1 Bug, 1 Comment, 2 Suggestions, 1 Complaint

[Tomgs]

I have noticed the "bug" with counter intell also. I do not split the points evenly very often but usually I repeat them. Many times I will have many turns to go on my counter intell as I end a turn but on the next turn it will be 1 turn to completion with 0 point required to complete it. The reason for this I believe is that when you have spent enough points on that counter intell project to disrupt one enemy operation then that completes it and another needs to be started. This means even though it says that many turns are left if you have disrupted the random operation it was countering that project is finished. I am not certain this is what is happening but I know every time one of the projects gets completed early I get a message stating that I had disrupted intell from a certain race.



[This message has been edited by Tomgs (edited 17 December 2000).]

[ender]

If you're going to have the AI team up on you why not make it more "historical" and intersting. For instance instead of having a AI player surrunder if the player gets to big or a threat is issued have the AI instead make a check of it's relationships with other AI's. If it has a certain relationship level with other AI players it should offer to "surrender" to them instead (to team up to defeat the evil empire), thus forcing their new ruler to protect them from the big bad player.

In fact NO AI should surrender to an opponent unless it's recieved a certain critera of damage from that player (unless the AI is scripted for that race to purposely to be whimpy).


Some wish list items

I like to see the AI get more and more jumpy with a player the more the AI explores and recons new systems that are owned by another player. Thus forcing neighbors to be by default more squirly (again a historical aspect). While distant empires would tend to be more freindly till their borders started meeting. Modifiers for AI behavior should include ships passing through yoour system or encountered and planets you recon for the first time tht have an oppossing player occupying. I haven't looked at the AI files yet but if these aspect are there they should be increased! This needs to be slightly modified to take into account things like information gathered from treaties and the games use of warp lines but you get the general idea.

[Talenn]

Personally I think the whole espionage area could stand a reworking. Its confusing and counter-intuitive as it stands now. I've used it a bit and I like the missions etc, but the layout could really use some help.

I appears that the intent was to make the research and intel screens have the same functionality, but it doesnt seem to fit quite right. I think the intel screen from SE3 with some appropriate modernization would better fill the role.

At the very least, I would like to see the 'Counter Espionage' be a separate 'mission' altogether and allow points to be split between the 'attack' missions and the defense without regard to 'split evenly' or not. Give the player more control over what goes where when it comes to intel.

Well, thats my $.02 on the subject.

Talenn

[Daynarr]

There is another thing I had in mind about intel. Since finishing counter-ops opens screen for enemy intel, maybe counter-ops shouldn't be ever finished (make them cost endless amount of points).
Also IIRC the number of counter-ops going on in the same time is important, so making counter espionage a seperate process would require to change how the whole inter works. Maybe just making counter-ops a never-finish project could be more easaly implemented than changing the way the whole counter intel works.

[Psitticine]

I'd like to see a slider system, where you just drag over the bar to set a proportion of Intel Points to be put towards Counter-Intel. Also, if you aren't running any offensive projects, the points should be automatically put towards defense.