Patch wishlist
 

I have some suggestions for the next patches:

Firstly what about an extra technology to cover personnel training. Much like Fleet/ship training this could be used to train individual captains for ships depending on what you want to use them for eg tactics, warfare, exploration, trading. The result would be trained pilots that could be placed in a ship and would add to the ship in some way. This could also personalise your favourite ships or fleets.

Secondly there are a few things wrong with the battle viewer in my opinion:

There is no way to skip a tactical battle mid way and get to a strategic battle, this would be really useful when you get into a battle you dont want to bother playing all the way through.

Also its difficult to arrange new formations for ships whilst in a battle, you have to keep reassigning all the positions every time. Im sure theres a better way this could be implemented. Can you not introduce an auto new formation command where all ships are automatically reassigned positions in the formation based on strength and value. Or cant you set up formations for various types of ships eg one for front line ships, another for escorts and traders etc etc.

Thirdly what about introducing non-static backdrops. Eg if you fight in an asteriod field what about having asteriods moving around you as you fight? Also in map views what about moving planets and moons? Should be simple enough to do in a turn based environment like this and would really add to the game.

I would like to see stars larger than one sector in map view eg red giants. Also gravity should have an effect in the battle view much like the black holes in the maps. Your ships should have to fight against gravity in battle when near planets or stars etc

What about unmanned probes to be able to be sent out to the further systems in the map view.

Other ideas for the battle viewer screen include: decoys to be launched to redirect missiles as missiles are far too deadly at the moment; being able to paralise ships temporarily to board them using energy sapping weapons or the like; mines in the battle view are useless why not change them to effect a radius right around your ship instead of placing them on a square. This could in effect keep ships away from you.

A nice idea for the map view would be being able to run your ships or fleets silent using a special command similar to cloaking. Similarly being around a planet you should be slightly less detectable. Such running silent effects would effectively mean you could leave ship fleets in a system, using less supplies, in wait for passing pirates or enemies. The down side would be that it would take a few turns to get into the silent running mode.

Many more ideas like shis could be gleaned from present day naval/submarine tactics.

Anyone have any other ideas? Im sure much more could be added to this game. Although I know its pretty good already.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

In tactical combat, under the options menu, I think, there is a way to choose resolve combat automatically. This doesn't change to strategic view but the computer fights the battle out automatically. Useful at times.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

Allow me to break up Groups of units! Having all of my sats in one pile sucks bigtime. Launching Fighters with different speeds? Too bad. They go slow.
Fix it to be like it used to be!

Re: Patch wishlist
 

Another wish, "Add Computer Controlled Race" in the players menu. I hate forgetting to edit to computer control the races I have chosen for a game.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

How about remembering preferences for starting a game, so I don't have to repick '5000 race points', 'low bonus' etc at the start of every game. Gets tedious looking for the exact random system to start a 'perfect' game in. Like Moo2 I usually start about 5-8 games to find a setup I like. Eagerly awaiting the map editor http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

------------------
"The Empress took your name away," said Chance.
Owen smiled coldly. "It wasn't hers to take. I'm a Deathstalker until I die. And we never forget a slight or an enemy." -Owen Deathstalker.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I'd like to see active sensors disabled in cloak, passive sensors should be unaffected.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

Lets get a civil war going http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

see "intergalactic civil war!!??" thread http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I would love to have a real time feature.

What I mean by that is, the game does not require me to conduct a turn. It does it automatically.

From what I gather, the game's date indicator is set up for this feature, but it has not been implented yet.

The benifits to this added feature are great. The game would continue even if you walked away. Everything would progress as you have ordered, and the game would take on a more real time feel.

Games with such a feature:
Rebellion
AOK
AOE

2. The ability to set the starting Tech level for each individual race.

3. The ability to set the exact number of Computer players. Right now its low, medium, hi.

4. The ability to TURN off Quatum Reacter in the Exlude Tech function. (if there, please omit.)

5. A new facility that prevents new warp points from being opened within the system its has been constructed in.

6. A feature in the construction Que that will added "build this" on all planets. (This feature would allow you to build troops on all planets at once without having to select each individual planet and add it to that planets construction Que.)

