[HP Delron]

Holy Honking Radioactive Ducks, this thread is huge! Well I certainly don't have the time to read through it all, so chances are i'm going to be giving some major repeats. I also don't know if some of the more minor changes haven't been added in the most recent patches as I haven't played in a couple of months. In any case, here I go:


Supply:

I'd love supply to play a larger role, and be a much bigger issue to worry about. First, I think that ships should take damage when at 0 supplies, and be unable to move at all. Secondly, every component on the ships should have minumum per turn supply consumption, so even if the weapons aren't being fired they take up a small amount of supply to be in ready to use condition.(perhaps there could be some kind of option to power-down indvidual parts with a supply cost to power them up again, to help stranded ships save on fuel). Also, i'd like to see more in the supply generation. In other words, "Reactor" type parts, that generate X Supply per turn, independant of any of other factors (like solar panels.. without the sun(s). Seconldy supply depots on planets should work simliarly, no more instant re-fill or all and any ships in orbit. They should, have huge amounts of supply generating capacity.. but not so much as to make multiple supply depots per planet, worthless for large fleets. This change would affect bases too, while they would have reduced supply demands and mabey even the ability to have larger more powerful reactors, so they can serve as re-fueling points as well. After all this, i think it goes without saying (but i'll say it anyway), that I want to see the Quantum Reactor Component gone, forever.

Space Yards:

I'd like the ability to have multiple space yards per planet. Each space yard on a planet would have its own queue but you could always have multiple space yards work on the same project for a pleanty to their overall production rates, since you would be constructing different parts of the ship at different locations on the planet. For example

Planet Z has 2 Space Yards, each of these space yards can construct at 1000 mineral units per turn. The player has put "Happy Cow Ship" for the two space yards to work together. Since this project is being completed at two space yards, it gets completed faster, but not at double rate. It might go at 1500 instead of 1000 mineral units per turn. If you had 3 working on that same project, perhaps 2,250, instead of 3,000. There could also be some kind of faclility such as "Construction Coordiation Building" (or something like that) would decrease the loss from having multiple space yards work in conjuction. It would also probably be a good idea to make it so that when space yards work together they have to work at the same rate, if one is at emergency build rate the others must be too, if one is at slow build so must the others be. Of course, multiple space yards on a planet could each keep indepedant projects with no loss to overall effiency.

Ground Combat:

I'd like to see this play a bigger role, and have more things invovled. Defensive faclities, being able to drop troops from multiple ships at once. More viable Troops designs.

Weapons:

More complex weapons system. Weapon and damage types, with proper armors and Shiels to resist them. Weapon types, would be like "Beam", "Projectile", "Seeker", "Burst" etc.., and would be based on delivery method for the weapon. Anti-Mater/Quantum Torpedos, Deletped Uranium Cannons, Shard Cannons would all be "Projectile" weapons. An actual projectile is fired from ship A to ship B, with the intent of harming it. Things like Wave Motion Guns, Lightning Rays, Tractor Beams etc.. woudl be "Beam" weapons things that send a stream of energy to the ship to harm it. "Burst Weapons", could be things like Meson BLasters, Null-Space Cannons, Telekinter Projectors, things that shoot some kind of energy ballish thing at the ship in attempt to make it go kaboom. Seekers would be well seekers. Different shields and armors would have different resistances to each type.

The second part of all this would be the damage type a weapon deals. Something like "Direct (phsyical), "Direct (energy)", "Explosive" etc.. A captail ship missle might do, explosive damage. While a meson bLaster would do Direct eneryg damage, and shard cannon did direct phsyical etc..

Each armor/shield type, would have a certain level effectivness vs each kind of weapon type and damage, and those together would detemrine how the damage was dealt, and how much damage was dealt. I won't try to speculate on specefic numbers here, as thats the kind of thing that really just needs to be balanced out with trial and error.


I have tons more ideas, but i'll save them for later. I don't wanna make any cluttered Posts.

EDIT: I inetionally left out the fact I would like to see area-damage weapons. As I know for fact there was no way nobody else wants splash damage in the game. Just consider this another vote in that direction.

[ July 06, 2004, 21:46: Message edited by: HP Delron ]