A favor...

[SteveA]

Haven't played SE4 in a very long time, but it was always enjoyable where the replacement, to me, is not.

SE4 appeared to have many limitations based on size of variables.... 256 (8 bit) for example. Design the new version with larger integers! There is no reason to allow max array size to drastically limit, for example, the number of systems or planets or ships or mines.

Please don't go towards real-time strategy... hate that. Cool graphics and a combat replay might be nice once in awhile, but I prefer real time strategy to hold my attention because of the mental challenge, not because it is a click-fest.

A slightly better model of who shoots first in the tactical turn based environment, where defender gets advantage in places like warp point defense but attacker gets advantage in battle-line situations. Perhaps a weighed initiative system like the old X-Com used?

Mostly make sure it works on most machines - I could never get over the horrible frame rate of SE5.. it is just too painful to play.

Steve

[dumbluck]

I wonder if Mr. Brooks found what he was looking for.

[Atrocities]

I like that SE IV was modifiable.

Game play I enjoyed the detail and many control options that allowed for an in depth style of game play that both inspired and excited me.

I liked that we could design our own ships, bases, fighters, satellites, mines, weapons platforms, and troops by choosing our own components.

I like that there were planet ans system restrictions available for facilities.

I would have enjoyed the option to lay out my planet surfaces and put my facilities where I wanted too though.

I would have enjoyed the ability to set a facility, component, ship or anything in the game to one per empire.

I like the simple way the GUI worked. The lay out, albeit dated, had been laid out in such a way that it was easy to maneuver and understand.

I did not like the all blue GUI color though. Depressing.

I like how the system map was the primary focus with a galaxy map being the minor focus.

I would have enjoyed the option to have more than one galaxy open to exploration.

I liked how the ships worked. It would have been better if they were true 3d top down views that were scalable though. This way we could get a real feel for the size of a ships, bases, fighters.

I like the top down combat but felt that again, 3d models, scaled to size would have been better.

I like the mineral, organics, and radioactive production system for the game but wanted more options for economy, population growth, and planetary ecology.

I wanted to see populations react to planet conditions, effecting revenue and production.

I did not like the political system of SE IV. SE V's is much more involved.

I like the tech tree concept of SE IV. The sky was the limit.

I did not really like the INTEL system.

The game needed special resources, wonders, and 3d planets that rotated.

I liked the scale of the GUI system view. I like how when I clicked on a planet I got good useful information about that planet and what was on it, around, and being built on it.

There were a lot of really great ideas implemented in SE V that might have a better bearing on this topic than not.

Task Forces,
Political system
3d planets and ship combat -
ground combat
obsolete hulls
etc

[Atrocities]

Originally Posted by Tim Brooks

Well, I'm getting some of what I wanted. This is good. Don't stop now. I guess what I am looking for, is if you could ask for SEIV 1/2 (not SEV) what would you want to see in there that isn't and what would you not be willing to live without?