7. Added feature that allows the player to select that they want all there planets for the empire they are going to play to start within one system.

8. The ability to set up allied play. (Example: in set up, the player can establish that player 1 and player 6 are allies. Player 2 and Player 4 are enemies.)

9. A bribe feature to the Diplomacy control. Set BRIBE type. Would effect other races willingness to improve relations.

10. A feature that would allow you to TELL the ships of a specific class to UPGRADE class at nearest shipyard.

Thanks for reading.

[This message has been edited by Atrocities (edited 08 April 2001).]

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I'm just going to go through and comment on the suggestions in no real order...

Ship captiains was requested in the "idea gathering" phase of SEIVs development, but was dropped because (I think) it was too complicated to keep track of a captain for every ship.

The "Asteroids" environment in combat... it's eye candy, and doesn't add or detract from the game. There are other things that have priority over this.

Larger stars... ok.

Unmanned probes == Drones. They're supposed to be put in, hasn't happened yet (pretty sure I still have the drone pictures in my races' directories, and I haven't heard anything about drones from MM).

About missiles being deadly... they're only deadly when you're caught with your pants down and don't have any PDC. One or two on every ship effectively nullifies the offensive potential of ships that use missiles.

Break up unit Groups... Yes, please.

Computer control... just check the little box http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Ummm... the comment about active sensors in cloak... explain? I have no idea what you meant by that.

Pseudo-real time play... I'm assuming that you mean a modification of simultaneous turns, where each turn has 30 "days". The days would pass after a set amount of time, so things go on while you give different orders... Not too high on my wishlist, but it would be interesting to see. It would bring in a whole bunch of new bugs, bringing in a new "turn"-style (MM had a hard enough time getting Simultaneous to work right), so it should wait until other issues are resolved.

Starting techs... Yes, please.

Exact Computer Numbers... Yes, please.

Turn off QReactor... I think you can turn it off already, if not, ok.

I've already voiced the major flaw with the no warp point facility... this effectively cripples the AIs ability to attack human players once this facility is built. Close all warp points in system, AI can't get in, you have ships and SYs outside of core systems that can attack AI, AI can only attack the attacking forces, can't affect the economy of the humans. Unbalancing.

Build on all planets... I usually have most of my planets already building stuff, so if I use this, the build on troops/whatever would be delayed, and by that time the unit would probably be obsolete...

All planets start in one system... you can already do this, just select one starting planet http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif Or, with the map editor, you can set a starting point where all the planets are in a single system.

Allied play... cool.

Bribe... I don't think the AI can comprehend the fine art of bribery... I mean, they can't comprehend lots of things already http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Patch wishlist
 

Atrocities I most support your suggestion 2, 3 and 8!
I miss the feature of SE III to defined the starting tech levels for each race individually very much.
An other feature of SE III I miss is the way counter intelligence works. It was far more easier in SE III just to define the percentage of your intelligence points for counter intellingence. If you spend more points for defence than all your enemy spend against you, you are protected otherwise some of the enemy projects will succeed. I really don't see any advantage of the way SE IV handels counter intelligence now. The offensive intel projects are fine apart from some balance IMO.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

Just the usual requests for interface improvements -- anything ranging from the ability to import/export text-based command files and data (e.g. it would be NICE to be able to write a Perl script that simply automates putting atmosphere converters on every planet that needs it in a 200-planet empire, including queuing scrap-facility orders when necessary...) to implementing numerical input boxes for more tasks (such as specifying unit production and so forth). ;-)

------------------
-- The thing that goes bump in the night

Re: Patch wishlist
 

Atrocities, I like number 5 if warp technology would be implemented along with it. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

As for the rest I like them all except I have some reservations about the real time thing.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

