This is a compiled version of some suggestions made by other players. I tweaked, elaborated some, and added my own personal suggestions and comments. Any relevant updates on this compilation will be noticed by the change in the title name of this post.

I added a note beside the title whether I recommend it for the 2nd expansion or not. If you have any objections about it post a reply.

This is best viewed on https://www.sinsofasolaempire.com forums where this post was made. This current colour scheme should not be an eyesore on both the forums on sinsofasolarempire.com and on stardock.com.

COMPILATION VERSION 1.2

Changes for 1.1: Look at list number (8 - 10)

Changes for 1.2: Look at list number 5, 7, 9;

1.) MODEL OF FUEL

What does it affect: Spaceships that you control manually.

Excluded ships: construction ships, trade ships, and refinery ships ( You don't want to be refueling each tradeships manually. That will be a pain)

Where to get: gas giants, gas clouds, plasma storms, (can also be extracted) from a sun

What it does: determines the efficiency of spaceships especially in battle

When you have 0 fuel: a.) Can not move (Thus reducing efficiency in battle)

How to refuel: orbital fuelling station or refuelling support ships.

Added ships/orbital buildings:

Refuelling support ship

- extracts and converts to fuel the emitted particles by the sun/gas clouds/plasma storms. Automated drone (if autocast is activated) will refuel the ships. (This is to make it convenient in refueling)

Orbital fuelling station

- extracts and converts to fuel from a planet, gas giant(has a large output of fuel).

- when a spaceship/spaceships has 0 fuel and also in the gravity well where an orbital refuelling station is, automated drone (if autocast is activated) will refuel the ships. (This is to make it convenient in refueling)

PERSONAL COMMENTS: I think this will play a vital role in making strategies and also make a use of one massive fleet less likely on certain situations.

Gas giants will also be a little bit important. By default, the autocast of the refuelling ships  and orbital refuelling stations is turned on.

2.) RANDOM EVENTS ( I recommend for the 2nd expansion)

- Can be toggled on/off on the game options.

- Random events can either be temporary or permanent. Temporary random events affects within a certain duration while permanent random events affects throughout the game.

- Has different levels of events

Normal - This kind of random events will not destroy your entire civilisation but gives unoverpowered bonuses and  little frustrations. This will give more depth to the game itself.

Unfair - Includes the random events contained on the normal mode. As the name suggests, this can topple your civilisation or give massive bonuses. This option can be great for people who wants to be handicaped if striked by one.

Example: a yellow star becoming a red giant destroying nerby planets/asteroids or turning a nearby  terran planet into a volcanic planet

- Has different types of events

a.) Random diplomatic events - Includes events that will affect your diplomatic relationship with other human  players/AI.

Example: a government official of a different player mysteriously fell ill while on a visit on one of your planets. Result: -5% relationship. (It sound silly. Ain't it? ^-^)

b.) Random civic events - Includes events that will affect your citizens either on a single planet or a group of  planets within a certain range. It includes natural disaster and cultural influence.

Example: A volcano on a volcanic planet has erupted killing hundred of thousands of citizens (reducing the population and also the regeneration of the population will take a longer time).

c.) Random economic events - Includes events that will affect your economy. Credits, metal and crystal are included.

Example: One of the large businesses on your civilisation was able to become a hit on this (other player's planet) making a large revenue (getting a sum of credits). This kind of event will be applicable if you are in trade alliance with other players making dimplomacy a bit more important.

d.) Random military events - Inlcudes events that will affect your military might.

Example: A military officer had discovered a method of training crew members of capital ships in a more efficient   manner (increasing the development rate of capital ships by 3%).

e.) Random pirate events - Includes events that will affect the pirate activity within a solar system of group of solar system.

Example: A pirate named (Blair ) rose on the pirate ranks establishing a base of operations on (planet X).

f.) Random uncategorised events - Includes events that can not be categorised from previously mentioned.

Example: A star has just undergone a coronal mass ejection damaging the shields and hull of the ships within a certain radius (can go outside its own gravity well).

PERSONAL COMMENTS: Some people might not like the idea of becoming unlucky and be defeated so I tried to make the random events to be toggled on/off and also has a level. I strongly think that this will give more depth to the game itself.

The figures in here are just an example i.e. 3% increase in capital ship production.

3.) DIFFERENT VICTORY CONDITIONS ( I recommend for the 2nd expansion)

- Having different types of victory conditions can add more strategic plans on trying to win the game.

- Each of the victory conditions can be ticked(checked) on/off before on the game option if you want to just win by annialating your oponents or have to try and use all your possible stretegies in order to block the opponent from achieving a particular victory condition.

- These are the different victory conditions:

a.) Annihilation victory - Completely destroy all of your oponents.

