[dogscoff]

Game setup options (or even special warp-opener abilities) that restrict created warp points to (a) the edge of the system, or (b) a sector in the direction of the target system from the star, or (c) both. (In other words, banning "instawarp nexuses" )

I'd like a variety of FTL options. You'd have regular warp points by default, but then the option to research other possibilities. Of course some ppl would disagree with this, so the option to mod them out/ turn them off would be necessary.

Stargates- a bit like warp points, but only artificially built and when you enter a stargate, you can exit at any ally-owned stargate of your choice. (barring the occasional random event ditching you in the wrong system, of course=-)

Direct flight- relativistic flight in a straight line from one system to another. Takes years and years and years (and a QR would be handy), but great for sneak attacks on "turtled" opponents.

Hyperspace- Maybe you could have a second galaxy map for hyperspace, sitting behind the normal galaxy map. Your ships would fly to the nearest entry point (or create one) then jump into the other map. This map would be much smaller than the other one so that ships can travel quickly from point to point, but with all the entry points proportionally distanced from one another. Ship encounters in hspace could be turned on or off in game setup. There wouldn't be any "terrain" in hyperspace either by default, but it would be cool if you could mod it in and/or build bases/ planets there for colonisation.

Infinite Improbablity Drives- Now I'm just being silly.

Oh, also, I'd like to see the option for monster maps. If I'm crazy enough to start a game with 10,000 systems and 200 AI players, that's between me and my (overworked) computer=-) By the time SE5 gets to it's fourth or fifth patch, we'll all be driving 8000mhz pentium VIIs anyway.