AI to use baseships in game
AI to use troops to invade & capture planets
AI to use capture ship feature
No Range Error's
Add a new Hunter/Killer Race, hates everyone& everything, Super Aggressive, bloodthirsty, Super Xenophobic, small chance of making deals with, Destroys or captures planets, wants to exterminate all life, believe they are the ultimate higher order

For Catagory 2 type additions for expansion pack

Pirates
Locust type race
Civl War
No Neutrals (or at least all races to expand)

just some ideas mac

Re: Patch wishlist
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mac5732:
AI to use baseships in game
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It does if you tell them to construct them in the AI vehicle construction file.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

In support of Mac, I too would like to see a massively destructive race, one that most AI's hate too. One that can NOT make treaties with anyone...In the files it says that the Xi'Chung were thought to be the creation of another race, how about the 'parents' show up to see how the kids are? http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif
That and the addition of a few new races that use combined tech.(ie a psychic/organic race, a religious/crystal race etc, or heck even a temporal/organic/psychic race http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif ). But the new races I would gladly pay for in expansion pack form.

------------------
"The Empress took your name away," said Chance.
Owen smiled coldly. "It wasn't hers to take. I'm a Deathstalker until I die. And we never forget a slight or an enemy." -Owen Deathstalker.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

oh yeah, one Last thing. PLEASE NO RTS, the reason I love games like this is the TURN based strategy. RTS is sweeping the game genre as it is, even the developers of Moo3 are going RTS for some parts of it. If this is implemented please make it OPTIONAL only. Or go like Baldurs gate series and choose where the game pauses.
just thoughts.......

------------------
"The Empress took your name away," said Chance.
Owen smiled coldly. "It wasn't hers to take. I'm a Deathstalker until I die. And we never forget a slight or an enemy." -Owen Deathstalker.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I'm in for any new races. Anything that adds more flavor.

BTY have you voted for the civil war idea yet? Thanks for your time http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

Re: Patch wishlist
 

Option for Orbiting planets/asteroids (sectors that are moving on the system map; circulating the star - very much like ships automatically do in a black hole system).

Re: Patch wishlist
 

The only real-time game I've kept on my HD is Red Baron II. I think being forced to finish game-time months' worth of strategic planning in real-time minutes is absurd. Time limits are only useful to keep live human vs. human games moving. If MM wants to tackle adding real-time play, it definitely should be optional.

------------------
Cap'n Q

Re: Patch wishlist
 

For the AI to be smarter when building ship componets or facilities that have more than one ability.

For instance, if you tell the AI to build a facility that has the abilities of a PORT and a facility with the abilities of a SHIPYARD, and you have a "multi"-facility with both abilities... it will build TWO of the "multi"-facilities, NOT one!

Same thing happens for componets (although care would have to be taken with supply storage and cargo space, perhaps adding new lines for both of these abilities).

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I just want all abilities to be available for components/facilities/etc.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

Oh, yes and get restrictions (fully) working!

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I like that real-time sugestion. In MOOII the game would run until something happened. Maybe SE4 could do that with an adjustable setting, ie run till first contact, combat, new colony established, etc. That would be great.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I saw RTS mentioned ...... NNooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon9.gif

If this game series ever goes RTS that is the day I leave.... sigh.

Someone mentioned a race that is super xenophobic etc. etc. - have you played with the Rage yet http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif ? Very similar. Or the mod-packed XiChung or Sergetti??

Has anyone seen the AI use base ships??

If not, that would get my vote - with a general increase of the AI's overall strategy so it is more aggressive and makes more runs on your planets - glassing them of course.

