Hey guys and gals!





This announcement has been a long time coming. Starting in 2012 with the first Games2Gether contest that brought the Automatons to Endless Space, and subsequently the Cultists of the Eternal End to Endless Legend, our community faction creation contests have always been extravagant displays of imagination.





We're happy to bring this contest back for Endless Space 2! This faction's theme is Pacifist diplomats!













Now that we've got your attention, the contest will be split in three phases. The phases will work this way:





Phase 1: Game Design

Gameplay & biography

What is the faction affinity that makes this Pacifist diplomatic faction unique to play?

- Cravers eat up Minor Factions, consume planets and can never be at peace, Sophons are crazy explorers and get a huge science bonus if they're the first to research a technology. How is yours different?

What is the story behind this faction?

- Give us, in 200 words or less, a description of the faction. How did they get to that point? What's their society like? What's its goal?







Phase 2: Visual Design

Hero & Ship visuals

What do the leaders of the faction look like?

- Now that we have the basics down, let's focus on appearances. Heroes are our main visual cue on the population's appearance. What do they look like?

What do their ships look like?

- You can offer either one or several visual concepts, or even doodles with a bunch of reference pictures. Try new things, impress us!







Phase 3: Narrative Design



What is life like in this faction? Who are the people who inhabit it?

- Write a short story (500 words or less) showcasing one or more of the heroes, and setting up or referencing the faction quest. Inspiration will be drawn from the winning story for hero biographies and the faction-related quest.







Finalists for each phase will be selected by the community in a popular vote among all receivable entries, with the top three entering a final vote on our new voting platform.





We reserve the right to alter submissions or work with their author to fit our design and specifications. Full rules for the contest [ES2_Faction_Creation_Contest_Rules.pdf].









Prizes

The winners of each phase will receive the following:

Their names in the game credits for ultimate bragging rights.

for ultimate bragging rights. An Endless Space 2 t-shirt . "What's that?" people will say. "Just a game I helped create", you'll reply.

. "What's that?" people will say. "Just a game I helped create", you'll reply. An exclusive badge showcasing your achievements .



showcasing your achievements Two copies of the game when it hits Early Access, for you and a friend!

when it hits Early Access, for you and a friend! A trip to Paris to visit the studio and meet the team!





We're starting straightaway with Phase 1, Gameplay & Bio. Head over to this post in our Contests section to find out more about the specific rules of this phase, and other advice. The deadline for this step of Phase 1 is two weeks from now, Thursday 25th, 6pm CEST. You can already start voting for your favorite submissions, and the three finalists for the vote will be the three most popular receivable submissions. Make sure you get your submission in before that!









Get your thinking caps on, and have fun!















