Patch wishlist

[Nats]

I have some suggestions for the next patches:

Firstly what about an extra technology to cover personnel training. Much like Fleet/ship training this could be used to train individual captains for ships depending on what you want to use them for eg tactics, warfare, exploration, trading. The result would be trained pilots that could be placed in a ship and would add to the ship in some way. This could also personalise your favourite ships or fleets.

Secondly there are a few things wrong with the battle viewer in my opinion:

There is no way to skip a tactical battle mid way and get to a strategic battle, this would be really useful when you get into a battle you dont want to bother playing all the way through.

Also its difficult to arrange new formations for ships whilst in a battle, you have to keep reassigning all the positions every time. Im sure theres a better way this could be implemented. Can you not introduce an auto new formation command where all ships are automatically reassigned positions in the formation based on strength and value. Or cant you set up formations for various types of ships eg one for front line ships, another for escorts and traders etc etc.

Thirdly what about introducing non-static backdrops. Eg if you fight in an asteriod field what about having asteriods moving around you as you fight? Also in map views what about moving planets and moons? Should be simple enough to do in a turn based environment like this and would really add to the game.

I would like to see stars larger than one sector in map view eg red giants. Also gravity should have an effect in the battle view much like the black holes in the maps. Your ships should have to fight against gravity in battle when near planets or stars etc

What about unmanned probes to be able to be sent out to the further systems in the map view.

Other ideas for the battle viewer screen include: decoys to be launched to redirect missiles as missiles are far too deadly at the moment; being able to paralise ships temporarily to board them using energy sapping weapons or the like; mines in the battle view are useless why not change them to effect a radius right around your ship instead of placing them on a square. This could in effect keep ships away from you.

A nice idea for the map view would be being able to run your ships or fleets silent using a special command similar to cloaking. Similarly being around a planet you should be slightly less detectable. Such running silent effects would effectively mean you could leave ship fleets in a system, using less supplies, in wait for passing pirates or enemies. The down side would be that it would take a few turns to get into the silent running mode.

Many more ideas like shis could be gleaned from present day naval/submarine tactics.

Anyone have any other ideas? Im sure much more could be added to this game. Although I know its pretty good already.

[Marty Ward]

In tactical combat, under the options menu, I think, there is a way to choose resolve combat automatically. This doesn't change to strategic view but the computer fights the battle out automatically. Useful at times.

[Suicide Junkie]

Allow me to break up Groups of units! Having all of my sats in one pile sucks bigtime. Launching Fighters with different speeds? Too bad. They go slow.
Fix it to be like it used to be!

[Marty Ward]

Another wish, "Add Computer Controlled Race" in the players menu. I hate forgetting to edit to computer control the races I have chosen for a game.

[Deathstalker]

How about remembering preferences for starting a game, so I don't have to repick '5000 race points', 'low bonus' etc at the start of every game. Gets tedious looking for the exact random system to start a 'perfect' game in. Like Moo2 I usually start about 5-8 games to find a setup I like. Eagerly awaiting the map editor http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

------------------
"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.

[Husky65]

I'd like to see active sensors disabled in cloak, passive sensors should be unaffected.

[chewy027]

Lets get a civil war going http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon12.gif

see "intergalactic civil war!!??" thread http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Atrocities]

I would love to have a real time feature.

What I mean by that is, the game does not require me to conduct a turn. It does it automatically.

From what I gather, the game's date indicator is set up for this feature, but it has not been implented yet.

The benifits to this added feature are great. The game would continue even if you walked away. Everything would progress as you have ordered, and the game would take on a more real time feel.

Games with such a feature:
Rebellion
AOK
AOE

2. The ability to set the starting Tech level for each individual race.

3. The ability to set the exact number of Computer players. Right now its low, medium, hi.

4. The ability to TURN off Quatum Reacter in the Exlude Tech function. (if there, please omit.)

5. A new facility that prevents new warp points from being opened within the system its has been constructed in.

6. A feature in the construction Que that will added "build this" on all planets. (This feature would allow you to build troops on all planets at once without having to select each individual planet and add it to that planets construction Que.)

7. Added feature that allows the player to select that they want all there planets for the empire they are going to play to start within one system.

8. The ability to set up allied play. (Example: in set up, the player can establish that player 1 and player 6 are allies. Player 2 and Player 4 are enemies.)

9. A bribe feature to the Diplomacy control. Set BRIBE type. Would effect other races willingness to improve relations.

10. A feature that would allow you to TELL the ships of a specific class to UPGRADE class at nearest shipyard.

Thanks for reading.

[This message has been edited by Atrocities (edited 08 April 2001).]

[Will]

I'm just going to go through and comment on the suggestions in no real order...

Ship captiains was requested in the "idea gathering" phase of SEIVs development, but was dropped because (I think) it was too complicated to keep track of a captain for every ship.

The "Asteroids" environment in combat... it's eye candy, and doesn't add or detract from the game. There are other things that have priority over this.

Larger stars... ok.

Unmanned probes == Drones. They're supposed to be put in, hasn't happened yet (pretty sure I still have the drone pictures in my races' directories, and I haven't heard anything about drones from MM).

About missiles being deadly... they're only deadly when you're caught with your pants down and don't have any PDC. One or two on every ship effectively nullifies the offensive potential of ships that use missiles.

Break up unit Groups... Yes, please.

Computer control... just check the little box http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Ummm... the comment about active sensors in cloak... explain? I have no idea what you meant by that.

Pseudo-real time play... I'm assuming that you mean a modification of simultaneous turns, where each turn has 30 "days". The days would pass after a set amount of time, so things go on while you give different orders... Not too high on my wishlist, but it would be interesting to see. It would bring in a whole bunch of new bugs, bringing in a new "turn"-style (MM had a hard enough time getting Simultaneous to work right), so it should wait until other issues are resolved.

