This is a great game team SD great job!
here's a list of some positive and negatives I've encountered.
1. When the spacebar is pressed during "colonize planet" there is no name for the planet.
2. Akari Malaras animation needs work on all screens she is in. She blinks choppy, and her movements are slightly as well.
3. Why can't I modd the game? All I see is a steam game folder, and no SD folder.
4.both space dust and nebula hinder movement. They should be more distinct with there identities, only one should lower movement and I think my sensors can see thought dust.
5.ideological events slightly favor evil, but its way better than galciv2. But I still found myself picking malevolent because I'm always at war.
6.moving the mouse to the edge of the screen used to move the camera. You guys will likely add it eventually, but it's annoying.
7. I found little contrast between useable and non-useable tiles. It was hard to see where tiles were. Maybe if they had a bigger green border or were filled completely.
8. Immediately I needed a way to see relevant planet data without turning my neck to the corner. I miss the easy to see population and production stats galciv2 had that I used every time I checked a planet.
9. The text for "Available Projects" is to small. And there's no way to filter out old improvements.
10. Launching a ship does not keep it selected. Or give a launch direction.
11. There was a time when in the Govern screen displayed
20%economy 40% production and 21% research.
12. Life support and things like miniaturization seem like engineering things. And improvements should be civil.
13. Once the turn button has been pressed it says"wait" not please wait or AI moving or turn. I think that can be better.
14. You guys are on the right track with the research trees. There is good color contrast and robust game bonuses that add alot of personalization and strategy.
15 there is alot of space In the colony screen stuff it with stuff and keep the text big enough to see.
16. Stars look like marbles. I like the cores and gas around it. But they need to be brighter and bigger.
DARCA
I would like to repair ships faster, preferably having a "repair" button that can fix individual ships or fleets for a price. After a few battles ships lose effectiveness and waiting for them to heal is the only option.
EvilMaxWar had suggested that it should only be available in orbit of a planet or a space station/shipyard. I believe so too.
This might be a useful function of military starbases as well.
Repair mini-bots/nano-bots that can auto-repair some damage to some extend* would also be good. You can add it as a ship module or a passive skill after you research the correct technology.
*it can be that they only heal minor damage that don't require extra material and, that you can research something like an ultra-compressed metal foam that expand and solidify quickly in order to enable to repair more damage. To simplify the programming I would say that a minor injury would be in the range of 100<x<80% hp, researching the foam would increase the range to <70, or increase the range to <40 but has a maximum number of uses equivalent to 40~60% hp.
There are already such modules in the game. Their EffectType is TacticalRepair, so it sounds like they only work during combat, but I'm not sure.
I would like it to be as simple as buying improvement just like any 4X. Instead of waiting fifty or so turns for a ship to heal fifty hp in a war, just go to a planet/space object and "repair" for the cost of 1-2 credits a hp, it shouldn't cost too much as on huge galaxies it would add up. IMHO.
DARCA.
Yes, having that is useful (+1 to that idea), but having self repair mechanism can be the difference between reaching that space object and being obliterated by a fleet of interceptors. It is also MHO.
I am in favor of repair mechanics of all types - repair bases, self-repair ship components, mobile repair ships, planetary 'repair now' options (or the ability to devote a shipyard to repair a given ship in orbit for a certain production cost) - anything more than the current system. I really hope that's just one of the placeholders they've got in while they work on a more robust system.
We have carriers and shipyards* all shortening the distance to enemy territory. I imagine this all to be useless unless the transports can be in carriers too. If they aren't then there will be lag between fleets and transports still. (that's bad. [e digicons]:'([/e] )
But if transports are allowed to be stored in carriers (that's good ) then then the player will be able to use carriers and shipyards* more effectively.
(*it is yet to be proven that that shipyards will substantially decrease the wait to enemy territory.)
As I understand it, only constructors will be able to be built on planet, meaning transports will also be build on the shipyards so there shouldn't be lag between combat fleets and transports. Also, the carriers will carry tiny fighters. I don't think it makes any sense for them to carry transports which will need to be almost as big as the carriers.
Transports are slower and have little hp or weapons, that should qualify them for carriers. I used tiny hulls as transports in my games, but regardless of the hull its the module that holds the troops.
1. This it a problem and it can be fixed by; carriers that can have multiple troop modds and still have enough room for engines; or consciously design tiny hulls to have enough room to be transports as well and still be carried; or do nothing. Sometimes when invading your forces can be obliterated a few turns later leaving your lagging transports in dead space between your Empire and theirs.
2. Something should be done about invading numbers, attacking with 1000 is better than 500 so it should show in combat due to the initial ratio of fire. (that being how much damage you can lay down compared to your enemy before taking casualties. The same thing happens when your the Arcean and your best fleet goes against a average fleet. It's over in the first round.) So something should be calculated differently to compensate for the amount of troops.
^IMO
Transports can be as fast as you want them to be. If you use the cargo hulls, there is plenty of room for troop modules and engines. Then put them in a fleet and the fleet will protect them. I'm sure there would be room on a transport for a carrier mod or other weapons, but because transports are consumed when they invade, it's usually not a wise use of you resources. With the roles that have been talked about for fleets, I'm guessing that any ships you set to the support role will stay at the back (or center depending on how they do it) of your fleet and only take damage after the rest of your fleet has been destroyed. This should allow you to protect transports with escort ships.
