Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes

[Atraikius]

My three biggies would be:

1) Inclusion of a file detailing what determines the AI's state, and how the ministers are effected by the state that the AI is in, so that the AI's can be modified to take advantage of the AI state they are in.

2) Ability to call out either a Design Type or a Design name in the Construct vehicle file.

3) Inclusion of AI data files for change of state requirements, minister athorities and precidents, and fleet formation additions (such as maintaining formation based on leader positions, facings, map edges, enemy ships; and use of different formations and strategies based on varios conditions of the enemy fleet abilities).

[Tampa_Gamer]

Although it will echo what others have already said, and what has been sent repeatedly to MM. . .

(1) Ability to call ships/units based on design name instead of design type in Construction file. This will not effect that current AI since their design names already = their design types.

(2) A field in which we can designate a ship as eligible for the AI to add it to a defense fleet, attack fleet or either.

(3) Allow negative/positive anger adjustment in the Anger file based on race name. This will allow historical enemies and allies.

[CW]

Make HUGH improvement on the AI! The current Artificial Idiot is very inadequate and gets me really mad at times, especially in strategic combat. Most of the time I don't even think it is fighting on my side!

[tesco samoa]

Small : ability to show where all system wide abilities are on the system map.

Med : The ability to filter reports ( all of them )

Large : The ability to chose stragetic or tatical combat in multi player games on different computers

[Krakenup]

Trivial: Seeing enemy movement in your system

If I have a presence in a system, and an enemy ship moves in that system, I should be able to see it. Currently, an enemy ship suddenly appears in a system, and the following turn it disappears. You don't know where it came from or where it went. You should be able to see enemy movement during that enemy's turn in your systems.

Small: Straighten out the engines/supplies

It's silly for the same size engines to power escorts and battleships and for an engine to have the same amount of supplies as a supply bin twice its size. My solution would be to have the engines proportional to the hull size in size, cost, supply storage, and supply usage. Also, cut the supplies carried by engines in half, and double the supplies in each supply bin.

Medium: Fix the ministers

The reason the AI's aren't any better is that they have to use all the ministers. This includes the exploration minister that keeps sending ships through damaging warp points and the resupply minister that jerks your fleet back just before it reaches its objective. (Add your favorite minister stupidity here.)

[dmm]

Good responses so far, but keep in mind the criteria for the effort categories: trivial (a few hours of programming), small (a few days), and medium (a few weeks).
Also remember that we're discussing HARD CODE changes -- stuff that can't possibly be modded.
Lastly remember that we're discussing "most-bang-for-the-buck", not pet peeves. (E.g., fixing Enter and Escape in dialog boxes would be nice but would not give a substantial "return on investment" in terms of improving the game.)

[Lerchey]

I'm not sure if this is trivial, medium, or huge, but here goes:

Diplomacy. Right now, either you can move safely through ALL of an empires systems, or you can't move safely through ANY of an empires systems. I would like to have an option to make systems as "hostile" or something. That way, if I set up a trade alliance with the Phong, but only want them to be allowed into the first two systems (closest to them), and not go parading through the depths of my empire, I can set up space stations, mines, or whatever, and stop them.

General John