2) Drop most nerfs and caps the game has. Let players play the way they want.
I agree with Iztok (surprise). And this was exactly my point. This game thrives on sandbox mode, where you set up a galaxy you want, against opponents you want, and then play how you want.
Perhaps the metaverse is the source of the greivance. I know for instance people defend using the endless Ctrl-N approach because they are, in theory anyway, "competing" with other people who might have gotten a lucky start. I like the metaverse, but don't take my competition to this level.
Even if you got rid of focus, the metaverse is still far from balanced. It doesn't really strike me as a problem that the metaverse is unbalanced. Once I figured out how the metaverse handled scoring I COULD have created a new character and just tried to grind giant abundant all gigantic galaxies to get a higher average score. (The metaverse lowers the credit you get for each game you submit) - instead I just kept right on playing, and thought I would see where I ended up. I can think of many ways to try and exploit the metaverse. What's the point? It doesn't make you a better person.
I agree, I probably don't disagree with Becephalus that much. And I do have some (limited, amatuer) experience with game design. But I don't think focus needs to be removed. I think a lot more options need to be introduced. Or re-introduced.
In fact, thats the thrust behind the changes I've asked for. I wanted defense to be strengthened, because a consistant all doom ray approach was boring. I wanted to be able to repair starbases so that you would have more options with them. I wanted more points for designing custom races, so that you could do more with them. I wanted to be able to spend points to change the starting tech alotment on custom races, so that you could also customize this. I wanted them to increase early year trade values so that it wasn't an obvious money sink, and instead was a viable strategy. Etc. etc. I want to give the player more options.
Ideally to win you should have to use all the all or at least most of the features in the game.
See, I disagree. There are people who want to be able to pursue an alliance victory, be a "peace loving" culture, and never once build an attack ship. I think those people should be accommodated. Is it going to be possible on every difficulty level? No, probably not. But as long as it is possible on Normal, all is well in the universe.
We agree completely on this, what maks you think I want less choice? A player can have more realistic choices and less power at the same time. Right now for optimum play there is really a single choice.
This is the line I'm just not sure about. I agree I want the player to have more choice. I guess what we disagree on is whether taking away focus increases a players choice, or reduces it. I see an all labs approach as an "additional choice" the player can try if you have focus. You see the many ways to approach the game if you don't use focus - and think that is more choice. However, you can already play all of the ways you imagine without using focus... just don't use focus. Its not like these "optimum play" strategies are easy to pull off. Why do you always need to take an optimum approach? I assure you there are people that try these strategies and have their entire empire fall into an economic hole they never recover from. It still happens to me occasionally. Those lost games might have been won if a more balanced, less money intensive approach had been taken.
But as long as focus exists, the all labs and all factories strategies CAN be TRIED, and those are two more choices.
Take care,
- Wyndstar
