[spoon]

Here are some ideas from a brainstorm - the good with the bad:

First, for clarity, here are the definitions:
Attributes are things you'll find in the components.txt files, such as "Family" or "Weapon Reload Rate".
Abilities are the things you'll find in abilities.txt such as "Cloak Level" or "Movement Bonus".
Examples aren't necesarily something I'd like to see in the game, and are just there to help clarify.

Stackable - Unit Attribute - Value that states how many of a particular unit can be in a stack. "0" would be no limit (or rather whatever the game max is...). Mostly applies to sats, fighters, and drones. And giant robots.

Mutually Exclusive - Component Attribute - Component A can't be put on a ship that has a component from Family x. For example, you can't use Turbo-Atheism Cannons if you have the Religious Talisman.

Create Storm - Component Ability - It would be nice if you could specify which type of storm you want to make - either by which component you build, or by being given a menu when you use it.

Shield Projector - Component Ability - A component that provides shields for all friendly ships in its sector.

Cloaking Field - Component Ability - A component that cloaks all friendly ships in a sector

Dimensional Shifter - Component Ability - can "shift" to a different dimension, so the ship can't attack or be attacked. Works like cloaking in that it can be turned on and off. Can be thwarted by other ships that have Dimensional Shifting components, by something that prevents Dimensional Shifting in a system (or sector), or by weapons that can specifically damage "shifted" ships.

Drain Supplies - Component Ability - Either a weapon that drains supplies, or damages shields only and drains supplies, and/or a component that drains the supplies of all enemy ships in the sector.

Transfer Supplies - Component Ability - Same as Drain Supplies above, but transfers the amount drained to it's own supply total.

Image Projector - Component Ability - When in combat, projects an image of itself, which dissipates when fired on. The image itself does not attack.

Disable Ship - Component Ability - An attack that completely disables a ship for a short period of time.

Variable Damage to Armor - Damage Type - same as what we have with shields... half damage to armor, double damage to armor, etc

Piercing Damage - Damage Type - damage that pierces armor and/or shields. For example, shield piercing armor would deal x% of its damage to shields, and the rest to armor/internals. Armor Piercing would deal x% to armor and the rest to internals.

Reflective shields - Component Ability - shields that have a % chance to reflect any energy attack for no damage. Maybe a small chance to reflect the attack back on the shooter.

Tracking sensors - Component Ability - a ship's Offense (chance to hit) goes up by x% per combat round.

Reduce Range - Damage Type - an attack that reduces the range of the targeted ship's weapons.

Warp Capable - Hull Attribute - a boolean that states whether a ship may use warpoints or not. I suppose it could work as a component attribute as well.

The following are an alternate idea for how warp points might work. I actually like the instaneous travel time that is in the current game, but these changes might be neat to find in a mod...

Warp Time Calculation - Game Setting - A way to mark Warp Points so they are not necessarily instantaneous... Some values this setting could use are:
- Instant (like what we have now)
- Distance (time it takes to get through a warp point is determined by the distance to the exit. There could be a corresponding Distance Multiplier value so this can be tweaked in mods.)
- Assigned (Each warp-point has a (usually ) randomly given value that determines how long it takes. see Warp Time below.
- Random (it's random)

Warp Time - Stellar Ability - the amount of time it takes a ship going through this warp point to reach the other side. The value would be the amount of extra turns it takes - default would be 0.

Warp Speed - Component Ability - If you are using non-instant warp times, this value would state how many turns you cut the warp-time by. For example, a Warp Engine with Warp Speed of 2 would cut travel time through a warp-point by two turns.