Make borders matter more

[Unexpected]

Hello all.

After having played for a bit I have a few ideas for changes in the border mechanic.
I know some of these have been suggested before, but I include them here anyway.


As I see it now, borders are impenetrable when at peace (unless you give/get access) and worthless when at war. Borders are also the absolute limit of your empire, dictating where you can build, and where other empires can go.

I know borders will be changed to be default open and lockable, but I would love to see a few additions to this change:

- Make closed borders a suggestion, not a wall.
- Make border zones more dynamic, and an area for potential conflict.
- Make borders the front lines of war.


Let me flesh out each point below:

• Make closed borders a suggestion, not a wall:

• Each empire can be able to set border access in the policies screen. A xenophobe isolationalist would not automatically give everyone free access, so it's policy would be to deny all access. A xenophile pacifist should have a different policy. And I would like to be able to change this on an empire scale, and for each contact.
• I, as a player, would like to be able to decide if I want to abide by closed borders. If my neighbour builds a frontier outpost next to my border, I want to have the ability to contest it, without starting a war.
  • Each civilian ship operating behind closed borders could reduce opinion by a little bit (perhaps 1-2 points) every month, and raise threat by a similar amount.
  • For military ships, each ship/every X military power should reduce opinion by a fair bit (perhaps 5-10 points) every month, and raise threat by a similar amount. This way, operating behind closed borders show the entire galaxy that you are not to be trusted, and could lead to an alliance agains you. Or worse. But you get to make that choice as a player.
  • Combat while behind closed borders is allowed, with a big impact on threat and opinion.
  • Subspace snares can snare neutral ships operating behind your borders, based on the station's fleet stance; Ignore, snare and pin, snare and attack.
    • If you pin a ship from a neutral race, you can negotiate for it's release. Perhaps the ship's owner decides to scuttle it, send a rescue party, or if it's a military ship: Have it fight it's way out.
  • Interdictors will hinder penetration beoynd the frontline. See more info below.

• Make border zones more dynamic, and an area for potential conflict:

Your border, as it is, is absolute. A system is either completely inside it, or completely outside it. Either full access to all resources, or no access. It you're bordering an empire, this makes sense. But if there is nothing but empty space outside your border, would it not make more sense to be able to access it's resources? Nobody else is claiming it..​

• I suggest a zone of influence (ZoI) outside your border. A zone that your empire claims to control, but which does not fall inside your empire's borders.
  • Must be connected to your empire's borders.
  • Each empire can set the range of their ZoI in their policies tab. Default size is free. A bigger ZoI costs influence to maintain. Can be increased through research, same way border range can be increased.
  • You can build stations there, but they cost more to maintain.
  • Other empires can operate there without border access, and without opinion/threat penalty/only minor penalty.
  • Several empires can claim ZoI over the same area, creating a buffer zone between empires. If either empire brings their border closer to the other empire, ZoI gives way to borders.

• Make borders the front lines of war:

When war is declared, atm, the war moves to the interior of an empire pretty much immediately. Wormhole and warp empires are able to leap deep into the enemy empire, with no counter. Hyperspace empires have to go through the lanes, being more predictable and less flexible. I want to make the borderzone matter, make it the front line of the war. And here is how I suggest to do this:

• New station and module: Interdictor.
  • Must be researched.
  • Jamming device, interfering with warp computers and wormhole generation. Reduces jump range within the range of the jammer, as well as time to warp/wormhole generation. Hyperlanes are unaffected, but jump time is increased within range of module.
  • Station is the size of a wormhole station, the module can be included on platforms and battleships. Ship module is less powerful, consumes a huge amount of power, and has a high maintainance cost, so as to prevent interdiction ship-spamming.
  • Station maintainance cost should be high enough to discourage carpeting your empire with the stations, but not so high as to discourage use.
  • Powerful jammer intended for the front lines. Has an area of effect, increasing with tech level. The least powerful will allow warp and wormhole penetration by a system or two, more powerful will deny penetration beoynd the station.
  • Will not deny ships from retreating, but will increase time before warp/wormhole generation time.
• When trying to attack an empire with a network of interdictors at the borders, you're forced to wage a frontline war. Looking for weaknesses, deciding where to attack. Destroying an interdictor opens the way into the empire. Should you blob one station, or split up and attack on multiple fronts?
• The player is given the ability to turtle at the borders, at a high maintainance cost. Useful for peaceful empires, not wanting to field a large fleet for conquest.
• Bigger empires may have several layers of defence.

There you have it, my ideas for making borders great again! If you've made it this far I would love some input and feedback!

 

[jaume-lld]

Very good suggestions , I love specially the idea of Zone of Influence, it can make the gameplay much more dynamic and the expansion and contraction of the empires feel more organic.
As for the border front line I think it would be polemic to add... impeding razzias it's not fun. But maybe making the jamming device less effective against light ships can balance the thing.

 

[Dunadin777]

I really like the idea of interdictor stations, and would especially like to see them appear in the inevitable tech expansion--whether that's in the Heinlein patch or a DLC.

For the Border control and Zone of Influence concept, I'd sort of like to counter-propose a similar concept: Fuzzy borders. Similar to your Zone of Influence, border projection would become soft at a certain range (say 90-110% of current border projection. In these areas you can have shared systems and open disputes over territory until colonies extend the concrete control of space. A fuzzy border would also be open to neutral ships' travel unless you have the most restrictive border status. The big thing I'd hope this would facilitate is certain regions where multiple civilizations claim to have ownership, and maybe even establish competing outposts, but which is not concretely defined. This might open up a new diplomatic option of Respect Claims (or something similarly worded), where you establish a time period during which you consider an empire's Fuzzy Border to be Concrete, similar to an imperialist version of Guarantee/Support Independence.