How about if I am allied with other players/AI? - Allies are not considered as opponents so you and your allies will win.

b.) Domination victory - Colonise at least 75% of the colonisable regions.

How about if I am allied with other players/AI? - If the combined number of colonised region of the allied players are at least 75% then those allied players will win. The player with the largest number of colonised region will be declared as Dominant player.

c.) Cultural victory -  Have at least 75% of the total sum of all the cultural points.

How about if I am allied with other players/AI? - If the combined points of the allied players are at least 75% then those allied players will win. The player with the largest number of cultural points will be declared as the Most Cultured player.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: I did not include Trade victory" since I don't know how it is supposed to work.

I do believe that victory conditions will add challenge and more fun in the game.

The figures in here are just an example i.e. colonised 75% of the colonisable region.

4.) ESPIONAGE SYSTEM

- Includes activities that will steal information from an oponent, or activities that will inflict damage to an oponent   through the use of spies.

- Espionage technology tree will be introduced.

  Need 1 military lab structure          Need 2 military lab structure          Need 3 military lab structure

Trade Emergency Coalitio

Cloaking technology (3 levels) ->  Cloaking integration (2 levels) -> Efficient cloaking system (2 levels)

                                                        ship upgrade protoype (1 level) -> spy drones (2 levels)

Advent                                                                                                                                          

Photon passage (3 levels) -> Photon passage integration (2 levels) ->

Vasari     

- Counter-espionage technology tree will be introduced.

What is needed to perform an espionage mission: A spy ship.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: I made the spy ship upgrade so that scout ships will not be redundant. The spy system is still not complete. My espionage and counter-espionage tech tree is still in completion. Suggestions are open. Every race uses different method of spying and counter-espionage. I have not completed the draft of the technology tree that I made.

5.) PIRATE UPGRADED VERSION (I recommend for the 2nd expansion)

- Introduction of a certain number of different pirate leaders (who owns big pirate gangs). Just having one pirate is kinda plain.

- Large pirate gangs have a base of their operation i.e. a planet or an asteroid. Small pirate gangs occupy a region of space as their base of operations in contrast of having an asteroid or a planet. 

- Pirates become more difficult to handle as the game progresses i.e. they star building different types of stronger  ships. (Continues to annoy players ^-^; That is what they are for, I think...)

- Pirates will then aquire different implementation of the technology of other races. (meaning, the pirates will be able to use the technology of the different races: Advent, Vasari and TEC.

- They tend to move from one planet to the next in order to attack undefended areas.- They will occasionally attack trade ships and not just sit on their pirate base until someone gives a bounty on a player. (generating a lose of credit income to the owner of the trade ships).

- Most pirates will attack each other but it is possible for them to cooperate. Cooperation of pirates can be added as a random event.

- Bidding system(using credit as payment) for trying to make a certain pirate gang to do your will.

a.) Attack a certain planet  - normal standard cost.

b.) Attack a certain player - Occurs within a specific amount of time. Has a high standard cost.

- Has 3 difficulty settings for the pirate system: easy, normal, hard.

6.) IMPROVED AI ATTITUDE AND TACTICS (I recommend for the 2nd expansion)

- Same races tend to like each other easier while different races tend to hate each other.

- AI tend to take advantage of an oppurtunity i.e. If it sees a poorly defended planet, it will attack that planet.

- Use of different tactics in order to defeat a defended position especially a heavily entrenched opponent i.e. fleet combination/AI cooperation. Look at my personal comments for some examples.

- Depending on the difficulty and attitude of the AI, it would be better if AIs try to capture bottleneck positions or key positions in order to secure a strong defending position for them and also a strong offensive position.

Example: An asteroid belt is one of the three entrances to a certain player occupied regions. The AI will try to capture that position in order to lay seige on the other planets of the player.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: I have never seen an unfair or hard AI try to make a starbase on a bottleneck position like an asteroid belt, star, plasma storm, or magnetic c loud. Putting starbases on star would be nice and also a potential for an epic battle.

I do understand that AI system is hard to implement but I do believe that this will be a good improvements for the enjoyment of the game. I once wanted an epic battle with an unfair AI by defending a certain bottleneck position or any position. I was only able to create that kind of situation once (Kinda long to elaborate). (Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment Beta 2.5)

Another thing that I did was put 2 fully upgraded starbase (lvl 2 attack, lvl 2 defense, lvl 3 fighter/bomber bay, and lvl 1 construction bay) on my home star. I have a fleet consisting of 2 capital ships and 100 different type of ships including "healing ships".  The AIs only tried to pass right through it in order to get to my other defended planet on the other side  of the star. They were heavily damaged after leaving the star. It would have been better if they tried to cooperate and attack my starbase and fleet on the star. The difficulty of all the AI was hard. (Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment Beta 2.5)

