SE5, Tell Aaron what's on your Wish List

[tesco samoa]

These three are combined.

1. If their are ruins...

The ability to select which research is not available to be found ( and if needed what level )

2. The ability to select which research cannot be traded
3. the ability to select which components cannot be analyzed.

This would really clear up SEIV... I hope it is considered for SEV.

[trooper]

Is there any feedback about what is put in this thread ? It seems far too big to be entirely read by Aaron ...

[Stone Mill]

Hmmm. I've been wondering the same thing , Troop.

In any case, this thread is an intellectual gamer's goldmine!!! It would be disappointing if it were not given any attention.

But alas, there must be a structured process behind any efforts for change implementation.

[Suicide Junkie]

Originally posted by Me Loonn:
Wish that there would be atleast some choises "this or that, but not both" instead of current all for all (racial tech not included).

I never did understand how that sort of thing would make any sort of sense.

Eg:
If the russians develop tech A, they can't research tech B, even though the Americans decided to ignore tech A and sucessfully developed tech B instead.
If the americans did it, why can't the russians do it too if they really want to?

Everything else you mentioned in that particular post can be modded in.
- There are programs to extend the tech areas
- You can easily make single level chains of techs. "Projectile Weapons I" which allows "Practical DUC I" which allows "Projectile Weapons II" which allows ... etc
A more popular way is grid techs, where two or more tech areas provide upgrades to the same component. Perhaps a theoretical area for increasing the potential damage, a practical area for actually getting that potential realized, and a manufacturing area for getting the costs down. Perhaps even a training tech area for giving the weapon a built-in accuracy bonus.
- more ruins is physically easy, coming up with ideas for what to put in them is the hard part.

[LGM]

Aaron,

I would like to see something done to prevent the Talisman from being overpowering. Then after that do something to diminish the might of Organic races. Currently in my opinion Organic and Religous races rule. In a small ship limit game, Religious races unstopable.

Suggestions: The Talisman only works for the first volley of shots as a battle blessing. Another suggestion is make it act as 10KT armor so that one shot takes it out. There has to be some counter to the thing because there is no effective way of beating a Religious race with a comparable economy.

Organic races can really crank out the ships. Maybe Organic planets should be more rare so that they have to work harder to develop that resource to build Organic ships.

Units should pay maintenance.

Faciltiies should pay mainteance.

Queues should start the next item with left over capacity.

Repeat building of the same design at a planet should lower production costs by 20%. (Retooling factories is a big cost).

Trade should not create resources. It is absurd that a one planet empire can receive 20% of a huge empire and store those resources and gift them right back. Poof, instance resources out of thin air. All resource trading should be done through diplomacy.

Make cloaking more sophisticated. One cloak factor per one square of distance. Cloaks would in effect hide ships until they get closer by adding the the visual range. Longer range sensors would become an important aspsect in the game.

Allow Point Defenses to clear mines, but less effectively than mine sweapers. Minesweapers should sweap a number of KTs of mine units, not a number of mines. This will make large mines harder to sweap.

Consider randomizing how many unsweapt mines detonate on the entering fleet. The remainder stay there. Greatly reduce the sweaping power if you do this so that fleets can stay and sweap again next turn or move on leaving some mines behind. It would be nice if there could some element of chosing in the game between staying in a minefield to clear it or to move through it, leaving part of it behind. Minefields should be a delaying factor, not an all or nothing wall.

Add engine damaging mine warheads.

[Fyron]

Another option is to have a weapon that does Talisman-only damage. A Desecrator or somesuch.

[Phoenix-D]

"Organic races can really crank out the ships. Maybe Organic planets should be more rare so that they have to work harder to develop that resource to build Organic ships."

