Greetings everyone!



First of all, i would like to thank AS for delivering a fantastic 4x game of the likes i haven't seen for a long time. Your game has delivered on almost all things possible, against all odds!



*Warning, long post inc.!*



Some of your implementations, albeit the more aesthetic and non-mechanic ones, really got me into thinking about the game in general. This was the first time in a 4x game that i've seen systems or stars containing descriptions derived from real world data, such as Protogalaxies and what not. Now, in my experience (and be sure to point out otherwise), the only other space game in which i have seen realistic data for stars, planets and whatnot has been Eve Online, in which you can easily see data of planets such as mass, orbit, star luminosity and many more.



-Prologue and Hypotheses-



And this got me into thinking...



How will the Universe will go on from now on? Concepts and theories such as Technological Singularity, Posthumanism and the Great Filter are, in my opinion, a great way to explain and expand the game's universe. I'm not talking about the mathematics behind those scientific theories, i'm talking about possible outcomes and "what if" scenarios.





-The Endless Disappearance-



For example, the concept of Technological Singularity is the "hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human intelligence through technological means" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity). With this in mind and by reading further on the article, you will see potential risks of superhuman (or in our case, super Endless!) intelligence. One such risk is the A.I. turning up against its creators, not out of spite but because they are simply executing out their orders. In the game, the Sowers have been created by one of the Endless factions and their background states that they have been programmed to make ready the planets and worlds for their creator's return. How about...no? In their struggle to comply with the orders they were given, the Endless were simply at the wrong place, the wrong time and they have been wiped. The Sower's diplomatic stance and their background mentions it, after all, that they do not meddle with others if their work keeps on, but what about if it does The only way then is the forward way and it's going to crash right up on you.



So, what if the creators have been wiped by their creations? And for arguments sake, let's say that they have not, since such a highly advanced civilization could probably try to come up with a set of orders that would prohibit from harming them. What if the orders where incomplete? This is true for the Craver faction, but they were intended for war, not for terraforming and direct confrontation. If the Virtuals are the creators of the Cravers AND the Sowers as far as lore says, then what happened to them?



The above statement goes also in both ways. The Concretes, the other Endless faction, is shrouded in mystery. We don't know almost anything about them. What happened of them? Did they also create machines or "tool-races" that also got out of hand in their struggle against the Virtuals? Were they wiped out of existence in the ensuing war before they could come up with a plan? Did they just ran off and hid a small portion of the population in hopes of surviving for the following million years to come? We really can't know since a myriad things would happen, from a doomsday weapon firing and a supernova to the exhaustion of their system's star.



-Transhumanism (in our case Transendlessism)-



Transhumanism is " an international intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism). In reality, humans become something more, or more accurately, something different. By transforming yourself you become something different than what you used to be. This may also be the case with the Endless race. They simply became something different. The more older and avid fans of science fiction would surely remember Stargate SG-1 and in particular, the Ori race. This race used its knowledge of technology and the universe to ascend to a higher state of existence, effectively becoming something different, transcendent.



Maybe this was the case with the Endless. Amidst the war they decided enough is enough and simply used their knowledge and understanding to leave behind their previous form and become something different. This is why we have never seen any of them, face to face, and even if they still survive in another state of existence, the only things that connects us with them (for now) are the artifacts and races they have created (assuming that the other races know the Craver/Sower origin). They might still be around, but we simply cannot fathom what they have become and how to bridge the gap between us and them.



-The Great Filter; past or future?-



The Great Filter, in the context of the Fermi Paradox, is " Whatever prevents "dead matter" from giving rise, in time, to "expanding lasting life". The concept originates in Robin Hanson's argument that the failure to find any extraterrestrial civilizations in the observable universe implies the possibility something is wrong with one or more of the arguments from various scientific disciplines that the appearance of advanced intelligent life is probable; this observation is conceptualized in terms of a "Great Filter" which acts to reduce the great number of sites where intelligent life might arise to the tiny number of intelligent species actually observed." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Filter). Basically, it's the premise (or theory, if you want to put it that way) that several unknown parameters of the universe in conjunction with hypothesized evolutionary steps of a specie make up for a random point in time, a wall of some sort, that prevents the civilization to surpass it and become a space-faring race. (See the 9 steps of the process in which a civilization can hypothetically attain space colonization in the wikipedia article).



