SE5, Tell Aaron what's on your Wish List

[Shane Watson]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:

quote:

---

Yup, I designed the facilities for SE IV [Big Grin]

Zuh?

---

Open Space Empires IV and read the credits They were cheesy, but I am proud of 'em. It was a lot of fun too. I had wanted to get some ship sets in there as well, along with some other stuff, but I had an old computer at the the time and the bloody thing crashed on me and it was a while before I was able to get things back up and running. Eh, such is life haha.

[ July 30, 2004, 14:25: Message edited by: Shane Watson ]

[Shane Watson]

Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
I have to agree that "Warp Points" are just about the single most important and defining characteristic of the SE series. It wouldn't be Space Empires anymore if you removed them. That said, I have lobbied Aaron myself for additional methods of interstellar travel. Warp Gates for example -- buildable devices controled by players instead of just 'natural features' that you can only create or destroy. You could control who uses a warp gate, such as only allowing your own ships or your allies to use it. And some sort of 'direct' or 'off road' method of travel is needed. I prefer 'sleeper ships' where the crew actually has to be put into some sort of hibernation and it takes years to get from one system to another. It'd be really cool to play the occasional 'lotech' game with no FTL at all, even if it would take ages to play. A 'hyperspace' system like we see in Babylon 5 would also be nice, though.

I totally admit that I'm anti-wormhole. But I'm willing to make concessions to the pro-wormhole crowed (mostly cause I'm hopelessly outnumbered haha) - Seriously, I think the ideas that you are kicking around here are cool.

I have to agree that "Warp Points" are just about the single most important and defining characteristic of the SE series. It wouldn't be Space Empires anymore if you removed them.

I don't know about that. What was that real time game out a few years ago that used warp points? I played it a lot there for while, but I don't recall what it was... WP's didn't define that game. But it had them.

I think Space Empire's single most important and defining feature is it's ability to be customized. Not only is it fun because of that, but it also appeals to a broader consumer base. Don't like the game? Change it.

I think the thing that bothers the most about the WP's is that fundamentally I percieve them as a limit on the game. They limit game play for me, while everything else is essentially wide open. That's what troubles me about them and that is why I would like to see them either gone entirely (which I know and accept won't happen) or at least their role modified so as to be more manageable.

~S

[ July 30, 2004, 15:08: Message edited by: Shane Watson ]

[Fyron]

Originally posted by Shane Watson:
Open Space Empires IV and read the credits They were cheesy, but I am proud of 'em. It was a lot of fun too. I had wanted to get some ship sets in there as well, along with some other stuff, but I had an old computer at the the time and the bloody thing crashed on me and it was a while before I was able to get things back up and running. Eh, such is life haha.

It is not too late to make more graphics for SE4. You could always submit stuff to the Image Mod.

[Gozra]

Pax Imperium pretty good game but it can move very fast.
And if you use map creator you can make oneway warp points.

[AMF]

Perhaps this has been mentioned before, but I would like to see penalties/bonuses/restrictions based upon gravity (size) of planets. For example, as a human-like race, I should be unable to colonize heavy-G planets and maybe get a cost penalty when building on light-G planets. Or some variation thereof.

There should be techs that would allows colonization of them ("high-G construction," etc...).

In this same vein, certain racial characteristics should make it very difficult or easier to colonize higher or lower G places. If I was a space-born race, I should have significant penalties to exist on a high-G planet.

There could be various permutations herein.

I also feel that with a wider variety of planet types colonization should follow similar themes. For example, I would like to see "water-worlds" or "desert-worlds" and other similar combinations added to the rock-gas-ice paradigm.

Then, if I played a Cetacean water-borne race, then I would get bonuses (or no penalties) to colonize a water-world, and so forth.

I guess these could be similar in theory to the progression of colonization techs currently in place, but with wider variety - which would be nifty, more flavour added to the game, but with little or no added complexity.

Just my thoughts.

Thnaks,

Alarik

[Loser]

Props to the artist. I hope you are willing to continue to contribute to the family, as the Facilities define a good deal of the flavor of the game.

Back on topic, I'd like to see more additive and subtractive attributes for Components and Facilities. Things like

• Happiness
• Cloaking (all types)
• Conditions modifiers
• Value Modifiers
• Anything else that currently only takes the best value

Of course, I'd also like more hotkeys. I want to be able to play the game using only the keyboard.

[Gozra]

I like all these neat Ideas but at what point does complexity overcome playablity? I only know of a few players that handle high levels complexity well and I think most enjoy focusing on one or two aspects of the game. (diplomacy, research, Ship design, Economic expansion, Combat) My self I really like the little tactics you can come up with like putting mines with spy sats.
One thing which would be nice in a standard game is the final level of any tech be darned expensive so that if you do get that tech it gives you an advantage for 20- or so turns. I am thinking about cloaking tech. I do understand that this is easily modded.

[Loser]

I would like to see all the ocmplexity that could possibly be presented made avilable to modders. That's what I was requesting, really.

Except for the hotkeys, I would like to see that functionality in the standard game. Of course, I wouldn't want hotkey usage to be necessary to gameplay, I respect the needs of those who cannot transcend the mouse.

[Shane Watson]

Originally posted by Loser:
[QB] Props to the artist. I hope you are willing to continue to contribute to the family, as the Facilities define a good deal of the flavor of the game.

Thanks! Aaron and I are actually talking about the *possibility* of me doing some detailed race portraits for the game since I don't really do any 3d modeling anymore. I've always been a 2d artist - and the guys doing 3d work these days make me look really bad haha
--
I really like the idea of Planetary Classifications beyond Asteroid, Gas Giant, Rocky World, Ice World.

I think it would be a nice addition to some extended planetary stats (grav, hydrographic, size (km or miles) and A.U. among other things.

As far as complexity overcoming gameplay - the easy way around this is to allow for fairly complex game mechanics that can be turned off and on in the Empire options of each player or handled by the player's government. It doesn't *have* to be micromanagement hell unless you want it to be.

Cheers,
~Shane

[Loser]

Mr. Watson?
*waits for eye contact*
Right this way, please.