[Aub]

Originally Posted by PvK:
...It's certainly true that not all players want facility choices to be more interesting...

Let me review my position. I am for ineteresting choices, but I am against the upgrade nightmare. Now, if I could upgrade each city individually and to the level I desire, I would probably be happy: it's more micro-management than I want, but it pays off in the being "more interesting".

Upgrading is, however, severely limited in SEIV, and that makes upgrade choices and timing not fun. I do not like struggling with random and artificially imposed constraints.

PvK, all scenarios you describe do not touch upgrading to higher-level facilities. You say it's "gravy"? Well, your grave has a burned taste! If it does not work, why have it there?

What I was proposing is to increase the number of available slots so that (at least 99% of the time) you don't have to upgrade, you can only add (that does not take the variety away, does it). Isn't it a logical conclusion?

(Ok, maybe 500 facility slots was an overkill. How about 125? SEIV facility screen has 64 slots on it, so it's two full screens; that's not too bad!)

Originally Posted by oleg:
Queue 10 miners and 5 cities and your typical medium planet fill have a full queu that would serve your for 200 turns ! Press "upgrade" every time you discover mineral miner 2 and advanced city.

First, it does not work on a non-breathable world where you only have 5 facility slots max. You HAVE to plan upgrades. Now, if you queue 5 cities in there, by the time you're done you're in a tough spot since now upgrading to an advanced city will take your planet off the map for several YEARS (at least, and with no "liquidity"). And you do want those advanced cities; the first-level cities do not produce much (almost no reasearch for example). Ah, no - you are forced to solve the upgrade puzzle.

Aub