So, with the above argument in mind and the 9 steps of the Great Filter, it is apparent that the Endless have managed to (probably) pass that Great Filter and enabled them to take to the stars. The same cannot be said for the other races of the universe too, because, according to the theory, one of the steps must be unlike, since the game's universe (in my own subjective point of view) contains only 8 species, of which all became space-faring with the immediate-or-otherwise aid of the Endless. In reality, they "jumped ahead" steps by filling in their own singular scientific evolution with that of the Endless, no matter how big or small that influence was. So, in my view, they are bound to hit that wall at some point which probably is the point where they have started colonizing planets. Maybe the next step, an extra step, in the Great Filter in the game's lore and cosmos is for a specie to transcend their former selves and become what the Endless have achieved; something different, only of which the later became by beating the odds in their own right. The rest are soon to follow but that will make them or break them.

-Game propositions-



In the spirit of the above hypotheses, it would add a great deal of new flavor, mechanics and gameplay if the game in its whole adopts modern scientific theories and hypotheses. Some suggestions that i would like to make, based on the above, would be:



[LIST=1]

Put the Great Filter theory in the game. The worst becomes real and pretty much the species are reaching the final point in the game.

[/LIST]

• A timed supernova mechanic that blows out entire systems based on their proximity and relative distance could easily have a huge impact on the game. BUT, because it's a game, the A.I. or the players have a modest time of colonizing a different space in the galaxy.
• The species decide that time has come to play God. One of them starts to create and tinker their own race of sentient machines/bio-engineered races and something goes wrong. The A.I./players have some time to contain the event in their own borders by taking back his colonies (assuming they were overrun) and become wiser. Failure to do so would mean that a new race is pretty much out, trying to dominate the known world, which poses a threat to EVERYONE.
• Doomsday event. Simply put, the specie has created a new way to wipe out life and matter, but the thing is, it falls to the wrong hands. The A.I./Players have some time to contain the event or the Doomsday weapon goes off, destroying planets/systems in the process and then all game participants have a chance for them to relive the event, since the technology has been smuggled out.
  
  

[LIST=2]

Create a new state of the in-game universe which is dynamic. [/LIST]

• If a system somehow is destroyed, the initial cosmic strings are cut down and the former system pretty much becomes a huge space of debris and rocks. You can only reach it by training the relevant technology and in the case of a starting game, the system would be inaccessible by everyone until later. This could be exploited by pirates/species (provided they survive the radiation and the hazards) and used as a means of income/exploration/staging pint/technological feat (as in a technology that can accelerate at a tremendous rate the creation of stars and use the debris to form a new, random system out of them).
  
  

[LIST=3]

Dynamic evolution of species in-game by the player's/A.I's actions in the game.

[/LIST]

• If a specie starts out to be an economic magnate, but ultimately sees that the only way to go forward is through war, this could be reflected at specific points in the game (maybe with the use of certain events) that allow them to change specie traits on the fly, or, maybe in their quest to ascend, they start to become something different and their traits and gameplay starts to shift towards another way. Maybe the specie starts to evolve biologically too (for example, the images in the Diplomacy window start to show different (in a fixed way)) in their quest to become Post.
  
  

[LIST=4]

The Endless. Events made up for a VERY late game meant to end the game in a very climatic way.