Starting techs... Yes, please.

Exact Computer Numbers... Yes, please.

Turn off QReactor... I think you can turn it off already, if not, ok.

I've already voiced the major flaw with the no warp point facility... this effectively cripples the AIs ability to attack human players once this facility is built. Close all warp points in system, AI can't get in, you have ships and SYs outside of core systems that can attack AI, AI can only attack the attacking forces, can't affect the economy of the humans. Unbalancing.

Build on all planets... I usually have most of my planets already building stuff, so if I use this, the build on troops/whatever would be delayed, and by that time the unit would probably be obsolete...

All planets start in one system... you can already do this, just select one starting planet http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif Or, with the map editor, you can set a starting point where all the planets are in a single system.

Allied play... cool.

Bribe... I don't think the AI can comprehend the fine art of bribery... I mean, they can't comprehend lots of things already http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Q]

Atrocities I most support your suggestion 2, 3 and 8!
I miss the feature of SE III to defined the starting tech levels for each race individually very much.
An other feature of SE III I miss is the way counter intelligence works. It was far more easier in SE III just to define the percentage of your intelligence points for counter intellingence. If you spend more points for defence than all your enemy spend against you, you are protected otherwise some of the enemy projects will succeed. I really don't see any advantage of the way SE IV handels counter intelligence now. The offensive intel projects are fine apart from some balance IMO.

[Taqwus]

Just the usual requests for interface improvements -- anything ranging from the ability to import/export text-based command files and data (e.g. it would be NICE to be able to write a Perl script that simply automates putting atmosphere converters on every planet that needs it in a 200-planet empire, including queuing scrap-facility orders when necessary...) to implementing numerical input boxes for more tasks (such as specifying unit production and so forth). ;-)

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[chewy027]

Atrocities, I like number 5 if warp technology would be implemented along with it. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

As for the rest I like them all except I have some reservations about the real time thing.

[mac5732]

AI to use baseships in game
AI to use troops to invade & capture planets
AI to use capture ship feature
No Range Error's
Add a new Hunter/Killer Race, hates everyone& everything, Super Aggressive, bloodthirsty, Super Xenophobic, small chance of making deals with, Destroys or captures planets, wants to exterminate all life, believe they are the ultimate higher order

For Catagory 2 type additions for expansion pack

Pirates
Locust type race
Civl War
No Neutrals (or at least all races to expand)

just some ideas mac

[Q]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mac5732:
AI to use baseships in game
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It does if you tell them to construct them in the AI vehicle construction file.

[Deathstalker]

In support of Mac, I too would like to see a massively destructive race, one that most AI's hate too. One that can NOT make treaties with anyone...In the files it says that the Xi'Chung were thought to be the creation of another race, how about the 'parents' show up to see how the kids are? http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif
That and the addition of a few new races that use combined tech.(ie a psychic/organic race, a religious/crystal race etc, or heck even a temporal/organic/psychic race http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon12.gif ). But the new races I would gladly pay for in expansion pack form.

------------------
"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.

[Deathstalker]

oh yeah, one Last thing. PLEASE NO RTS, the reason I love games like this is the TURN based strategy. RTS is sweeping the game genre as it is, even the developers of Moo3 are going RTS for some parts of it. If this is implemented please make it OPTIONAL only. Or go like Baldurs gate series and choose where the game pauses.
just thoughts.......

------------------
"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.

[chewy027]

I'm in for any new races. Anything that adds more flavor.

BTY have you voted for the civil war idea yet? Thanks for your time http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon12.gif

[Lucanos]

Option for Orbiting planets/asteroids (sectors that are moving on the system map; circulating the star - very much like ships automatically do in a black hole system).

[capnq]

The only real-time game I've kept on my HD is Red Baron II. I think being forced to finish game-time months' worth of strategic planning in real-time minutes is absurd. Time limits are only useful to keep live human vs. human games moving. If MM wants to tackle adding real-time play, it definitely should be optional.

------------------
Cap'n Q

[Trachmyr]

For the AI to be smarter when building ship componets or facilities that have more than one ability.

For instance, if you tell the AI to build a facility that has the abilities of a PORT and a facility with the abilities of a SHIPYARD, and you have a "multi"-facility with both abilities... it will build TWO of the "multi"-facilities, NOT one!

Same thing happens for componets (although care would have to be taken with supply storage and cargo space, perhaps adding new lines for both of these abilities).

[MadImmortalMan]

I just want all abilities to be available for components/facilities/etc.

[Trachmyr]

Oh, yes and get restrictions (fully) working!

[Marty Ward]

I like that real-time sugestion. In MOOII the game would run until something happened. Maybe SE4 could do that with an adjustable setting, ie run till first contact, combat, new colony established, etc. That would be great.

[Jason2]

I saw RTS mentioned ...... NNooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon9.gif

If this game series ever goes RTS that is the day I leave.... sigh.

Someone mentioned a race that is super xenophobic etc. etc. - have you played with the Rage yet http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif ? Very similar. Or the mod-packed XiChung or Sergetti??

Has anyone seen the AI use base ships??

If not, that would get my vote - with a general increase of the AI's overall strategy so it is more aggressive and makes more runs on your planets - glassing them of course.

