Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

My concerns for SE4 that I would like to see addressed in SE5 is micromanagement. To address I would suggest the following:

Almost no facilities:
You set sliders (priorities) to determine what is built. You could still have a research center 3 facility, however you wouldn't be personally building it on the planets. This basically means you could have it the old way, but a planet governor controls based on the slider. You would click Y/N on some checkboxes for SpaceYard and Supply Depot. Terraforming would not be a facility, but one of the priorities that you set for a planet. Also, population moves automatically between planets (sort of - see below)

No direct control of Population Transports/Troop Transports/Fuel Ships
Instead, like MOO2, you have freighter fleets for those areas (or one, I would suppose if you prefer). You might capture a new Oxygen breathing race in combat, and since they are living on a Hydrogen planet, you would tell the planet administrator to move them to an Oxygen planet and replace them with Hydrogen breathers. Based on the size of your population fleet (and how many other demands you have placed on the fleet), will determine how quickly the population on the planet is replaced. Troop and Supply fleets would be a bit different. Your fleet/ships will have a support cost. The support cost goes up or down depending on how close you are to a supply depot. You might also totally cut off support, if there is a blockage between the fleet and the nearest supply depot (which would make the raiding of supply lines - a key tactic in warfare - a valid strategy). Keep in mind this support is not for just fuel. My vision is that when you invade planets, troops from your ships crew do the invasion, not a separate troop unit. So if your supply line is cut, you do not have any more troops being replenished on your ships. Also, through combat and normal attrition, troops die, so in theory you could have pilotless ships if your supply lines are cut off long enough.

Another thing for SE4. On the main screen, show icons to indicate if a planet has a supply depot or spaceyard. Would make life easier than clicking on all of the planets in a system.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

reports that are sortable...

and the ablility to name ships and planets and systems what ever you want and only you know...

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

"Almost no facilities:
You set sliders (priorities) to determine what is built. You could still have a research center 3 facility, however you wouldn't be personally building it on the planets. This basically means you could have it the old way, but a planet governor controls based on the slider. You would click Y/N on some checkboxes for SpaceYard and Supply Depot. Terraforming would not be a facility, but one of the priorities that you set for a planet. Also, population moves automatically between planets (sort of - see below)"

I can't see how this is any less micromanagement. You still have to set the sliders, you have less precise control. And auto-moving population would drive me NUTS. The AI ministers are stupid enough as it is without removing the ability to turn them off.

"No direct control of Population Transports/Troop Transports/Fuel Ships
Instead, like MOO2, you have freighter fleets for those areas (or one, I would suppose if you prefer). You might capture a new Oxygen breathing race in combat, and since they are living on a Hydrogen planet, you would tell the planet administrator to move them to an Oxygen planet and replace them with Hydrogen breathers. Based on the size of your population fleet (and how many other demands you have placed on the fleet), will determine how quickly the population on the planet is replaced. Troop and Supply fleets would be a bit different. Your fleet/ships will have a support cost. The support cost goes up or down depending on how close you are to a supply depot. You might also totally cut off support, if there is a blockage between the fleet and the nearest supply depot (which would make the raiding of supply lines - a key tactic in warfare - a valid strategy). Keep in mind this support is not for just fuel. My vision is that when you invade planets, troops from your ships crew do the invasion, not a separate troop unit. So if your supply line is cut, you do not have any more troops being replenished on your ships. Also, through combat and normal attrition, troops die, so in theory you could have pilotless ships if your supply lines are cut off long enough."

Another UG, please no from this poster. Why would ship's crews be doing invasions? Dedicated troop transports make more sense, and I don't want my supply ships going off on their own.

"Another thing for SE4. On the main screen, show icons to indicate if a planet has a supply depot or spaceyard. Would make life easier than clicking on all of the planets in a system."

Already can be done. Empire Options screen. It'll show little S, Y, and R for space port, space yard, and resupply depot.