I once had a fleet also consisting of 2 capital ship and 100 of diff type of ships on a star (you might notice that it is similar to the example above. I do tend to use this kind of fleet combination). I already conquered the whole star system. There were two allied AIs on a different star system. I knew they were allied since they were both on the same star system and were both attacking me by sending large number of ships. My other fleet was busy attacking a third star system. It consisted 6 capital ships and a large number of other different type of ships. The problem was their tactics. They were sending large number of ships that are capable of destroying my defending fleet on the star but the distance   between the different group of ships was large enough for me to annihilate the small fleet that is coming to my star. It would have been better if they set the movement of the fleet on group so that they will arrive at my star system as a whole and destroy me. The difficulty of all the AIs was normal. The map was very large. I set the map size bar to the fullest. There were 3 large star systems. (Sins of a Solar Empire)

Please don't misunderstand me. Hard and unfair AI had destroyed me a number of times. Even normal mode AIs can be challenging at times. But when they are faced with certain kind of situations, they tend to become inefficient.

7.) SPECIFIC GOVERNMENT TYPE FOR EACH RACES AND ADDED DIMPLOMATIC FUNCTIONALITY

     (Definitely recommended for the 2nd expansion)

- It can be said that every organised group of creatures including ants, humans and other animals have their own government so that they can act as one and for the better of the whole group. This can also be applied to Trading Emergency coalition, The Advent, and Vasari.

- Here are the possible different type of govenrments for each races: (Each type of government has different bonuses and penalties for each races.)

Anarchy - "No details for bonuses and penalties."                                                                                     

Monarchy - "No details for bonuses and penalties."                                                                         

Democracy - "No details for bonuses and penalties."                                 ;                           

Despotism - "No details for bonuses and penalties."                                                

Dictatorship - "No details for bonuses and penalties."                                                                  

Tyranny - "No details for bonuses and penalties."

- A dimplomatic technology tree is needed for this. Details of the technology tree is still unknown.

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- (The friendliness bar that we see in dimplomatic window) If it reaches a certain point, declaring war on that player can result in citizens revolting decreasing the income and resource production of that planet. Declaring war on a trade allied player, or a player you are peace treated with can also give such results.

- Introduction of an orbital embassy structure. The embassy will be placed on the planets of the players you are both with trade alliance and on peace treaty. You cannot place the embassy on cease fire conditions. You will also need this to perform buying ships that are already made on that planet.

- Added diplomatic options: Buying a planet from a player/AI. In order to buy, you need to be in a trading alliance and peace treaty with the other player.

                                        Buying a ship from a player. In order to buy, you need to be in trading alliance and peace treaty with the other player.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: Each races have their own way of thinking so choosing a government that condraticts their belief can have massive penalties. For example, Vasari uses slaving methods so a Democratic government will clearly reduce the efficiency of the entire empire.       

8.) ADDED PERSONAL CUSTOMISATION FUNCTIONALITY

- Upload own portrait set for each races. 

- A new tech tree involving motherships. Every tech tree for each race need to have different bonuses.

- There could be at least 5 different base shape for each race to start designing your own mothership. You then try researching the technology tree of the mothership in order to buy the parts and include it on your mothership.

- Factors to consider when building motherships: speed, armour, shield, weaponry, other special features.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: "none"

9.) ADDED DETAILS (I recommend part a.),  b.), d.), f.), g.), h.), i.), l.) for the 2nd expansion)

- Those little details that you see on games can make it more versatile in its own respect.

a.) Military moral - Every ships for battles including support ships will have a military moral.

Affects: Battle efficiency of ships. 

Increased battle efficiency when: fighting on a your cultural influenced area.                                   

Decreased battle efficiency when: fighting on opponents cultural influenced area.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: I strongly suggest this one since it makes cultural influence more important.

b.) Better missions from allies - An example would be "Attack this certain planet and making the planet uncolonised but do not colonise it yourself". The award could be large.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: My example seems a little bit too much since you can colonise it your self. -.- (In multiplayer, it could work)

c.) Added space objects - Additional space objects can make the whole viewing experience more enjoyable.

Includes: 

Space elevator graphical improvement i.e. a ring above the planet with an elevator going out to space from the surface of the planet.

Different graphical representation of rings for rifferent planet types.

Added wrecked spaceships on the space debris space region.

Space hydra, space monkeys, and other space abomination creatures

PERSONAL COMMENTS: Maybe the space creatures can be added on modded versions ^-^. But it would be fun to see a space monkey floating around while you are having a battle with another player.

d.) Added orbital structures - Additional orbital structures that consumes logical structure points. This can contribute to minor planet specialisation.

Includes:

Orbital space stations that boosts population.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: As of now, I only have the following. Feel free to add some. Other suggested orbital structures mentioned before will not be mentioned in here.

e.) Starbase improvements -

Includes:

Carries population

Same race starbase capture after damaging the starbase at a certain point.

