Endless Space 2 Fans...

[Ian C]

When creating a new game you select a difficulty level....besides the usual easy-normal-hard-etc. there is one called "sandbox".   Not sure what that does and the Steam forums weren't much help figuring it out.  I wonder if it disables the story/choices?  Anyone know?

According to Reddit it's a mode where the AI is passive and you can just explore and conquer with little resistance.

As far as in-game events, you can turn off random events in the settings. I don't think these are story-related though, just the standard random events.
Go to New Game/Gameplay and click the plus sign (advanced settings). The settings under 'Narration' turns them off. Note that there are advanced settings for 'Galaxy' as well...

[Jarhead0331]

Yeah...makes sense. I've never looked at the advanced settings when creating a new game.

[Ian C]

I've never looked at the advanced settings when creating a new game.

More fun.










Also worth mentioning, Galaxies appear very differently depending on your choice of shape and change the atmosphere quite a bit:

[Jarhead0331]

Why am I not surprised these options exist....once again, elegant complexity. Great stuff.

[Gusington]

Loin moistening screenshots.

[Yskonyn]

Cool stuff!

What strikes me immediately is how elegant the UI is. At first glance it seems complicated, but it turns out its actually very efficient and straight forward!
Lots of handy little things are here. Like dragging and dropping population to a 'spaceport' (in the form of a box in the lower left of the screen) in order to send them off to new worlds.
The indicators in a ring around a planet to get a sense of (over)population quickly. Neat stuff!

[Queeg]

Cool stuff!

What strikes me immediately is how elegant the UI is. At first glance it seems complicated, but it turns out its actually very efficient and straight forward!
Lots of handy little things are here. Like dragging and dropping population to a 'spaceport' (in the form of a box in the lower left of the screen) in order to send them off to new worlds.
The indicators in a ring around a planet to get a sense of (over)population quickly. Neat stuff!

Funny, but my main problem with the UI the first time though was that I overlooked the many simple ways this game does things simply because it didn't expect them. 

[Jarhead0331]

^I agree. A lot of the more complex or intricate features are easy to overlook because the UI is so streamlined.

For instance, management of armies is hidden behind a rather small graphic within the Military Management menu. Likewise, advanced battlefleet tactics are hidden behind a relatively obscure plus sign on the battle screen, etc. 

Maybe its actually too streamlined? I know the UI is something that receives a fair amount of criticism from some.

[Anguille]

Looks great

[mikeck]

I think the simplicity of the UI accounts for any complaints about a lack of depth. I HAVE seen several comments about lack of control of ground fights, Control of Naval battles, etc. Same complaints as the first.

I just think that some players don't bother to allow themselves to Actually play the game and let it unfold. They don't allow the tech and hero's to advance to unlock different actions. They don't bother to read the events and explore the various options. In their mind because you can't directly control ships in battle and only have a few building options to start, it's shallow

[Jarhead0331]

This is a game where thumbing through the manual is actually very beneficial to the player. It really shows off the "hidden complexity" and will make players aware of some of those systems that are not obvious during the first few play-throughs.

[Ian C]

In their mind because you can't directly control ships in battle and only have a few building options to start, it's shallow

In my understanding, the game is a 'Galactic Ruler Simulator'. You give your orders to fleets and your AI 'admirals'/heroes do the rest. For me, the key to fleet strategy is choice of hero leader, fleet composition, load-out, technology, choosing the right fleet capabilities to match with specific enemies and positioning of the fleets at critical points, where they can either defend locally or respond in due time. Once I got into how it works I forgot about not being able to be a fleet admiral as there is plenty to keep you busy.