Phoenix-D

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

"Another UG, please no from this poster. "
Maybe I don't know that much about internet board etiquette, but is it standard fare from this board to tell people to stop posting? Disagreeing with me is fine, but to tell me to stop posting? I think that is bad manners. It is true that I am not part of the SE4 Elite, as I am still in the middle of my first game. I would think the views of newcomers would be a valuable insight to development, assuming they are truly interested in expanding their playerbase. Anyways, in regards to what you posted:

"I can't see how this is any less micromanagement. "
Well, for example. Currently if you want to improve the atmosphere/minerals of a world, you have to scrap some of your existing facilities (the number depends on how quickly you want to terraform) build terraforming facilities. Occasionally check back to see if the terraforming is complete, and when it is, scrap the terraforming facilities and rebuild your original facilities. Multiply this by 100+ planets in your solar system, and you have a micromanagement nightmare. It would be better if such things were not assigned to facilities at all, but were just something in your build queue or a priority in one of your sliders.

"And auto-moving population would drive me NUTS. The AI ministers are stupid enough as it is without removing the ability to turn them off."
I don't think you are understanding me here. Like other units, you would build let's say 50 population transports. You never see these 50 population transports, all you see is a number on your Empire Status screen that says you have 50 population transports with none engaged. Then when you tag 100 million of a population to be moved, it will take your 50 population transports 5 turns to move 50 million people, so 10 turns to move all 100. If you were to assign another 100 million to be moved somewhere else, those would have to wait until the first 100 million were moved (or you could start moving both simultaneously at a slower rate) before the next 100 million were moved. There really isn't much of an AI involved here, it is more of an algorithm that determines how quickly the population is moved. Fuel and Troops are similar, although in their case I imagine a supply line drawn on the screen, showing the hypothetical path that the troop transports take. If you manage to move your fleet over one of the wormholes that the supply line takes, you will have blocked the supply line and cut off support to the enemy fleet.

"Why would ship's crews be doing invasions? Dedicated troop transports make more sense"
Someone has never seen the original Star Trek and Captain Kirk in action. (: OK, seriously, I agree that it would make more sense if the ship's crew was not involved in ground invasions. Maybe you just have an optional troop cargo container added to a ship (like you do now) and that container is restocked by the units you build at your colonies. The rate of restocking depends on how many ships you have in your troop fleet and how far your fleet is from a supply depot. Of course, you would have to still build troops at your colonies in order for there to be troops to send to your fleet to restock.

"Already can be done. Empire Options screen. It'll show little S, Y, and R for space port, space yard, and resupply depot."
Thanks for the tip. I will be sure to use it in my game.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">No offense, but, don't get your panties in such a bunch. The bit you are responding to with the above does NOT read as a "please make the guy who said that go away" -- it's a vote by him against what you suggested. "another 'Ugh,please no' from me" would be a good translation.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You never need to check back. Completion of an atmosphere-conVersion, or reaching maximum ("Optimal") Conditions, is reported at the beginning of each turn. IOW, the game tells you when it's done, the moment it's done.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Reports notwithstanding, I do agree: I wish terraforming was a PROJECT, not a facility. IOW, spend forever on the project, and when the project completes ... *poof* goal accomplished.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">And there're even more indicators than only that available, though I rarely if ever turnthem on (usually only if I want tocheck a heavily-colonised system for some key system-wide-effect facility or other).

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Pax is correct about that part.

One thing about the indicators: they don't work on moons, only on the main planet. So if you have a moon-based SY, it won't show.

