[Stavetor]

Here's my $0.02:

1. Currently, bLasting a planet's inhabitants into oblivion from space and then setting up a new colony is much easier than invasion, so much so that building troops and troop transports is, IMO, basically a waste of time. To this end, I'd like to see ship-based weapons (with a few exceptions, like Planetary Napalm) made less effective vs. planets, and troops more effective and both faster and cheaper to produce.

2. Expanding on that idea, I'd like to see an option for some kind of tactical planetside combat. It doesn't need be anything complex, but it would be nice to watch (and direct) as my forces take the enemy world's capital.

3. Maybe different planet types, e.g. volcanic, barren, terrestrial, oceanic, etc. I always thought "Rock, Ice, Gas Giant" was kind of a weird, arbitrary selection.

4. On the RTS combat issue, I think it would be a very interesting option, adding an interesting new twist to the gameplay, but the keyword there is "option". God forbid that it become the default. That would be one of the signs of the Apocalypse, wouldn't it?

5. Modular ship construction- each size ship would have a certain # of hardpoints for Weapons, Engines, Armor, and Other (Bridge, Life Support, Crew Quarters, Shields, etc). Weapons would have firing arcs determined by the hardpoint position they occupy, and the ship's various sides would also have armor Ratings, meaning that hitting a ship repeatedly on the same side will be more effective than from all around. On the flip side, maneuvering one ship around another to expose different flanks will be a viable defensive strategy.

6. Ship movement in combat would be a matter of maneuverability as well as speed. Depending on size, engine quality, etc. ships must move forward (or reverse?) a certain distance between turns, depending on their speed at the time. It just seems odd that right now, given the same type of engines, a dreadnought is just as maneuverable as an escort.

7. This could easily be done now with a simple AI mod, but has anyone noticed how the default AI never seems to accept Subjugation treaties? They will surrender to you completely, but they never let you Subjugate them. Weird.

8. Somewhere else, I saw the possibility for "either/or" tech requirements mentioned- i.e. research in tech X requires a certain level of research in either Tech Y or Tech Z, but not necessarily both. Also, this same poster mentioned the possibility of exclusive techs, meaning that you could research "Good" or "Evil", but once you go down a certain path, you can never get any techs belonging to the other, even by trade or conquest. These are cool ideas, and I support them.

-Stavetor