[mikeck]

I don't disagree. But there are a lot of players out there who feel that the lack of control over ships (like in stellaris) means that the combat is "shallow" or "dumbed down". I disagree. But my point is that because of the excellent UI, the options and actions you have available in this game are extensive and deep...it just doesn't look like it. That, plus the slow pace with which tactical options, building options, etc become available, means people play it for only a few hours and declare it to be "shallow"

So yes, in some cases, a great UI can actually make the game appear shallow Instead or simply streamlined

[Rayfer]

I fond this YouTube video to be quite helpful in understanding the game mechanics at a deeper level.  It covers 15 functions but is only 20 minutes long. I understand the game much better having watched it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsXsPxvqK7k

[Ian C]

Patch out:



Patch notes 1.3.9


[OPTIMIZATION]
General performance optimizations

[AI]
General bugfixes
Fixed an issue when AI would not properly seek to unlock a technological stage
Fixed an issue where pathfinding would use an invalid node
Fixed an issue where Behemoths would not be able to restore planets properly
Fixed AI Hissho being able to interact with pirates
Fixed an issue where debug text was displayed when the United Empire AI proposed contracts or sent mood messages
Fixed an issue where AIs would not send diplomatic contracts when they *totally* should

[BALANCE]
Vodyani "Hunt" and "Raze" actions will no longer have an Approval penalty
Changed Hissho population trait to +1 Manpower per turn
Obliterator cooldown reduction exclusive tech is now at -25% on all game speeds

[IMPROVEMENTS]
Added a scroll view to the Side Panels Area to avoid side panels exiting through the bottom of the screen in the System Management View in some rare cases
Added a tooltip to inform players about unlocking population slots when upgrading their Arks
Added a new Empire Improvement to unlock more Singularity slots for Riftborn empires on stages 3, 4 and 5 of the Science and Exploration quadrant

[FIXES]
[BEHEMOTHS]
Fixed health discrepancy issue between ship designer and ship design for Behemoths when technologies increasing Behemoths health were researched
Fixed an issue where the Behemoth bonuses system label icon was not visible when playing as a custom faction with the Extreme Foremen Population Bonus
Fixed an error when a Behemoth terraformation was cancelled due to fleets having moved
Vodyani Behemoth-specific technologies in the Science and Exploration quadrant now have the correct Vodyani-specific icon
Unfallen will no longer obtain an automatic Citadel shield on captured enemy Home Systems
Fixed an inconsistency between the "Launch Mining Probe" tooltip and the tooltip of empire resources regarding mined resource income rounding
Fixed Citadels having no upkeep (it is now feedbacked in the System Dust)
C3 Centers will also affect Citadel upkeep
Added a cap to C3 Center upkeep multiplier
Technology stage cost reductions from Behemoths will now cap at 75% even if you stack Behemoths on a node
Made starting with a juggernaut a faction trait instead of a specific of the Hissho affinity

[ECONOMY]
Having low Approval while having a negative Dust upkeep will not generate Dust anymore

[POLITICS]
The Z'vali unique law will now bypass blockades and sieges
Fixed an assert upon accessing the Senate screen with an empty political assembly
Added Keii cost to changing government for Hissho empires

[RELICS]
Slightly increased probability for curiosities to spawn for pirate lairs and minor faction assimilation system relics
The System Relics: Pre-Galactic Markers notification no longer lists the names of custom factions as debug text
Fixed an issue where the anomaly spawned from Remains that are generated after ground battles did not have an image

[ACHIEVEMENTS]
Fixed "Are you not entertained" achievement unlocking at the end of the turn it was actually unlocked

[FACTIONS]
Fixed Illo assimilation trait
Added missing tooltips for minor factions in the Custom Faction Screen
Fixed minor relations bonuses and quests not being lost when the minor faction's system is razed
Extracted unfallen specific empire improvement from coordination pact unlock (caused confusion)
Fixed an issue where a misleading message was displayed on a system for pirate marks when the player plays as the Hissho faction
The "Meditation" module for the Vodyani will no longer be displayed for custom factions with the Vodyani visual affinity
Corrected the Sisters of Mercy Citizen trait not being grayed out when Illo Citizen was selected

[TECHNOLOGIES]
Fixed an issue where debug text was displayed when hovering over technology unlocks from the "Research completed" notification
Fixed issue with Hissho being unable to colonize Steppe and Tundra planets with Hardship ready
Fixed Description of Fealty Fundation level 2 & 3 (used the same title and description as level 1)