Phoenix-D

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

OK, thanks for the clarification. I am glad that you weren't asking me to stop posting. (:

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

- Oh another thing the ability to add facility slots. Ex: Build a level facility I on panet X and you just added 2 more slots. Think of what a level facility M would do http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif .
- Also be nice if you could make people a resource. Ex: Small fighter requires 3 people, pilot and ground crew, while a large ship needs 1,000 people, and a Planet ship yard I 15,000 people. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Someone mentioned money... Well I personally like the way money is being represented in MOO3. (Yeah, I always have to bring up the MOO games don't I http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif Well they're GOOD - and Aaron did mention that MOO was one of his inspirations for the SE series! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif )

Anyway, the way money is implemented in MOO3 is that you collect taxes from your population, as well as collecting money via trade treaties, tributes, and a few other sources I can't think of off the top of my head. Also, production and research don't occur automatically - you have to fund them, with a diminishing returns effect. So say you have 10,000 industry and 20,000 research. It will cost 1 AU (Antaran Unit, the MOO3 unit of money) for each industry or research point or research point you want to fund - up to your maximum; if you don't fully fund your industry or research then the extra points are wasted. Likewise, you can overfund your industry and research, but remember that diminishing returns effect? For every multiple of your industry or research, the cost per unit doubles. So with your 10,000 industry, if you want to get 30,000 production done this turn you will have to spend 10,000 AU for the first 10,000, and 20,000 for the second 10,000, and 40,000 for the third 10,000, for a total of 70,000 AU! So it's possible to overdrive your production or research, but very very expensive! (This system would also work for intelligence operations, assuming they will be done on a points basis like in SE4; MOO3 isn't using the system for intel because it uses a different system - you hire and train individual spies to carry out your dirty work.)

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Don't know if it has been told, but here is what i would find helpfull in SE V :

- a colony icon for planets that have space left for new facilities.

- a search tools for colonies, that can mix several filters :

- I want all my colonies with a spaceyard, not building something.
- I want all my colonies not building something, and having more than 300 kt free in their cargo space.

- a popup message when you re going to erase a fleet, by removing the Last ship.

- possibility to attach notes on a ship (usefull for transport missions...)

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

I´d like the construction yard to be changed
into a more realistic ability.

Now you are CONSTRUCTING predefined DESIGNS.
It is more realistic to construct its components and then give the order to ASSEMBLE.

Space Yard Facilities will then be used for
constructing bridges, CQ, LF, Engines etc etc.
The ´surplus´ of one turns build would be stored
on the planet. (Ability 1 storage 2500kT).
Cargo facilities can enlarge the storagecapacity.

When you have made all components you construct (=assemble) the design. Assembling cost could be
an ability (10 % of the total constructioncost
of all items).

You will be able to produce more efficient but it
will also mean a better planning and transport
of builded items.

Yard Facility on ships can work with a storage ability (500 kT and rising when achieving a higher techlevel). If not sufficient you will have to use more ships !!

Martin

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

In addition to my first reply i would like to have a button in the system screen.

If you do an intelligence you can put the
info right where it belongs. A button
next to the buttons construction/next turn
would give you a summery of al notes in all
systems.

Secondly i want the ability to build as many
ringworlds and sphere worlds as there are
stars in a system. I also want to the ability
to ´upgrade´ a ringworld to a sphereworld.
Maybe a new feature to put in a component.

Thirdly, when starting a new game you can
choose how many units and ships you allow
to be in a game for a player (both 20000).
Make this an inputfield where you can put
a number instead of clicking and clicking
and clicking etc etc ..... or is this
being solved in 1.84 ? Haven´t looked yet.

And lost one for now. Give Starbases the
ability to move so i can position them on
warppoints without the need of a ship yard.
I´ll even settle for a movement of 1 sector
in 3 turns or so.

greetings Martin

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Ooh, good idea with the spaceyards...
You know you can mod bases to have engines? Just set "Engines Per Move" to something other than zero, and create an engine component that can be placed on a base...

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

I would love to see:

1. A simple abstracted tactical ground combat "arena" somewhat like we now have for space battles. "2D" would be fine, but something more then now, {pretty please}. {So we can maneuver around a bit and seize stuff and occupy dirt and blow things up more personally. So much more satisfying, lol!}

2. A more interesting "boarding" battle combat arena also.

3. The ability to set the maintenance cost of each individual component. Either as a percentage of builds cost or, better yet, specific values for each of the resources consumed each turn.

