Great Idea!! I would do like something like this:
1.Retro Rockets: Fastest engines, usable in combat only, heavy use of supplies, takes lot of space. Later technologies increase minimization and decrease supply usage.
2.Ion Thrusters: Fastest system engines, low use of supplies when moving slowly, heavy use when moving fast (movement could be done so, that turn's first movement square takes ie. 10 supplies/engine, second movement point takes 20, third take 40, fourth takes 80, etc.) and later models would increase the efficiency. Takes little space. Generates 1 movement point in combat.
3.Solar Sails: No use of supplies, generates extra movement points like now. Needs sun to work (ie. doesn't help movement in nebulas, black holes, asteroid systems, etc.), takes little space. Does not generate movement points in combat.
4.Jump Drives: Heavy use of supplies, works only in warp points. Takes a lot of space, later technologies increase minimization and decrease supply usage. Does not generate movement points in combat.
Of course, this is just a thought and needs some refinement to be good. However, this would make it possible to make actually 2 class of ships: System ships and Star ships. Star ships would only take one retro engine (because of the space it takes) and move like 1 movement point in combat, when system ships would have no warp engines and would move fast in combat. Something like MOO3, but better
This idea starts to fascinate me more and more
[ February 02, 2004, 05:48: Message edited by: Karibu ]