Umm..the organic stuff is generally weaker than normal components. You're suggesting taking away about the only significant advantage this 1500 point trait HAS. (aside from the facilities, but alone they aren't worth 1500 points)

[Tnarg]

This game is one of the greatest with out a doubt; however, there is one area that the game seems to lack in. Unique civilization or empire depth beyond extremely diverse military technical aspects. It seems that every game that I am in or have played, military technological advancement is the key to survivial and enjoyment. Everybody wants to plunder the next Joe without taking the time to enjoy what they have actually accomplished as far as a unique empire.

This is true with many of the great 4X games like Civilization II and MOOII. One needs to have the sharper edge to expand or flourish; however, these games also incorporated a rich cultural aspect investigating philosophy, the sciences, cultural enriching advancements, and social endeavors such as diplomacy and governments. True SEIV offers all of the above, but it seems rather two dimensional. Example: Population on planet A IV is unhappy so one researches a technology to get a facility to make them happy, and boom that's it; one never really has to worry about it again, whereas in CIVII or MOOII that was something that constantly needed to be checked and kept in check. And there are so many reasons why populations would get unhappy.

Instead of everyone building the biggest and baddest fleet around, why couldn't another race take a different approach and build great and majaestic planets full of unique facilities and or "wonders" type advancements.

In a strategic stand point the home planet is the goal of many empires, all the other planets are just gained territory and a few facilities to help the war and research effort. In CivII, one had goals to find out the city that created something you worked so hard for but lost in a race, fuelling the seed to go after that city and plunder their gain for you own.

In MOOII one sought goals of obtaining that planet with the bonus for money or food, and then refined that planet as a sole economic or agricultural planet that if lost would put an empire in ruin.

In CivIII the introduction of culture added a new curse factor as one had to stay ahead of the competitor for culture advancements and growth. Failure to do so would result in the outlaying cities revolting and joining the empire of better opportunity.

Again in CivII and III one had to maintain research in various fields to help them exploit resources. Resources that could help mold an Empire and open up doors for trade negotiations and advance an empire that had possession of key resources.

I don't know, it just seems that there was a bit more to fight over and lust for in the above mentioned classics rather than just uber fleets and players with the most advanced PPB technology. Truth be said the only reason that I am enjoying a few of my games is because of role played races in PBW. I have read some saddening forums where players are only playing to gain the prestige of winning rather than the enjoyment of what the next turn offers.

Let me end by saying that hands down SEIV adds a layer of miltary strategic and technological depth that the above mentioned lack greatly in. It is also one game out of many that will always keep my attention and respect.

[Me Loonn]

Originally posted by Suicide Junkie:

Eg:
If the russians develop tech A, they can't research tech B, even though the Americans decided to ignore tech A and sucessfully developed tech B instead.
If the americans did it, why can't the russians do it too if they really want to?

Well, one could think it as simple as railway track width, that differs in some countiers, or as bolts and screws that are either inch or mm based.
After making desision to use one, changing to other would require massive scrappin of old and replasing all those former bolts and screws that have now become "absolite".

Wasnt that similar thing in the Stak Trek DS9 station, with 3 or 4 different races tech used in it, making things blow up or just malfunction practically 24/7 ?

I know this sounds rather clumsy exsample, but in practical use of different techs, all kinds of problems emerge (PC, anyone... ?)

[ July 02, 2003, 05:32: Message edited by: Me Loonn ]

[Suicide Junkie]

After making desision to use one, changing to other would require massive scrappin of old and replasing all those former bolts and screws that have now become "absolite".

You mean "obsolete", I'm sure.
That's a fair start, but the imperial to metric conVersion will only take a generation or three if you try.
Probably the closest Space Empires analog to the railway idea would be Standard extractors to monoliths... you have to scrap the old and build the new from scratch... at worst, an entire planet at a time.
You'd have to lay down new track across your country/province/state, then get new trains, and tear up the old tracks, redesign the stations perhaps, but if the economic incentive was there, or if I became dictator for life of the country, it could happen .

Major changes would be rough going at first, but if you want it, you could still do it.

---Extended response stuff moved to new thread---