Suggestions for Space Empires V

[henk brouwer]

Suicide Junkie said:
Check out the "Leaky Intel" for SE4.

There is such a thing as leaky intel for se4? sounds very interesting, which mod?

It sounds like a huge improvement over the original system, the proposed combat espionage project would still be interesting as a new project though.

[Suicide Junkie]

I don't have a list of mods which use it, although I have implemented it in Carrier Battles Mod for one.

It is quite simple to do, although AIs will certainly have trouble.
The thing to do for the AIs is either (A) mod in a racial tech which gives the AIs stock counter intel, or (B) disable intel when playing solo.

Against human players on PBW, though, it is great.

[ak_vader]

Well im new to these forums so forgive me if this is a stupid question. Ive looked at many threads and websites and cant find out if SE5 has multiplayer or not? Ive been playing Star Fleet Command 2 for the last 5 years many hours every night, and absolutley love it its the best space tactical game i can play with and against my buds online. I was liking the way SE5 sounds but again cant find out if its
multiplayer or not. Seeing as in 5 years ive never even played the single player of star fleet multiplay is where the real thrill of the kill comes in. If anyone could answer this id appreciate it. Thanks from a fellow tactical gamer.

[Slick]

It will have multiplayer, but it will be turn-based, not real-time combat like SFC2. I play SFC2 and OP from time to time as well. Both games are great, but I don't think it's fair to compare them. The SFC series is based on Star Fleet Battles and simulates combat ship-to-ship with possibly a couple of wingmen. The SE series is about managing an entire empire. Combat (in the SE series so far) doesn't have the detail of SFC (weapon arcs, hit&run raids, shield facings, transporter bombs, etc.) but it isn't meant to.

[Suicide Junkie]

Instead of the details of arcs, shield facings and one-off special attack tactics, you have the details of designing the ships, picking strategies to follow, fleeting them together in the right combinations, and retrofitting them as technology improves.

Then you hope they're outfitted well enough as fleets, easily over 20 per side and sometimes hundreds or a thousand per side, clash in space.

[Escaflowne]

The primary suggestions I have are:

1. Larger galaxies or multiple galaxies.
2. Larger tech tree. - I believe all technology is infinite in SE5 so that solves that problem. Now to find some clueless low-tech computers to plunder...
3. In addition to all the yummy modding abilities in SE4, I would have liked there to be a way to control supply generation. As it was, it was either infinite ot dependent upon the number of stars. Rather clunky.
4. A stronger AI. I know they are a LOT of work to code properly but a decent AI should be included. As it was, even on hard with high bonus I could *usually* beat the AI at least 8 times out of 10. And usually the only times I lost were when my starting position sucked. Or I had it set for teams.

I'm sure there are a few more but that's really my wishlist.

[ak_vader]

Thanks slick for the answer, i will keep my eye on this one, cant wait to try the demo, hope the demo lets us test the multiplayer part of it. looks like could be a cool game to play with a friend. I am wondering if maybe the turn mode in multiplayer will have a speed setting or something so it plays at which ever speed is set the lowest on the folks all playing together, like maybe slow, medium, and fast. but it would only go as fast as the lowest setting. Just an idea.

[Phoenix-D]

The turn mode in multiplayer is likely to be the same as Space Empires IV: all sides enter their orders, then when the last person sends it the game runs it, all the orders executing at the same time.

In that mode, you don't have any tactical combat, so you don't get to fight the battles and there's no need for a speed setting.

[Ron_Lugge]

Modable vehicle definitions as in I can change what a ship / base is? Cool...

[MrSnuggleBunny]

Dear Santa,

When SEV is released I would like to have...

1) Maneuverability - It just doesn't seem realistic that a unit can go from dead stop to full speed and make a bootlegger's reverse (180-degree turn) all in a single turn.

Can we please have some mechanism to dictate the acceleration and decceleration of a unit? Nothing extravagant but something along the lines of: a unit can acel/deccel 1/2 of its total current movement allowance in a single turn.

Limiting the number of turns a unit can make in a single turn should be reduced as its speed increases, i.e. at a dead stop a unit can make a complete 360-degree revolution, at half speed and can turn up to 4 facings at full speed it can turn up to 2 facings (assuming a square map with facings being the four sides and four corners collectively).

2) Firing Arcs - One aspect of this game that makes it so entertaining is that the vast expanse of the tactical battle map and the limited range of weaponry means that maneuver actually matters. If a ship gets hammered on one side the commander should have to manuever to reposition his ships to present a new broadside. Designating firing arcs at time of construction would be a plus. The tonnage allowed by arc could be set ratios of the overall unit tonnage.

This would be particularly helpful whn making planetary assaults. Let's face it: attempting to take a planet with troops while the planet has a robust array of weapons platforms mounting missiles and point defense weapons is all but an exercise in futility. Why should platforms mounted at the south pole be able to hit me if I'm concentrating my forces at the northern pole?

Dividing a planet into quadrants for the purposes of basing platforms and troops would be nice. Troops could be limited to moving to one new quadrant per strategic turn.

3) Stacking Limits - I can understand that stacking all of one's units in a single space could lead to some lop-sided tactics but can we have limits on the tonnage, say 500 to 800 kT? At least allow us to move a unit through a space occupied by a friendly unit; sometimes the AI will designate a movement path for a unit that costs me 1 or 2 movement points and ruins the calculated movement I had planned.

4) Customizable Formations - A formation editor and some method of designated which units are 1st, n 3rd etc within the fleet would be really keen.

5) Customizable Weaponry - Can I trade range for damage/rate fo fire/etc? Weapon mounts allow me to trade range and damage for tonnage; let's make a good thing better.

6) Interstellar Travel - besides warp points. A system 2 sectors away can take less time to reach than a system 10 sectors away depending upon the placement of warp points within a system. What if I want to cut "cross country" to save time? Such movement could also balance us mid-tech slobs against empires that can open and close warp points at will.

7) Planetary Orbits - I exploit the fact that planets do not revolve around their suns by picking planets equidistant betwen/near warp points to place military installations. MAKE ME STOP! In real life the planets would be orbitting the sun thus denying the use of "permanent basing."

8) Auto-Retrofit/Upgrade - If I lewt ministers handle upgrading production facilities they tend to onle upgrade one facility per turn...over the entire bloody empire! Fire these bums. How about upgrading one facility per planet per turn? Designating units to auto-upgrading ship/base designs as a particular technology improves would be nice.

9) A Pony - I promise to take care of it, and brush its long silky mane and name him Buttercup and I'll be good forever and ever. Puh-leeeeze!

Anyway, that's my wish list...

...for now.