4. I'd like to see colonized planets generate usable population points to a pool like resource that are used as a "resource" globally, to build units, man starships, man factories. The "men" required would be specified in the component text. We could have other technologies, traits, components or facilities that reduce these requirements and/or increase their availability.

5. A larger space combats arena and a better "retreating ship" design. Having to go and hide in the corner or run around trying to run the clock down to survive, while cute, leaves much to be desired. How about... If you are slower then the pursuing ships you get caught, and if you are faster you automatically get away. I know it's a bit more complex then that and yes maybe there could be techs that modify that basic concept but generally if you are slower you don't get away, unless the enemy chooses not to pursue. If you are faster you get away even if they are pursuing, barring the uber-secret long-range tractor beam or temporal glue your mad scientists just invented. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Good thoughts, Tenryu, but can't you already do number 3?

Well, partly, anyway.

Or not. I guess the maintenance change ability changes it for the whole vehicle, but that should still kind of work. As for specific resource values, couldn't you give the component negative resource generation values? Or do those only work when around asteroid belts or the like? Never tried any of this stuff myself.

Here's my biggest wish: For Aaron to magically change his mind about the real-time combat for SEV. If I wanted real-time combat, there are already fifty or so games on the mainstream market form much larger companies with flashier graphics that I could get. I know that the end of turn-based gaming is inevitable, but maybe you could put it off for another year or two?

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

More realistic planetary damage! Drop 100 nuclear bombs on a planet and all that happens is the weapon platforms blow up? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif Every weapon in the game should have one or more "collateral damage Ratings" which specifies how much damage it does to population, planet conditions, troops, etc.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I agree. I'd also like tho option to launch fighters in Groups in a specific formation: Shielded fighters in front, rocket pods behind, a large fighter providing ECM ans combat sensors for the whole group.

Hey is ground combat becomes expanded, we will want the same thing for various troop types.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Both of these are genius ideas. To be honest, micro-managing the ships and fleet...or at least to have that as an option, would bring the game to a whole new level. I have been looking for/waiting for, a miniatures space battle on the computer for ages.

If you could micro-manage to the level of say, this rule set, http://www.thanesgames.com/gsc2/gsc2main.html and maybe even have a "battle mode" where two sides have a certain ammount of points to spend before they field their fleets on equal footing, well...it would just rock. That kind of game play must have a market, Starfleet battles is in it's third edition....but some of us don't like star trek so much, on account of it sucking so bad. (Ignores it's own continuity and naming schemes, and the hard to watch Redenberry-Gambit...you know, Vulcans don't show emotion, so here is a Vulcan with emotion....Borg are ruthless and undefeatable, so here is a friendly Borg, and Janeway can defeat them at will....you get the idea.)

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

From Space Empires: Starfury interview with Aaron Hall

Located at: http://rpgcodex.com/content.php?id=39)

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Can that be right? SEV will only have small "hand full of ships" type battles?

Let me change my vote to have the option of 2d or 3d, if the 3d is going to crimp fleet size.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">IMO this is a terrible idea. Why add such a pointless level of micromanagement to ship construction?

I don't want to have a ship take even longer to build because I didn't notice that all of the components were ready.

It would make building every ship as tedious as building ringworlds and sphereworlds is now.

[ February 03, 2003, 19:53: Message edited by: capnq ]

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

maybe stupid idea, maybe not, but wouldn't a "evolution" research line be something? ... like research and intel.

Ok evolution takes a lot more time usually, but space colonization also takes more time to do http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif .

But for example, you are terran.. and go to space more and more, you lose physical strength a lot, but you develope (with added research: genetic manipulation, cloning, random factors) telekinetic skills and telepathic abilities.

With the goal to ascent to a higher being? or like a very powerfull "ancient" space race that pocesses abilities beyond normal comprehension...
(like shadows and vorlons?)

R.

[ February 04, 2003, 15:14: Message edited by: Some1 ]

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

some more things to consider for SE 5.