[/LIST]

• Since their influence is gigantic in the game, this should be shown in the game with the use of events and situations. A system which has been a former metropolis of the Endless would really add up to the A.I./player's advantage by giving access to unique ship designs, weapons and modules, special system upgrades or pretty much very long cooldown-like abilities that once activated (with Dust), alter the state of the universe dramatically.
• Their time to come back is now. The Endless pour out in the game in a very remote and start building up their forces. Since they have been gone for so long, time has given them the blessing (or the curse) to think things out. If they come back looking for trouble, this is a problem for EVERYONE. So, players/A.I. would have to set aside their differences and work towards a common goal of thwarting back the Endless. This option opens up a new victory type called Total-War. Players may still fight each other as they would normally do, but the players who help the fight against the Endless gain a bonus to their total score and also the player with the highest contribution is awarded an extra bonus for his help. The game would end if the Endless won or the players win the Endless. This would be a late game event that has a chance to activate and not a normal parameter like the other victory types.
• The Endless come back, but in peace. They actively help A.I./players in the lower bottom of the scoreboard financially and boost their FIDS considerably. The lower half of the players must help the Endless survive for x turns, while the higher half must eradicate them, since might makes right. The players win if they either manage to help or destroy the Endless. Unique diplomatic opportunities and complex strategies could arise, since someone could break diplomatic ties if they were in either bracket by a considerable point gap or one could start to lower or up his advances intentionally to get into either of hte brackets. After x turns, the A.I./player's position in the event will be final and no matter how high or low you go, the game ends with the players making the bigger advance towards help/destruction recieving a bonus.
  
  

-Conclusion-



I realize that this is all wishful thinking and things may never come true or if they do, not in the way that we have imagined them, but i would really like to give more food for thought to you people so that we can create something that will be one of the best games of all times! Thanks for reading!



-Reikoku

First let me state the proposal submission rules:

Nosferatiel wrote:
Proposal-section posting rules



[LIST=1]

Proposals start off as Suggestion. Please name your thread "Suggestion Topic". Topics with nonsense-titles will be moved to the archives without being linked.

If you post a proposal, post only one suggestion topic per thread. Mixtures of different topics like: "I want icecream for the amoeba and like my ships toasted with real beams, not pesky pew pew lasershots!", will be exiled into the archives without being linked anywhere, being tagged as Composite suggestion

Proposals that are found to be only a slight variant or even a duplicate of an older proposal, will be moved to the archives. They will be linked by a moderator-post inside the original proposal. Please refrain from willingly proposing duplicates. Spam of duplicates will be considered as an infraction and result in a warning by a moderator.

If proposals are recognized as originals by a mod or jetkar, they will be listed in the Summary of Suggestions and Ideas and get their title edited from Suggestion to Listed. To apply for a listing, you can hasten the process by making a post with a link to your thread and a summary of your proposal here.

Once proposals are recognized by the developers, they'll be tracked in this list and the devs will normally comment on the idea, when and if it will be implemented. The original thread will get a new title, from Listed to Tracked.

The final achievable status is, if an idea gets implemented into the game. The thread will then get the prefix Implemented.

[/LIST]

Though it's an elaborate deduction of the reasons why you make your suggestions, suggesting armageddon like endings, doomsday weapon effects, race ability switching and a MOO-like Orion-system is too much for a single thread and falls under a composite suggestion.



Before you now post everything again in single threads, let me comment on the parts that have already been suggested, pointing those out that haven't (to the best of my knowledge):

Reikoku wrote:


-Game propositions-



In the spirit of the above hypotheses, it would add a great deal of new flavor, mechanics and gameplay if the game in its whole adopts modern scientific theories and hypotheses. Some suggestions that i would like to make, based on the above, would be:



[LIST=1]

Put the Great Filter theory in the game. The worst becomes real and pretty much the species are reaching the final point in the game.

[/LIST]

• A timed supernova mechanic that blows out entire systems based on their proximity and relative distance could easily have a huge impact on the game. BUT, because it's a game, the A.I. or the players have a modest time of colonizing a different space in the galaxy.
• The species decide that time has come to play God. One of them starts to create and tinker their own race of sentient machines/bio-engineered races and something goes wrong. The A.I./players have some time to contain the event in their own borders by taking back his colonies (assuming they were overrun) and become wiser. Failure to do so would mean that a new race is pretty much out, trying to dominate the known world, which poses a threat to EVERYONE.
• Doomsday event. Simply put, the specie has created a new way to wipe out life and matter, but the thing is, it falls to the wrong hands. The A.I./Players have some time to contain the event or the Doomsday weapon goes off, destroying planets/systems in the process and then all game participants have a chance for them to relive the event, since the technology has been smuggled out.
  
