Endless Space is a 4X turn-based strategy video game taking place in a sci-fi universe, developed by Amplitude Studios. It was released digitally on the 4 July 2012, and was released to retail stores for PC and Mac on the 24 August 2012. The game takes place during the space colonization age, where the player can control every aspect of his empire: Economy, Diplomacy, Science. and War.
Production[]
Amplitude Studios was the brainchild of Mathieu Girard and Romain de Waubert. Veterans of the video game industry, they represent almost 15 years of experience in game production. They were key team members on games such as Battlefield 1942, F1 Racing Championship, Dark Messiah, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter PC, Call of Juarez Bound in Blood, RUSE, Might & Magic Clash of Heroes, and Heroes of Might and Magic VI.
Passionate about strategy gaming, they created Amplitude Studios in January 2011 to develop deep and rich games for PC and Mac. Their first project, Endless Space, was launched at the inception of the company, when they pulled together a team of experienced veterans and promising young talents.
GAMES2GETHER[]
In parallel with the production of its first game, Amplitude Studios introduced an innovative community program called GAMES2GETHER, which allowed players to actively participate in the development of Endless Space. Through forum discussions and polls as well as an online voting system, the community has been actively involved in the development of the game.
About the Game[]
>> Extract from an Interview with Romain de Waubert (Creative Director) >>
"In Endless Space you play the role of the leader of one of the many intelligent beings of a galaxy at the beginning of the space age. Very quickly, you discover the remnants of an older civilization. That civilization called themselves the Endless, among their ruins, a matter called Dust, with amazing proprieties is found. It shapes and does what its user thinks, it gives a reality to dreams… dreams that lead to the extinction of the Endless.
"Since then that matter became the most precious matter of the universe, and therefore the universal currency… but in front of the power of the dust it is hard even for the purest beings not to fall under its charm…
"We want the players to live an experience that goes beyond just strategy. You will live your own story of space conquest, with your own sandbox full of empires, technologies and unknown worlds for you to conquer.
"The game’s goal is to offer endless possibilities in how you play the game. You will be able to create your own faction from over 100 traits, and test it against other ones… a bit like a mad scientist trying to create the perfect being to rule the universe.
"Depending on your play style you will prefer to choose more or less aggressive traits, more or less social, economic, diplomatic… it will really be up to you to decide how to rule the universe.
"And when all hell breaks loose, when battles are your last resort, you should be able to enjoy the battles as if you were seeing a movie from your favorite Space Opera. So we have put a special attention to our battles… we want them to be the pinnacle of your strategy: faction traits, ship design, technology focus, fleet composition, did you make the right choice.
"So very little choices will be left for you when the battles are resolved, so you can let our AI director lead the show for you. Nonetheless, you will still have the opportunity to choose some specific fleet orders that will give you the opportunity to focus on certain weaponry, repair your ships, create action combos or even totally counter your opponent strategy.
"In the end how you win, will totally depend on you and your play style as you have 7 different victory conditions. And when you feel ready, gather your friends and show them who is the best emperor of the galaxy!"
Storyline[]
- Main article: Universe
"This galaxy is ancient, and its first intelligent life was the civilization we call the Endless. Long before our eyes gazed upon the stars they flew between them, though all that remains of this people is what we call Dust. A substance found scattered or in forgotten temples, it once gave powers to admirals and galactic governors. The galaxy will belong to the faction that can take control of the Dust and uncover its secrets…"
Features[]
- A Born Leader: Guide one of eight civilizations as you strive for galactic dominion. Will you control the entire galaxy through subtle trade and diplomacy, explore every corner of the universe to find powerful artifacts and resources, overwhelm other civilizations with your advanced technologies, or destroy your enemies with massive armadas?
- Endless Discoveries: With hundreds of star systems to explore, different planet types, luxuries and strategic resources to exploit, the mysteries within the Dust to master and a host of strange scientific phenomena to deal with, the player will have no lack of challenges. Hire heroes to become fleet admirals or system governors and discover five hero classes and their unique ability trees and specializations.
- Space Opera: Experience Endless Space with state-of-the-art graphics and interface, switch between strategic battle decisions and long-term planning. Optimize each fleet for epic battles around contested stars. Create the perfect combinations from dozens of unique ships per civilization. Customize your ship with modules, armament, engines and special mods. The player has a plethora of choices of how to best destroy or dissuade his enemy.
- Take on the Universe: Play against up to seven opponents and build up – or break – alliances at will. Discover an innovative and dynamic simultaneous turn-based gameplay. Permit instant jump-in for your ongoing online games. Define your own custom civilizations and confront the ones created by your friends.
- Endless Replayability: Control every new game’s scope, from a quick match-up to an endless war. Generate an infinity of random galaxies where every start begins a new adventure. Modify the size, shape, density, age and a lot more to create your ideal galaxy. Choose from different victory conditions and adapt your strategy on the fly.
- Creating GAMES2GETHER: Track the dev team’s objectives, progress and achievements. Participate in the creation of the game via the GAMES2GETHER initiative. Access early versions of the game and give your feedback to the dev team. Discuss actual and future game features and expansions with the dev team.
Special Editions[]
Endless Space released with two special versions that contain extra content and rewards. On June 26, 2013, the Admiral Edition was phased out to reduce community fragmentation; Admiral Edition owners gained access to the Sheredyn faction and Endless Hero at no additional cost.