Regards,

1. The ability to set one per empire limitations on facilities, components, ship hulls, etc.
2. Raise the 255 limit on mounts to infinity or higher
3. Raise the limits for star systems, ships, mines, satellites, etc to infinity. Let the player decide the limit from 0 to no limits.
4. AI improvements that prevent the AI from cheating its way past restictions that human players must abide by. Restrictions for components on ships.
5. The ability to SET specifically what component the AI must have on its ships as primary, secondary, alternate, and open.
6. The ability to SET out own name for our own home system from game start.
7. The ability to set our starting facilities for the AI and humans. What each player starts with based upon their race.
8. More options for Mini / Max
9. A political system that works.
10. Rare resources like metals, ores, gems, etc.
11. Unlimited options for minor races to inhabit uncolonized worlds. Right now that limit is 20. I'd like to see planets inhabitted with primative species that can be exploited, enslaved, rebel, slaughtered, etc.
12. Planet conditions that affect population growth and production.
13. A real economic system that can be turned on and off depending upon players choice.
14. A real trade system. Establish a trade with another race, planet, must build transports as needed.
15. GROUND COMBAT that looks good and is effective.
16. WONDERS. Players should have the option to build unique wonders.
17. Characters - The ability to add characters or not.
18. Rotating planets.
19. More than one galaxy. Make the galaxy frigging huge too. 10,000 star systems with 100,000 of thousands of planets, moons, etc each. Make it epic.
20. Options like star gates - must be placed or built on planets and will allow small amounts of troops and such to pass between the planets via the network. Space Gates, built in orbit that allow for larger cargo to be transported, like fighters, small ships. FTL drive, Hyperspace drive, Dimension drive (For traveling to other galaxies.) Wormholes, warp points (Natural and artificially made).
21. The ability to mine black holes for rare resources needed to build large scale artificial warp point, wormhole, and dimension drive gates.
22. The option to have build slots both on the planet and in orbit over the planet.
23. The ability to have different types of build yards. Ship building, troop building, fighter construction, etc. Currently they are all linked and the expansion yard exploit must be used to simulate this effect. I want to see the ability were we can say that TROOPS are build or trained at this facility, ships and what not here, and armor or fighters or other here or there. A code or special modifier that we can use to lock an item to a facility.
24. The ability to set more than one weapons type damage to one weapon. Damages both shields and weapons. Targets both engines and weapons. Etc.
25. The ability to mine nebula for resources.
26. The ability to set the size of the image to be used manually. IE, 36x36, or 64x64 depending upon what it is the size calls for. This way (non 3d) ships, bases, etc can have scale.
27. The ability to set one per empire limits on everything from facilities to components. - very important
28. The ability to obsolete a hull. Destroyer Hull 1, Destroyer Hull 2. When 2 becomes available, then you can obsolete 1.
29. The options to player specific intel mission types via characters or scenarios. Send This hero to fight uprising or insight uprising.
30. A true Intel and counter Intel system. Intel shouldn't be just driven by the number of intel facilities you have. It should require the need for income based mission limitations. You need X amount of money to run this mission with spies in this range to perform the task. The ability to designate X amount of intel points to counter intel operations or offensive intel operations.

[mac5732]

I like the Mods that were available for the game. Especially the TDM modpack, and some of the others... I would like to see all the races from the TDM modpack and the one with the monsters (can't think of the name right now UGH) ... also the star trek ones, but i would guess the star trek ones could have some patent problems to get them....

More races and blood thirsty, tough AI players and for the AI to build the larger type ships like some of those do in TDM etc, also carriers like SJs carrier mods....

AND, a good ground combat system on the order of the old Star General game.

[Tim Brooks]

I wonder if Mr. Brooks found what he was looking for.

Still finding it. Thanks for asking. We are trying to compile this into some orderly fashion... We will continue to monitor this thread. Any questions for me?

[GeorgiaBoy]

Originally Posted by Tim Brooks

Still finding it. Thanks for asking. We are trying to compile this into some orderly fashion... We will continue to monitor this thread. Any questions for me?

Yep. Three questions and two suggestions:

1) With the ideas gathered here and other ideas, is Shrapnel actually going to develop SE 4.5 (I guess Shrapnel has the legal rights)?

2) Barring complications, could this product be out by Christmas 2010-2011?

3) Will you let us know when you will stop taking ideas en masse (when the code gets 'nailed down')?

Suggestion One: Diplomatic affinities (moddable) at beginning of game. Example: Race X likes race Y but hates race Z at beginning, but can change as the game progresses...

Suggestion Two: Ability to determine home system and planet in aigeneral.txt

Just my .02

GB

[Ed Kolis]

Less bloated, more secure turnfiles!

That is, instead of sending all players everything in the game every turn and relying on the client to filter out stuff that the player can't see, create an individualized savegame for each player with only that stuff IN it in the first place! This would save lots of bandwidth and eliminate even the remotest possibility of cheating!

Also, integrated PBW support and working TCP/IP play

edit: oh, along with that, how about sane combat replays which can be calculated client-side... don't save the position of EVERY bullet 20 times per second in the savegame!!! OK, that's a SE5 thing, not SE4, but I suspect SE4 worked the same way and we just never noticed because of the granular nature of turn-based combat as opposed to real-time!

[Xrati]

Yea, Tim. I was wondering if the hot redhead in the red dress from the "Dom 3" ad works for Shrapnel? And if she does, how in the world do you get any work done over there!!!!!!!!


Savor the moment....

[Q]

Three small items I would like to see:

1.) Hexes instead of squares for the system map.
2.) Possibility of objects to occupy more than one field (sphere worlds).

But keep the possibility to have one planet and nine moons in the same field without any graphics flickering as in SE V.

3.) Retain partial damage of components, units, facilities after the end of combat and make repair work on kT per turn not on components per turn.