1 System and Galaxy
1.1 Sector limitation
1.1.1 If i can put 100 mines TL 3 and 100 Satellites TL 3 in the same sector
then it should be possible to put more then 100 mines TL 3 in one sector.
Change the sector limitation into a maximum of kT instead a certain number
of units.
1.1.2 Moving ships/drones through a "full" sector will not be possible.
You will have to engage combat or go around it.
1.2 Asteroids and Meteorites
1.2.1 Asteroids and meteorites which move through the galaxy (on a collision course).
1.2.2 Asteroids and meteorites can be destroyed by all weapons by reducing
the damage resistance to zero.
1.2.3 Asteroids and meteorites will move 1 sector each turn.
1.2.4 Asteroids and meteorites will move through warppoints and will be
handled as a ship while passing through.
1.3 Components and Facilities
1.3.1 Massive Energy Shield
1.3.1.1 Promote the Massive Energy Shield to a facility in the tech area of shielding.
1.3.2 Standard Movement Power
1.3.2.1 Propulsion is based on standard kT Movement Power (MP). An Ion Engine will have
100 kT of MP. 6 Ion Engines on a frigate will give you (100x6)/150 is 4 movement.
1.3.2.2 MP will be rounded down to an integer. (eg 4.8 will be 4 !!).
1.4 Units
1.4.1 Troops
1.4.1.1 Combat with troops will be desplayed just like combat screens for ships/planets etc in a arena.
1.4.1.2 Troops will have to have the ability to move (see 1.4.1.1)

@capnq 1.3.3 Construction Yards
You´re right that it will increase the time to manage your construction queues. But the idea was to make it more realistic. Centralizing your construction queues to a few planets would compensate for the increase of management.

Normally i´d use 5 planets as maximum as construction planets. One facility and about 10 space yards do the job quite well. Combine this with the suggestion to use more slots for a even bigger construction yard and more cargo space and the possibility to have more yards on a planet.

I think it will eventually make it easier to play the game and managing your construction queues.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

I can't think of too much of what I want to see in SEV, but the one thing I do want to see is that it meets the same hardware requirements of SEIV Gold. I don't know when I'll be able to upgrade my computer, so if the hardware requirements change, I won't be able to play the game. And I so want to continue playing this game in whatever form the new game will take.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Here is my wish list for a future release of SE:

Tactical ship combat screen: bigger, and when a ship reaches an edge, it will appear in the opposite side of it, as representing a spherical sector of space. Its not very realistic to destroy a ship by cornering it.

Tactical ground combat: a ground tactical combat map! Yes you can also create your ground / air units bearing in mind mobility / protection / firepower. Maybe some combat like in Panzer General I, with several categories of units: artillery, infantry, armor, aircraft (and may be ships in worlds with oceans?).Of course, turn based, as it should ALWAYS be a good strategy game! Allow use of all kind of weapons (seekers!) and other componets (engines) for ground units.
Maybe some ideas may be taken from Star General(not a good game, but I liked the combination of ground and space combat, someone remembers it??). Of course if the player don´t feel like to emulate Erwin Rommel, he can resolve it the¨"strategic way"

Fighters should be capable of operations on planet surfaces to support ground units from ground bases (the equivalent of fighter bays but on the ground), but perhaps they must not be allowed to go to outer space by their own propulsion, only when they are transfered to a spaceship in a "space strategic" turn.

Bigger stellar system screens, with more or less the same number of stellar bodies in it but more distanced, as a stellar solar system is in most part "empty" space. I dont think very realistic to send reinforcements from Earth to a base in Pluto in one or two months. Players wil be more careful when deploying their defense units.

A bigger universe map: allow more, much more than
255 stellar systems, maybe a higher proportion of un-colonizable systems, but it will make the logistics of space travel a little more fun.

Ship movement: move up the limit of 255 standard movement units for ships in order to allow more freedom in selecting a scale for Quasi Newtonian Propulsion use.

