What new abilities would you like to see?

[JLS]

Originally posted by Aloofy:

quote:

---

Originally posted by orev_saara:
Yes. You'd have to make the basic cloaking device take up about 5000kT, or something equally unworkable, then put in a mount that shrinks it down to what you want that cannot be used on anything bigger than 300kT

Thanks man, that's a great idea.
Will the AI use it?
Do I have to tinker with AI files to make them use it?
I've never touched an AI file. I'm a newbie, you know.

---

AI should be fine with this as long as you add cloaking to the Race/ships you want them to cloak.

[Karibu]

I think this has been noticed before, but I have not seen it said anywhere:

When you spy enemy/capture ship, you should have the knowledge of enemy's tech level (at least of those parts you have found out) so that when you propose trade with him, in your trading list of technology are NOT those technologies you already know enemy possess.

For example: I capture enemyship and see "Hey he has Level 3 PD, Emergency supply 2 and ion engines level 2". Then I make peace with him and propose trading. There should be removed those technologies.

Tech trading also needs correction. When I decide to trade with some player, I should be able to give him those techs I want, not the latest tech of that one branch he does not have.

For example: We agree that I trade him Level 3 engines and he gives me level 3 DUC. Naturally I assume that he has Level 2 engines and he assumes that I have level 2 DUC. And I know he has level 5 DUC and he knows I have level 6 engines. Now he has lied to me and he has level 4 engines already and he knows when we trade, he will get the "next engine level" which is level 5. I have been honest and I get level 3 DUC. That was not what I intended to trade. This is the reason I want in the tech trade that I can define explicitly that I give another player level 3 engines and not just "next engine level" to what he possess. This would not be very hard to implement. It would also be more clear when trading.

Same thing with starcharts. The trading list should not include those system maps I know enemy possess. How to define this? Simple: Remove those maps from the list, when enemy ship and my ship has been in the same system so, that I have seen the enemy ship. Naturally I know then that enemy knows this system. Also remove those system charts which include enemy colonies I know of. Also remove those charts when I have seen enemy ship in that system through partnership of another race. There are also few other definitions to this but you know what I mean (I hope so).

[Elowan]

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet but I think that a Space Yard should be able to re-supply as well. It isn't logical that it can't.

[JLS]

Originally posted by Elowan:
Don't know if this has been mentioned yet but I think that a Space Yard should be able to re-supply as well. It isn't logical that it can't.

YES, Agreed.

AI Campaign uses this, it is very helpfull for the AI all around and when it upgrades its engines, now we and the AI have fuel available to fill up there new retrofit engines.

Otherwise the AI crawls to the nearest depot after a refit

[ May 03, 2003, 16:10: Message edited by: JLS ]

[Q]

More abilities for systems:
1.) Maximum speed: no ship can go faster than x sectors per turn.
2.) No stellar manipulation possible (like the effect of a system gravitational shield): no warp points open/close, no star destruction.
3.) Positive/negative influence on happiness and reproduction for all colonies in the system.
4.) Selective non-function of certain weapon types (e.g. missiles, torpedos, beams) in the system.
5.) No effect of all training/racial combat bonus for ships in the system.

[JLS]

Q,
Agreed now those would open great modding opportunities.

[Cyrien]

I wouldn't recomend a specific new ability. But rather a new way of defining abilites. A moddable way.

For instance instead of recomedning a new atmosphere type throw in a text file that allows the user to define atmosphere types. Have settings such as Can it be used by a Race as start Atmosphere := True or False
Can be X Planet Type :=
Where X planet type is defined in another file with default being Gas, Rock, Ice.

Such a system would have less hardcoded and give a great deal more potential for modding. Also it is only an extension of the existing system.

Define new abilities
Ability Name := Damges X only
Does damage to := ALL or a component family number or Shields only.

Instead of defining specifically each thing that can or cannot be damaged in hard code format. Hard code general things and put specific in moddable files.

This can also be better from a programing stand point. Instead of having to code in so many different specific abilities that different people want, code in general areas and allow each user to make what they want.

[ May 03, 2003, 16:56: Message edited by: Cyrien ]

[Cyrien]

To clarify a little more. I would recommend very general abilities.
Example:
Can colonize
Can cloak
Can damage
Can block damage (armor)
Can block damage (shield)
Can regenerate

with specifics in each one not being hardcoded but instead being moddable in specific txt files.

[JLS]

Does any one know a work around for this?

I would like to add small amounts of Space Yard Rates to Towns, Cities thru Culture Center, in that way it may represent the Industrial might of a well infurstrtured planet.

I can do this on the Home World because the Game will load a Space Yard Facility and all the starting Cultures Centers even having SY abilities. They are cumulative and all will work fine

But after the game starts, se4 will not let me have any two facilities with SY abilities to be built on the same planet

Is there a work around; so we may have two or more Facilities with Space Yard Ability be Built on a planet?

[ May 04, 2003, 15:40: Message edited by: JLS ]

[Me Loonn]

Originally posted by Aloofim:

-The ability to limit cloaking to a maximum size. If cloacking could be limited to small hulls the life of such hulls will not only be enlarged, but we could simulate submarine warfare with cloakers capable of launching spies, virus and nuclear bombs on planets without being detected unless the right sensor was in the sector. A cloaked vessel in combat should be detected only when it fires its guns, and then for a brief moment. And the best anti cloacker defense should be another cloaker.
-Exploration: Systems shouldn't be explored by just jumping to it. Visiting a system should only reveal the number of planets, size and location, but not resorce value or ruins. To explore a planet a vessel should visit the planet, and have a planet scanner component or explorer party on board.
-Ruins: should only be a random event happening some time after a colony have been stablished. (to simulate buried ruins that need to be excavated after found by chance by farmers or something)
-Diplomacy: First contact shouldn't mean combat! The lack of treaty shouldn't mean war. To attack a vessel there should be first an state of war, and if not, attacking that vessel would be a declaration of war.

Heh, those were about same what i was gonna post here, but ahwell ...

Anyway, about them:
- Cloaking, especial hull should be added, somekind of "Space Submarine" ship that gets +1 level to cloaking. With lvl 1 cloaking devise it gets lvl 3 cloaking and not just normal 2. Or another way; larger hulls get -1, or even -2 penalty to cloakin.

This way you cant detect "sub" with lvl 3 cloaking device, unless its 3 sectors or less away from lvl 3 scanner.

Example:
You got lvl 1 scanner (u scan at lvl 2) and enemy has lvl 3 cloaking devise (cloacks at lvl 4).

With formula like this:
"base + scan lvl - cloak lvl = scan distance"
you get :
3 + 2 - 4 = 1,
you can spot enemy from 1 sector away.

But if you got lvl 2 scanner :
3 + 3 - 4 = 2,
you can spot enemy from 2 sectors away.

And with lvl 3 scanner :
3 + 4 - 4 = 3,
you can spot enemy from 3 sectors away;

This should also apply to exploration, only few sectors should be "mapped"; better the sensors, farther it could see. Only huge things such as black hole systems, nebulae etc. could be explored just by entering that system.

[ May 04, 2003, 16:20: Message edited by: Me Loonn ]