Accuracy of the star map/constellations

[Buxbhai]

Hi,

I am thinking of buying ES2 as I heard a lot of positive things about it and it indeed seems really nice, but before I purchase it I'd like to know if this game takes place in our milky way and if it does, are the stars and planets like in reality or are they made up?

I remember seeing a picture where it said Sirius-1 in a star description so apparently there are in fact real stars in the game.

And what about their positions to each other? Do they resemble their real equivalents? Are the astronomical constellations somewhat accurate?

I know of course that we do not know much about our "galactography" and what we assume/know is basically in relation to our position on Earth, but I'd still like it much better if the game had a certain grade of realism in it, if you know what I mean.

Have a nice day,
B.

[Sekhriat]

No, the galaxy is not based on the milky way. It is proceduraly generated based on setting [Spiral, elliptical, age (for the type of planets), etc.] choosed in the lobby.

While outdated regarding numbers and probably some other options, the old ES1 wiki should give you a rough idea of the settings available in ES2; http://endlessspace.wikia.com/wiki/Galaxy_settings

[Evgenich]

Originally posted by Buxbhai:

Hi,I am thinking of buying ES2

If you are not ready to spoil your opinion about this breathtaking designed game, just wait at least one year and let them finish the development - an advise from player with 1 year of expirience and 1000+ hrs of gameplay.

[Buxbhai]

Thanks for the heads up and the answer to my question!

[Bozobub]

The only games I know of that properly simulate the entire galaxy, including many stars/features we actually know of, are Elite 2 (all versions), the newer, recent version of Elite, and No Man's Sky, although there could be others I simply am not aware of.

[Royal Raven]

The Endless games have their own lore, they fit in their own Universe. All of the Endless games tie into each other and make that universe ever so real. I always loved the Endless lore and their game make a player feel part of that universe. I never felt that way with any other space game, besides Stellaris. But in Stellaris you can start on Earth and the our solar system.

I would give the Endless games a try, especially ES2 and Endless Legends.

I say a faction in ES2 that comes close to earthlings are the United Empire. I say the Vaulters too, but more of a earlier earth civilization, like the Vikings.

The depth of the lore, will pull you in and will give you that much more realism.

[Buxbhai]

Thanks very much for the answers!!

@Bozobub:
indeed during my research on a cool space game I stumbled upon Elite Dangerous which also seems pretty good, although it is a totally different play style.

A little problematic to me is this trend in the gaming scene to release games not really finished and then polishing the game more or less slow and have the customer even pay for those updates.

Seems to me that one should wait quite a time for such games to get "old" and then buy them.
But of course the general human being is pretty impatient and thus would buy even something not entirely finished just in order to play it at least. I am not so much an exception regarding this unfortunately ;D

@Raven:
I was also torn between ES2 and Stellaris and finally decided that in the 4X genre I'd most likely go for ES2.

In fact now I am more torn between ES2 and Elite Dangerous. Being games with different play styles I could go for both of course. But I am becoming father in spring and have to save as much money as I can for the child and would feel somehow guilty spending my limited wealth (and time!) with gaming, but I guess men never really grow up totally :)

What I'd like to know now would be related to the price performance ratio:
Considering none of these two games is actually 100% finished, which of those two games (ES2 vs. Elite Dangerous) offers more for their price?

I am also taking into account that in ES2 I'd most likely buy and get all the DLCs while in Elite Dangerous I'd probably only get those major game updates (horizons and beyond) and not those apparently pretty obsolete and overpriced ship colors which I don't care for anyway.

Every single contribution to this thread will be highly appreciated!

Take care,
Bux


EDIT: Oh jeez, Stellaris is on sale now....maybe it IS the better choice?? Help! Opinions needed! :D

[lPaladinl]

I love both ES2 and Stellaris. ES2 is a more polished experience in my opinion, and is more fun when I want more straight forward story and design. I prefer the science trees in ES2, especially when each race has a few differences in their tech trees. General presentation is just top notch.

Stellaris I like more as a military empire sim or for political gameplay.

[Bozobub]

You are talking about 3 completely different types of game.