Jason2

Re: Patch wishlist
 

1. Improved AI ship construction: The various races have a good initial ship component list, but no variety. Once you discover a race's ship building weakness it's a piece of cake and they don't adjust. Maybe add a tiered approach to the ship construction. Then an attack ship or fighter could have a primary ship design and at least 2 alternates with a percent set for each design. Then a race could be 40%, 30%, 30% in different attack ship designs with 10 ship increments. Do the same with defensive ship designs and you can get a very could mixture. In the above example, the AI would build 4 primary, then 3 1st alternate, then 3 2nd alternate, and then start again with 4 primary. This would require adding a percentage to the ship construction field. An example would be to have 40% have shields with beam weapons and 30% have armor with beam weapons and 30% have shield with missile; then a PPB would not be a race killer. Other examples would be 40 Organic, 30 missile, and 30 beam. The defensive ship could be PD 80%, smart bomb 10%, and plague bomb 10%. Various AIs could have different percentages and different designs, but the key point is the various ship designs could compensate each other's weakness and build on the strengths making a much more deadly fleet-like what a human does. Do the same with fighters. I think one of the reasons the AI gets easy is because ever ship it builds is the same with the same weakness. A mixture of different ship designs would increase the difficulty of the AI.

2. Improve the ground combat. See previous post.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

11. Positive Random Events. Events that benefit the player. IE new technology discovered by accident. Derelect ship discovered with new technology. An eco event has IMPROVED the value of a planet.

I suspect that a mod maker could do this as most of the random events are more than likely a negative % value which I speculate, (again I am the reason the Dumby books are written) that if the negative value were changed to a postive value with new events listed, they could become positive events.

------------------
"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Patric Stewart as Captain Picard
UCP/TCO Ship Yards

Re: Patch wishlist
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Atrocities:
11. Positive Random Events. Events that benefit the player. ...

I suspect that a mod maker could do this as most of the random events are more than likely a negative % value which I speculate, ...

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've added a few positive type events to the event's file and I believe Dracus has one that's more thorough. Although as someone mentioned in that thread you can look as most events being positive because they are bad things happening to your enemies &lt;G&gt;

Re: Patch wishlist
 

SEIII style starting tech levels would really be nice.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

For the love of god, no real time!!! This whole RTS fad is ruining the strategy game genre. A strat game is about planning and strategy and lends itself perfectly to the turn based format. All of the RTS games (including AoE and AoK, which I have and played for a while) degenerate into a contest of "who can move their mouse faster" and not strategy. Turning this game into a RTS format would be a tragic mistake.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

Agreed! However I would kill for an ip or internet multi player game right about now, sigh...

Re: Patch wishlist
 

Along with the Civil War i'd like to be able to play with more than 20 races at a time. At least give me the option to so I can play with all of the great custom races in one big game. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

Re: Patch wishlist
 

"Q" could you send me email ref to baseships in vehicle construction field. tks
mac5732@hotmail.com

just some ideas mac

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I would like to see the AI build troops, and use them to invade their enemies and defend their planets. I have yet to see it do either at this point.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I think any of the Intell operations should be able to happen as a random event. That way you aren't sure if another player is messing with you...

Re: Patch wishlist
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mac5732:
"Q" could you send me email ref to baseships in vehicle construction field. tks
mac5732@hotmail.com

just some ideas mac<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am not sure what you would like to have. But if you insert in the Construction Vehicles file "attack base" as item the AI will build attack baseships (if he has the tech level researched for baseships of course). Even the Default AI Construction Vehicles file in the TDM-ModPack has this but only in the "Infrastructure" AI state as item 22.
Does this help you?

Re: Patch wishlist
 

Dog,

you can leave planets and ship salone by adjust a ships straegy

------------------
Seawolf on the prowl

Re: Patch wishlist
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Kimball:
SEIII style starting tech levels would really be nice.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

could someone explain this, since I never played se3.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> I think any of the Intell operations should be able to happen as a random event. That way you aren't sure if another player is messing with you...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>My first reaction to this was that it seemed unrealistic, but thinking about it more, it could represent internal opposition to your government short of full blown revolt.

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Cap'n Q

Re: Patch wishlist
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by capnq:

Quote:

I think any of the Intell operations should be able to happen as a random event. That way you aren't sure if another player is messing with you...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>My first reaction to this was that it seemed unrealistic, but thinking about it more, it could represent internal opposition to your government short of full blown revolt.