Jason2

[Jourin]

1. Improved AI ship construction: The various races have a good initial ship component list, but no variety. Once you discover a race's ship building weakness it's a piece of cake and they don't adjust. Maybe add a tiered approach to the ship construction. Then an attack ship or fighter could have a primary ship design and at least 2 alternates with a percent set for each design. Then a race could be 40%, 30%, 30% in different attack ship designs with 10 ship increments. Do the same with defensive ship designs and you can get a very could mixture. In the above example, the AI would build 4 primary, then 3 1st alternate, then 3 2nd alternate, and then start again with 4 primary. This would require adding a percentage to the ship construction field. An example would be to have 40% have shields with beam weapons and 30% have armor with beam weapons and 30% have shield with missile; then a PPB would not be a race killer. Other examples would be 40 Organic, 30 missile, and 30 beam. The defensive ship could be PD 80%, smart bomb 10%, and plague bomb 10%. Various AIs could have different percentages and different designs, but the key point is the various ship designs could compensate each other's weakness and build on the strengths making a much more deadly fleet-like what a human does. Do the same with fighters. I think one of the reasons the AI gets easy is because ever ship it builds is the same with the same weakness. A mixture of different ship designs would increase the difficulty of the AI.

2. Improve the ground combat. See previous post.

[Atrocities]

11. Positive Random Events. Events that benefit the player. IE new technology discovered by accident. Derelect ship discovered with new technology. An eco event has IMPROVED the value of a planet.

I suspect that a mod maker could do this as most of the random events are more than likely a negative % value which I speculate, (again I am the reason the Dumby books are written) that if the negative value were changed to a postive value with new events listed, they could become positive events.

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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 (http://www.angelfire.com/zine/cnchome/Shipsets.html)

[jc173]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Atrocities:
11. Positive Random Events. Events that benefit the player. ...

I suspect that a mod maker could do this as most of the random events are more than likely a negative % value which I speculate, ...

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've added a few positive type events to the event's file and I believe Dracus has one that's more thorough. Although as someone mentioned in that thread you can look as most events being positive because they are bad things happening to your enemies &lt;G&gt;

[Kimball]

SEIII style starting tech levels would really be nice.

[Lion of High Park]

For the love of god, no real time!!! This whole RTS fad is ruining the strategy game genre. A strat game is about planning and strategy and lends itself perfectly to the turn based format. All of the RTS games (including AoE and AoK, which I have and played for a while) degenerate into a contest of "who can move their mouse faster" and not strategy. Turning this game into a RTS format would be a tragic mistake.

[Sirkit]

Agreed! However I would kill for an ip or internet multi player game right about now, sigh...

[chewy027]

Along with the Civil War i'd like to be able to play with more than 20 races at a time. At least give me the option to so I can play with all of the great custom races in one big game. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon12.gif

[mac5732]

"Q" could you send me email ref to baseships in vehicle construction field. tks
mac5732@hotmail.com

just some ideas mac

[MasterDave]

I would like to see the AI build troops, and use them to invade their enemies and defend their planets. I have yet to see it do either at this point.

[Oggy ben Doggy]

I think any of the Intell operations should be able to happen as a random event. That way you aren't sure if another player is messing with you...

[Q]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mac5732:
"Q" could you send me email ref to baseships in vehicle construction field. tks
mac5732@hotmail.com

just some ideas mac<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am not sure what you would like to have. But if you insert in the Construction Vehicles file "attack base" as item the AI will build attack baseships (if he has the tech level researched for baseships of course). Even the Default AI Construction Vehicles file in the TDM-ModPack has this but only in the "Infrastructure" AI state as item 22.
Does this help you?

[Seawolf]

Dog,

you can leave planets and ship salone by adjust a ships straegy

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Seawolf on the prowl

[Lemmy]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Kimball:
SEIII style starting tech levels would really be nice.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

could someone explain this, since I never played se3.

[capnq]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> I think any of the Intell operations should be able to happen as a random event. That way you aren't sure if another player is messing with you...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>My first reaction to this was that it seemed unrealistic, but thinking about it more, it could represent internal opposition to your government short of full blown revolt.

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Cap'n Q

[Oggy ben Doggy]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by capnq:
I think any of the Intell operations should be able to happen as a random event. That way you aren't sure if another player is messing with you...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>My first reaction to this was that it seemed unrealistic, but thinking about it more, it could represent internal opposition to your government short of full blown revolt.



A crew might randomly revolt, or there might be an accident with supplies or cargo or food, etc.

[Master Belisarius]

LemmyM:
In SE4, you have not many options to play games with different tech levels (low, medium and high). Also, you can start with all the tech from the first turn.
This is not flexible, and my games said that start with low or medium are like the same thing: games with low tech.

When you go into the scores window, you can see that exist an item, that show what tech level reached your empire.

Well, in SE3, exist an option to select the starting tech levels. You have a determined number of "points" to spend in tech levels. And you must use it wisely, or you can be lost from the start... It mean that not all the guys will start with the same tech.
This is a lot more interesting than play a game with all the tech from the start, but also, these are more fast games than play games with low/medium/high in SE4.

[AJC]

1. Buttons in the tactical combat window that toggels each types of weapons systems on /off. 4 buttons should do it - I.e All, PDC only, BEAM only (direct fire), Seekers only.
Being forced to select the weapon states to OFF or ON for weapons is particularly cumbersome when you have multiplex and want to target multiple ships. Some examples: targeting weapon platforms at a ship, large fighter Groups, heavily armed ships, PDC dedicated ships that you are manually firing your PDC at enemy fighters with..

2. An AI that adapts its strategy and ship designs as the game progresses

3. Ability to switch to strategic combat from tactical combat- watching a Resolve combat can be a long wait in large battles.

4. Increase the number of cloak levels and sensor levels ( I have created a mod for this - including adjusted AI research files)

5. Increase the number of levels in Advanced Military Science to allow for more levels of hyperoptics and The top level to allow a player to visually detect mine fields.(I have added 6 levels - in part to adjust for the more cloak levels and to allow mine detection at the top level).

