Slick's list of UI SE:5 Improvements

[bearclaw]

Planet Construction:
While looking at a planetary build queue, have a next/previous button to change planets without leaving the build queue window a la SE3 (I really missed that one in SEIV).

[Atrocities]

Good list.

[Tim_Ward]

The Quadrant map should bring back the SEIII or SEIV system of colour coding by empire presense. And, more likely to be actually implimented this side of the next game, the little lines that come out of systems to show unexplored warppoints should be made longer so you can actually see them from stars without expanding the window.

[se5a]

Planets should automatically always have the latest sensor range and level technology available to the empire.

I disagree strongly on this one.
if you want something like that mod it into all the facilities.

otherwise it looks like a good list.
other things to include:

News log:
Combat should be far less information with the se4 type arrangement have the bair minumim of information: total tonnage start, total tonnage end for both empires, maybe have the ship sizes and number ie:
empire 1
dreadnaughts - 1
destroyers - 7
frigates - 24
fighters - 53
total tonage start = XXXX
total tonage end = xxx

and have a "details" and the "replay" button to get a breakdown on it.

SJ has a mockup somewhere, maybe he'll post it.

[Slick]

se5a: If any planet, with no facilities, can build a satellite with the latest sensor tech and launch it and suddenly get the benefit of the sensor tech, it totally makes sense that they would already be using this tech from the planet surface. Why would you disagree strongly? It is just a burden on the player to keep building better sats and launching them to get the same effect.

[Kana]

I say if you want a planet to have a good sensor array, then it should build the appropriate facility to give you that sensor advantage...

[President_Elect_Shang]

Actually I think it can be done. What is the exact effect you want. Depending on what you are looking for this could be tied into a facility and hidden so the player never sees it. I recall we talked about this once before but what you had described has slipped my mind.

[Suicide Junkie]

Planets should automatically always have the latest sensor range and level technology available to the empire.

I'm with SE5a on this one.

What we SHOULD have, is a ColonyAbilities.txt or something, which lets us list exactly what abilities we want a "naked" colony to have.
Build rates, repair abilities, even storage amount modifiers. The ability to build units should be optional... maybe you want to require a military base before troops can be trained there. Maybe you want the ability to build ships to appear for free on planets with over 100m people (SE3 style)
Sensors, stealth and even planetary shields...
%Population% should be available to use, as well as GetEmpireTechLevel.

[Slick]

Kana: that's my point, you don't need any facilities to do this, the empire already has the technology as proven by the ability to build satellites with the tech.

SJ: Why? I can see no logical reason a planet wouldn't use a technology from the surface. We know that the sensors penetrate atmospheres due to seeing other empires' colonies from space. We certainly wouldn't want to give this ability to only atmosphere=none.

To me, this is just an example of a cumbersome aspect of the game. It takes almost no construction time to build a satellite with the latest tech plus another turn to launch it so these are not issues. In SE:V, with the ability to reorganize construction queues, you won't lose construction if you immediately build one of these and put it at the top of the queue, so that's not the problem either. What it does cost the player is having to do this on each planet that he desires this capability. At least his front line planets, more likely more than that. Think of all those mouse clicks - not very fun.

[Suicide Junkie]

Why do you want exactly the ship tech sensors?
This really isn't a UI issue, but a game physics/mod thing.

In GGmod, I give homeworlds a 20-range Legacy Sensor Network facility.
Ships get range 2, colonies get range 3. Sensor components are 50kt for ships, and sensor facilities are a decent size. They are all expensive enough to not use everywhere and are worth defending.

I for one do not want them *Hardcoded* to be max tech for free.
An option, yes. Hardcode, hell no.