Ok, let me first start off by saying I think this game is great but everything can be improved on. So I wanted to dreate a post to sare some thoughts for either a mod, expansion or GC III.
(These ideals are based on a discussion that a co-worker friend and I had about this game)
Races ideal:
Custom races
The ideal is that when you pick a custom race you get to pick the evolutionary chain your people desend from. Mammal, Reptile, Bird, Amphbian, Insect, Robotic.
Reasons:
1. adds to custimation
2. consider that planets that are habbitable in the universe seem to be so in a general way. Thats not right. Each species would be suited to certai environments. Say Human/mammals can live in a range of hot and cold climates better than reptiles but reptiles can stand higher temps than humans. Both could live on a planet but if its 150 degrees the humans would be contained to dome structures thus would be limited on spaces and what could be build. The lizzards on the other hand could build like crazy on that world.
Ships
ok to use a star wars example. The ships need to be more role specific. There is no fighter, cruiser, battleship feel to the ships. There is a size difference but not a role.
Small ships need to maneover better than large ones. IE fighters. What we figured is there is a ratio that can be created. Ship engines(for small ships only) call them thrusters. Give ships maneovering bonus which means they are less likely to be hit by a enemy ship. Now big ships can research "targeting" which of course gives their guns the ability to target faster ships.
Also going back to the engines. Thruster versus engines. One is for maneover and should be a small hull addition. Engines are for the big ships they are the standard engines that are in game, for travel.
Small ships/fighters should be build in squadrons. Now one can build fighters with engines but that would reduce its maneovering bonus but then again it would be able to move without a carrier, a addtion to ships like a cargo hull or troop transport addition but this allows a squadrom of fighters to be carried aboard the ship. Another idea would be that fighters with out engines could still move through space but only along trade routs or in covoys with bigger ships.
Bigger ships, there is no big gun battleships in this game. I think that is a shame to. Basing this on naval traditions. There needs to be a huge ship of the line size hull. A carrier hull, a cruiser( lots of guns, less armor), small attack ships, gunboats, missle ships/bombers , and fighters. One does not get that sense of scale from the hull sizes right now. Right now there more about what you can add, which is fine but a ship brissling with guns would be sweet.
Also along the lines of hull types, I have hinted at this but there needs to be hull specific weapons. Yes you research lasers. But a fighters lasers and a capital ship's lasers need to be different. Fighter small lasers, capital ship laser batteries, like rows of them or a couple in a turret. This could be for looks or could spawn a whole set of researches. Like anti air lasers or broadside guns.
OK finally.
Ground combat.
Its wrong...a pure numbers game? We have a great space customization and research thing going on here but just numbers on the ground? I like the researchs that we have but we just need more.
1. Specialized stuff. Infantry, Marines, Mechs, Tanks, ground fighters, artilary. Switch from a numbers game to a paper, rock sissors approach. Also customizablity like the ships for Troop armor, tanks, mechs, appearences.
Sorry its such a long post. I hope this stimulates a good discussion.
