I agree with seanw3 for the most part, the AI was pretty simplistic in the Alpha version, but the current Beta versions show much more promise. Before I was always able to get away in battle using the same 3 cards over and over again, but now the AI noticed and deployed his 3 cards to specifically counter my own. I still won because I had better ships (took some damage though), but it was still nice to see... and made me think twice about my cards the next time I got into a big fight. The AI still isn't as aggressive as I'd like it to be, but it's gotten better on that front too. It says on their website that the AI routines have been one of the last things to go in and be tweaked, so I would imagine more love is on the way.

I like klaxXxon's description of the battles: "space porn". It is indeed, especially when you get to the later cards. EMP Blast is a favorite.

As far as the micromanagement goes, I'll say it again: In any other game the amount of stuff to do would constitute a heavy dose of micromanagement. But because the UI in Endless Space is so slick, it doesn't feel like it. In my current game I'm checking out the Amoeba race and own half the galaxy... in a large map. Turns still take on average less than 3 minutes (if there's no manual battles, if there are, just add one minute for each engagement) with over 65 planets to manage in 22 different systems... with no automated governor in sight.

Nothing much to elaborate on really onomastikon.  Simply put, the game did not turn me on, didn't get the blood rushing and I cannot remember at any time becoming excited by anything in ES.

I done a lot of clicking not really understanding what it was I was doing, and not really caring what it was I was doing.  I would guess this was because there was no draw to the game, it was sort of flat.

I cannot knock the developers, they have done a fine job, It's just not the 4x space game for me.

My tastes are Sots prime, which I love, I am playing this a lot lately while I am waiting for Sots2 to become.

If you have any  specific questions, ask away.  

Essentially that is the core of shipbuilding in ES as well. You have your choice of guns, lasers or missiles and their counterpart defenses. The only differences are that instead of being called Lasers I, Lasers II, etc. they're called Lasers, Synchroniton Lasers, Pinch Guns, etc. Different ship hulls have different bonuses as well, but that's about it. I found the GalCiv ships to be uninspired as well, but the rest of the game made up for it. For me, it's the same thing here. The simplicity of ship design is outweighed by the other fun factors in the game. I do know people though that were really turned off by GalCiv's ship design and combat, so I would highly recommend trying a demo before buying. 

That is just for the forum signup which works fine for me. You have to pre-order to play the beta on Steam.

Just purchased a second Emperor edition for my kid brother. Trying to the the 4x bug to bite him. 

This is a game where you will lose sleep over and it is worth it.

There are a couple rough ends still but this is the game SotS II should have been. 

I personally love the battle system. Upgrading you heroes and unlocking new cards and modules add variety to load outs and tactics.

If you still fire up Galactic Civilization II from time to time, I would strongly recommend to give this game a try.  

Wow that way earlier than I expected NICE!

That's not a good sign. It was alpha just a couple of weeks ago. Why the hurry? Earlier is almost never better.

THIS may be the problem right here.

Here's a direct quote from their forums:

Keep in mind that this release is just a step in the life cycle of Endless Space, this is not end. We are committed to constantly improving and expanding the game for many months after release. The official release however, will allow us to get review rankings from the press, and access a broader audience, as some people would never buy an alpha or beta. The alpha/beta was a good success, but the game is not profitable and we have to survive as a company to continue making great games and adding new content to Endless Space. Of course we are not releasing because we have ran out of money, but I think the game has reached more than sufficient a quality (compared to the market benchmarks). And again, this is just a step, the game will continue to evolve.

Their "Alpha" was really polished... if I hadn't been told what version it was I would've said a late stage beta based on the lack of bugs, the stability and the near feature-completeness of it all. Really all the beta has been is adding the last three factions and then balancing the mechanics and tweaking the AI. It sounds like from their post that they didn't get as many pre-orders as they liked... which is understandable given the disappointment over 4X pre-orders the last few years.

I also agree that this makes sense as an explanation and also sounds reasonable.

However, the last time I pre-ordered a game was WoM, and I vowed in August (what year was that, 2010?) never to do that again, so I will actually wait for reviews before purchasing.

Anyone here up for some multiplayer? I would love to see if the desync issues have been fixed as claimed in the last update. 

Seanw3, you're filling me with hope here. I've been watching this one and praying that it turns out well, but have been torched too many times to want to risk a pre-order. If it's really as good as you make it sound, I'm going to have to break out the wallet. How's the MP? Is it possible to play with someone in a coop kind of way and team up against some AIs?

As for SotS 2... that was quite possibly the most ruinously bad launch I've ever seen. And I was here for War of Magic. Maybe it's playble now, but it came out six months ago. That's not easy to overcome in the market these days. I'm not willing to spend any money to try it at this point given what happened. Maybe with a couple expansions and a 75% Steam sale or something.

I've been waiting for this for a long time.  I'm looking forward to ES.