[QUESTS]
Fixed an issue where the reward for the Take Arms objective of the "To do or not to do" Sower population quest was not fully visible when playing as Hissho
The "Words in Private" Behemoth quest is not triggered anymore when the Supremacy DLC is disabled
Fixed an issue where the tooltip of the Academy Quest special Attack Fleet Action displayed an incorrect battle icon
Changed the objective of Cultural Appropriation in order to add Dust-related buildings (like trading Companies" or "Buyout"
Population quests are no longer triggered for custom factions
The Pilgrims "Muddled Mystics" minor faction quest objective made reference to the Approval mechanic when playing with an Honor Bound faction, now it's over
In Galvran "The Good Old Days" minor faction: "House" quest option made reference to the Approval mechanic when playing with an Honor Bound faction
"Ghosts and Dust" Academy quest: if there is no Trade route: the quest is failed. There is no specific failure message (waiting for a proper translation)
The "Reclaim" objective of the "Veneration or Vilification" Hissho population quest can be completed via invasion if Sykagoja is colonized by another faction

[SYSTEM MANAGEMENT]
Fixed an issue where the Fealty Foundation Hissho specific planetary specialization displayed a placeholder icon in the system scan view
Fixed an issue where the Fealty Foundation specialization was not grayed out when the user did not have enough Keii
Fixed two issues with Hissho's ancestral reverence (couldn't be queued on Major Home System that belonged to other Major factions and had no effect if used on minor faction home system)
Corrected the effect description tooltip of the "Resilience" trait
Modified inner working of Ancestral Deference to solve a tooltip issue
Fixed an issue where the Spaceport section of the System Command Banner exits through the base of the screen when a wrecked ark is present in the system
Added a tooltip to warn players you can't reconstruct unique planets

[FLEET]
Fixed an issue where the "Merge" fleet action button was available when selecting a non-specialized Behemoth and a Hero only fleet
Fixed wrong base loadout of the Hissho medium coordinator
Removed Kamikaze fleet action on Argosy of custom faction with Hissho gameplay + involuntary nomad
Removed exception when healing the fighter bombers at the end of a battle
Fixed vision sharing not working properly when a fleet is created
Fixed mining probe (stacked even though they shouldn't)
Fixed hissho specific mining module "Gouge of the Tonatsi" which didn't have a FIDS mining effect
Fixed honor zone being displayed in scan view (MAC)
Basic Entropy Missiles are now going straight to avoid missing
Ground Battle: Fixed defender damage multiplier being multiplied by 1000 when applying the Amianthoid system upgrade recipe

[HEROES]
Fixed an issue where the "Select a Hero" button in the Military screen fleet list was enabled for non-specialized Behemoths
Hero Management Screen tutorial doesn't display a flat amount of turns before the next assignment in order to avoid confusion

[NOTIFICATIONS]
Added a notification toggle option for the post ground battle decision notification in the Options screen
Players are no longer falsely informed at the end of the ground battle cinematic when claiming a decisive victory against a pirate lair that they can choose the fate of the system
Reduced the appearance parameters for the Remains notification in order to have them pop only for involved empires
The Mining Probe tutorial does trigger when conditions are met: right after the Behemoth tutorial
Several parts of the tutorial mentioned Approval when playing as Hissho
The player is no longer falsely informed that the ground invasion may continue next turn when he is defeated during a failed ground invasion attempt
Fixed an issue where the "Outpost alert" notification displayed the same image as the Hissho specific "Outpost maxed out" notification
Added option to enable/disable notification about minor introduced in rev#40801
Fixed Hissho outpost actions tutorial not showing up when the "Enable colonization cutscenes" option is set to true

[MULTIPLAYER]
Fixed desync on hot join related to Special node control effects
Fixed desync on unfallen colonization
Fixed desync on visibility caused by guard/blockade combo
Fixed desync on hot join caused by alliance & vision sharing
Fixed desync on hot join related to relation with pirates