While yes, the game does allow you to put a transport mod onto a tiny hull, does it really make sense that a ship that is described as "tiny" is carrying 2.5 Billion soldiers? I'm not saying they shouldn't let you do it, I'm just saying I don't think they should go out of their way to accommodate it.
I'll take that as: "Suggestion 2. is a great Idea DARCA. But suggestion 1. has a few problems and I have a better idea. Transports should be kept after invasion. There is no reason why they should be destroyed if the invasion is successful. So a transports that attacks with two modules equaling 1000 should still retain its population if 400 died, instead of becoming part if the planets population."
"Also tiny hulls are cheaper but I think that cargo hulls can be as fast as other ships DARCA and if my suggestion of transports not being destroyed after invasion comes to pass, then they may be good for a second planet as well, so give them another chance DARCA."
Thanks perigrine23 for the constructive suggestion and ideas! I hope this will help make invasion tactics more efficient by having a better use of the modules. Your suggestions were better than mine and its all because of founder to founder collaboration!
Great resolution, I like it. Also, to add to this comment:
Most of the time you do not need a single ship to protect your troops ship. Why? Well, since all combat is in melee range that means that you need to catch me to kill me and, if you put nice engines to that cargo and some sensors, you can see the enemy before they can see you and move according (there is no better fight that the one you don't fight). Also, your troops ship must be behind you, so your other ships clean the path and, with the sensors, you can avoid pretty much any incoming ship. That is unless the enemy makes interceptors with small firepower and defense but really fast with nice sensors especially designed to catch those ships.
Just one question, if we are not going to build our troops ship in the planet, does that means that they need to be "fueled" (with soldiers) in a planet or they are going to be full loaded when they leave the starport?
You are very welcome
I have a idea(/concept)!
Every race has a unique tech tree and AI, maybe some other stuff to. I would like to see civ artifacts or trade goods to start the game with. Stuff that can give bonus to diplomacy like the constitution or a Elemental shard or the first Iridium currency ever created.
The point being civs have a few national treasures that are inert and useless to them until given/loaned/sold to other civs. Then the diplomatic, morale, cultural, and monetary bonuses can be accessed to both parties.
I would like to see this in the game eventually as I think its fun and intriguing, not to mention it would be cool to see cherry blossoms on krynn worlds.
Happy days SD.
I think that, although cool, would be troublesome in some sense. What kind of bonuses an Iconian would obtain if they give their treasure to Yor (are they going to accept it)? Or what about the same treasure between two faction of the same race, do they get the bonuses although, in essence it is the same thing? Can the treasure be retrieved/reclaimed if you have a sudden bad relationship with that race? In general, I think that the idea is good, but I think it work better as a "hard to exchange", in the sense that exchange it would lower the moral of your people (you are given an ancient relic of your civilization) and increase the moral and, in consequence, the general relationship with the other race. Something like a double sword deal, that you don't want to give too easily for the bonus you might obtain but, if you do, is because you really want something from that race.
You know, that gives me an idea, this kind of exchange but not to increase diplomacy (not that way, at least) but to seal a kind of "brotherhood pact" between alliances (you can have more than one ally but only one brother). You have a especial bonus because of that alliance: better deals, higher possibility of being supported in the galactic council (even a chance to talk to him in order to influence his vote or that he votes as you do) and the ability to use his planets and starbases (even military ones) as if they were yours in terms of support, repair and refuel. He can even give you his planets if he was defeated or he surrender. Obviously, breaking a brotherhood pack would mean to be hated by your allies and be in really bad terms with everyone.
Shut up! Yous don'ts knows notin bout notin!
I don't care what would happen if iconian did things with the Yor. That's what devs do, they make the rules.
Really, nations put treasures on display all the time in allied countries as a symbol of trust. Its nothing new.
Its like the pacts from before but they behave like trade goods. its not complicated, just new.
0. When using armor wouldn't it make sense to have the texture of the hull change? Its supposed to be armor not just a component so it should look like armor has really been added to the hull.
Have a productive week SD! I can hardly wait to test the ship builder.
Such a DARCASTIC thread
You've made some good points DARCA!
Well it looks like the new ship designer gives you control over the materials as well as colors I assume materials include textures, so you could in theory have your own policy of how you use textures on any ship you put armour on.
I doubt they will impose a texture for armour as that would counter the ability to add and blend materials shown by the shot in the founders vault.
I still haven't broken the ship designer, sorry Paul. Lol
But I did think of this yesterday!!!
I would like to see a deep space styled map. So one or two sectors would just be empty space and dust clouds, maybe some occasional resources included. It would have a really space like feel of emptiness and it wouldn't effect the map sizes used memory or the game flow because its empty!
it might also work in layers if a galactic core and outskirts could be simulated. I would like to see this in a senario sometime in the future.
thanks for answering my question perfectly btw. everyone is so nice. [e digicons]:')[/e] like
Salutations. I am having fun with the ship designer, BUT from looking at the responses of my fellow founders it seems I fit into the "casual" gamer category. I feel that hard core and casual gamer balance is good but making all gamers informed is better.
