SE5, Tell Aaron what's on your Wish List

[AgentZero]

I'd like to add in a request for a bit of improvement when it comes to the AI Ship Design files when we're modding. At the moment it's pretty involved and it can be pretty hard to get the AI to do what you want.
I tried a little while ago to make a mod based on a universe of my own creation which ended rather badly.
For example, in this universe, a Solarian Frigate starts out armed with a few Meson BLasters, then trades in a few for APBs, sticks with them for a while and ends with WMGs. Not the most brilliant ship design, I know, but I was trying to have the game fit in with the fiction I'd wrote, and vice versa.
Also, I ran into the problem where if I wanted to set certain ship design requirements that were a bit different for each race, I had major problems. eg: The Solarians discovered the propulsion system that allowed them to power something as big as a Cruiser from their research into missiles, but their allies, the Untarii, used a completely different propulsion system derived from advanced shield tech.
So, I figured if I created Solarian Cruiser designs with missiles on them, and Untarii Cruisers all needed phased-shields, then I wouldn't see Solarian or Untarii Cruisers until they'd aquired Missile tech (which was expensive and modded to require Military Science), and Phased Shields, respectively, right?
Nope. The AI, apparently unwilling to wait until it had researched the techs needed to build the designs I specified for it, simply cobbled together it's own designs and started pumping them out...
So really if the SE5 AI just does what we tell it to in it's AI files, I'd be pretty happy.

[Atrocities]

GAME PLAY IDEA

Research / Intel Points:

When at war a race should get a bonus for research and intel. This is how it is in the real world. When we are at war we spend more on researching new weapons and defenses as well as intel operations. I think it would be a good addition to SE V if Aaron could empliment this into SE V.

[Patroklos]

I would like speialty high teck componets like sensor suites and command centers. These would be very large and expensive components that give bonuses to every ship in the fleet or combat with it. Also only one effective per sector.

This would lead to some unique command or support ships.

[Captain Kwok]

Patroklos said:
I would like speialty high teck componets like sensor suites and command centers. These would be very large and expensive components that give bonuses to every ship in the fleet or combat with it. Also only one effective per sector.

This would lead to some unique command or support ships.

You can actually mod such components in SE:IV.

[Atrocities]

Modding is half the fun of playing SEIV. Just be certain to copy the data files you intend to mod into a new folder before you make any changes. For modding help visit the mod works at www.spaceempires.net/home forums mod works.

[Suicide Junkie]

Atrocities said:
GAME PLAY IDEA

Research / Intel Points:

When at war a race should get a bonus for research and intel. This is how it is in the real world. When we are at war we spend more on researching new weapons and defenses as well as intel operations. I think it would be a good addition to SE V if Aaron could empliment this into SE V.

That dosen't really make too much sense, unless you take the funding out of something else, or go into massive debt.

Dosen't it already work that way a bit, though? When you're at peace, you're busy growing your economy and researching those advanced mineral miners and urban pacification centers, along with some military tech just to keep up with your neighbours.
When war comes, you dump all your points into getting a military edge instead.

Some sort of E-research and E-intel could be handy though.

E-research could increase your research production while increasing the chances of unfortunate and destructive "side effects".

E-intel could tend to deplete your trained agents, and you'd have to slow down later to get your agent quality back up.
- Or perhaps just have a number of skill points generated by each facility, and the more projects you run, the more thinly you spread your skill points.
(At peace you'd want to use just a few, so you keep your skill very high, and even if the project fails, you probably won't be IDed as the offending empire. At war, they'd be blaming you no matter what the outcome, so you can spread the skill out and run lots of projects that get IDed even when they succeed)

[AgentZero]

E-research's unpleasant side-effects should occur before the research project is complete. ie: No 'Sire, we have developed a new WMG' that ends up exploding when you use it in combat. Research in SE should encompass both the research and development.
Possible side-effects of e-research might be a chance the project will be reset to zero & you'll have to start over (Ooops, we blew up the lab) and the results of you research becoming available to other empires ('Did I post the results of the Phased-Poleron tests on the secure R&D forum, or on the SEMXVI forum?'

E-intel would also have a higher chance to fail, since your skilled agents would be run ragged and/or you'd be fielding agents who weren't ready for covert ops....

[Patroklos]

I don't want to have to mod them

I would also like regular ship born weapons to have little effect on planet population and unit planetside. We have a whole teck level for the weapons that are supposed to do this, yet what is the point if normal weapons do this just as well. Would again require more depth in ship design.

Would also make ground combat more nessecary.

[Kana]

Patroklos said:
I would also like regular ship born weapons to have little effect on planet population and unit planetside. We have a whole teck level for the weapons that are supposed to do this, yet what is the point if normal weapons do this just as well. Would again require more depth in ship design.

Would also make ground combat more nessecary.

This is actually a good idea. Ship to Ship weapons should have a reduced effect on planet or none at all. It would force people to use other specfic types or troops. Maybe certain ship weapons like missiles or drones might have full effect, but certain beam types do not...this is something to consider, or all to be moddable...

Kana

[douglas]

While you're at it, the whole system for how planets take damage should be revamped. Yes, it's hard to miss something as big as a planet, but aiming for individual weapon platforms on that planet should be a lot harder. Normal weapon shots at a planet should have a moderate chance, modified by CS, ECM, experience, etc, of hitting a weapon platform. Shots that miss the weapon platforms should do most of their damage to facilities, and only a little to troops and population. There should also be a chance of hitting an area that has nothing of importance, effectively "missing" the whole planet, that goes down with greater development and population. Mass genocide should require special planetary assault weapons or an obscenely large amount of regular firepower.

On another subject, I know treaties will be much more customizable in SEV, but here are a few customization options that I don't think have come up yet: sharing physical charts of astronomical objects should be a separate option from sharing ship/colony locations and details; it would also be nice to be able to make exceptions to sharing ship and colony data on the basis of ship/colony's owner (friend, enemy, specific empire), ship's design or design type, colony type, location, cloaking status, and even individually, or any combination of these factors. Exceptions should be applicable and separately designatable both for the ship/colony being observed, and for the ship/colony doing the observing. This might be a little too detailed to be worth implementing fully, but it would be nice to have for players suspicious of other players' motives and plans.