Questions on Endless Space: Sandbox and Diplomacy

[jhon9728]

ok so I am really interested into getting into a 4x game, i had a look at distant worlds but the number of resources, amongst other things makes it far too overwhelming.

So I am thinking of giving this a go
2 questions:
1. Sandbox in distant worlds you can play it like a sandbox, no winning, you just expand and play and see how you go and it never ends. Can you do a similar sort of thing in this? is the maps big enough that it can still be sort of like it without victory conditions ending it?

2. Diplomacy. what is the diplomacy in this game like? is it comparable to Total War of civ 5? RTS's always annoy me with diplomacy, it is always I do all the work despite being vastly stronger, to a minor nation, only for them to go at war with me because I stop slaving away for them despite me crushing them near instantly. Does the AI realize war is stupid? do they make fair and accept reasonable offers? thanks
:)

I also know it is in alpha, but I would like to know what to expect

[Haldur]

Well, you could create a huge universe with only one opponent -- set the difficulty way down to slow the opponent's expansion speed, and that would last you for a bit. depending on how fast you expand, it should take you a bit before you encounter the enemy, but not nearly as long, for example, as it does in SotS.

Diplomacy is currently bare-bones and seems unfinished at this point -- there's not much to it right now, but more should be coming. I'm not sure what it will be like in the finished product (it's just an alpha now, remember). For example, there are currently some buttons on the diplomacy screen that have not been implemented yet (such as trading resources and technology).

If you are unsure as to whether to get it now or not, then I'd say that you should wait for the beta, or release and see what it will be like at that point. But if you want to take a chance, i'd go ahead and get it. The game has a lot of potential, but you just have to realize that it's also still in development.

[Vimp]

For example, there are currently some buttons on the diplomacy screen that have not been implemented yet (such as trading resources and technology).

I don't understand why you said this. Those buttons are in the game. I have traded both resources and technology in the game.

To give a sense of the scale in the game, the medium and up galaxies can have between 80 and 120, possibly more even, solar systems. Each system usually has several planets that can be developed. In my first game I chose 3 AI opponents and selected medium size galaxy I think (could have been small) and that game lasted me 18 hours of play time. I didn't actually finish it either as it was enevitable that I would win since I owned the vast majority of the galaxy at that point. I was playing on newbie difficulty though since it was my first game and I wanted to learn how to play.