A crew might randomly revolt, or there might be an accident with supplies or cargo or food, etc.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

LemmyM:
In SE4, you have not many options to play games with different tech levels (low, medium and high). Also, you can start with all the tech from the first turn.
This is not flexible, and my games said that start with low or medium are like the same thing: games with low tech.

When you go into the scores window, you can see that exist an item, that show what tech level reached your empire.

Well, in SE3, exist an option to select the starting tech levels. You have a determined number of "points" to spend in tech levels. And you must use it wisely, or you can be lost from the start... It mean that not all the guys will start with the same tech.
This is a lot more interesting than play a game with all the tech from the start, but also, these are more fast games than play games with low/medium/high in SE4.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

1. Buttons in the tactical combat window that toggels each types of weapons systems on /off. 4 buttons should do it - I.e All, PDC only, BEAM only (direct fire), Seekers only.
Being forced to select the weapon states to OFF or ON for weapons is particularly cumbersome when you have multiplex and want to target multiple ships. Some examples: targeting weapon platforms at a ship, large fighter Groups, heavily armed ships, PDC dedicated ships that you are manually firing your PDC at enemy fighters with..

2. An AI that adapts its strategy and ship designs as the game progresses

3. Ability to switch to strategic combat from tactical combat- watching a Resolve combat can be a long wait in large battles.

4. Increase the number of cloak levels and sensor levels ( I have created a mod for this - including adjusted AI research files)

5. Increase the number of levels in Advanced Military Science to allow for more levels of hyperoptics and The top level to allow a player to visually detect mine fields.(I have added 6 levels - in part to adjust for the more cloak levels and to allow mine detection at the top level).

6. Allow fleets to be multiselected when they are not stacked in the same sector - so you can attack from several directions when initiating tactical and strategic combat.

7. Improved Intelligence window, more slots for Intell projects - better explainations of what has happened to your empire when resources are stolen, tech is sabotaged etc... right now the reports in the logs are very ambiguous.

8. More tech types found in ruins

9. Ability to start a new AI controlled empire by granting colonies their independence.

10. Surrender not based on score.

11. Ability to create new ship formations on the fly during the game.

12. The ability to sweep select Groups of ships in tactical combat to reassign their fleet numbers or unassign them. Instead of one at a time selections or unassigning all of them. This would be helpful in fleeting large numbers of fighter Groups after launching them in tactical combat.

13. Strategic and Tactical combat - fleets that are larger than 20 ships are hap hazardly placed after the first 20 ships. there needs to be better control by the AI on ship placement before a battle. Clean up the ship placement to avoid congestion.

14. Construction queue (f7). Add a button that allows you to select a build item for more than one planet at a time.

15. A button that allows a player to voluntarily slow down the rate of build and resource expenditure at a planet/Shipyard. Instead of only allowing the queue to be put on hold to reduce resource drain in times of economic crisis.



[This message has been edited by AJC (edited 10 April 2001).]

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I certainly agree with being able to deselect whole weapon systems in the battle viewer. Its really annoying to have to keep manually doing this. Even better you should be able to deselect them and have them stay like that for the whole battle rather than keep resetting every turn. This gets really annoying having to keep resetting them every turn if you want to keep all your missiles back or whatever.

My idea about moving asteriods etc in teh battle viewer was more than cosmetic. I see ships having to weave in and out of moving asteriods. It could make picking an asteriods field qfor a battle quite good for fast ships and terrible for slow ones (as Empire Strikes Back of course).

There are so many other ideas I could suggest its fascinating what could be added to the game. But Im more interested in aspects than improve the tactical choices in the game. At the moment possible tactics in the map screens are quite varied but could be so much more varied with a little thought.

But also my main bane of contention is the battle screen. Its not done very well as there are many things that could be changed here easily to make the whole process of battles relatively straightforward. Not being able to skip an already started tactical battle is ludicrous for example.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I'd like to see Mines, Sats and Fighters automatically launched when produced on a planet that has no spare cargo capacity rather than destroyed.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I've mentioned these in other threadds I know but I'll keep whinging on about them...

