The clock is ticking for fans of Amplitude Studios and their hit series of games, and for many it couldn't be going any slower. We've entered the final week in our wait for early access to Endless Space 2 and all we can do now is sit back and watch (or rather, read) the glowing reports of those fortunate few who have been able to get their hands on a copy of it. But instead of sitting there twiddling your thumbs watching the latest faction trailer or checking the wiki for new information like a junkie in need of a fix, why don't you spend your free time on a much nobler pursuit?
For the uninformed, Amplitude Studios has a concept known as Games Together. Pretty self-explanatory, but listen to it In the words of creative director Romain de Waubert:
'We wanted to create, before we even heard this name for it, through live development. We wanted to work live, in front of the players. They wouldn’t just be an audience. They could be actors in the game’s development. We could create games together. But for that, they need to be able to play the game before it’s finished.'
Amplitude Studios has a long history of working as close as possible with its fan base. Keeping them engaged and informed about the progress of their games and working towards maximum transparency, it's what has made Amplitude Studios so successful in such a short period of time. But Games Together isn't just limited to thinks like early access. No, it's about creating a better game together, and one of the ways Amplitude Studios goes about doing that is the faction creation contest.
The idea first popped up in their previous game, Endless Legend. But after seeing how much fun everyone had with it and the massive community support the idea returned for Endless Space 2. Unfortunately, a lot of people missed it the first time around but fear not- there's still time to vote for your choice faction to appear in Endless Space 2. Right now we're on the visual part of the vote, whichever of the three options wins this round will see their design become the official in-game design before we move on to final round of voting. There are two other options on the site but this photo down below comes from my personal favorite of the three, a gamer known as Uriak.
In order to vote, you'll need an account on the Games2Gether platform. But that's a small price to pay knowing that you're contributing directly to making the game the best that it can be, for the feeling of pride and excitement when you see the final product has taken your voice into account.
