Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes
 

OK, we have wish lists a mile long for hard code changes. My question is: What ONE hard code change do you think would give the most-bang-for-the-buck, and WHY? (MBFTB = the greatest improvement to the game for a given amount of effort.) Since some people won't be able to stop at ONE, I will allow THREE effort categories: trivial (a few hours of programming), small (a few days), and medium (a few weeks).

[Realistically, it's probably not fair to ask for a large (few months of programming) effort for your pet idea. The returns would have to be huge, and that's SEV.]

My nominations:

Trivial: Add a third combat option, which would allow you to manually enter the result of the combat. Players could then use ANY program of their choice to play out combat. This gets around a lot of gripes that people have with the game's combat, many of which are conflicting or difficult to implement. Don't like SEIV's combat? Use Panzer-Blitz or another Shrapnel game. Or D&D or Pong or strip poker, for all that Aaron will care -- it'll be totally your choice.

Small: Save/Load game to/from ASCII. Would allow 3rd parties to make game editors for use by scenario authors. It staggers the imagination.

Medium: Not sure yet. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon10.gif

Re: Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes
 

Be sure to add an option to disable those ascii save/load and manual combat for PBW & stuff to prevent cheating.

Trivial:
-Add new ability: Explodes when destroyed.
Component will do an additional X pts of damage when destroyed.
Useful for Ramming warheads & StarTrek-esqe Reactor Cores
You could also make Temporal "Damage Delay Armor", which will absorb 1000 damage, but then release it all back into your ship when you crack it http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif.


Major (SEV):
-Weapon damage as an ability
Then you can have multiple damage types per component, and make polaron beams do 50 pts shield skipping, 50 pts normal, and cool stuff like that http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif.
You get Trekish partial shield skipping, you can have WMG beams push a ship away from you, even a SuperMissile launcher with a small warhead effect, so you take damage when firing it!

[This message has been edited by suicide_junkie (edited 22 August 2001).]

Re: Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes
 

ok. here we go.
Off the top of my head :=
trivial : colony sizes from SE3
small-medium : ability to pick starting tech levels (as in SE3)
large-huge : fully 3d interactive tactical combat with options to save battle as movie file for use in a mini-TV series http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes
 

Med change: the ability to RETREAT from combat, ship will leave tactical/strat combat after a 1 combat turn delay, and then go back upon the route it just came from with any remaining movement points....

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Re: Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes
 

Red dwarf:
A way to queue up a 'Destroy Building' command, that takes zero time but waits until it's top o' the queue. For 'upgrading' buildings that aren't true upgrades, such as Mineral III -> Monolith III.

G-class star:
Better list handling/filtering -- namely, bookmarks and that sort of thing. Again, sanity reasons.

Supergiant:
Text I/O -- exporting known information (colony status, ships, et al) in some nicely parseable file(s), and allowing the importing of orders in text form (e.g. "fleet NNN move to system NNN, coords NNN,NNN". Scripter's paradise. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

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Re: Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes
 

Larger than 255 galaxy.

[This message has been edited by Atrocities (edited 24 August 2001).]

Re: Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes
 

My suggetion would be for more vehicle types. Have 99 ship vehicle types, and many fighter/base/sat/troop/weap plat types. What the hech start with 99 for each.
Components are specified for a vehicle type and by having many more vehicle types we can make vehicle sized specific components. Imagine being able to have cruiser sized engines, life support, bridges, weapons, armor, shield generators versus dreadnaught sized components.

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Re: Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes
 

1. The name of the mod after the Version number on the main screen. This would save some headaches.

2. Better missiles/ fighters or weaker point defence. Missiles and fighters just get wasted by fleets with even modest point defence capability.

3. That annoying "Free VW Beetle!" ad that flashes green and white to be ditched. I know ads pays for sites, and I even click on one every now and then but this ad is just plain offensive.

4. Better treaty options. I may want my ally to resupply but not necessarily give him research. I don't mind trade but don't want his ships flying past my defences. That sort of stuff.

Askan

Re: Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes
 

"2. Better missiles/ fighters or weaker point defence. Missiles and fighters just get wasted by fleets with even modest point defence capability."

Err, that doesn't need a hard-code change. Just change a few values in components.txt, and you're set..

Phoenix-D

Re: Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>1. Name Of The mod blah blah<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
You could just use my Mod Launcher http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif
Also, Mods could include their own startup screen by placing a modified intro.bmp in &lt;se4directory&gt;\&lt;modname&gt;\Pictures\Game \Screens\1024X768 and 800X600

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