Influence 'Depth' Display

from GalCiv2 Forums
The influence borders show you the outline of the areas you control - it would be useful to see how strong that control is.

For example, on the fringes your control would be weak - but with neighbours, it would be useful to know HOW weak, and how strong their influence is.

Out in the wastes, you can often control huge areas of vacant space. It'd be nice to know how strong - or not - this control is, since it's often possible for a single new planet to cut a huge area from your influence.

When planning attacks, it'd be nice to see the spread of 'influence strength' from planets and bases. This would allow you to target influence wars, avoid captured flipbacks, etc.

Basically, an option to fill your influence area with your colour, more transparent or more solid depending on the influence in that square. At a glance, you could then see the influence centers, the areas of influence 'push', and the areas where influence is weak.
ideas
7,634 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Fun bump.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It's a great idea, but it will be challenging to display. There's already so much on the minimap and if you use deep red and light red for high and low influence you will have trouble telling different races apart with 18 different shades of color on the map. Maybe a button to overlay the tactical map with the influence diagram.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
True - it'd work just fine as an overlay that toggles everything else off. I imagined it used at full-zoomout, where much of the clutter is invisible. At 'tactical' level, you'd need to be imaginative. It would be best if the influence area is depicted in the civilizations influence colour.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
OP ----8:04:08 PM
Bump 8:04 PM

troll

Ya depth could be displayed in color saturation. that would be sweet.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Sounds good to me. Color issues would probably exist, but as it stands the major races have quite separate colors, so it wouldn't be too bad.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I see a problem for custom races - I already have lots of trouble finding a colour that isn't so close to someone else's to be really annoying. It'd be an interesting display, though, and would allow the influence strategy to be based on something more than 'go into their planets and check the influence ratio'.

And you've got to bump or it never shows up. So I'm a whore for attention...
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
OP ----8:04:08 PM
Bump 8:04 PM

troll

Ya depth could be displayed in color saturation. that would be sweet.

There's only one troll in this thread. And he isn't called Pnakotus.

It would be nice as an option, but I could imagine it beeing annoying if you can't turn it off. It's fine for two races, you can just meld the colours together, but what about when you have all nine races with varying levels of influence? Could get messy...

And I disagree with the poster that says you can tell the major colours apart. It may just be my monitor/eyes, but the Iconians and Korx are indistinguishable to me. Which can be very annoying.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It absolutely should NOT be permanent. It's just a tool, and it'd be an overlay that's (shock) USEFUL.