Suggest - Features and Improvements

[Arioch]

I was wondering, shouldn't the diplomatic currency not be accounted individual for every race? Currently I can save up points with other races to push a newly detected race into agreements without really knowing each other. (Yes, prices vary somewhat)

That would be a bit of a pain to manage, and it would leave no way to get leverage with a faction that dislikes you (because you would never earn influence with them). Faction reputation represents faction-specific influence, whereas the Influence resource represents reputation with the entire interstellar community.

[Yrth]

Hi,
some thoughts and sugesstions from the last days playing that would improve this great game further:

Research:
Replacement of the research Checkbox List with a 'civilization' tech tree. (I found it really hard to find a viable research strategy because I did not see the whole picture)
MoO2 like breakthrough % chance would be nice. (could also be a race dependant property)
Popup window when research is completed (showing the researcher and the researched topic), it should feel great when you get the new tech!

ShipDesign/Combat:
Planetary Defences are to weak, at least until you get the Stellar Surge. I would suggest an additional PD Slot and a +50% Range modifier for the Planet. (I am always staying outside his range while destroying the planet with my railguns or missiles)
Space Stations are to weak. Their costs are like a Heave Cruiser but they did not have any heavy Mounts. I would assume adding 2 heavy turrets and 2 Missile turrets and Ammo Slots and a +50% Range modifier. Same goes for the other kind of stations.
Possibilities to customize your ships to have more tactical freedom, like better/additional tactical drive, extended weapon arc mod, weapons with spinning effect, tractor/repulsor beams. (It should be possible to outflank a Dread with one ore more Cruisers, so you can 'savely' shoot at him. The Dread could have some escorts behind him, he would give them cover if the enemy does not have a line of sight)
Graphic- and soundeffect when you hit a shield, shields shoud be visible on the combat screen.

StarSystem/Planet:
Creating a Ringworld or a Dyson-Sphere while consuming all Planets in one System would be great. (This would also reduce micromanagement)
Alternative allow to relocate production to another Planet in the same System. (After reserching this feature, could use some Transports from tradepool, reduces micromanagement)
Production Points should be available for the next Production. (I constantly build Troopships cost:180 on Planets with 160 Production. They need 2Turns to finish and the 140 Surplus Production is waste.)
There should be a possibility to build cheap Ships (Transporter) as a package (5 Trans pack). (A good production site is now able to produce 5 Transporter per round)

Miscellaneous:
Redirection of newly produced Ships to a rally System. (also reducing micromanagement)
Construction Ship Design. (could be used to terraform gasgiants or to build ringworld/Dyson-Sphere)

to be continued...

regards
Yrth

[Arioch]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Possibilities to customize your ships to have more tactical freedom, like better/additional tactical drive, extended weapon arc mod, weapons with spinning effect, tractor/repulsor beams.

You can already add additional Maneuvering Engine modules to a ship to increase tactical speed.

What do you mean by "weapons with spinning effect"? Do you mean a weapon that changes the target ship's facing?

[Yrth]

Yes.

About the manoever drives, there is no related research to improve them. And the available slots are very rare, to spend one for extra tacticle movement hurts, but I will try it.

[SirDamnALot]

Isn't there a tech that improves tactical speed early on? At least I remember there was a tech that talked about tactical speed instead of strategic speed like the others.

[Hanekem]

One thing I would like to see are support Ships.

Combination of spacedocks for repairs, stores for rearming and refineries for refuel to allow fleets do deep strike and raids.

I'd love to see cargo ships move between systems, not only it would add some immersion, but also allow raiding warfare and the need to protect your "supply lines"
Yes, I know that you guys probably don't want too complex a logistic system, and I don't want it either, but some sort of logistics would add options and those are almost always good.
Another issue would be to find some sort of role for lesser ships, as in patrol and escorts, a lot 4X tend towards massive battlefleets of super dreadnoughts, and a fleet is more than its battleline, actually looking at wet navies there are a lot of roles for smaller ships that need be done, with only size progression, it simplifies warfare into batter enemy fleet, reduce defenses, invade, rinse and repeat.
You either win the war from the get go or lose it with very rare exceptions in most 4Xs.

Honestly, while nowhere near the game, Distant worlds addressed some of those issues and while Distant worlds is a difficult game with too much logistics and the like, some of the ideas presented in there were very interesting (the need for escort ships, the importance of a civilian economy, the possibility of inflicting the death of a thousand cuts against an enemy and other asymmetric forms of warfare, etc)

[Captainspire]

How close are we to the ship refit drop-down select menu?

No rush just...eager.

[Arioch]

Not working on refit yet.

[SmaugTheDragon]

What I would like to see is a way to rename ships/fleets, if I build a capital ship that costs 30 turns worth of production on a hive world and all of my minerals then I should be able to give her a fitting name.

I think it adds to immersion how in SotS or Starsector each faction has their own fleet, ship and character namelists.

Also having a custom empire icon and name would be fun.

[Arioch]

We've talked about adding the ability to name individual ships as part of the refit revamp.

[SmaugTheDragon]

Well that's just great! Main point off the list.

What about naming fleets, thoughts on that, or maybe some other way to keep ships on separate fleets even when on orbit?

[Arioch]

Well that's just great! Main point off the list.

What about naming fleets, thoughts on that, or maybe some other way to keep ships on separate fleets even when on orbit?

I think that would be appropriate when we eventually add characters/fleet commanders, but at present it doesn't really serve any game purpose.

[SmaugTheDragon]

I am sorry I wasted time, I will read up on the planned features before suggesting things already planned, well carry on then.

[Arioch]

Nothing to apologize for. I appreciate your suggestions.

[Chasm]

Any way to have captured ships be a ship by ship basis. If I capture 1 warship with tech I don't have, and 1 colony ship, why wouldn't I be able to determine what happens to each ship separately?