This is what come to my mind now, I am sure I will have more ideas in the next few minutes...
Some of those ideas were already posted by other people in more or less the same words, but I think this reflects the fact that SEIV is a great game and it only needs some additions to make it THE PERFECT STRATEGY GAME!

Please allow me to know what do you all think about those ideas posted here, as we can always make a wish, then wait for an answer from game developers!

Leo1434

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

:: Caution Gryphin is fantasizing again :: You have been warned ::
Just a thought that evolved from Some1’s post about evolution.
Specialized research faculties. They might be in Metallurgy, Environment, or Genetics or more general Biology.
Using these facilities there would be Research ques for each of them. Areas of research could be Enhanced Racial Traits, Breathing Types, Home Planet Types. These could lead to “Specialized Populations”. With enough research you could create a race that could colonize planets and atmospheres you did not have.
Example: You are Gas Giant / Hydrogen. With enough Research you could “design” a race that was Rock / Oxygen.

Note: I don’t expect this to ever get coded but I can fantasize.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Eugenics....a much maligned science.

http://www.eugenics.net/

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">IMO this is a terrible idea. Why add such a pointless level of micromanagement to ship construction?

I don't want to have a ship take even longer to build because I didn't notice that all of the components were ready.

It would make building every ship as tedious as building ringworlds and sphereworlds is now.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hmmmmm

There seems to be a common theme that runs through SE4 threads. And, I suspect, most other games.

Realism vs expediency. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

The desire for a realistic game is countered by the desire for a game that is flexible and easy to play. And vice-versa.

Faster and more complex computers, better software which assist in the creation of better programs and better programming skills will bring these two supposed 'opposites' together.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

How about this one:

Design the game with a client/server architecture, where clients would be:

* the user interface screen
* computer AI's
* ministers

and the server would be the game engine & state.

This would allow (among other things):

* aspiring AI designers to implement their own AI's (virtually no limits on what the AI examines from its vantage point when making a move)
* avid players to code their own user interfaces
* avid players to implement ministers that do exactly what they want them to do

Comments?

--Raynfala

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

I would also like to see some expansion on the idea of trade. Right now, trade is completely transparent to the player. I would like to see trade ships which are not really under your control (since they are free traders) but do require protection. This would not really add to the micromanagement, and would add realism since a government has far less control of free traders compared to military ships. These autonomous ships would establish their own trade routes (viewable only to the home empire and the empire to be traded with). Both empires would share the responsibility of protecting their trade ships. You could fleet your ships with them as protection, but then fleet control would be turned over to the computer.

Trade ship construction would also not be under your control. It would be controlled by some sort of suppy & demand routine. Possibly the player could have a method to increase/decrease trade ship construction over the whole empire at the cost of lowering the empire's overall construction rates accordingly.

An attack on an enemy trade ship would disrupt trade, and the movement of resourses & supplies around your empire. Maybe even be able to capture enemy trade ships. This would make the spaceport idea a little different in that you would need a spaceport and trade ships operating from that system.

There could also be trade ship related research areas. These would not be able to give the trade ships any offensive military capabilities, but would be in the areas of speed, defense, capacity, increased exchange rate, etc.

Trade should be linked to happiness and resource procurement at the system level. It should also fill the role of supply lines. If a part of an empire is cut off, it should suffer in supply, and its ability to send/receive resources.

Slick.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

It occured to me while adding SectTypes to my modding program that it might be nice if the descriptions for the planets actually had an in game effect.

You could perhaps add a bunch more fields to the SectTypes file so that for example on a "Tiny planet dominated by carniverous flora." people would be less happy and reproduce slower. or a "Huge planet which is rumored to be the home of ancient powers." would give a bonus to research facilities.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Has anyone mentioned warp point toys? For example delayed-exit warp points, moving warp points, randomly opening & closing warp points.

Oh and here's a biggie:
If you have static defences by a warp point, your enemy should have to fight them in order to go through it. As it is now, you can fly up to the warp point on the same side as the defences, start combat, spend 30 turns keeping out of range of all those bases/ sats, and then after combat has ended just warp through. AGH!

