[DirectorTsaarx]

I agree with:
- changing the squares to hexes (in all map levels)
- adding turning radius (and maybe firing arcs)
- making asteroids colonizable again
- components that generate resources
- jump engines (or jump reactor, or something); along with at least an option (or racial ability) to have a jump-capable ship carry other ships through the warp point

I'd also like to see more uses for sensors; maybe special sensor components that can improve offense/defense for an entire fleet (or even just ships within a given radius); sensors that can disrupt (or enhance) targetting systems on seekers; and require special sensors to look at a ship's design during combat. That Last could be tricky, since it should also include the option to "fill in" information as the ship performs certain functions (firing a weapon is a pretty obvious indicator that the weapon exists & what Version/mount it's using).

I'd like to see the ability to tow ships/bases around the map (using a special "tug" hull, maybe).

Along with diplomatic options mentioned by others, add options to have races get angry about the use of certain weapons (star destroyers, black hole generators, etc.), angry toward races that "glass" planets, angry at particular races just because of history/racial abilities/demeanor/culture; have races get happy towards races that destroy black holes/storms/nebulas or create stars/planets.

Improve the AI so it actually takes advantage of training facilities, remote mining and ring/sphereworld generators. (I think this is more hardcoding than AI scripting, since it's easy to mod the AI to build the above items, just hard to make the AI use them effectively).

Components that allow for population growth, and have that population affect the efficiency of components that generate resources (and affect efficiency of space-borne shipyards).

Since SE4 already requires spaceports AND a path back to the rest of the empire to make generated resources available to the empire, add two things: first, the ability to store those generated resources locally and either transfer manually (freighters) or automatically once a spaceport/path is available. Second, add a requirement for at least one space station or colony in all intervening systems for a "path" to be established. In other words, you'd have to build a space station in a nebula system in order to gain resources from the colonies on the other side of that nebula. This would make black hole systems a problem for everyone, not just the AI...