  

This has in principle been suggested here: /#/endless-space/forum/28-game-design/thread/11803-armageddon-like-endings

The timed supernova mechanic would be exempt from this, since if I surmise correctly you'd know about it from the start? It just isn't working well with the "each round is one year long"-mechanic to blow up half the galaxy after turn X, but that's a personal comment and shouldn't hinder you from resubmitting that idea in a dedicated thread.

Reikoku wrote:
[LIST=2]

Create a new state of the in-game universe which is dynamic. [/LIST]

• If a system somehow is destroyed, the initial cosmic strings are cut down and the former system pretty much becomes a huge space of debris and rocks. You can only reach it by training the relevant technology and in the case of a starting game, the system would be inaccessible by everyone until later. This could be exploited by pirates/species (provided they survive the radiation and the hazards) and used as a means of income/exploration/staging pint/technological feat (as in a technology that can accelerate at a tremendous rate the creation of stars and use the debris to form a new, random system out of them).
  
  

Stellar construction has already been proposed, while a mechanism to destroy stars, interestingly, hasn't been suggested in a non-composite suggestion, yet. Strange, really.

Edit: There has been a doomsday request, already. See /#/endless-space/forum/28-game-design/thread/11786-environmental-weapons-and-major-consequences

Reikoku wrote:
[LIST=3]

Dynamic evolution of species in-game by the player's/A.I's actions in the game.

[/LIST]

• If a specie starts out to be an economic magnate, but ultimately sees that the only way to go forward is through war, this could be reflected at specific points in the game (maybe with the use of certain events) that allow them to change specie traits on the fly, or, maybe in their quest to ascend, they start to become something different and their traits and gameplay starts to shift towards another way. Maybe the specie starts to evolve biologically too (for example, the images in the Diplomacy window start to show different (in a fixed way)) in their quest to become Post.
  
  

Changing racial traits during the gameplay hasn't been suggested, yet.

Reikoku wrote:
[LIST=4]

The Endless. Events made up for a VERY late game meant to end the game in a very climatic way.

[/LIST]

• Since their influence is gigantic in the game, this should be shown in the game with the use of events and situations. A system which has been a former metropolis of the Endless would really add up to the A.I./player's advantage by giving access to unique ship designs, weapons and modules, special system upgrades or pretty much very long cooldown-like abilities that once activated (with Dust), alter the state of the universe dramatically.
• Their time to come back is now. The Endless pour out in the game in a very remote and start building up their forces. Since they have been gone for so long, time has given them the blessing (or the curse) to think things out. If they come back looking for trouble, this is a problem for EVERYONE. So, players/A.I. would have to set aside their differences and work towards a common goal of thwarting back the Endless. This option opens up a new victory type called Total-War. Players may still fight each other as they would normally do, but the players who help the fight against the Endless gain a bonus to their total score and also the player with the highest contribution is awarded an extra bonus for his help. The game would end if the Endless won or the players win the Endless. This would be a late game event that has a chance to activate and not a normal parameter like the other victory types.
• The Endless come back, but in peace. They actively help A.I./players in the lower bottom of the scoreboard financially and boost their FIDS considerably. The lower half of the players must help the Endless survive for x turns, while the higher half must eradicate them, since might makes right. The players win if they either manage to help or destroy the Endless. Unique diplomatic opportunities and complex strategies could arise, since someone could break diplomatic ties if they were in either bracket by a considerable point gap or one could start to lower or up his advances intentionally to get into either of hte brackets. After x turns, the A.I./player's position in the event will be final and no matter how high or low you go, the game ends with the players making the bigger advance towards help/destruction recieving a bonus.
  
  

Unique planets/systems have already been proposed in principle. To bullet 2/3: It's basically an armageddon-like ending, again.



This thread is moved to the archives as a composite suggestion.