[REPOST OF THE ORIGINAL SINCE THE LORE IS THE SAME. ALL YOUR GAME DESIGN DOCUMENTS IN ONE CONVENIENT PLACE!]

Hi there,

Here we are at last.

Thank you all for joining us to make of Endless Space 2 our next 4X, an awesome game. We are hoping to make this a reference both in terms of 4X Strategy and for the Sci-Fi genre. Our primary goal is to inherit from both Endless Space and Endless Legend as much as we can. While making them, we learned a lot about creating 4X games, and now we want to use that experience acquired over the years for Endless Space 2. If we aim right, you should feel right at home when you play ES2, yet, many gameplay features will still be unique to its settings.

THE GALAXY SHUDDERS

The Endless have risen and fallen. Uncountable other peoples have also been born, developed, and either flourished or disappeared depending on luck and opportunity; ruins, records, and tall tales abound that cover this infinity of stories. Yet among all the stories to be told, nobody asks how the Endless gained their powers, and what sacrifices those powers may have required.



For, like any people, the Endless came from somewhere; they, too, had a beginning. The galaxy, however, is far older than the Endless, and there is little record of what came before. Perhaps it was simply a great void waiting for this great civilization to fill it... yet not all ruins are explained by the science and magic of the Endless, and the older they are the stranger they seem to be. But these answers are difficult, for all of that lies in the ancient past. And we are but flighty beings with brief lives; naturally, it is the present which most interests us.

And in this present (of the many possible presents we might live) a great and unexpected event has occurred. A store of wisdom and of Dust magic, a veritable encyclopedia of the Endless and their knowledge, has been disseminated across the galaxy. Of all those uncountable civilizations who are gazing upon the stars, which ones shall be unexpectedly enlightened by this gift? The question is not meaningless, for as science and technology suddenly accelerate, great metal craft will point their noses toward the heavens and leap forward into either history or oblivion. There will be new discoveries and powerful new abilities, and these nations must decide how all of this will change them.



For, in the end, it is the citizens of a nation that determine its future. They will react to policies, develop aspirations, and desire change and movement. What effect will this great well of information have upon the myriad beings who make up an empire? Will they grow like the Sophons, seeking ever more scientific knowledge at the expense of industrial and military might? Become a people of investigation and study, bent on discovering the most challenging secrets of existence? That is a possibility; pacifism can be its own reward, with the riches of the nation being poured into knowledge and education.



But the peoples of the empire may choose a different path. Perhaps security can only come through control; through power. Will stability and a secure future only come if laws are passed and decrees are made that guarantee the upper hand, grow the military, and force all others to bow before them? Is the future a future where the Cravers control the galaxy, bending all to their will and consuming those who disagree?

There are many possible futures and many possible outcomes as the many nations of this galaxy grow and struggle and explore, seeking space, resources, and security. Time will tell what events and discoveries might lead to the answers, and what great forces might be disturbed. For something stranger than scientific progress has occurred here, and in their headstrong rush to colonize distant systems the many peoples hailing from these many stars may not be prepared for the knowledge they are so eager to discover...

Give us your impressions! But remember, the Games Design Documents on wide topics such as Diplomacy etc. will come later to answer your questions on specific matter.