• The entire Elite series is all about 1st-person perspective space combat, trading, piracy, and so on. I LOVE this genre, mind you, but they are in no way "4X" (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) or strategy titles. The older games, such as Elite 2: Frontier/Frontier: First Encounters, are VERY good, especially if you pick up one of the (legally free!) fan-based fixes[wiki.alioth.net] and/or remakes, such as Pioneer[pioneerspacesim.net].
  
  
• Endless Space 2 is a (more or less) traditional turn-based 4X game.
  
  
• Stellaris is a "grand strategy RTS", with 4X trappings.

All of these games have their merits and drawbacks, and discussion of any of them can be interesting, but direct apples-to-oranges comparison isn't really possible; it's more about personal tastes ^^'.

Another game to think about, by the by, which (like Stellaris) is a combo of 4X and RTS, is Sins of a Solar Empire.

[piccolo255]

Originally posted by Buxbhai:

I know of course that we do not know much about our "galactography" and what we assume/know is basically in relation to our position on Earth, but I'd still like it much better if the game had a certain grade of realism in it, if you know what I mean.

Sword of the Stars 1 has a custom map with real star names and their positions. (SotS is a 4X, but with more focus on combat and weapon techs and a very streamlined/simplified empire building.)

Strategy map in SotS is fully 3D, which is neccesary for realistic astrography, though it can be difficult to navigate for some people. Most 4X games have 2D maps, since they're easier for both users and developers, but they make it difficult/impossible to depict real space in all of it's multidirectional glory :)

BTW, if you'd like to explore space but don't really need a game around it, try Space Engine[spaceengine.org] (it's free):

SpaceEngine is a realistic virtual Universe you can explore on your computer. You can travel from star to star, from galaxy to galaxy, landing on any planet, moon, or asteroid with the ability to explore its alien landscape. You can alter the speed of time and observe any celestial phenomena you please. All transitions are completely seamless, and this virtual universe has a size of billions of light-years across and contains trillions upon trillions of planetary systems. The procedural generation is based on real scientific knowledge, so SpaceEngine depicts the universe the way it is thought to be by modern science. Real celestial objects are also present if you want to visit them, including the planets and moons of our Solar system, thousands of nearby stars with newly discovered exoplanets, and thousands of galaxies that are currently known.

[Buxbhai]

Greetings,

so first of all Space Engine is amazing!
It is funny that I somehow like all this space stuff (thus also my desire to buy one of those games) but actually being there (now with Space Engine) makes me feel super lonely in this ultra vast and somewhat empty universe...without a doubt it is pretty daring to claim that there is no alien life out there! It also lets you realize how beautiful our mother earth is.

Thanks for the other game recommendations! Seems that at least Evochron is better than Elite Dangerous...
And Stellaris vs ES2 still is not so clear which one I'd prefer...

But to my original question, which of these games has the highest price perfomance ratio? (in case that word does not really exist in english, I just want to know where you can get the most out of the relative price).
Seems to me that ES2 in the end is a lot cheaper than Stellaris!

Speaking of which, does anyone knows this site?
https://www.cdkeys.com/pc/games/endless-space-2-pc-steam-cd-key?mw_aref=8023ef0aa94165947417b567beee956d&utm_source=www.allkeyshop.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=allkeyshop

Is this some kind of scam or do I sell my soul also or where's the catch in it? It's so much cheaper there.


EDIT:
btw if anyone is wondering why I am asking again for a comparison of Stellaris and ES2 although there are already threads treating this topic, all of those date back to 2016 or early 2017.
And as both games seem to have developed a lot since then, I think an update on that comparison is justified :)

[Sekhriat]

While I don't remember people having problems with Cdkeys, you need to keep in mind that it is not an authorized reseller. I would personnaly just wait for the christmas sale that is happening pretty soon anyway. You might even be able to get all those games at this point.

[Buxbhai]

Yes I think I made up my mind and will buy ES2 and Evochron Legacy in the christmas sale :)

As for now, I am really enjoying flying around in space engine!

Thanks a lot everyone for helping me out!

Have a nice day or evening or whatever :)