Rob Zacny Posted November 7, 2016 Three Moves Ahead 373: Amplitude Studios and the Endless Series This week Rob and Fraser welcome special guest Jeff Spock, Narrative Director at Amplitude Studios. The Endless Series has garnered a large amount of praise with its impressive debut in Endless Space, the unique gameplay in Dungeons of the Endless, and the master class of 4X gaming in Endless Legend. Jeff goes over the challenges of writing for 4X and strategy games and how the universe has changed from Endless Space to Endless Legend. Endless Legend has changed quite a bit since launch and Jeff explains how the series has evolved and where it might go in Endless Space 2. This topic was chosen in a poll by our Patreon backers. Endless Space, Dungeons of the Endless, Endless Legend, Endless Space 2 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hexgrid Posted November 7, 2016 On the subject of Ruse, what killed it for me is UPlay. I'd go to play it, it would ask for my UPlay password, which I wouldn't have to hand, and then I'd go play something else instead. It's killed the Anno series for me as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hexgrid Posted November 7, 2016 I would have said that character-centric fantasy 4X games where your field armies are the focus can be dated back to the original Warlords, at the least. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roke Posted November 10, 2016 This was another great developer interview. The only thing I feel like the question from the year-in-review is still unresolved. Is Endless Legend a good strategy game? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sclpls Posted November 10, 2016 Listening to this episode was a nice respite from the dark place my mind has been. Thank you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Valorian Endymion Posted November 13, 2016 Really good episode! One of the things I really like of Endless Space and Legends is the faction design, not just in terms of gameplay, but in presentation (specially their intro videos) and concept. Meanwhile other 4x games factions often have blurry lines and might look the same, save some minor bonus, their factions stand out unique. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riadsala Posted November 29, 2016 On 10/11/2016 at 5:17 PM, Roke said: This was another great developer interview. The only thing I feel like the question from the year-in-review is still unresolved. Is Endless Legend a good strategy game? I was thinking the same thing. I suspect the answer is "no." [Which isn't to say it isn't a fun game/toy to play around with]. I think the faction design pushes the game into optimization strategies (this is how I break the game economy with this faction) which don't interact all too much on the map. So while each faction presents a different puzzle, and provides some replayability, any one faction isn't all that re-playable. I think my personal preference is for the opposite design... all factions start the same, and then diverge due to choices in tech and the influence of the map, interactions with other factions etc. Still, it's a fun game, from an interesting studio. Endless Legend was good, and a breath of fresh air into a tired genre, but I think (hope!) that the studio are capable of much more! Imagine a game that captured the character and flair or Legend, with a really solid strategy game design to last the ages. I look forward to replaying some Endless Legend myself soon! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
