Patch wishlist

[Dracus]

I would like to see a mine replicating tech that I can put on a mine and tell it to keep my mine field at say 20 mines. So if a mine field is sweeped but all the mines are not removed on the end of the owner's turn the mine replicator will see that there is say 5 mines left, it will copy each one in seq. until the field is back to 20 mines. If no mines are left then the replicating mine will go inactive. since the replicating mine can not be sweeped. But can be distroyed by direct fire. So a ship that enters the sector could use combat to seek out and distroy it.
A field would have to be set up before activing the replicator, since this is what would determine the size of the field for the replicator. It would take the replicator say 1-2 turns to rebuild the field.


I would like the AI to follow their actions. They send me an acceptance to end a war with another AI and they do not do it. They send that they will attck xyz planet for me and they do not do it.


[This message has been edited by Dracus (edited 11 April 2001).]

[Q]

More wishes (some of them already mentioned, but repetition may enhance the probabilty to be heard):

- AI proposes trades especially if he needs special resources.

- AI uses resource converters.

- AI Fleet design file to instruct the AI the ship types and numbers that should be included in a special fleet type (attack fleet, defence fleets, capture planet fleet etc. ).

- In the AI Design Construction Vehicles file a line which instructs the AI not to use this design if a specified tech level is available (no use of ships with solar collectors if you have quantum reactor).

- In AI Construction Facility file the possibilty to use of specific facilities instead of abilities (e.g. monolith facility).

- Same as above for components in the AI DesignCreation file (e.g. specific use in ships of organic armor not just armor).

Well I can think certainly of more but for the moment I will stop.

[Jourin]

I would like to be able to modify what facilities the home planet receives at startup. Currently changing any of the homeplanet entries in any of the construction facilities files does not change what I receive at startup.

[Marco]

How about add an option for deployng mines ans satellites when launched ?
I think this can be easily implemented by allowing the use of the same system already encoded in the game and utilized for ships in fleets formations, just after the launch command.
This would allow a far better tactical use of mines and sats, in particular in battles involving planets defense.
Mines are actually only a strategic weapon and I don't like it very much.
A further step in developping this concept would be to allow tactical battles in minefields deployeds to block warp points.
Now with such type of minefield we have only 2 options:

1)Don't try to pass trough the warp point blocked.
2)Try to pass and destroy the minefield or be destroyed by it.

If the passage would be permitted only after enter the warp point area in the middle of the tactical battle display, we can add the possibility of only forcing the minefield, without destroing it completely or be destroyed by it.
That seems to me far more realistic than the actual all-or-nothing system.
Obviously the problem is to set the formation for a minefield composed of possibly several hundreds of mines but I think this can be arranged by tuning the maximum number of mines and satellites allowed in a single tactical battle, the efficiency and eventually the radius of mines warheads, the efficiency of mine-sweeping equipment and eventually the possibility to allow same weapons to target mines.
Beside I think that to set a mine formation for the AI, deployed to efficiently defend a fixed point like a planet or a warp point, would not be extremely complex: the simpler formation of concentricals rings is not so bad, in particular if is supported by armed sats, may be with pre-arranged entry paths for friendly units and seeking weapons, guarded by others armed sats.
About that another suggestion to make mine warfare more fun and challenging is to allow friendly seeking weapon and may be fighters or even ships to freely pass trough friendly mines in tactical combat.
Thanks for yours opinions an best regards.

[jc173]

I like the new mine field placement idea. It might help the AI defend it's warp points better. It would be nice if the AI would deploy sats at warp points along with mines and bases (Not sure if it does already, but I haven't seen it yet personally) Would be nice to also have drones that carry one shot missiles or mine clearing charges for warp point assaults kind of like the SBMHAWK pods in some of the Starfire novels.

[Marco]

I Think my suggestion of placed minefields needs some refining for warp points:
I have considered only the case of a enemy fleet tryng to enter a warp point defended by a mix of bases, armed sats and mines, I forget to consider that the same fleet needs to leave the same warp point on the other side located in target system, and even there can be placed a defensive mix of mines, sats and bases.
I don't see a easy way to deploy the warped fleet and the defensive minefield.
May be the formations utilized to place minefields and satellites needs some restrictions: a forbidden area around the warp point et a forbidden area near the boundaires of the tactical map to allow the deployment of the enemy units.
In any case I think the idea of placed minefield remain workable at least for planets defense.
Any suggestion ?
Thanks.

[Mark Walton]

What's really frustrating is, I had a couple of REALLY great ideas in mind, but when I read the rest of the thread by ideas went! I can't remember them.

Anyway can a pro-RTS person explain how the game will still be playable? In real time 1 turn = 1 month . I can barely stand to wait a couple of days for the emails.