Different race starbase capture after damaging the starbase at a certain point. May need a technology research that consists of having a very novice knowledge of the workings of the other race's technology in order for the  starbase to function. Starbase functionality is limited.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: As of now, I only have the following. You can add more details or other starbase improvements if you want.

f.) More different planet types -

Includes:

Oceanic planets. Additional civil research will be included i.e. more advanced floating sea cities in order to increase population.

Different planet ring orientation. i.e. vertically oriented ring

Planetary/gas giants moons generated on random. Have irregular or spherical shape. number of moons can be from generated randomly.

Planets having different sizes

Planets having more different texture for the same type of planets.

Gas giants have more variety in terms of size and color. Their moons can have the size of planet. 

PERSONAL COMMENT: Adding different planet sizes, different number of moons, different texture for each same type of planet will reduce the kind of dullness feeling of seeing the same texture of the same planet type. A problem presented by this improvement is the added graphical memory consumption for low-end computers. An option can be made in order to selec t whether you want to see different at least 100 different texture of the same planet type or just 10 different texture of the same planet type. Having option for rendering moons can be turned on/off.

g.) More planet specialty - Capital planet is already in the game. Other planet specialty can be added.

Includes:

Military stronghold. Added tactical slot.

Cultural planet. Added cutural spread rate and the decrease in cultural loss as it spreads from the planet is reduced.                                                                 

Business oriented planet. Increase of credit income.

PERSONAL COMMENT: As I have said before, this kind of improvement is essential for more depth in the game. In terms of micromanagement, it won't be a pain since you will just upgrade the planet into a more specialised one by clicking the kind of specialisation you want. Researching a technology can be introduced before making the upgrade possible. The cost of the research depends of the type of specialisation i.e. for business oriented planet, a large sum of credit is need as part of the research cost.

h.) Spaceship and structure destruction damage - The destruction of spaceships/orbital structures will be more meaningful if it can damage your opponent. It can also damage friendly ships.

Factors included:

Explosion radius.

Damage incurred increases as you get nearer the center of the explosion.

- Capital ship self-detruct mechanism is not needed if this kind of system is implemented.

PERSONAL COMMENT: I have seen explosion of starbases, capital ships and orbital structures but I was always amazed by the fact  that my cobalt frigate survives a devastating explosion of a starbase unscratched. Maybe the shield technology of my frigate is so strong . Oh, I got an idea, the level of shield technology in your research can affect the damage incurred by the explosion.

i.) Rare trade goods - different type of resources that you do not directly use for your battles will be enjoyable to collect. It can increase the credit income of your civilisation. It can also give different effect on different races.

Includes: Volcanic apple. increases rage of advent race thus making them more efficient in fighting against the TEC.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: It will be nice to see this kind of addition since it will make the game cooler <- not a good word to use. This can also be one of the possible source of trade points if we want to introduce a trade victory condition.

j.) Different game modes - "No details"

PERSONAL COMMENTS: I have not seen any detail suggestion of this one but if you do have some please let me know. I can't think of any for now.

k.) Added multiplayer functionality - 

Includes:

Granting control to an allied human player of a planet or group of planets so that he/she can control your ships for whatever reason i.e. you are focusing on a different star system and some AI is attacking you.

Setting the amount of credit/metal/crystal to be given on an allied player. Reducing the repetitive clicking that could be tiring for some players. (increased ergonomic software design ^-^)

PERSONAL COMMENTS: Can be very useful on very large maps since the distance between star systems are large and zooming in and out can be a pain. You can also make the zoom sensibility low er so you can zoom faster but if you still want to experience the smoothing graphic sensation then this could be applicable.

l.) Anti-orbital spaceship cannons - Damages spaceships with a certain amount of range. Additional defense-type technology needs to be added for this. These cannons are on the surface of the planet.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: All I can say is entrenchment ^-^.

m.) Better tutorials - different age range of people will have different levels of understanding so an easier to understand tutorials for each races can be introduced.

PERSONAL COMMENTS: I did not have a problem with the tutorials or maybe I just forgot. Anyway, I saw some suggestions for this. If I do recall correctly, I saw this kind of issue from an IGN review.

PERSONAL NOTE:

The order at which the improvements are arranged does not signify the importance of it being added to the game. 

I would like to apologise for any gramatical, spelling, typographical error or any inconsistencies in my writing. By the way, I am using the spelling system in the United Kingdom so apoligize (American) would be apologise(British).

Hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know if you would like to give more detail on an improvement or give out an additional suggestion.

At the end of the day, Ironclad is the one to decide what to put and the kind of game system they want. As the saying goes: "You can not make everyone happy". I do hope this compilation gave the game developers more ideas that they want to add in the game. Best of luck Ironclad ^-^

Thank you

-Balir