6. Allow fleets to be multiselected when they are not stacked in the same sector - so you can attack from several directions when initiating tactical and strategic combat.

7. Improved Intelligence window, more slots for Intell projects - better explainations of what has happened to your empire when resources are stolen, tech is sabotaged etc... right now the reports in the logs are very ambiguous.

8. More tech types found in ruins

9. Ability to start a new AI controlled empire by granting colonies their independence.

10. Surrender not based on score.

11. Ability to create new ship formations on the fly during the game.

12. The ability to sweep select Groups of ships in tactical combat to reassign their fleet numbers or unassign them. Instead of one at a time selections or unassigning all of them. This would be helpful in fleeting large numbers of fighter Groups after launching them in tactical combat.

13. Strategic and Tactical combat - fleets that are larger than 20 ships are hap hazardly placed after the first 20 ships. there needs to be better control by the AI on ship placement before a battle. Clean up the ship placement to avoid congestion.

14. Construction queue (f7). Add a button that allows you to select a build item for more than one planet at a time.

15. A button that allows a player to voluntarily slow down the rate of build and resource expenditure at a planet/Shipyard. Instead of only allowing the queue to be put on hold to reduce resource drain in times of economic crisis.



[This message has been edited by AJC (edited 10 April 2001).]

[Nats]

I certainly agree with being able to deselect whole weapon systems in the battle viewer. Its really annoying to have to keep manually doing this. Even better you should be able to deselect them and have them stay like that for the whole battle rather than keep resetting every turn. This gets really annoying having to keep resetting them every turn if you want to keep all your missiles back or whatever.

My idea about moving asteriods etc in teh battle viewer was more than cosmetic. I see ships having to weave in and out of moving asteriods. It could make picking an asteriods field qfor a battle quite good for fast ships and terrible for slow ones (as Empire Strikes Back of course).

There are so many other ideas I could suggest its fascinating what could be added to the game. But Im more interested in aspects than improve the tactical choices in the game. At the moment possible tactics in the map screens are quite varied but could be so much more varied with a little thought.

But also my main bane of contention is the battle screen. Its not done very well as there are many things that could be changed here easily to make the whole process of battles relatively straightforward. Not being able to skip an already started tactical battle is ludicrous for example.

[Husky65]

I'd like to see Mines, Sats and Fighters automatically launched when produced on a planet that has no spare cargo capacity rather than destroyed.

[dogscoff]

I've mentioned these in other threadds I know but I'll keep whinging on about them...

- "Resolve combat peacefully" option: ie like "resolve combat" but without destroying enemy planets / ships which are ripe for takeover=-)

- "Wait N turns" command for ships: Very useful for setting up repeat orders.

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

[Atrocities]

I thought there were a lot of great ideas in this thread, but they were a bit spread out. So I compiled them into this thread. Currently there are about 50 suggestions for the next patch -or- EXPANSION PACK.

1) What about an extra technology to cover personnel training. Much like Fleet/ship training this could be used to train individual captains for ships depending on what you want to use them for e.g. tactics, warfare, exploration, trading. The result would be trained pilots that could be placed in a ship and would add to the ship in some way. This could also personalize your favorite ships or fleets.

2) There are a few things wrong with the battle viewer in my opinion:
There is no way to skip a tactical battle mid way and get to a strategic battle, this would be really useful when you get into a battle you don't want to bother playing all the way through.

2a) Also its difficult to arrange new formations for ships whilst in a battle, you have to keep reassigning all the positions every time. I'm sure theirs a better way this could be implemented. Can you not introduce an auto new formation command where all ships are automatically reassigned positions in the formation based on strength and value? Or can't you set up formations for various types of ships e.g. one for front line ships, another for escorts and traders etc.

3) What about introducing non-static backdrops. E.g. if you fight in an asteroid field what about having asteroids moving around you as you fight? Also in map views what about moving planets and moons? Should be simple enough to do in a turn-based environment like this and would really add to the game.

4) I would like to see stars larger than one sector in map view e.g. red giants. Also gravity should have an effect in the battle view much like the black holes in the maps. Your ships should have to fight against gravity in battle when near planets or stars etc.

5) What about unmanned probes to be able to be sent out to the further systems in the map view.

6) Other ideas for the battle viewer screen include:
1. Decoys to be launched to redirect missiles as missiles are far too deadly at the moment; being able to paralyze ships temporarily to board them using energy sapping weapons or the like;
2. Mines in the battle view are useless why not change them to effect a radius right around your ship instead of placing them on a square. This could in effect keep ships away from you.

7) A nice idea for the map view would be being able to run your ships or fleets silent using a special command similar to cloaking. Similarly being around a planet you should be slightly less detectable. Such running silent effects would effectively mean you could leave ship fleets in a system, using fewer supplies in wait for passing pirates or enemies. The down side would be that it would take a few turns to get into the silent running mode.

8) Allow me to break up Groups of units! Having all of my SATs in one pile sucks big time. Launching Fighters with different speeds?

9) Another wish, "Add Computer Controlled Race" in the players menu. I hate forgetting to edit to computer control the races I have chosen for a game.

10) How about remembering preferences for starting a game, so I don't have to re-pick '5000 race points', 'low bonus' etc at the start of every game. Gets tedious looking for the exact random system to start a 'perfect' game in. Like Moo2 I usually start about 5-8 games to find a setup I like. Eagerly awaiting the map editor

11) I'd like to see active sensors disabled in cloak, passive sensors should be unaffected.

12) Lets get a civil war going

13) I would love to have a real time feature.
What I mean by that is, the game does not require me to conduct a turn. It does it automatically.
From what I gather, the game's date indicator is set up for this feature, but it has not been implanted yet.

