I've played a game, and here is my feed back. I'll be assuming that no more features will be added, so I'll providing feed back only on the stuff you guys have worked on thus far and related stuff (or so I'll try):
--Ship Designer--
1. Templates: This is an issue that I haven't mentioned before. Templates were first made available back in DA. When designing a ship, you can choose to also save it as a template, but there is no option to save it *only* as a template. As such, if I want a blank hull, I first must design the ship, save it, and then delete the version that isn't the template. The last part is a repetitive experience that I don't enjoy.
Could you have this adjusted so I could just design templates?
2. Miniturization: Since we now have a ship designer that we can use out of game, it would be useful to be able to set the desired miniturization by slider, or by box where you can enter a number into. This number should range from 0% to 125% (which I think is max miniturization).
--Starbases--
3. Default settings: The new starbase feature does automatically install new starbase modules. As such, it does save time and energy searching for the modules you want. However, I haven't seen any way I could configure this feature in the options menu so all starbases start with this on, how to resort the default module order, or lock some types out completely. I kinda favour sensor modules before attack and defense modules because it allows me to see enemy ships that need to be destroyed before they can cause the starbase any harm.
4. Too many defense modules: (Ignoring all civ specific modules) Starbase attack and defense modules are nearly worthless in the long run. Play long enough, and you can build ships that can solo the most well fortified starbase. Play even longer, and you can design huge hulled ships that are every way superior (except starbase modules) to any starbase you can build.
One thing you could do is, merge the modules unlocked by the "Starbase Fortification" techs. Last I checked, there are 28 modules you could install for starbase defense. 18 of those modules are unlocked by researching the "Starbase Fortification" techs (1 to 3), with 6 unlocked every level (one for every defense and attack type). If those modules were merged together so we had 1 for attack and 1 for defense, we would 12 less modules to sort through. This would cut the number of modules needed to be installed nearly in half, reducing the number to 16.
This will not make them any stronger, but they would reduce the number of constructor needed to build up starbase defenses when they can have a significant impact to the game.
--Planet Governers--
5. Reduce mouse clicking: I tried it a couple of times. To use a planet governer, you obviously needed to make some, then after that you had select the planet. Instead of configuring this from the planet management screen, you had to select "details" button, then "governers", and then select the governer type you made. Inaddition to that, there were 2 other options just below where you set the governer, one to disable auto-upgrades, and another to auto-terraform the planet. These could be placed along with the "Ignore farm bonus tiles" check box where you design your planet governers. Inaddition, the governers settings could be placed on the planet management screen instead of the planet details screen.
6. Alternate user interface: Not sure if you have time for this, or not. The planet improvements screen doesn't provide you with much information of what planet improvements you have at a glance. To determine if you have a power plant, you would have to search for it. I've developed the habit of building my special improvements (starport, power plants, and other stuff) together so if I find one, I can expect to find the others adjacent to it (or atleast nearby). However, not every planet makes this easy. Sometimes the tiles seem to have be thrown around at random. These new planet governers, unlike me, seem to throw improvements around at random, and so the does the AI.
This creates a mess that can make it difficult to determine what the planet has built. What I'm thinking is a screen much like the summery window you can get when you click the summery button. Instead of showing each item alone, you have all 1-per-planet improvements group together, factories together, research together, galactic achievements together, etc. You could even have the number factories be listed (for instance, "12x collectives"). Like wise, empty tiles could be grouped together, tiles to be terraformed together. Bonus tiles could placed together (prefered option), with the normal tiles, or placed in the group where the bonus applies (manufacturing bonus tiles would be found in the factory slot).
Like I said, I don't know if you guys have the energy to make this.
7. Auto fill empty tiles: There isn't an option for the governers to fill all empty tiles with a given planet improvement at this time. I find that you can never have too many economic improvements (unless you have taxes and/or population too low). Depending on the stage of the planet's development, I might want to fill in all those empty tiles with stock markets.
8. Galactic wide, change of governers: I didn't see any buttons that would allow me change the governers that my planets were using by making few clicks of a mouse like you could with other governers. I might want to replace the "New Colony" governer to the "Early Planet Development" governer once the colony rush is over and I have the money and income to manage how my planets develop.
--Spies--
9. Problem with colours: After testing out the new spy system, I feel as though it is at where it should have been back when DA was released. However, there is a problem with the colours. When placing a spy to merely gather intel of a civ, you have click a grey button. At first glance, I thought that couldn't place a spy even though I had some. I decided to try to place some anyways, and found after I filled all 4 slots, the button turned a darker shade of grey.
Could we get the button for when you can place spies to be green (or red), and the have the button be greyed out when you can place no more?
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I'm a bit tired now, so I'll post more once I get some sleep.