- "Resolve combat peacefully" option: ie like "resolve combat" but without destroying enemy planets / ships which are ripe for takeover=-)

- "Wait N turns" command for ships: Very useful for setting up repeat orders.

------------------
There is an exception to every rule. Including this one.

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I thought there were a lot of great ideas in this thread, but they were a bit spread out. So I compiled them into this thread. Currently there are about 50 suggestions for the next patch -or- EXPANSION PACK.

1) What about an extra technology to cover personnel training. Much like Fleet/ship training this could be used to train individual captains for ships depending on what you want to use them for e.g. tactics, warfare, exploration, trading. The result would be trained pilots that could be placed in a ship and would add to the ship in some way. This could also personalize your favorite ships or fleets.

2) There are a few things wrong with the battle viewer in my opinion:
There is no way to skip a tactical battle mid way and get to a strategic battle, this would be really useful when you get into a battle you don't want to bother playing all the way through.

2a) Also its difficult to arrange new formations for ships whilst in a battle, you have to keep reassigning all the positions every time. I'm sure theirs a better way this could be implemented. Can you not introduce an auto new formation command where all ships are automatically reassigned positions in the formation based on strength and value? Or can't you set up formations for various types of ships e.g. one for front line ships, another for escorts and traders etc.

3) What about introducing non-static backdrops. E.g. if you fight in an asteroid field what about having asteroids moving around you as you fight? Also in map views what about moving planets and moons? Should be simple enough to do in a turn-based environment like this and would really add to the game.

4) I would like to see stars larger than one sector in map view e.g. red giants. Also gravity should have an effect in the battle view much like the black holes in the maps. Your ships should have to fight against gravity in battle when near planets or stars etc.

5) What about unmanned probes to be able to be sent out to the further systems in the map view.

6) Other ideas for the battle viewer screen include:
1. Decoys to be launched to redirect missiles as missiles are far too deadly at the moment; being able to paralyze ships temporarily to board them using energy sapping weapons or the like;
2. Mines in the battle view are useless why not change them to effect a radius right around your ship instead of placing them on a square. This could in effect keep ships away from you.

7) A nice idea for the map view would be being able to run your ships or fleets silent using a special command similar to cloaking. Similarly being around a planet you should be slightly less detectable. Such running silent effects would effectively mean you could leave ship fleets in a system, using fewer supplies in wait for passing pirates or enemies. The down side would be that it would take a few turns to get into the silent running mode.

8) Allow me to break up Groups of units! Having all of my SATs in one pile sucks big time. Launching Fighters with different speeds?

9) Another wish, "Add Computer Controlled Race" in the players menu. I hate forgetting to edit to computer control the races I have chosen for a game.

10) How about remembering preferences for starting a game, so I don't have to re-pick '5000 race points', 'low bonus' etc at the start of every game. Gets tedious looking for the exact random system to start a 'perfect' game in. Like Moo2 I usually start about 5-8 games to find a setup I like. Eagerly awaiting the map editor

11) I'd like to see active sensors disabled in cloak, passive sensors should be unaffected.

12) Lets get a civil war going

13) I would love to have a real time feature.
What I mean by that is, the game does not require me to conduct a turn. It does it automatically.
From what I gather, the game's date indicator is set up for this feature, but it has not been implanted yet.

The benefits to this added feature are great. The game would continue even if you walked away. Everything would progress as you have ordered, and the game would take on a more real time feel.

Games with such a feature:
Rebellion
AOK
AOE

14) The ability to set the starting Tech level for each individual race.

15) The ability to set the exact number of Computer players. Right now it's low, medium, hi.

16) The ability to TURN off Quantum Reactor in the Exclude Tech function. (If there, please omit.)

17) A new facility that prevents new warp points from being opened within the system its has been constructed in.

18) A feature in the construction Que. that will add, "build this" on all planets. (This feature would allow you to build troops on all planets at once without having to select each individual planet and add it to that planets construction Que.)