The benefits to this added feature are great. The game would continue even if you walked away. Everything would progress as you have ordered, and the game would take on a more real time feel.

Games with such a feature:
Rebellion
AOK
AOE

14) The ability to set the starting Tech level for each individual race.

15) The ability to set the exact number of Computer players. Right now it's low, medium, hi.

16) The ability to TURN off Quantum Reactor in the Exclude Tech function. (If there, please omit.)

17) A new facility that prevents new warp points from being opened within the system its has been constructed in.

18) A feature in the construction Que. that will add, "build this" on all planets. (This feature would allow you to build troops on all planets at once without having to select each individual planet and add it to that planets construction Que.)

19) Added feature that allows the player to select that they want all their planets for the empire they are going to play to start within one system.

20) The ability to set up allied play. (Example: in set up, the player can establish that player 1 and player 6 are allies. Player 2 and Player 4 are enemies.)

21) A bribe feature to the Diplomacy control. Set BRIBE type. Would effect other races willingness to improve relations.

22) A feature that would allow you to TELL the ships of a specific class to UPGRADE class at nearest shipyard.

23) Another feature of SE III I miss is the way counter intelligence works. It was far easier in SE III just to define the percentage of your intelligence points for counter intelligence. If you spend more points for defense than all your enemy spends against you, you are protected otherwise some of the enemy projects will succeed. I really don't see any advantage of the way SE IV handles counter intelligence now. The offensive Intel projects are fine apart from some balance IMO.

24) Just the usual requests for interface improvements -- anything ranging from the ability to import/export text-based command files and data (e.g. it would be NICE to be able to write a Perl script that simply automates putting atmosphere converters on every planet that needs it in a 200-planet empire, including queuing scrap-facility orders when necessary...) to implementing numerical input boxes for more tasks (such as specifying unit production and so forth). ;-)

25) AI to use baseships in game.

26) AI to use troops to invade & capture planets.

27) AI to use captures ship feature.

28) No Range Error's.

29) Add a new Hunter/Killer Race, hates everyone & everything, Super Aggressive, bloodthirsty, Super Xenophobic, small chance of making deals with, Destroys or captures planets, wants to exterminate all life, believe they are the ultimate higher order.
For Category 2 type additions for expansion pack
Pirates
Locust type race
Civil War
No Neutrals (or at least all races to expand)

30) I too would like to see a massively destructive race, one that most AI's hate too.

31) Option for Orbiting planets/asteroids (sectors that are moving on the system map; circulating the star - very much like ships automatically do in a black hole system).

32) For the AI to be smarter when building ship components or facilities that have more than one ability.

For instance, if you tell the AI to build a facility that has the abilities of a PORT and a facility with the abilities of a SHIPYARD, and you have a "multi"-facility with both abilities... it will build TWO of the "multi"-facilities, NOT one!

Same thing happens for components (although care would have to be taken with supply storage and cargo space, perhaps adding new lines for both of these abilities).

33) I just want all abilities to be available for components/facilities/etc

34) Oh, yes and get restrictions (fully) working!

35) 1. Improved AI ship construction: The various races have a good initial ship component list, but no variety. Once you discover a race's ship building weakness it's a piece of cake and they don't adjust. Maybe add a tiered approach to the ship construction. Then an attack ship or fighter could have a primary ship design and at least 2 alternates with a percent set for each design. Then a race could be 40%, 30%, 30% in different attack ship designs with 10 ship increments. Do the same with defensive ship designs and you can get a very could mixture. In the above example, the AI would build 4 primary, then 3 1st alternate, then 3 2nd alternate, and then start again with 4 primary. This would require adding a percentage to the ship construction field. An example would be to have 40% have shields with beam weapons and 30% have armor with beam weapons and 30% have shield with missile; then a PPB would not be a race killer. Other examples would be 40 Organic, 30 missile, and 30 beam. The defensive ship could be PD 80%, smart bomb 10%, and plague bomb 10%. Various AIs could have different percentages and different designs, but the key point is the various ship designs could compensate each other's weakness and build on the strengths making a much more deadly fleet-like what a human does. Do the same with fighters. I think one of the reasons the AI gets easy is because ever ship it builds is the same with the same weakness. A mixture of different ship designs would increase the difficulty of the AI.

36) Improve the ground combat. See previous post.

37) Positive Random Events. Events that benefit the player. IE-new technology discovered by accident. Derelict ship discovered with new technology. An Eco event has IMPROVED the value of a planet.

38) SEIII style starting tech levels would really be nice

39) Along with the Civil War I'd like to be able to play with more than 20 races at a time. At least give me the option to so I can play with all of the great custom races in one big game.

40) I would like to see the AI build troops, and uses them to invade their enemies and defend their planets. I have yet to see it do either at this point

41) I think any of the Intel operations should be able to happen as a random event. That way you aren't sure if another player is messing with you

42) Resolve combat peacefully" option: i.e. like "resolve combat" but without destroying enemy planets / ships which are ripe for takeover.

43) "Wait N turns" command for ships: Very useful for setting up repeat orders.

44) 1. Buttons in the tactical combat window that toggles each types of weapons systems on /off. 4 buttons should do it - I.e. All, PDC only, BEAM only (direct fire), Seekers only.
Being forced to select the weapon states to OFF or ON for weapons is particularly cumbersome when you have multiplex and want to target multiple ships. Some examples: targeting weapon platforms at a ship, large fighter Groups, heavily armed ships, PDC dedicated ships that you are manually firing your PDC at enemy fighters with.

45) An AI that adapts its strategy and ship designs as the game progresses

46) Ability to switch to strategic combat from tactical combat- watching a Resolve combat can be a long wait in large battles.