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Change neutral empires to allow ships to warp after a human player takes over.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

What about getting rid of the Warp points and allowing any capital ship to have an Hyperdrive to jump to any system in line of sight (not blocked by other system) within a 100 light years ?
That would be far more realistic, would get over all those "warp point shock point defenses", and would dramatically change the strategy.
I'm playing now with the in-house rule of not defending any warp point, and it feels very diferent. It forces you to defend every colony independently, plus keeping a colonial fleet for counterstrokes.
There is nothing like a hostile alien fleet warping out in middle of your home system without warning.... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Aloofim:
Try playing a game using my FTL map against a few humans http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

It should be to your liking, without requiring any house rules.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks!
One question, how did you get rid of the warp points? Can I do that to all the maps in the Proportions mod?

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Can it be played against the AI?

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

No, maps like my FTLmap can't be created automatically.

To use the map, start a new game, using whatever mod you like, and then in the quadrant choosing screen, select "load map".

Each sector in a hyperspace system corresponds to one square on the galaxy map, or 10 light years per MP, IIRC.

And, no, the AI dosen't work with it. I guess there are just too many paths to pick from when going from point A to point B, that they just freeze up.
When giving orders to your ships, you need to give them line of sight orders.
IE: instead of saying "move to Ikyak VI", say "move to the warppoint (to ikyak) at (0,2), warp, then move to planet VI"

[ February 10, 2003, 17:50: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Re-balance the weapons using the fine work of the modding community.

One recurring example:
(Progressively increase the structural points needed to destroy seekers at higher levels, or apply a progressive defensive bonus to the seeker).

Please? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">If I may tweak your tweak... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

How about not permitting ships through a guarded warp point until the defenses have been eliminated, but... add the ability (during tactical combat) to allow ships to leave the combat map via the warp point. This would give players the option of "running the blockade".

So, ships that hang back during combat stay on the near side of the warp point, but ships that exit the map via the warp point have permission to proceed through the warp point (and, in fact, must move through the warp point on the next turn).

Granted, this would put a bit of a monkey wrench in the works, what with fleets splitting up during combat as some members of the fleet get through while others hang back. But hey, who knows how SE-V will work anyway...

--Raynfala

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Oh yeah, one more feature request:

Add a button to the game that will get the kids ready for bed, wash the dishes, fix anything in the house that needs fixing, and create a time bubble around my computer that would extend the standard 24-hour day by another 5 hours or so.

{begin Harvey_Fierstein_voice}

I just want to play... is that so wrong? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

{end Harvey_Fierstein_voice}

--Raynfala

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Here's something: self-destruct devices. I really, really hate these things. One of my favorite elements of any space combat game is boarding actions. And they're in SE! Which is great, except they don't really work. Because of the Damned self-destruct devices. All anybody needs is level three propulsion and suddenly the whole ship capture system is useless.

A much more useful model would be to include some sort of device that would set off explosives when boarded, and you could decide how many explosives you needed. An even better addition would be to give the self-destruct device some sort of percentage failure chance. Another good thing would be more incentive not to carry them, so a way for someone else to set them off? How many sci-fi movies have there been with some super-duper ship or space station that gets trashed by some guys sneaking on board and setting off the ever-present self-destruct device?

Another good thing would be if the devices were connected to specific components. Suppose you have some shield technology that you don't want to fall into enemy hands, so you put a bomb in the shields so that they'll be blown up if the ship is boarded.

Actually, I hate to say this, as I mostly don't believe that SE should emulate any other game, but MOO2 had a pretty good boarding model, even to the point of having breaching pods (assault shuttles) and specific missions for boarding parties.

