I'd like to see more strategic choices and diversity in the game. A good way to get this is to come up with problems that need solving - and can be solved in more that one way. And each solution comes with a consequence. Let's illustrate this with the example of starship design:
1. Gravity
Not being able to walk in your own ship is a huge thing. Look at the old Earth Alliance designs from Babylon 5; they looked clumsy and obviously had less weapon & support module slots. Yet, to operate properly, they had to include these rotating modules. Not having gravity should impact a ship's performance, for example:
- Module damage and breaches need repairing during combat and afterwards. Without gravity, normal [insert race] will take more time to fix things. Of course, we'd need to introduce module damage and such, but these would be cool additions anyway and allow for some interesting strategic and tactical choices.
- Strike Crafts need more time to resupply, if their mechanics are ever changed in this direction.
- Long times without gravity affect the health of the crew, resulting in overall inferior performance and early leader deaths.
Getting artificial gravity should be a real boon, marking the transition to the "late-game", significantly boosting the ships' utility. It should be a quality leap, not just another slight improvement on a linear graph. On the downside, you can't simply upgrade existing ships - you'll need a completely new design. Before that, there'd be some ways to deal with the gravity issue:
- Construct rotating modules/ships. This adds expense to the construction and limits the number of weapon & utility slots available, but negates most detrimental effects of zero gravity.
- Genetically modify / breed your star sailors to be better adapted to zero gravity. This sollution could be combined with space colonies or colonies on low gravity worlds as well as a potential "genetical purity" vs "genetical superiority" conflict. Other than research points, this solution is quite cost-efficient, but not immediately available.
- Implement maintenance automation and robotic crews constructed to move switly in zero gravity environments. Again, this solution can be combined with space colonies or colonies on low gravity worlds, but can bite you in the face, because those ships have a chance of being taken over by an AI rebellion. A higher tier automated maintenance crew might actually be superior to un"modified" organic crews, with or without artificial gravity.
2. FTL Energy Consumption
Currently the cost of FTL engines is not even an afterthought. This strikes me as odd and I think there are good gameplay reasons to change that. You'd actually have to decide wether you want FTL engines or high-end shields and weaponry. Non-FTL-ships would cost half or even less and bring significantly more firepower on the table. A more defensive, technologically inferior, small or poorer empire would go for those. Sectors may even be allowed or ordered to build their own non-FTL-ships! These wouldn't increase your fleet pop size, but may join a rebellious governor.
This idea, of course, needs careful balancing and a remake of the module, energy consumption and fleet cap mechanics.
3. Tech Opportunity Cost
I think we need some more branches on our tech tree. One empire might go for stealth technology, another focuses on organic starships and yet another tinkers with gravitonic manipulation and superweapons. This creates a more diverse (late-)game. At the moment, we only get a linear progress chart with a simple rock-paper-scissor mechanic, and in the end we'll have access to most technologies anyway. I'd like to have some interesting, meaningful choices. Do I install a stealth generator or high-end shields? Will I pursue the organic starships tech branch or concentrate my research efforts on extensive social engineering, creating a new and "perfect" society? Should I try to conquer this Fallen Empire to maintain my influx of Not-Spice for my navigators, while these Evangelizing Zealots in the Saggitarius Arm are threatening my supplier of superstrong technobabble metal alloys for my new line of vanguard cruisers - and why the hell did I not focus on only one of these techs?!
1. Gravity
Not being able to walk in your own ship is a huge thing. Look at the old Earth Alliance designs from Babylon 5; they looked clumsy and obviously had less weapon & support module slots. Yet, to operate properly, they had to include these rotating modules. Not having gravity should impact a ship's performance, for example:
- Module damage and breaches need repairing during combat and afterwards. Without gravity, normal [insert race] will take more time to fix things. Of course, we'd need to introduce module damage and such, but these would be cool additions anyway and allow for some interesting strategic and tactical choices.
- Strike Crafts need more time to resupply, if their mechanics are ever changed in this direction.
- Long times without gravity affect the health of the crew, resulting in overall inferior performance and early leader deaths.
Getting artificial gravity should be a real boon, marking the transition to the "late-game", significantly boosting the ships' utility. It should be a quality leap, not just another slight improvement on a linear graph. On the downside, you can't simply upgrade existing ships - you'll need a completely new design. Before that, there'd be some ways to deal with the gravity issue:
- Construct rotating modules/ships. This adds expense to the construction and limits the number of weapon & utility slots available, but negates most detrimental effects of zero gravity.
- Genetically modify / breed your star sailors to be better adapted to zero gravity. This sollution could be combined with space colonies or colonies on low gravity worlds as well as a potential "genetical purity" vs "genetical superiority" conflict. Other than research points, this solution is quite cost-efficient, but not immediately available.
- Implement maintenance automation and robotic crews constructed to move switly in zero gravity environments. Again, this solution can be combined with space colonies or colonies on low gravity worlds, but can bite you in the face, because those ships have a chance of being taken over by an AI rebellion. A higher tier automated maintenance crew might actually be superior to un"modified" organic crews, with or without artificial gravity.
2. FTL Energy Consumption
Currently the cost of FTL engines is not even an afterthought. This strikes me as odd and I think there are good gameplay reasons to change that. You'd actually have to decide wether you want FTL engines or high-end shields and weaponry. Non-FTL-ships would cost half or even less and bring significantly more firepower on the table. A more defensive, technologically inferior, small or poorer empire would go for those. Sectors may even be allowed or ordered to build their own non-FTL-ships! These wouldn't increase your fleet pop size, but may join a rebellious governor.
This idea, of course, needs careful balancing and a remake of the module, energy consumption and fleet cap mechanics.
3. Tech Opportunity Cost
I think we need some more branches on our tech tree. One empire might go for stealth technology, another focuses on organic starships and yet another tinkers with gravitonic manipulation and superweapons. This creates a more diverse (late-)game. At the moment, we only get a linear progress chart with a simple rock-paper-scissor mechanic, and in the end we'll have access to most technologies anyway. I'd like to have some interesting, meaningful choices. Do I install a stealth generator or high-end shields? Will I pursue the organic starships tech branch or concentrate my research efforts on extensive social engineering, creating a new and "perfect" society? Should I try to conquer this Fallen Empire to maintain my influx of Not-Spice for my navigators, while these Evangelizing Zealots in the Saggitarius Arm are threatening my supplier of superstrong technobabble metal alloys for my new line of vanguard cruisers - and why the hell did I not focus on only one of these techs?!
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