47) Increase the number of cloak levels and sensor levels (I have created a mod for this - including adjusted AI research files)

48) Increase the number of levels in Advanced Military Science to allow for more levels of hyperoptics and the top level to allow a player to visually detect mine fields. (I have added 6 levels - in part to adjust for the more cloak levels and to allow mine detection at the top level).

49) Allow fleets to be multi-selected when they are not stacked in the same sector - so you can attack from several directions when initiating tactical and strategic combat.

50) Improved Intelligence window, more slots for Intel projects - better explanations of what has happened to your empire when resources are stolen, tech is sabotaged etc. right now the reports in the logs are very ambiguous.

51) More tech types found in ruins

52) Ability to start a new AI controlled empire by granting colonies their independence.

53) Surrender not based on score.
54) Ability to create new ship formations on the fly during the game.

55) The ability to sweep select Groups of ships in tactical combat to reassign their fleet numbers or un-assign them. Instead of one at a time selections or un-assigning all of them. This would be helpful in fleeting large numbers of fighter Groups after launching them in tactical combat.

56) Strategic and Tactical combat - fleets that are larger than 20 ships are haphazardly placed after the first 20 ships. there needs to be better control by the AI on ship placement before a battle. Clean up the ship placement to avoid congestion.

57) Construction queue (f7). Add a button that allows you to select a build item for more than one planet at a time.

58) A button that allows a player to voluntarily slow down the rate of build and resource expenditure at a planet/Shipyard. Instead of only allowing the queue to be put on hold to reduce resource drain in times of economic crisis.

59) I'd like to see Mines, Sats and Fighters automatically launched when produced on a planet that has no spare cargo capacity rather than destroyed.


------------------
"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 (http://www.angelfire.com/zine/cnchome/Shipsets.html)

[CaptSpoogy]

I think someone else mentioned this earlier in the thread:

In SE III, when you setup an empire, you could pick the tech level in each tech area for a race - I really liked that.

Bring it back!

By the way, visit the Spoogy Federation: http://spoogyfederation.tripod.com

[chewy027]

The overview is a page right out of my book. It makes it much easier for us to follow things. I know it took a lot of time to do that since I to do it every day, and I just want to say thank you for your time and effort http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Atrocities]

YEs I know, your the one who gave me the idea to do it. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

[capnq]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>21) A bribe feature to the Diplomacy control. Set BRIBE type. Would effect other races willingness to improve relations.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>What would this add that Give Gift doesn't alrady do? <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>53) Surrender not based on score.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>What else could it be based on? The AI has to have some criteria to decide with.

------------------
Cap'n Q

[Luke]

A suggestion for Malfador for a future release:

Would it be possible to add a clock in one corner that displays the current time so that we can tell how late we're staying up to play this game? My wife thinks that would be a neat idea.

[CaptSpoogy]

Ha ha ha! My wife would agree with your's very much!

Of course, they seem to have lots in common already - they both married Luke's.

Visit the Spoogy Federation: http://spoogyfederation.tripod.com


[This message has been edited by capt_spoogy (edited 11 April 2001).]

[Mark Walton]

More warp point manipulation...
create a lower level WP creator which creates unstable or dangerous types of points.

Space monsters as in MOO

More control over AI - replace some of the hardcoded decisions with true scripts

[dogscoff]

Here's another idea: It annoys me that once I buy / conquer an alien population they immediately lose all their racial traits - Just because they have a new leader they suddenly become more stupid, or quicker at reproduction - It makes no sense.

I would love to assign Drushocka population to one planet because they are good at mineral mining, and my native population to a research world because they are good at that, and so on.

The problem would be when mixing populations on a planet, but I'm sure you could get round that by calculating averages according to the amount of each popultion present on a planet.

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

[mac5732]

Being able to have planet names above or below planet capability where it doesn't cover over the use of S,Y, R, etc. In my game they cover over and makes hard to read.

just an idea mac

[jowe01]

My ususal suspects:
1. Improve AI offensive strategy: follow through on successful attack. Current AI makes an attack or two, then leaves the player plenty of time to recover and regroup
2. Improve AI use of fleets. Current AI still uses too small fleets and too many single ships (closely related to 3.)
3. Improve AI offensive/defensive strategy: do not repetitively send ships to their doom. Current AI sends ships/ small fleets which are hopelessly outnumbered repetitively into the reach of my superior fleet (where they are destroyed each time)
4. Improve diplomacy. Current AI does not account for situational factors (e.g. number of other player's ships threatening its planets when the other player demands surrender/subjugation/protectorate). Current AI randomly changes its moods. Current AI does not act according to its mood (murderous allies and brotherly ennemies). Current AI does not actively propose all treaties.

[This message has been edited by jowe01 (edited 11 April 2001).]

[DirectorTsaarx]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mark Walton:
More warp point manipulation...
create a lower level WP creator which creates unstable or dangerous types of points.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Or how about a HIGHER level WP creator that can change a normal warp point to a damaging one and/or change damaging warp points to a normal one.

[DirectorTsaarx]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>3) What about introducing non-static backdrops. E.g. if you fight in an asteroid field what about having asteroids moving around you as you fight?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If we can't have moving asteroids, at least have asteroids actually affect combat (i.e., damaging ships, reducing "to-hit" chances, etc.).

[Nitram Draw]

That would be cool. Hide behind an asteriod. Actually it would be nice if planets could block or reduce the effectivness of fire.

[Dracus]

I would like to see a mine replicating tech that I can put on a mine and tell it to keep my mine field at say 20 mines. So if a mine field is sweeped but all the mines are not removed on the end of the owner's turn the mine replicator will see that there is say 5 mines left, it will copy each one in seq. until the field is back to 20 mines. If no mines are left then the replicating mine will go inactive. since the replicating mine can not be sweeped. But can be distroyed by direct fire. So a ship that enters the sector could use combat to seek out and distroy it.
A field would have to be set up before activing the replicator, since this is what would determine the size of the field for the replicator. It would take the replicator say 1-2 turns to rebuild the field.


