Shipyard UI Suggestions

All my suggestions for UI improvements involve the shipyard.

#1 Replace the UPGRADE Button with a COPY Button Link
I create base ship designs with just cosmetic (i.e.,eye candy, no functional components) features. During games I click the UPGRADE button on a base model, add ship components, and save under a new name. This can't be done with the core ship designs because you are not allowed to modify them. However, I should be allowed to create new designs based on them. Allow me to select a core ship design, copy and modify it, but require I save it under a new name! For example, I should be able to create a Colony Ship or Transport which is cheaper, faster, and/or has better range than the core ones but retain all of Stardock's eye candy!!!

#2 Add a CLEAR SHIP COMP. Button
The CLEAR button will clear everything on the current design but what if you want to clear the functional ship components but retain all the cosmetic (i.e.,eye candy) ones?

#3 Add a Show Obsolete Ships Checkbox
By default this would be clear but if checked would show obsolete ships. Selecting an obsolete ship would cause the OBSOLETE button to change color, clicking it would change it back and change the ship back to non-obsolete. Currently if you accidentally obsolete a ship you can't undo that action!

#4 Add a Show Future Ships Checkbox
By default this would be clear but if checked would show grayed out ships that are not yet available because you don't have the required tech. You would not be able to build these ships but it would be nice to be able to view them and see what techs I need to build one.

#5 Add a Show Obsolete Ship Components Checkbox
By default this would be clear (currently they are shown) but if checked would show obsolete ship components. An obsolete component is a component which is inferior in one of the three categories (size, cost, value) and inferior or equal is the other ones. Due to the rebalancing that took place between the Beta5 and release, there are a lot less obsolete components since now the more advanced components are usually more expensive; however, I still think this might be useful.

#6 Add Sorting Ship Components Based on Size, Cost, or Value
Sometimes when choosing a ship component I'm focused on size (since my design is almost full and I looking for what else I can place on it, cost (because I am designing a cheap ship), or value (because I'm looking for the fast engine or most powerful weapon/defense). Being able to sort the components would help in finding the right one!

Thanks Stardock for making a great game. The above changes would make it even better!

p.s. Please add an Ideas->UI sub-forum.

Paul D.

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#1 The core ship designs are useless because they are to slow but some of them have nice eye candy. I wonder if Stardock does not let you copy, modify, and save the designs under a new name because the ship designs can't be duplicated in the shipyard. For example, the core colony ship has two colony modules (probably for symmetry) but has the capacity of only one.

#2 This change is no longer needed due to the changes to the UPGRADE button in v1.1.

#5 This change would be a lot less useful do to the rebalancing prior to the 1.0 release. Now new techs usually cost more.

I think #3, #4, and #6 would still be very useful changes.

p.s. Please add an Ideas->UI sub-forum.

Paul D.

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