SE5, Tell Aaron what's on your Wish List

[General Woundwort]

From Taera's "Crazy Mod Idea" thread...

Have "Only One Installation per Planet" be available for any/all facilites besides Ship Yards.

[clark]

I haven't seen this, so please disregard if it has been suggested before:

Genetic ConVersion.

We can convert the atmosphere of a planet to suit the needs of the population, but we are unable to convert the population to the requirements of the planet.

Perhaps make the whole "biology" medical tech tree a little more useful in terms of manipulating the population to meet game needs.

[Loser]

Is there a place for User Interface specific requests and suggestions? I have a few:

• Tab and Arrow Key interface navigation. I am a keyboard kind of guy, and the ability to hot-key around makes me so happy.
  
• Cursor Mode. With a hot-key, set the interface to Cursor Mode, so that the Arrow Keys move a cursor (independent of the mouse, if possible but not necessary) around the System or Combat Map.
  
• Forgiving Tactical Combat. I know the strength of the game isn't so much in Tactical Combat, but it would be nice to have an Undo, or maybe to have movement orders executed when you hit End Turn
• More hot-keys. If I could use the whole game without ever touching the mouse I would... well... I'm going to buy it and tell all my friends how great it is anyway... well I'd just be darn pleased.
  
• Moddable interface. Allow the modder to specify the commands executed or windows opened by key-strokes or mouse buttons. Give the modder a way to specify CTRL, ALT, and SHIFT modifiers to keystrokes, all five possible mouse buttons and the wheel.

Yeah... so... while I'm still pretty sure the specifics of SE V are already set, this is some stuff I'd sure like to see.

[dumbluck]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but I'd really like to see the Diplomatic engine have much more granularity.

For example, if I want to have a trade agreement with empire A, but not allow his ships to pass me without combat being initiated, let me. If I want to be able to share resupply depots with empire B, but not have trade relations with them, let me. If I want to trade research with empire C, but not trade resources, let me.

And there is one Last thing that needs to be added to the diplomatic repertoire: the ability to be repaired by an allies SY/Repair Bays.

[Me Loonn]

Well, one thing just came to me:
Queues listing needs more sorting choises, now it sorts them by alphabetic, fac number, etc from highest value on top only. Need to get also sorted by lowest value on top, if you click on it second time.
Very simple thing to add, i imagine

[Stone Mill]

The planetary indicator that is currently used for population should be more meaningful- represent more exact population levels. Perhaps introduce a color code system so the bars truly signify different levels.

[Chronon]

Originally posted by Stone Mill:
The planetary indicator that is currently used for population should be more meaningful- represent more exact population levels. Perhaps introduce a color code system so the bars truly signify different levels.

Excellent idea, Stone Mill. Or, it could be a number inside the "flag" like it is in Civ III. Which gives me another idea...Why not have an option to show on the system window what each planet is working on (like Civ3 and SMAC)?

Here's my top five things I'd like to see:

1) Money - Managing the Imperial budget would add a nice layer of decision-making at the strategic level. Production would cost resources, money, and manpower (workers). Intelligence would also cost money (bribes), as would ship maintenance, repair, and retrofitting.

2) More resources - Or at least a better balance of the three now in use.

3) Retreat from tactical combat (ala MoO3). In simultaneous/strategic combat, a pop-up window with choices about retreat (10% losses, 20% losses, etc). Or perhaps this could be on a morale system. When your fleets "break" they retreat. Extra bonuses for experienced crews, of course.

4) Individual Leaders/Ministers with specific bonuses (plus or minus) - They add a fun rpg element to the game. Also, I would like to see them modable(especially the population minister!), so that I could configure them to my playing style.

5) A dynamic system display with orbits for each planet and planets that move along those orbits each turn (3D would be icing on the cake).

[Stone Mill]

Thanks, Chronon. Now, your ideas would really be cool. There's much that can be leveraged in this area.

[Erax]

Picking up on Chronon's ideas :

1) Moddable resources - let's have, say, 99 resource 'slots'. the standard game uses 3 of them, but you can use the others in your mods. This would allow us, for example, to link production of engines to an 'engine factory' facility by creating a 'propulsion hardware' resource.

2) Allow facilities to consume resources. This would allow us to build up a 'production chain' type of infrastructure, with mines that produce ore, then smelters that convert it into metal, then various types of factories that make different components.

3) Allow different kinds of supplies on ships. Beam weapons and engines would use energy (similar to supplies as they are now), but CSMs and DUCs would use ammunition - another kind of supply. Life support would convert energy into food and atmosphere (a third kind of supply).

[TerranC]

Originally posted by Loser:
More hot-keys. If I could use the whole game without ever touching the mouse I would... well... I'm going to buy it and tell all my friends how great it is anyway... well I'd just be darn pleased.

That'd be cool. Adding on Loser's suggestion, Changeble/Moddable Hot-keys, and a system that tells you if your custom hot keys conflict with any original hot key (Like in Freespace 2).

[ June 27, 2003, 11:51: Message edited by: TerranC ]