SE5, Tell Aaron what's on your Wish List

[Starfire512]

Better AI modding.

I've noted that one of the advantages that a player can use over the AI is single use planets. The AI tends to build multiple facility types on a single planet, including R&D on high resource value planets. Players on the other hand, tend to put one main facility type on a planet (say Minerals) and then load up on the bonus facilities (Robotic Factories, Mineral Scanners, etc.). This gives a much larger total production overall when you examine this on an empire wide scale. A poor resource planet, then is loaded with many R&D facilities.
Another AI problem is that the AI considers a tiny domed planet to be equivalent of a Huge non-domed planet. Thus, Default_AI_Planet_Types: "Percent of Colonies:" becomes fairly worthless as a method of tracking overall production balance to the empire.
If the AI could take a broader look at its facility building abilities, it would be better (Empire Wide: running low on minerals, where is the best place to build more -- but restricted by minimum mineral value). I think the AI could be made considerably stronger. Another thing that I often look at is "Am I plus or minus on the resources I'm taking in vs using?". This tells me whether I need to focus on resource production or R&D point production.
The key is that SpaceEmpires is first an economic game, and secondly a military game. Thus, if the economic abilities of the AI are inefficient, then the overall AI will be seen as weak as it just doesn't have enough ships to compete.

[Q]

Redesigned component repair:

1.) Two different repair abilities: One as in SE IV that repairs all ships in the same sector and one that only repairs the own ship but not any other ship.
2.) Repair done in kT with the possibility to do partial repairs of a component per turn that can be continued next turn. That would imply a memory for each ship of partial repair/damage (as it is done in SE IV during combat turns).
3.) Repair ability during combat as it is in SE IV for organic armor but (at least possible) for all component as it is in Starfury.

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

#2 I fully support. I mean, it makes no sense if you can repair 3 200kT Stellar Manip devices in as much time as it takes to repair 3 10kT Armors?

Better point defense systems. Right now, PD also acts as a normal weapon and weapons with the PD ability only fire on small stuff. I want to configure PD that, for instance, only (and only) fires during the "opportunity fire" phase, that is, you have no manual control over firing. Or, a PD weapon that also shoots any ships and other large stuff that the ship that carries it happens to pass. This would, in my eyes, improve the "independent turret" idea you tend to get with PD and other "turreted" weapons. Sure, you can set targets for the large, heavy, non-turreted weapons, but the smaller ones have their own gunners and crew, and tend to pick their own targets.

Also, a "priority target system" for PD would be nice. Now, it fires only at whatever target is closest; however, if it wastes all its shots on a small, relatively harmless clutch of missiles headed for another ship, and thereby negates the possibility of taking out a squadron of heavy bombers just 1 square further away, that can get on your nerves.

A PD "strategy" would be nice, too. You set your target priorities and target types (i.e. "Seekers - Only On Us", "Seekers - Only On Others", "Seekers - All", etc.) and you can select a PD strategy as well as a "normal" strategy for your ships. For instance, you might give a certain class of ships, which carry crap-loads of armor and entire batteries of PD, the order to fire only on seekers that target allied ships, while a small, maneuverable ship with no armor and only a few PD might get the order to fire only on seekers and fighters that approach itself.

An example list of PD strategy variables;
-Seekers - Only On Us, Only On Others, All
-[any target type] - Maximum Range, Medium Range, Point Blank Only
-Fighters - Approaching, Retreating, Firing On Us, Firing On Others, All
-Fighters - Light, Heavy, Fast, Slow, Small, Large, Anti-Ship, Kamikaze, Anti-Planet
-Drones - With Normal Weapons, With Many Warheads, Fast, Slow, Anti-Ship, Anti-Planet, Recon (i.e. equipped with scanners, supply tanks), Support (i.e. equipped with repair comps, supply reactors, etc.)
-Sat - Missile, Armored, Shielded, Short Ranged, Med Ranged, Long Ranged, Anti-Planet

So you could have a PD strategy priority list as such;
-Seekers - Only On Others, Medium Range
-Sats - Armored, Long Ranged, Maximum Range
-Fighters - Heavy, Approaching, Medium Range
-Drones - Many Warheads, Point Blank Only
You can have up to three target type priorities on anything except Seekers, though one or two would suffice for most situations. You would create these strategies in a screen similar to the current "create custom strategy" screen, and you could assing one to a class you design, or to an individual ship. Large warships (>1000kT or so) with mostly PD and lots of armor could have "personalized" strategies per ship, while tiny, off-the-shelf PD escorts would just have a general strategy for the entire class, and if you want to change the strategy you just duplicate the design.

