Things we'd like to see in the next patch

[Phoenix-D]

"It says nothing about unfilled slots."

Yes it does. There are multiple tabs on the left side of that screen, click the facilities tab and it will show you the number of facilities each planet has. You can also click on the # of facilties list (top part) and it will sort by that collum.

Phoenix-D

[capnq]

I'm tired of getting Partnership proposals from my partners every turn.

Well that is very strange: I never saw this!!
What Version are you playing??

Well, it is a rather odd situation: A PBW game in v1.49 + TDM-ModPack 2.0, AI vs Humans. The two "AIs" that keep sending the proposals are actually human-controlled empires that need a replacement player. (If anyone's interested, the game is "The Evil Within".)

[Elowan]

Originally posted by Elowan:
If there's a way of showing just the 'open-slot' planets -- I haven't found it yet. But wouldn't it be nice if you could set the list so that only undeveloped or partially undeveloped planets would show up?

Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
... There are multiple tabs on the left side of that screen, click the facilities tab and it will show you the number of facilities each planet has. You can also click on the # of facilties list (top part) and it will sort by that collum.

Phoenix-D

Well!! Another du'oh moment brought to you by Mother Nature. Stay tuned for more!!

Thanks!

[ September 01, 2002, 21:42: Message edited by: Elowan ]

[orev_saara]

I see a lot of good ideas on this list. Also a couple of bad ideas, but I'll just ignore them and hope they go away. My thoughts are regarding supply. For more realism, there really shouldn't be an arbitrary "supply" resource. Instead, ships should be forced to carry the same resources that you use elsewhere. For example, a human ship would need minerals for spare parts, which would be used up as time passes, and at an accelerated rate when moving, firing weapons, etc.; radioactives for reactor fuel, used much like minerals; and organics for food, used at a more or less constant rate. This would of course add complexity, but I think it would be cool. Obviously, this would also require physical movement of resources around the empire to make sense, but I like that idea anyway. Especially if you combine it with moddable resources like someone suggested. Or we could keep things simple.

Also, a question. I've created components for ships that produce intel points and research points, but I've never tested them. Do these not work?

[tesco samoa]

Good idea on the print outs... That would be nice... a nice spread sheet... with the info...

Love reports... and lots of them that are sortable...

But this unique naming system is driving me nuts...

As does the fact that names give away too much info..... If a player changes his planet name then only the player should see this not the rest of the players...

[jimbob]

Also, a question. I've created components for ships that produce intel points and research points, but I've never tested them. Do these not work?

Suicide Junkie (and others) have tried to get the intel and research components to work, but no luck so far. It has been requested as a patch improvement, but MM has not yet done the hardcode changes needed.

[Mylon]

I'd like to see an infinite research tree. Something one can pour excess research points into for marginal improvements of resource production, weapon damage, supply storage, armor/shield use, ect. The levels of course get progressively more demanding of research points and only provide marginal improvements, but it'd be something for a research based race to go on late in the game. A single mineral producing facility that changes production based on tech might be more appropriate than a separate type of facility for each level.

Sattelite and mine limits: Satellites should be limited by a matter of maintenance, not some arbitrary number. Mines should be a bit more abstract in use to easily allow more than 100. Stars! uses mines in a percentage chance of hitting mines based on speed. Minefields also decay naturally. Thus, mining an area shouldn't be a guarantee of destruction of the enemy, nor should a single minesweeper be guarentee of safety of a fleet.

[Zanthis]

Speaking only on the topic of research, I'd like the following:

• Make divide points not waste points when projects are near completion. Instead, pool extra points and redivided them. Same for the remainder in the case of uneven division. Hate having 10,000rp and dividing over three projects and getting 3,333rp in each. Unless I'm mistaken, doesn't the AI always use divide? This would help it out too.
• Set an option in Settings.txt or the game config screens that allows us to choose diminishing returns for research. In other words, the more rp you dump into a project, the less actual rps it gets. Just for example, using: RP * 0.95^(RP/10000) would yield a 5% loss for every 10000 rps in a single project (that is, 20000 rps would yield 5% less than 10000 rps).
• The ability to restrict a tech from someone with a racial tech. The existing value in the TechArea.txt file for specifying a racial tech could be used, just switch to flags instead of numbers. So instead of 1-5 for racial techs, use 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16. Then use 32, 64, 128, 256 and 512 for a racial tech restriction. So, if making a tech available to Organic is 2, restricting from those with Organic would be 64. Just add numbers together to get multiple restrictions/permissions (i.e., 992 would mean no one with a racial tech could access that technology).
• And if it isn't already possible (keep forgetting to check), make it so a racial techs can have a starting level, thereby granting said tech to only those allowed to access it in the first place.
  

That's my quick list for reseach improvements.

[oleg]

Originally posted by Zanthis:
Speaking only on the topic of research, I'd like the following:[list][*]Make divide points not waste points when projects are near completion. Instead, pool extra points and redivided them. Same for the remainder in the case of uneven division. Hate having 10,000rp and dividing over three projects and getting 3,333rp in each. Unless I'm mistaken, doesn't the AI always use divide? This would help it out too.

AI research like humans - it never divide point equally. Regardless of how many projects you programed it to keep in research queue. MM get this aspect right.

[Ratqueen]

The first things that come to mind for me are:

1. Sticky options to start the game (drives me nuts to have to reset my favorite settings every time I start a game!)

2. Ability to select exactly which techs and levels we want to start a game with (as it was in SE3.)