I'll start with the minor issues and then go to major issues...in no particular order.
MINOR:
1. I think the game needs more flat plate like pieces. Squares, circles, and different triangles for smooth looking hulls. I assume colors will be changeable in the future?
2. I needed a hexagonal cone piece for a destroyer I was making and you guys let me down. ( ) lol, some Basic shapes would do wonders.
3. When adjusting the design options button whatever tab your in from parts to defenses ends up going back to the hulls tab for some reason.
4. The scrolling with the mouse wheel is REALLY slow with very tiny incremental "clicks like a safe being cracked. Lol, one turn of the wheel should get me somewhere.
5. I want the designer to make a ship for me with parts I specify. Like the favorites tab or a box I drag them into and a ship is generated. Weapons and stuff would still be manual though.
6. For just about every part. In the animation palates scale tab the oscillate numbers are only half shown. As in the set values are to big to be shown over a hundred even though its the default setting.
7. I want to get somebody to help me get a ship to "flap" its wings up and down, if its possible.
I like the tool tips on the design details box. Seeing the totals added up is very intuitive.
8. This "coming soon" stuff is making me anxious! Can't wait to see what's next! Is there a crew settings?!?! Crews that can reduce maintenance and are better at different stuff would be fun.
9. I can't save my design in design mode, only when I click the "Equip" button. Its a minor inconvenience, but why not fix it?
10. Every ship is the intrepid!
11. There is no tool tip when scrolling over the equip categories. Like, the word modules should pop up when going over it and possibly the number of parts in that category, like 25 weapons ect.
12. I want to make a ship without choosing the hull first.
13. Thank you all!
MAJOR ISSUES:
1. When exiting chat for a bit I have noticed ALL of the text disappears and I have to restart the game. This mainly happens when I leave the game idol in the ship designer as far as I have seen.
2. I think the game does need to be not so "in your face" the first thing I thought AS A PREVIOUS PLAYER was how i didn't know what i was doing.
Let me use a analogy for this one: The ship designer should be like a grocery store. Your car has so much room (hull) and the items are valued and weigh so much (parts). So the damage cost and size should be displayed, not a tool tip. No one should have to wait to see the price of every item in stock. Brad was right, galciv2 had it good with the relevant stats displayed already.
3. The display tabs are a efficiency MESS! I know you guys are reworking and building the UI but I have to say this. If there will be as many weapons and of various types as you say, then they deserve there own tab. Imagine 5 of a weapon type and a few of others, you end up scrolling and searching. Scrolling is very bad bad for view screens. Just make each weapon have a category instead of cost and mass.
4. I don't believe throwing EVERY module into the same tab and using a hide unhide arrow is the best way or the prettiest. It seems that is the case for most categories though. I think they can be divided like the tech trees actually. Military modules, civil modules like trade and mining, and Exploitation modules like life support and sensors.
5.Stuff like mass, maintenance, and cost are essential and need to be displayed without a tool tip as its just easier...like Brad said.
6. I don't really care about putting parts anywhere as much as I want hard points on hulls and parts to matter. I used Terran model_28 alot and to my dismay it had none on one end. They need to be in logical positions all around to be useful.
7. All the subtle things Brad pointed out that galciv2 had that made it good should be in galciv3 too. To know the he put things on the left because its the side people read on is genius. Some of the best feedback comes from him.
8. PLEASE remember 2-5 as it will help with new, casual, and veteran players not ending up annoyed by the UI. IMHO.
I hope this helps you guys make a better game.
^Done editing.
1 + 2: i assume alot of the art assets are still under construction.
5: pretty sure favorites is going to happen, doubt ai generated ships will limit themselves to it tho. (solution: spam this forum with "contest" who can make the best ship with the parts you specify:P)
7: wouldn't that just be oscillate from hardpoint?
8: i'm guessing specialization research, ship roles in fleets and just the parts you put on a ship will fill that role. crews are to detailed a thing for the strategic scale i imagine.
12: did you mean without? isn't that what those bricks are for?
3+4: what we need is a search field that filters the list in real time.
6: they were gonna redo the hardpoints manually
you did 7 twice. this brings back traumas of your octuple post.
1-2. Yea. I thought I would see alot of simpler parts, instead there are no simple metallic looking parts at all. At least the know this is a easy request.
5. No, I wanted the game to make a pretty looking ship from parts I specified...contest.
7. I'm hoping someone who has done/tried this will say if its possible. I thought I tried using the oscillate from hard point already.
8. WRONG! its be requested, it been hinted, and its been mostly confirmed!...but I lack the quote. (Gaunathor help me! Lol. ) So one of those buttons probably control crews.
12. ^fixed. thanks.
3-4 we have a filter already, its just not very prioritized.
6. Exactly! Good luck SD!
7. Anyone could gave accidentally hit the post button 8 times, making unwanted duplicates.
Seriously though, I WANT MY METALLIC BLACK HEXAGONAL CONE....AND A RING SHAPED PART TOO!...please.
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