Just a few ideas.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Something little... but you know how trade grows by 1% per turn up to 20%, where the 20% is moddable (like in P&N it's 10%)? Well, how about if the rate was moddable too, and could be set for each of the individual resources and points - so you could have Minerals, Organics, and Radioactives trade growing by 1%/turn up to 10%, say, and Research and Intel trade growing by half a percent a turn up to 5%.
Also, MOO1/2 had this and I think it adds a bit of realism - establishing trade or research treaties doesn't initially produce a profit - in fact it initially costs money to set up trade routes, but after a few turns you start making money.

(I wish I could be on the design team for the next SE game... too bad Aaron does most of this himself! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif )

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

Note to self:
-Mod out Self-Destruct devices. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif
-Mod in Crew Quarters with the Security Station values (60 turrets for anti-boarding defense)

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">A self destruct mount! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif 2x the price, but that component becomes uncapturable.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

The ability to analyze units and facilities for tech, not just ships!

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

1) Better implementation of TCP/IP
2)Making a new component call it a warp generator, with the abilites of the gravitational condenser and the grav. quantum resonator. Open and close your own warp points, maps would not need stars interconnected (If you wanted it like that) This would better simulate, babaylon 5 type movement.
3)Ability to choose square to square movement. Forget warp lines/points altogether. Better to simulate Warp speed (Star Trek) type movement. This might be mutually excludable with other Light speed styles upon choosing which to use on game start.
4)When ground combat was initiated, switch to a small hex map and play a simple board wargame with ground "counters" with odds rations, zones of control etc.. Make this a different scale of play--- Ten round of ground combat for every 1 "space" turn. Also adding a ground unit logistics model of some sort, so that every "space turn" could effect the ground supply situation. Create ground counter type units instead of the component type units with size Bn, Rgt, Div etc.
5)Allow for a component called "system ship racks" allowing for the piggy-back ride of ships not equiped with warp generators on ships with them.. Makes for interesting strategies.
6)Allow for map editing with name tags with possibly a dashed line, that would appear on the map-- neutral zone--Romulan border--etc.
7)Allow map editing for more than one starting point for each race--like homeworld:fully developed--Colony:minor development--outpost-- minimum development. allow for starbases to start the game already built in the map editor.
8) Create an AI that will use the "proportions " mod effectivly.
And do this all underbudget and ahead of schedule

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

I second larrybush's suggestion of conducting everything on a hex map instead of a square grid. It makes no sense to me how a ship can travel along a hypoteneuse and end up with the same x & y offsets that would otherwise take two turns to accomplish by moving directly along the x-axis and y-axis for one turn each...

--Raynfala

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'd like to further this by suggesting a new way of defining ships, planets, fighters, satellites, weapons platforms, asteroids etc.

If all these objects were derived from the same basic "object", then modders could blur the lines between one and another: Fighters could be given warp abilities, bases could produce research and intel, ships could be stored in cargo, planets could require supply, ships could have "crew" (ie population)... the modding possibilities would be endless.

To implement it (in vague terms), a planet would be an "object" just like a ship, except that it's flagged to disallow movement, supply usage and components while allowing population growth and facility construction. A ship would be a similar, smaller object with different flag/ ability settings. Modders could tweak these settings to create (for example) nomad ships with living populations, or true battlemoons that have facilities and weapons platforms as well as core mount weapons, and can be taken over with ground combat... Think about it...

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thats selective evolution, i mean evolution through time/enviroment/space travel, maybe even races? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif i like to see the human-EEE cross-bred http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif ...

Anyway, i like to see a tech-list that go on indefinatly, like it does more damage every level and gets smaller, same for buildings.

Gouverment types, that make some things easier... dictatorship or maybe an advanced form of technocracy? and each give you a benefit and disadvantage..

more abilities, like create pocket dimension? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

ok,ok,ok i'll keep on dreaming http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

R.

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

dogscoff, I think this is the best solid idea I've heard yet. I'm all for it!

Re: SE5, Tell Aaron what\'s on your Wish List
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It would be even better to shift to polar coordinates (angle and radius) rather than cartesian (x,y).

Figuring positions this way would also eliminate the "edges" of the combat map.