[Captain Kwok]

Q said:
...Repair done in kT with the possibility to do partial repairs of a component per turn that can be continued next turn. That would imply a memory for each ship of partial repair/damage (as it is done in SE IV during combat turns)...

Have you been peeking?

[Ed Kolis]

I love it when Captain Kwok posts in these threads... he always lets something slip!

[Q]

Captain Kwok said:
Q said:
...Repair done in kT with the possibility to do partial repairs of a component per turn that can be continued next turn. That would imply a memory for each ship of partial repair/damage (as it is done in SE IV during combat turns)...

Have you been peeking?

I am Q!

[Aris_Sung]

Just wondering if anyone has voiced the idea of giving planets gravity wells.
If you have it in combat mode, then ships that have their engines destroyed and are close to a planet (say 2-4 grids or will it be hexes now??) will fall towards the planet. Therefore the ship could cause damage to inhabitants on planet, or the planet and any other ships can destroy the ship thus preventing planetary damage, or a salvage ship(a ship with a component that can tug the damage ship to a safe distance) can save it.
If you have it in normal game play, I guess if a ship loses its engines due to battle, or sabotage or some unexplained phenomena, and is around a planet or sun (hmm, probably should have added idea of sun to previous paragraph), then it would also gradually get pulled in towards said stellar body unless something intervened.

Comments?

[Emperor's Child]

I just had this thought: Wouldn't it be cool to have a PBW option where the number of other players (real and AI) was hidden?

Right now you know EXACTLY how many other players are in the game, and can tell who are the human opponents. This gives you an advantage in knowing approximately how large or small the playing field will be, and you can tool your tactics accordingly.

I think it would be interesting to have ways to mask who are real & AI opponents so you don't know who they are, and possibly some way to hide the total number of players in the game. This would make the process of scouting / discovery more interesting.

[Suicide Junkie]

I think it would be interesting to have ways to mask who are real & AI opponents so you don't know who they are, and possibly some way to hide the total number of players in the game. This would make the process of scouting / discovery more interesting.

How about if SE5 were to run all political messages through the altavista translator; from english to french to german and then back.

A system would simulate the such disorder in the communications under foreign races is enough although corresponding, me to believe.

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

More in-depth and, more importantly, moddable diplomacy.

Say, you just encountered another race. You can only send General Messages until you've established some sort of consulate there, at which point you can propose the more basic exchanges and such, such as gifts, trades, trade treaties and such. Then, if you were to establish an embassy, you could start working on the more complex agreements, such as Military Alliances, joint war efforts, Surrender and so on. This wouldn't just be a Nothing-Consulate-Embassy system; this would work with numerical levels, so that Consulate is lvl2 and Embassy is lvl3. This way, you can mod in more diplomacy options, so that a basic Consulate would allow you to make gifts and non-aggression pacts, whereas a Trade Consulate would allow trades and trade treaties, Embassies would have even more complex treaties and Joint War Coordination Centers would allow military alliances and joint war efforts.

Also, I would like to see moddable treaties. This would allow for a more complex, in-depth diplomacy system, keyed to the specifics of a mod. And, mod specifics aside, it would give you a potentially vast amount of diplomatic agreements. I for one would like to add at least these following treaties;
Loan, Mutual War Effort, Vassalization, Forced Annexation, Merger of Empires, Trade Boycott, Mercenaries, Multilateral Alliance, several types of more in-depth Trade Agreements, Mutual Intelligence Coordination, Research Alliance, a bare-bones Military Alliance und so weiter.