I don't know if this has been mentioned or covered or anything like that before. But, anyway. I think this'd be a cool feature to see in GC2: the actual recognition of an empire's borders, for fear of the consequences of violating that empire's space.
What I mean by this is that an alien empire will stop to think before sending its fleet through your space, just so it can get to another fleet. Else, the act might be considered hostile, as your borders have just been violated and all. I mean, it kinda bothers me that the Drath just fly through my space so they can attack the Korx or the Altarians or whoever. I mean, in real life you wouldn't do that sort of thing.
However, this is where a lot of strategy can come in, I think. Say there was an option where the player can have an open door type policy when it comes to borders - you know, allow any ship to enter his space - or the player can choose to have a closed door type policy - restrict his space only to freighters and such. Then, as relations improve with another empire, say to the friendly and close and ally level, the player can choose to allow that foreign empire unrestricted access to his space. Say, the Arceans are completely surrounded by you and the Drengin declares war on the Arceans. However, the Drengin can't very well violate your space to get to the Arceans, out of fear of provoking a war with you. So, if they really want to get the Arceans, they'll have to buddy up with you and get your permission to cross your space to get to the Arceans. Get the idea?
I figure, that way you can protect minors in your space or potential allies or whoever you want, by sharing a border and forcing hostile empires to find another way to get to whoever you want to protect. Using the same Drengin/Arcean scenario from before, only now imagine that your space doesn't completely envelop the Arceans and that the Arceans share a border with the Korx. Now, the Korx and the Drengin are friends and the Korx have given the Drengin permission to cross their space. So, now the Drengin fleet will enter Arcean space through the Arcean/Korx border. And that'll be where the front line is in this Drengin-Arcean war. So, the Arceans will concentrate their forces at the Arcen/Korx borde their as the Drengin will. Also, Arcean/Korx relations might suffer because of that, since they allowed the Drengin passage through their space. See what I'm getting at?
I think that'd be really cool, to be able to have established front lines, with the possibility of facing multi-front wars and stuff like that. You know, actually concentrating your forces. As for a starbase in foreign space, maybe have a one sector range around that starbase that'll monitor for foreign warships. Any warship enters that zone, red flags'll go up or something like that. You could have a UPC iss that would increase ot decrease the size of that zone, maybe. And maybe you'd have to come to a diplomatic solution with whatever empire your starbase is located within to allow for your own transports and warships passage through to be stationed at that starbase.
I don't know, I think it'd add a lot to the gameplay. I don't know if it'd be too much to program or whatever, but it's just an idea I had. Wondering what others might think on the subject.
- Carlo
