Patch wishlist

[Jourin]

I would like to be able to modify what facilities the home planet receives at startup. Currently changing any of the homeplanet entries in any of the construction facilities files does not change what I receive at startup.

[Marco]

How about add an option for deployng mines ans satellites when launched ?
I think this can be easily implemented by allowing the use of the same system already encoded in the game and utilized for ships in fleets formations, just after the launch command.
This would allow a far better tactical use of mines and sats, in particular in battles involving planets defense.
Mines are actually only a strategic weapon and I don't like it very much.
A further step in developping this concept would be to allow tactical battles in minefields deployeds to block warp points.
Now with such type of minefield we have only 2 options:

1)Don't try to pass trough the warp point blocked.
2)Try to pass and destroy the minefield or be destroyed by it.

If the passage would be permitted only after enter the warp point area in the middle of the tactical battle display, we can add the possibility of only forcing the minefield, without destroing it completely or be destroyed by it.
That seems to me far more realistic than the actual all-or-nothing system.
Obviously the problem is to set the formation for a minefield composed of possibly several hundreds of mines but I think this can be arranged by tuning the maximum number of mines and satellites allowed in a single tactical battle, the efficiency and eventually the radius of mines warheads, the efficiency of mine-sweeping equipment and eventually the possibility to allow same weapons to target mines.
Beside I think that to set a mine formation for the AI, deployed to efficiently defend a fixed point like a planet or a warp point, would not be extremely complex: the simpler formation of concentricals rings is not so bad, in particular if is supported by armed sats, may be with pre-arranged entry paths for friendly units and seeking weapons, guarded by others armed sats.
About that another suggestion to make mine warfare more fun and challenging is to allow friendly seeking weapon and may be fighters or even ships to freely pass trough friendly mines in tactical combat.
Thanks for yours opinions an best regards.

[jc173]

I like the new mine field placement idea. It might help the AI defend it's warp points better. It would be nice if the AI would deploy sats at warp points along with mines and bases (Not sure if it does already, but I haven't seen it yet personally) Would be nice to also have drones that carry one shot missiles or mine clearing charges for warp point assaults kind of like the SBMHAWK pods in some of the Starfire novels.

[Marco]

I Think my suggestion of placed minefields needs some refining for warp points:
I have considered only the case of a enemy fleet tryng to enter a warp point defended by a mix of bases, armed sats and mines, I forget to consider that the same fleet needs to leave the same warp point on the other side located in target system, and even there can be placed a defensive mix of mines, sats and bases.
I don't see a easy way to deploy the warped fleet and the defensive minefield.
May be the formations utilized to place minefields and satellites needs some restrictions: a forbidden area around the warp point et a forbidden area near the boundaires of the tactical map to allow the deployment of the enemy units.
In any case I think the idea of placed minefield remain workable at least for planets defense.
Any suggestion ?
Thanks.

[Mark Walton]

What's really frustrating is, I had a couple of REALLY great ideas in mind, but when I read the rest of the thread by ideas went! I can't remember them.

Anyway can a pro-RTS person explain how the game will still be playable? In real time 1 turn = 1 month . I can barely stand to wait a couple of days for the emails.

[dogscoff]

Two more ideas: - They wouldn't make a huge difference to gameplay but would be a nice touch:

I think an undomed planet should be able to hold a small domed population - 5 million? -
Without the cargo / facility / population capacity penalty.


This would make my second ideea possible:

Populations move by themselves- A small percentage of a population's growth on a planet represents immigration from nearby planets.
Example - Planet A has a growing population of Terrans. I then colonise nearby planet B with captured Phong. A few years later, planet A has 400m Terrans and 2m Phong. They have not been moved there by me but have migrated there on their own.

This could work for nearby allied worlds as well - After all, any country in the world today has a small population of resident foreigners from friendly countries.

What do you think?

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There is an exception to every rule. Including this one.

[tictoc]

What would be very handy is the ability to printout your setup (options) at the beginning of a game prior to running it.

tic

[This message has been edited by tictoc (edited 12 April 2001).]

[Nitram Draw]

That first one is a good suggestion. I never understood why the cargo capacity was effected by the planet type. And why can the population be so large?

[capnq]

quote:

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I never understood why the cargo capacity was effected by the planet type. And why can the population be so large?

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I imagine the cargo limits are mainly for play balance. Why do you think the populations are too large? I've wondered why they weren't larger. An average rock/oxygen Homeworld only holds 4000M, but the current population of Earth is already over 6000M, and the most common estimate I've seen for the maximum Earth can support is 10000M.

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Cap'n Q

[Devnullicus]

Make an option in the Colonizing window to list planets by distance from homeworld.

[This message has been edited by Devnullicus (edited 13 April 2001).]