rants about small stuff!

gbraley · #1 March 3rd, 2001, 02:58 AM

* Save my start-a-new-game settings
Don't make me re-click every setting from the default each time I start a new game. Save the Last things I clicked.

* Don't reset to the top of the list
When I am doing something, and I cancel or finish working in a sub-menu, keep my previous choice selected, don't reset to the top of the list. This happens pretty often, an example is if I am editing an empire in game startup, and finish or cancel, the first empire in the list is selected.

* Let me save empires as "controlled by computer"
Don't make me edit each time I start a game-let me save the empire as I want it saved.

* Don't let non-treatied empires fight without declaring war
This isn't small - two empires without treaties can ravage the heck out of each other without going to war. This just isn't right. I think it was Civ that asked you for confirmation of a DOW if you wanted to attack somebody. This is very abusable against the AI. Besides, I am tired of losing my first or second colony to somebody's stupid first contact vessel. It is just crazy to imagine every race promptly attacking an alien species that it just came into contact with (though some might).

* If I select a ship then refit, select the ship!
If I select a ship, and then I select the refit button, I then have to select the ship again. Credit me with knowing which ship to refit and have that one pre-selected for me.

* Intel still ain't quite right
I still get odd results with intel. The only time enemy intel succeeds against me is the turn all of my counter-intel projects finish (!) If I try to stagger the CI projects, they all synch up within a few turns. They all take much, much less time than they are supposed to.

* Odd wormholes are tedious
Right now, can you guess what's on the other side of the malformed wormhole? You guessed it! A black hole! Every time! Woo hoo! How about making a small percentage of all wormholes abnormal? Maybe a random event to change type once in a while.

* How about some good random events?
Every random event I've seen has been negative, how about some positive ones? I'm sure I could think up a few dozen interesting/helpful/fun ones.

Well, that's enough for now...

Scott

raynor · #2 March 3rd, 2001, 03:05 AM

Amen, to all your user interface rants!!

I would also like to see the game automatically click 'OK' when you press the 'Enter' key and operate the scrollbars correctly when you click on it with the mouse. (Instead of moving to that exact spot on the scrollbar, a tap outside the 'thumb' should be the same as pressing Page Down.)
I hate to mention Windows is such distinguished company. But MS did introduce a common GUI standard which is mostly consistent across all Windows apps.

Daynarr · #3 March 3rd, 2001, 03:43 AM

I would love, oh, so much if you would send e-mail to MM about this. These things are killing me. Particularly the ones that make me reselect my ship every time I do some action with it (like transfer cargo) and there are more ships in the same sector - so many unnecessary clicks that make you head hurt and hair fall off.

AJC · #4 March 3rd, 2001, 06:43 AM

And you will probably send until your hair falls out - this issue has been discussed and churned and argued about until the testers were blue in the face. I promise that 99% of the proposals and ideas at this forum have been talked about before the game ever went public.

Talenn · #5 March 3rd, 2001, 06:44 AM

Well...while we are at it...

I'd like to see the Cultural Bonuses for Production work. As has been mentioned before...the 'Workers' Culture doesnt convey the %5 bonus. In fact, from what I was able to see, none of the Cultures that modify production work (I have a few custom ones).

Also, in line with Diplomacy, I'd like to see some enforcement of Diplomatic Actions. If you say you will break a treaty...automatically break it etc.

Talenn

Deathstalker · #6 March 3rd, 2001, 07:35 AM

As well as most of the stuff already mentioned the one thing I want the most is the ability to RETREAT, it is silly that my ship with 6 move and 4 remaining cannot retreat from a 2 move baseship that happens to attack from the main system map. Moo2 allowed you to warp out, so did BOTF. It was the one thing that confused me about the game when i first played it, searched the manual, looked at all the buttons, and then my colony ship got fried by a frigate. UGH.

That and the no 'good' random events and lack of personalities (captains and ministers) for the planets and ships.

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"The Empress took your name away," said Chance.
Owen smiled coldly. "It wasn't hers to take. I'm a Deathstalker until I die. And we never forget a slight or an enemy." -Owen Deathstalker.

Atrocities · #7 March 3rd, 2001, 07:38 AM

quote:
* How about some good random events?
Every random event I've seen has been negative, how about some positive ones? I'm sure I could think up a few dozen interesting/helpful/fun ones.

Brother I have been saying that since day one.

I am so glad I am not alone in this quest.

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"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Patric Stewart as Captain Picard
UCP/TCO Ship Yards

Atrocities · #8 March 3rd, 2001, 07:40 AM

A thought just occured to me, ruins are postive random events in a way. Wouldn't it be funny to colonize a planet with ruins just to get a system wide virus for your efforts.

Play around with the settings a tad, add some postive random events, and some negative ruin findings. Just a thought for the one man at MM who can make it happen.

DirectorTsaarx · #9 March 5th, 2001, 06:50 PM

quote:
Originally posted by gbraley:
* Intel still ain't quite right
I still get odd results with intel. The only time enemy intel succeeds against me is the turn all of my counter-intel projects finish (!) If I try to stagger the CI projects, they all synch up within a few turns. They all take much, much less time than they are supposed to.

Well, first of all, your CI projects end "early" because you've spent enough points to counter an intel operation. You don't need to spend the full 100,000 (or 150,000 or 200,000) points to counter a single operation; you just have to spend enough to cancel out the cost of the intel operation being used against you.

As for operations only succeeding against you in the turn you finish your CI operations; it's a function of the same feature. Your CI operations were "used up" blocking a number of intel projects, leaving no more CI to block incoming projects. I suspect that the AI's offensive projects tend to synch up, either by design or because many of the projects have similar costs...

Spyder · #10 March 5th, 2001, 07:05 PM

While we're talking about it....I HATE confirmation boxes! Please allow me to choose NOT to have a confirmation box when I end my turn.

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Spyder, Chairman of the Arachnid Consortium