19) Added feature that allows the player to select that they want all their planets for the empire they are going to play to start within one system.

20) The ability to set up allied play. (Example: in set up, the player can establish that player 1 and player 6 are allies. Player 2 and Player 4 are enemies.)

21) A bribe feature to the Diplomacy control. Set BRIBE type. Would effect other races willingness to improve relations.

22) A feature that would allow you to TELL the ships of a specific class to UPGRADE class at nearest shipyard.

23) Another feature of SE III I miss is the way counter intelligence works. It was far easier in SE III just to define the percentage of your intelligence points for counter intelligence. If you spend more points for defense than all your enemy spends against you, you are protected otherwise some of the enemy projects will succeed. I really don't see any advantage of the way SE IV handles counter intelligence now. The offensive Intel projects are fine apart from some balance IMO.

24) Just the usual requests for interface improvements -- anything ranging from the ability to import/export text-based command files and data (e.g. it would be NICE to be able to write a Perl script that simply automates putting atmosphere converters on every planet that needs it in a 200-planet empire, including queuing scrap-facility orders when necessary...) to implementing numerical input boxes for more tasks (such as specifying unit production and so forth). ;-)

25) AI to use baseships in game.

26) AI to use troops to invade & capture planets.

27) AI to use captures ship feature.

28) No Range Error's.

29) Add a new Hunter/Killer Race, hates everyone & everything, Super Aggressive, bloodthirsty, Super Xenophobic, small chance of making deals with, Destroys or captures planets, wants to exterminate all life, believe they are the ultimate higher order.
For Category 2 type additions for expansion pack
Pirates
Locust type race
Civil War
No Neutrals (or at least all races to expand)

30) I too would like to see a massively destructive race, one that most AI's hate too.

31) Option for Orbiting planets/asteroids (sectors that are moving on the system map; circulating the star - very much like ships automatically do in a black hole system).

32) For the AI to be smarter when building ship components or facilities that have more than one ability.

For instance, if you tell the AI to build a facility that has the abilities of a PORT and a facility with the abilities of a SHIPYARD, and you have a "multi"-facility with both abilities... it will build TWO of the "multi"-facilities, NOT one!

Same thing happens for components (although care would have to be taken with supply storage and cargo space, perhaps adding new lines for both of these abilities).

33) I just want all abilities to be available for components/facilities/etc

34) Oh, yes and get restrictions (fully) working!

35) 1. Improved AI ship construction: The various races have a good initial ship component list, but no variety. Once you discover a race's ship building weakness it's a piece of cake and they don't adjust. Maybe add a tiered approach to the ship construction. Then an attack ship or fighter could have a primary ship design and at least 2 alternates with a percent set for each design. Then a race could be 40%, 30%, 30% in different attack ship designs with 10 ship increments. Do the same with defensive ship designs and you can get a very could mixture. In the above example, the AI would build 4 primary, then 3 1st alternate, then 3 2nd alternate, and then start again with 4 primary. This would require adding a percentage to the ship construction field. An example would be to have 40% have shields with beam weapons and 30% have armor with beam weapons and 30% have shield with missile; then a PPB would not be a race killer. Other examples would be 40 Organic, 30 missile, and 30 beam. The defensive ship could be PD 80%, smart bomb 10%, and plague bomb 10%. Various AIs could have different percentages and different designs, but the key point is the various ship designs could compensate each other's weakness and build on the strengths making a much more deadly fleet-like what a human does. Do the same with fighters. I think one of the reasons the AI gets easy is because ever ship it builds is the same with the same weakness. A mixture of different ship designs would increase the difficulty of the AI.

36) Improve the ground combat. See previous post.

37) Positive Random Events. Events that benefit the player. IE-new technology discovered by accident. Derelict ship discovered with new technology. An Eco event has IMPROVED the value of a planet.

