[Shane Watson]

This is I would like to see in the new game:

First: Keep it turn based. If you go real time the game will lose a great deal of it's appeal. Real time games are fine for shoot'em ups for kids. But I like to think that SEIV/V has a little more going for it than that.

Second: Keep the ability to customize everything, but expand upon it. For example, allow players to name systems they don't own. We're not out in space, but we've named just about every dang star we can see, so why can't the players? The only real important thing as far as game play is concerned are the coordinates of the system. Not the name.

Allow for Languages. If you can't speak Nloam, you don't know if they want to give you their riches or their plasma beams. Include a basic language generator that allows you to generate your own language based on Consenant/Vowel/Consenant structure. Use this to create unique language text files for use in planet, ship and character naming.

Diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy.

A little more reliance on spatial sciences, including planetary science. Planetary physical descriptions that include diameter, AU, Atmospherics, Hydrographics, gravity, etc, which affect the various races. True random gerneration of planetary characteristics based off of a percentage system.

Individual governments for individual planets, which can later break away or revolt (and have a chance of succeeding).

A functioning economic model that includes resources that you can actually use, combine to create new resources and trade. Manufactured trade goods. Raidable (and displayed) trade lanes. Trade ships. trade centers. Something to do while you are building your empire other than blow something up.

Don't center the game so much on combat. I'd like to see more attention paid to the worlds and politicians that make up your empire. For example, world leaders are never really in total control. There are *always* dissendents, either in the underground or in another political party. Bring them into play to create political infighting in your own empire - if it becomes too much infighting your empire begins to crumble (and what I mean here is something along the line of the former Soviet Union and the way it crumbled). Let these guys be charactes with their own personalities and names taken from your own name file.

The ability to elect or appoint named governors with individual characteristics and personalities that are randomly generated. PM me or email and I can go into detail if need be.

Don't overkill the graphics eyecandy - I'm sick of games that look like they were geared towards 12 year olds. Use realistic graphics for ships and planets, but keep them small and to the point. Planets from IV were for the most part okay. Ships and races by and large needed work.

Take the game out of the Warp Point box. This has been one of my greatest frustrations with an otherwise cool game (aside from the lack of tradeable resources). Include stargate technology or something akin to that, but lose the warp points. Or at least allow for interstellar travel.

Include differnt types of propulsion: Solar Sails, Ramjets, Ramscoops, Ion, Nuclear, Jump, Warp, etc.

Allow players/races to join mid game as break away governments of existing races. Combine this with new player/races just developing interstellar travel in an unexplored part of the map.

*BIG* maps. Space is HUGE. Allow for 10,000 stars or more. Set it up so that there are areas that really never will be visited by the players. It helps create a sense of mystery. Our galaxy is 30,000 light years across with trillions of stars in it. Even if we had space travel, we'd *never* get out there to all of the stars.

Allow multiple games to be hosted in the same galaxy at the same time. Crossovers *could* happen if players are close enough. Players that like to play more than one game at a time would find this aspect interesting, I think. Run it something along the lines of SimCity's Regions with multiple cities that can interact.

Consider a low res 3d map instead of the old style 2d map. I've not seen this done before except in some stellar mapping programs Stars (not the game). That alone would set the game apart if you forced your players to think in 3d. Allow for zooming in and out, and rotating the map.

Change "Facilities" to "Colonies" or "Cities". Allow for randomly generated planetary maps that can be viewed, which show resource and colony locations (player can designate where to place colonies on planets). Have POC's (points of control) on planets so you can actually have a planetary conflict. Keep the maps simple, but versitile.

Show fleets and ships as a simple ">" or some such. Tactical icons can be low res graphics.

That's about all I can think of at the moment.

Cheers,
~Shane Watson

[ July 26, 2004, 07:52: Message edited by: Shane Watson ]