Admiral Edition[]
The Endless Space Admiral Edition includes:
- Official Digital Soundtrack
- Endless Space Forum Account Award - Adds a unique "Endless Space" Award on your Amplitude account profile.
- 500 G2G - Boost your Amplitude account and add 500 G2G to the value of your votes for the game art and design on our website.
Emperor Edition[]
The Endless Space Emperor Edition includes:
- All Admiral Edition Content
- The Sheredyn Faction
- The Endless Hero Skuoi Kyryi - Hire a unique and mysterious hero, direct descendant of the Endless civilization.
- Dev Team Forum Account Award - Adds a unique "Dev Team" Award on your Amplitude account profile.
- 500 G2G - An additional 500 G2G.
Videos[]
Release History[]
- For the release history of the expansion pack for Endless Space, see Endless Space: Disharmony.
Pre-Release Versions[]
- Alpha - The Alpha version of Endless Space was released for Steam on May 2, 2012. First public playable version of the game.
- 0.30.5 - Released May 18, 2012. Contained minor fixes.
- Beta (0.42.0) - The Beta version of Endless Space was released for Steam on June 4, 2012. Contained various new gameplay features and major fixes.
- 0.43.5 - Released June 5, 2012. Contained minor fixes.
- 0.44.3 - Released June 6, 2012. Contained additional gameplay features and minor fixes.
- 0.44.4 - Released June 7, 2012. Contained minor fixes.
- 0.45.2 - Released June 9, 2012. Contained additional gameplay features and minor fixes.
- 0.47.4 - Released June 13, 2012. Contained additional gameplay features and major fixes.
- 0.47.5 - Released June 14, 2012. Contained minor fixes.
- 0.48.2 - Released June 15, 2012. Contained additional gameplay features and major fixes.
- 0.51.2 - Released June 22, 2012. Contained many additional gameplay features and major fixes.
Post-Release Versions[]
- Full Digital Release - The full version of Endless Space was released digitally on July 4, 2012.
- 1.0.3 - Released July 4, 2012. Contained many additional gameplay features and major fixes.
- 1.0.5 - Released July 6, 2012. Contained major fixes.
- 1.0.8 - Released July 12, 2012. Contained optimization for the Emperor Edition features of Endless Space and major fixes.
- 1.0.9 - Released July 13, 2012. Contained minor fixes.
- 1.0.14 - Released August 9, 2012. Contained additional gameplay features and major fixes.
- Full Retail Release - The PC DVD and Mac versions of Endless Space were released on August 24, 2012.
- 1.0.16 - Released August 24, 2012. Contained optimization for the Mac release of Endless Space and major fixes.
- 1.0.17 - Released August 28, 2012. Contained minor fixes.
- 1.0.18 - Released August 31, 2012. Contained minor fixes.
- 1.0.19 - Released September 12, 2012. Contained minor fixes.
Add-on 1: Rise of the Automatons[]
- Rise of the Automatons (1.0.25) - The first free add-on for Endless Space was released on September 28, 2012. Contained the new Automatons faction, various new gameplay features, and major fixes.
- 1.0.26 - Released October 4, 2012. Contained minor fixes.
- 1.0.27 - Released October 5, 2012. Contained minor fixes.
- 1.0.29 - Released October 17, 2012. Contained major fixes.
- Halloween Update (1.0.30) - Released October 30, 2012. Contained the Automaton Hero M'gual Tan-Erbo and a new planet anomaly.
Add-on 2: Echoes of the Endless[]
- Echoes of the Endless (1.0.38) - The second free add-on for Endless Space was released on November 28, 2012. Contained interactive random events, exploration events, wonders, five new Heroes (Jana Kryv, Tephys, Bosun Jennifer Rach, Burra Techseeker, Keldron Bor), and other gameplay additions and fixes.
Add-on 3: Lights of Polaris[]
- Lights of Polaris (1.0.45) - The third free add-on for Endless Space was released on December 19, 2012. Contained balances for faction traits, new Steam achievements, the new Oros Gec faction Hero (Erram Zen Eerbee), and other gameplay additions and fixes.
- 1.0.46 - Released December 26, 2012. Contained minor fixes.
- 1.0.49 - Released January 14, 2013. Contained minor fixes.
- 1.0.60 - Released February 19, 2013. Contained major fixes.
- 1.0.61 - Released February 25, 2013. Contained minor fixes.
Add-on 4: Virtual Awakening[]
- Virtual Awakening (1.0.65) - The fourth free add-on for Endless Space was released on March 11, 2013. Contained four new Heroes (Berege Carter, Ting Neuil, Mizn Ora-Yur, and Kyuind Neuil), one Technology, two Star System Improvements, two Exploration Events, four Random Events, three Anomalies, the Victory Warnings and Auto Scrap features, and other gameplay additions and fixes.
- 1.0.66 - Released March 25, 2013. Contained minor fixes.
- 1.0.67 - Released April 23, 2013. Contained one minor fix.
- 1.0.87 - Released June 26, 2013. Contained major fixes for compatibility with Endless Space: Disharmony, as well as new ship models for the Automatons, a unique affinity for the Sheredyn, and new intro movies for both factions.
- 1.1.1 - Released June 27, 2013. Contained minor fixes.
- 1.1.4 - Released June 29, 2013. Contained minor fixes.
- 1.1.9 - Released July 10, 2013. Contained minor fixes.
Add-on: Chronicles of the Lost[]
- Chronicles of the Lost (1.1.48) - Released November 26, 2014. This add-on contains 24 new colonization events, 8 exploring events and improvements for the AI.