I would like the AI to follow their actions. They send me an acceptance to end a war with another AI and they do not do it. They send that they will attck xyz planet for me and they do not do it.


[This message has been edited by Dracus (edited 11 April 2001).]

[Q]

More wishes (some of them already mentioned, but repetition may enhance the probabilty to be heard):

- AI proposes trades especially if he needs special resources.

- AI uses resource converters.

- AI Fleet design file to instruct the AI the ship types and numbers that should be included in a special fleet type (attack fleet, defence fleets, capture planet fleet etc. ).

- In the AI Design Construction Vehicles file a line which instructs the AI not to use this design if a specified tech level is available (no use of ships with solar collectors if you have quantum reactor).

- In AI Construction Facility file the possibilty to use of specific facilities instead of abilities (e.g. monolith facility).

- Same as above for components in the AI DesignCreation file (e.g. specific use in ships of organic armor not just armor).

Well I can think certainly of more but for the moment I will stop.

[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?

------------------
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]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I never understood why the cargo capacity was effected by the planet type. And why can the population be so large?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>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.

------------------
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).]

[Marty Ward]

On domed worlds the population seems to large, homeworlds actually do seem somewhat underpopulated. Must be a pretty big dome http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Suicide Junkie]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>On domed worlds the population seems to large, homeworlds actually do seem somewhat underpopulated. Must be a pretty big dome<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
The icon is a single dome, but in "reality", each city or even house could be domed individually, and that would add protection against space bombardment.

[AJC]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Question asked by capnq : 53) Surrender not based on score. What else could it be based on? The AI has to have some criteria to decide with.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This would have to be worked out and I think it is a difficult problem. Maybe a rating system is established that tallys points based on the current situation and what has happened or not happened to the ai - similar to the politics system where certain actions adjust the anger level of the AI. Maybe all the AIs planets must be blockaded, the number of battles its lost, planets destroyed, ships destroyed.

Several things could be done - just one of the problems with basing surrender on a high score is that when one of your planets rebel - they also inherit all of your tech. When your opponent can see that rebelled planet - they can demand its surrender,and it will surrender to them- then your opponents gains all of Your tech from that new empire - its a bad hole in surrender. Empires shouldnt surrender unless there is military pressure being placed against the empire and it faces certain extinction.

An empire you are not even at war with should not surrender to you just because you have the highest score.


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

[DirectorTsaarx]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dogscoff:
Populations move by themselves- A small percentage of a population's growth on a planet represents immigration from nearby planets.

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?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

And sometimes that small population of resident foreigners are from not-so-friendly countries. Maybe allow members of enemy races to "immigrate" (read: escape from their oppressive empire into your glorious empire). These immigrants cause unhappiness when they move in - you know, the typical "stinkin' illegal immigrants coming over and taking OUR jobs" kind of attitude.

[nerfman]

A new algorithm that determines surrender should do do based upon the empires percieved level of threat to its existence. Essentially it should determine if the race's position is hopeless or not. This should further be modified by the races demeanor. A bloodthirsty race is more likely to be like the Japanese in WWII and be very hard to get to surrender while a more peacable race would be more like the Italians.

[Noble713]

I'd like to see fighter Groups launched on the main game screen NOT use up all of their movement. Right now it is almost impossible to launch an interplanetary fighter strike against an enemy fleet because it will usually have moved or left the system by next turn. Launching should only use 1 or 2 of the fighters' movement points.

I really like the migration idea too. I think Stars! Supernova Genesis is supposed to have that.

I too would like to see the AI capable of mounting a credible offensive, complete with coordinated multi-system attacks and planetary invasions.

[Atrocities]

perhaps its time for another patch in one update for this thread. Get everything listed in one post up to this point.

[lfoater]

Hi Im new to Se4, This is a great game.
I'll toss out a couple here
1. Have some tech research lead to dead ends. have this be a random occurance with several approaches to say Stellar manipulation. 2 would be dead ends 1 would be a good path. This would have to be random with each game. Maybe a game option.

A battle board for land combat on the planet. Each planet would have a certain number of squares based on its size. You could then develope real armies to invade with.

[serpwidgets]

Launch/recover/pickup/drop a specific amount in orders e.g.
Move to 4,6 (my homeworld)
Load 100 colonists (even though the transport can hold 330)
Move to 6,8 (colony A)
Drop 50 colonists
Move to 7,6 (Colony B)
Drop 50 colonists

This can be done in one turn in a non-simultaneous game, but takes 3 turns in a simultaneous game.

-----

Ability to break up fighters into Groups, in space. As it is, I have to bring all my carriers to one planet and play cargo shift to get the proper fighters on the proper ships.

-----

Ability to see what defenses a planet has without having to send ships in.

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"Visual" ground combat like MOO2. That was way cool with the little animated dudes and lasers and tanks, etc!

-----

Allow repeating of "launch fighters" orders for planets. If I have 10 planets all making 6 fighters per turn, it gets very tedious launching them every turn, and then setting their waypoints the next turn. Also, is it possible to have fighters move to a specific waypoint upon construction like with ships?

-----

How about a "waste one movement turn" order for ships. If I have two fleets I want to use to attack a planet and one is one square away and the other is two away, the closer fleet will get there first and fight without the second fleet AFAIK...

