Most bang-for-the-buck hard code changes

[tesco samoa]

Small : ability to show where all system wide abilities are on the system map.

Med : The ability to filter reports ( all of them )

Large : The ability to chose stragetic or tatical combat in multi player games on different computers

[Krakenup]

Trivial: Seeing enemy movement in your system

If I have a presence in a system, and an enemy ship moves in that system, I should be able to see it. Currently, an enemy ship suddenly appears in a system, and the following turn it disappears. You don't know where it came from or where it went. You should be able to see enemy movement during that enemy's turn in your systems.

Small: Straighten out the engines/supplies

It's silly for the same size engines to power escorts and battleships and for an engine to have the same amount of supplies as a supply bin twice its size. My solution would be to have the engines proportional to the hull size in size, cost, supply storage, and supply usage. Also, cut the supplies carried by engines in half, and double the supplies in each supply bin.

Medium: Fix the ministers

The reason the AI's aren't any better is that they have to use all the ministers. This includes the exploration minister that keeps sending ships through damaging warp points and the resupply minister that jerks your fleet back just before it reaches its objective. (Add your favorite minister stupidity here.)

[dmm]

Good responses so far, but keep in mind the criteria for the effort categories: trivial (a few hours of programming), small (a few days), and medium (a few weeks).
Also remember that we're discussing HARD CODE changes -- stuff that can't possibly be modded.
Lastly remember that we're discussing "most-bang-for-the-buck", not pet peeves. (E.g., fixing Enter and Escape in dialog boxes would be nice but would not give a substantial "return on investment" in terms of improving the game.)

[Lerchey]

I'm not sure if this is trivial, medium, or huge, but here goes:

Diplomacy. Right now, either you can move safely through ALL of an empires systems, or you can't move safely through ANY of an empires systems. I would like to have an option to make systems as "hostile" or something. That way, if I set up a trade alliance with the Phong, but only want them to be allowed into the first two systems (closest to them), and not go parading through the depths of my empire, I can set up space stations, mines, or whatever, and stop them.

General John

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

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Small: Straighten out the engines/supplies
It's silly for the same size engines to power escorts and battleships and for an engine to have the same amount of supplies as a supply bin twice its size. My solution would be to have the engines proportional to the hull size in size, cost, supply storage, and supply usage. Also, cut the supplies carried by engines in half, and double the supplies in each supply bin.

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See my Pirates & Nomads v2 mod. You will be very happy, and realize that those fixes need no hardcode changes.

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The latest info on Pirates & Nomads (forum thread).
-<Download V2.3>- (just extract to your SE4 folder)
-<Download P&N Classic>- (The final release of P&N v1.x, just extract to your SE4 folder)
-<Download compatible EMPs for P&N v1.2 through v1.7>-
-<Download SJs latest AI Patcher>-
Visit My Homepage

Other Links:
-<Play By Web>-
-<Schlock Mercenary>- (great space-based webcartoon) -<First Strip>-
-<8-bit Theater>- (fun comic with the pixellated FF1 characters)

<SE4Code>
MpN R*-A RM(L) RP+ TCP- Fq++ FR!++ P? A+/- Sf+ Nd- L $ M++++ Pw!+
</SE4Code>

[chewy027]

more than 20 races at a time

and of course the civil war

[Spoo]

The ability to launch ships from other ships and planets.

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Assume you have a 1kg squirrel
E=mc^2
E=1kg(3x10^8m/s)^2=9x10^16J
which, if I'm not mistaken, is equivilent to roughly a 50 megaton nuclear bomb.
Fear the squirrel.