I would rather just have the visualisation of ground combat with the games normal invasion game-play.

I would prefer game mechanics over something you will get bored with after watching it 10 times.

I have read through this thread and don't want to open a new one with my own subjective opinion. So here is what I think about this game: (apologies for bad english write me if something is not clear enough, would clarify)

I'm not a space strategy fan (played imperium galactica 1 and 2, Haegemonia, Sins before which more like space rts games than 4x genre so they do not count)

Endless space just sucked me in with its well known features (smooth, easy-to-learn etc.). As you said it concentrates on space battles. Ground combat and invasions are just a minor part of the game, but it would be nice to see some improvements on it. I have an idea too (I have read yours so mine is influenced by your ideas! pls do not flame)

In my "version" ground combat is like space combat with its own set of cards, hero traits and actions. Let's see a gameplay example:

Base situation: A faction=agressor B=defender A attack B's system and orbital fleet with its full power. A wins the space battle and blockaded B's system. A could begin invading B's system at any time. A has 1000 ground military power, B has only 200 (hypothetical). So A has the sufficient troop strength to invade the system and the game displays a circle and a timer which show us when the invasion will be complete. In the first turn of the invasion A and B choose a tactic (which can be changed in every turn during the invasion, but if they do they don't have further moves in that turn). The tactic they coose unlock the some cards which are (depending on the enemy tactic and battle card) generate a +/- for in the next turn lengthening, shortening or even stop the invasion. Stopping an invasion should be possible because: A has a fix size of military force, without reinforcments they cannot get more. B defends its own system so B has a % military force regeneration. That would inspire more thinking and planning to siege a whole system and It would turn out to be one click and one notification /turn/invasion so it wont's slow down the multiplayer.

Also it opens up a new path on ships and planets: You could split up the "military power" to smaller fraghments (like different weapon modules and its different counters). You use a manpower module than give them a weapon and a defense type on invasion ships. On planets you could implemennt a ruler (like the tax rate % changer one) where the player can determine what weapons do the defenders should use (changing it would require dust??)

Example A packed up my invasion ships with laser weapon troops and with defense against kinetics troops. B packed its system with missile and kinetics troops and defense against missile and laser. A has more troops, but B has better defense against A's troops. B has a chance (depending on cards, hero abilities etc.) to repel the invasion.



This ground force system could be easily implemented in the tech tree, but would leads toward more micromanagement. Anyway it would be cool.

Thanks

Hello everyone.



I think ground combat, with the same presentation as the space battles can be really awesome... And like some other say I'd buy the add-on without hesitaing.



This feature misses me a lot since Imperuium Galactica II.







But their should be no gameplay difference between, star and planetary fights, NO RTS!!! It will mess with the gameplay logic.

A card system which can include some environnement fact interactio, random climatic issues or hostile life conditions events, intervention of space ships, like bombardment or depending of the fleet weaponary, or system improvement can help the defenders.



I love the space combat system, even if it's a little be strange the first time but the cinematic look is really awesome. So it will complete the game, on the military issues, very nicely and can make the difference with the others 4X game type.



I hope you will make it happen.



But anyway thank you for this great game, even if their still some ennoying things, but I think it will be fixed really soon.

Hmm... This brings up the question on what the troops would look like. Are the Amoeba actual Amoeba or giant Amoeba? Now that might give the devs some problems. I can picture every other species working except Amoeba, or Sowers for that matter.

I picture the amoeba as actual giant amoeba, but as a race that extensively use cybernetics and thus fight in giant gundam suits as opposed to tanks and infantry.



Surgical strikes over the use of brunt domination and mass slaughter of populations.

T41 wrote:
Hmm... This brings up the question on what the troops would look like. Are the Amoeba actual Amoeba or giant Amoeba? Now that might give the devs some problems. I can picture every other species working except Amoeba, or Sowers for that matter.

They're big, there's pictures of them on Hero cards. Also, I really like igncom1's idea about how to make their soldiers look.

Igncom1 wrote:
thus fight in giant gundam suits as opposed to tanks and infantry.

This. Just this!



Or... The Amoeba are all about peace and diplomacy and so on, so they could employ some alien mercenary race as basic foot soldiers (like the W40k Tau use the Kroot as frontline fighters).

Igncom1 wrote:
I picture the amoeba as actual giant amoeba, but as a race that extensively use cybernetics and thus fight in giant gundam suits as opposed to tanks and infantry.



Surgical strikes over the use of brunt domination and mass slaughter of populations.

I support this lol Fan of gundam series and since we dont get them as space fighters at least we can get them as foot soldiers

Maybe Amoeba officers in suits commanding mercenaries?

This is my idea. The problem is that a solar system cannot really be won by a short skirmish, it would have to be turn by turn invasion battles that you have to participate in; you could have yearly "besieging war plans" to influence the siege and overall battle plan, this could function as a battle formation selected before battle influencing the highlighted manual or auto battle which during that 'year' which would be the key turning point or most important battle during that 'year'. While at the same time this the 'year' plan and key battle would influence how progress is going; it could then skip along from an overall percentage of control or planet by planet control. Your turn by turn victories, draws and loses would either lessen invasion time or increase it... it could also mean that trying to invade a system might hurt your ships a little if things don't go to plan. The best thing is that it is self balancing because it will function similarly to the fleet battles as it is basically MP verses System Defense; higher MP then SD would lessen the invasion time because of the steamrolling during the battles. It doesn't have to function specifically this way... but i think it should function similarly to the way how fleet battles are going to be when the combat update comes out.

IMO I would prefer the option to play combats in one of three modes:



Current automatic (with or without tactics selection)

Current 'manual' (which is identical to the automatic version, but with cinematics... it's 100% hands off).

New Mode: Tactical. A turn based method; perhaps even simplistic mode like 2d top-down MOO2 style, or S.P.A.Z style. This would make the game ever so much more engaging when you can use your superior cranial computer to outsmart a superior fleet rather than the rock-paper-scissors dice roll.



MOO2's style of combat made the turn based game drag on for hours or days, but doggone it... it was *FUN*.