[Mark Walton]

Reduce effects of orbital bombardment, encourage surface landings.
Is it "realistic" that one frigate with a single gun can efficiently destroy an entire planet's population in under a month?
I suggest:
Damage from orbital bombardment be a percentage based on the level of population of the world
For instance, a world at 100% population is full; it is easy to find cities to bomb, 100% population = 100% damage.
A world half empty gives population a chance to spread out, to hide a bit; 50% population = 50% damage.
A world with only a few people left lets those people run and hide, head for the hills; 10% population = 10% damage.
This will encourage landing troops tomop up the Last pockets of enemy population.

(Perhaps a scale like, 100% pop = 150% dam, 10% pop = 1% dam... it's the idea that counts though)

-----

Population Housing facility; allows an extra x000 population on the world.

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Percieved Danger Level per System

A feature for the AI - the ability to judge how dangerous a sytem is, based on a number of factors (which would live in a script for editing the values)

The percieved danger level (PDL) for a system may increase for each enemy ship or world present, for each world lost or population killed, for each ship damaged, or decrease with each victory or over time.
Another factor would be the extent to which PDL "leaks" through wormholes (if the PDL is very high in a nearby system, this system's PDL will rise too)
the PDL would be used by the AI to decide how many forces are needed to enter a system, whether it is worth colonizing, how many weapon platforms etc to build.
Again, all these factors would be listed in a Race_AI_PDL type file, so each race can perceive threat levels differently.

This would help design smarter AI's which don't just keep colonizing the sme world turn after turn and seeing that world wiped out a turn later!
It would also aid the AI in planning.

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Change to "Planet Conditions" system -
No one set of conditions is Optimal for every race! Change this to "Type A" "Type B" etc (or more desciptive terms)
Every race chooses one type that is optimal for them, for each type away from their chosen type the world is less optimal by one step.
Also, stars could give off different radiation types, which races can react to.

(Courtesy of Unnecessary Complications Dept)

-----
A player/ AI option : Surface Target Priority Lists for Bombardment.
Allows player to list in order, which items on a planet will be attacked first; any items not on the list will not be deliberately bombarded. Allows player to decide, yeah OK go in and knock out the supply facility, leave the mineral production. Or, hit the weapon platforms leave the population alone. (Of course there will be "collateral damage" effects)

-----

More AI scripting options
Move everything that is currently hardcoded into a script.
For instance, cirumstances to change AI state, the states themselves, any special actions to take in that state.
Also features like the "overvaluing" of scarce resources leading to a mining colony being set up on a 20 mineral world...

A fully featured scripting system would be great, allowing for more fine control and conditional development and behaviour for a race.
(IF
currently_getting_smegged_by_enemy=TRUE
THEN
Stop_Research (Ice Planet Colonization); Start_Research (Shields)
ELSE
AI_State = Woohoo!
)

-----

Planetary facility Version of the self destruct mechanism. If troops take the planet, the facility explodes all remaining facilities on the planet. (Make this item a high priority in the above list!)

-----

More special special events, and "missions".
For instance:
a strange nebula is moving through a system; first player to get a ship with sensors there will get a special tech at the end of the turn, or x000 research per turn, or one of a list of other effects. (The nebula may still have special properties)
Special message to an individual player, granting a mission effect if they succeed at a task; maybe, "SMUGGLING: Move a ship with a cargo bay to enemy world (xxx) by (turn)and return to friendly world to gain (insert reward here)", or "AID REBELLION: Move a ship undetected to enemy world (xxx) by (turn) and eturn to friendly world to (insert espionage effect here)" or "DEFECTING ENEMY SCIENTIST: Move a ship to enemy world (xxx) by (turn) and return to friendly world to gain (tech)"
- more along those lines.

(This whole feature would be switch off- and on-able for each game. It adds space-opera qualities and adds little diVersions from the build-and-kill routine; they resemble the plague events in some ways)

Similarly, a type of Tech to produce a component that can stabilise exploding stars/planets and "cure" the problem in the same way that plagues can be cured.

-----

Monster aliens, (like in MOO and a few others) controlled by computer as a race (a bit like the barbarians were in Civ)
Each monster can have specials; not just in power and ability but in ways to deal with them and gain from them. (Alien 1 might lay eggs in suns causing them to go nova, but any ship with sensors in the same sector generates 1000 research every turn; another may happily land on a world if there is cargo space and act as a super weapon platform; etc)

-----

Allow races to start the game with purchased technology - let them buy items from the tech tree with their initial point allocation, maybe at 10 research points per race point.

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Tug ships

A component which lets a small ship tug a ship or base many times it's size at fairly low speeds. Probably requiring certain level of Propulsion, and Tractor Beams.

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I'll be back...

[This message has been edited by Mark Walton (edited 16 April 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Mark Walton (edited 16 April 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Mark Walton (edited 16 April 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Mark Walton (edited 16 April 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Mark Walton (edited 16 April 2001).]

[Atrocities]

BUMP

[Crazy_Dog]

If you destroy a storm, put the info about it .

[capnq]

When you upgrade a ship design, keep the same default strategy as the old design, rather than giving it the default for a new ship.

Change the wording of the heading on the Set-Up: Victory Conditions screen to reflect the way they actually work. (It currently says "any" VC fulfilled, where it should say something like "all of the highlighted" VCs.) Even better, add a toggle to allow victory if one of several VCs are met, rather than all of them.

------------------
Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

[Antonin]

I'd love to have the ability to retrieve mines and deploy them elsewhere, as with sats and fighters.

I'd also like to see AIs that create more balanced fleets. Ten carriers smashing into the same minefield every five turns is a little dumb.

------------------
"Gentlemen, we have nearly a thousand ships waiting to be thrown into the fight at the proper moment to seize control of the Foundation. I say we should change that. I say, throw those thousand onto the board now--against the Mule."
-- Randu of Haven, from "Foundation and Empire," by Isaac Asimov