38) SEIII style starting tech levels would really be nice

39) Along with the Civil War I'd like to be able to play with more than 20 races at a time. At least give me the option to so I can play with all of the great custom races in one big game.

40) I would like to see the AI build troops, and uses them to invade their enemies and defend their planets. I have yet to see it do either at this point

41) I think any of the Intel operations should be able to happen as a random event. That way you aren't sure if another player is messing with you

42) Resolve combat peacefully" option: i.e. like "resolve combat" but without destroying enemy planets / ships which are ripe for takeover.

43) "Wait N turns" command for ships: Very useful for setting up repeat orders.

44) 1. Buttons in the tactical combat window that toggles each types of weapons systems on /off. 4 buttons should do it - I.e. All, PDC only, BEAM only (direct fire), Seekers only.
Being forced to select the weapon states to OFF or ON for weapons is particularly cumbersome when you have multiplex and want to target multiple ships. Some examples: targeting weapon platforms at a ship, large fighter Groups, heavily armed ships, PDC dedicated ships that you are manually firing your PDC at enemy fighters with.

45) An AI that adapts its strategy and ship designs as the game progresses

46) Ability to switch to strategic combat from tactical combat- watching a Resolve combat can be a long wait in large battles.

47) Increase the number of cloak levels and sensor levels (I have created a mod for this - including adjusted AI research files)

48) Increase the number of levels in Advanced Military Science to allow for more levels of hyperoptics and the top level to allow a player to visually detect mine fields. (I have added 6 levels - in part to adjust for the more cloak levels and to allow mine detection at the top level).

49) Allow fleets to be multi-selected when they are not stacked in the same sector - so you can attack from several directions when initiating tactical and strategic combat.

50) Improved Intelligence window, more slots for Intel projects - better explanations of what has happened to your empire when resources are stolen, tech is sabotaged etc. right now the reports in the logs are very ambiguous.

51) More tech types found in ruins

52) Ability to start a new AI controlled empire by granting colonies their independence.

53) Surrender not based on score.
54) Ability to create new ship formations on the fly during the game.

55) The ability to sweep select Groups of ships in tactical combat to reassign their fleet numbers or un-assign them. Instead of one at a time selections or un-assigning all of them. This would be helpful in fleeting large numbers of fighter Groups after launching them in tactical combat.

56) Strategic and Tactical combat - fleets that are larger than 20 ships are haphazardly placed after the first 20 ships. there needs to be better control by the AI on ship placement before a battle. Clean up the ship placement to avoid congestion.

57) Construction queue (f7). Add a button that allows you to select a build item for more than one planet at a time.

58) A button that allows a player to voluntarily slow down the rate of build and resource expenditure at a planet/Shipyard. Instead of only allowing the queue to be put on hold to reduce resource drain in times of economic crisis.

59) I'd like to see Mines, Sats and Fighters automatically launched when produced on a planet that has no spare cargo capacity rather than destroyed.


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"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Patric Stewart as Captain Picard
UCP/TCO Ship Yards

Re: Patch wishlist
 

I think someone else mentioned this earlier in the thread:

In SE III, when you setup an empire, you could pick the tech level in each tech area for a race - I really liked that.

Bring it back!

By the way, visit the Spoogy Federation: http://spoogyfederation.tripod.com

Re: Patch wishlist
 

The overview is a page right out of my book. It makes it much easier for us to follow things. I know it took a lot of time to do that since I to do it every day, and I just want to say thank you for your time and effort http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Patch wishlist
 

YEs I know, your the one who gave me the idea to do it. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Patch wishlist
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>21) A bribe feature to the Diplomacy control. Set BRIBE type. Would effect other races willingness to improve relations.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>What would this add that Give Gift doesn't alrady do? <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>53) Surrender not based on score.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>What else could it be based on? The AI has to have some criteria to decide with.

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Cap'n Q

Re: Patch wishlist
 

A suggestion for Malfador for a future release:

Would it be possible to add a clock in one corner that displays the current time so that we can tell how late we're staying up to play this game? My wife thinks that would be a neat idea.