I keep running into this one lately and it's annoying me more than anything else.

The maximum lenght of ship's names!

It should be doubled at least.

That would require for them to change the variable type they used for the name. Don't think they'll do that.

Try abbreviations, OR shorter names!!!    

SFSC Battleship HFBS-G1

That's already 9 things I'm abbreviating/shortening (underlined), any ideas on how to shorten on this?
'Battleship' is something I'd rather not shorten or abbreviate.

Wishes based on my pet peeves:
* Smarter AI
* Floating point calculations so that +10% to

Try some standard nomenclatures like BB, CA, and so on. I use BB for standard battleship, BBH for heavy and BBX for the ‘end of the line tech ships. Get creative and come up with some new ones. I generally name my ship based on hull, and name like DNW Bismark (war dreadnaught). The DNW will chang3e as you upgrade the class.

Hmm, that might do the trick. Gonna try that. Thanks.

Some more ideas.
Tiny - Corvette (Cor), Interceptor (Int) and Frigate (FF)
Small - Escort (Es), Destroyer (DD)
Medium - Light Cruiser (CL), Cruiser (CA)
Large - Battle Cruiser (BC), Battleship (BB)
Huge - Dreadnaught (DN), Juggernaut ( BMF    when you get to this size, you can call it whatever you want    )

you can mod that in to the game

I would like to see 2.0...

The only thing I really would love to see in version 2.0 is a major AI update. Especially in regards of combat and invasion. Because right now the computer is quite formidable in all fields except in waging an effective war - there it's still quite a whimp.

It's inability to protect it's Transports sufficient, so that I don't shoot them down with high speed interceptors, prevents that even quite strong opponents have a chance of invading my territory.
Actually this is a major point, as long the AI can't pull that off I'm always in advantage big time. Besides give the AI also some finetuning in ship creation as it doesn’t use some of the new twilight ship components or possibilities.

So Stardock take your time and teach the AI some Sun Tzus, Clausterwitz and Machivelli stuff and I will be happy That’s more important than anything else. Should be your top priority – as (single player) strategy games rise and fall with the AI.

Another request I have: more modability of several aspects of the game like how the random map generator runs (for example I would love to actually set the range of planet quality as a guideline for the galaxy creation engine, same with bonus tiles, resources and so on. – I’m looking here for global changes which go beyond the whole galaxy setup ingame.)

Also I like to be able to set if I allow the setting of focus on planets (mil. production, soc. production or research) or it is general forbidden.
Or perhaps I can link the ability to do so to certain techs – that would be wonderful!

Thanks.

Ask and you shall receive: Frogboy stated a new release date of October 1st for 2.0 in the thread announcing Impulse Phase 2.

That should give them plenty of quality coding time to integrate the excellent suggestion in the first quote above!

There is something about powerful customization elements that makes or brakes re-playability of many TBS 4X (SciFi or not) games out there.

Innovation such as TotA multiple tech-trees are extremely rare diamonds of concept and i shall never stop wondering what SD coders will think of next.

OCTOBER, only? - shooots, it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock&roll (AC/DC, song quote).

But, that would result in even more weeks to fiddle further into my own mods, also.

Yes!

I don't mind waiting until October, as long as they covered the major problems.

Me neither, but I don't think they will. Maybe they'll improve espionage, but the most important thing in my view - the AI - might not be touched anymore. This of course are only my worries...

I'm late and my english sucks but I have a suggestion nevertheless:

I would like a “building upgrade” Manager under “Civilization Manager – Governors”. The existing “auto upgrade Improvements” Feature for colonies is all or nothing, and on large maps checking all colonies to upgrade (or chancel upgrade) is very time consuming. There should be easier global control about “when” to upgrade and “to what” to upgrade.


On the left side (in the new Manager) the existing buildings could be shown in groups, on the right the available/researched buildings are listed (newest/old/all like on the Colony Management Screen). It only works for regular buildings, not on wonders, achievments or "one on each planet" structures.

Example 1: If I want to change all my existing “Xeno Labs” into “Banking Centers” I go to the new “building upgrade” manager, find and pick the “Xeno Labs” group on the left side of the screen, then choose the “Banking Center” on the right side and hit “upgrade/update” at the bottom to order all colonies without circling through the colony screens.

Example 2: I deactivated the “auto upgrade Improvements” governor because I didn’t want it to update industry/research buildings (getting industrial sector when capturing planets with “auto update on” is a pain in the ass). But I want my economy/farm buildings upgraded empirewide. After getting the tech “Galactic Stock exchange” (by trade or invasion) I enter the “building upgrade” Manager, pick the “Merchant emporium” (Iconian Eco building) group on the left side and the “Stock Market” on the right and hit “upgrade/update” at the bottom.

I think this would be a excellent and needed addition especially with all the new buildings/techtrees around.

Your post showed much better English skills than many (most?) essays I received when I was teaching civics at a Florida community college. Sigh.

More importantly, I really like the idea. We sure need some sort of UI help for the infrastructure management in large, long games.

I know what I would LOVE to see in the game, and it wouldn't require a lot of coding either.

* Better distinction between planetary and civilisation bonus.

I'm probably just stupid, but sometimes I can't figure out if a wonder helps my entire civ, or just that planet.

Yeah......maybe just a little 'P' or 'C' in the corner of the description page

Definetly. Planetary Influence/Loyalty is defined by "PrestigeBonus" and "ResistanceBonus" tags respectively in the XML files. Why not use those names? And Approval is already used in many places in the game as being Planetary Morale. Economy/Economics are at least different, but they can be easily mistaken for the other at first glance... I know I made the mistake of thinking the Mind Control Center only affected Planetary Economy and built it on my super-high class Economy planet. Not sure what do about the other few abilities that have planetary/galactic buildings that affect them, though...

But enough about that. Here's my short list of things I'd like to see in 2.0:

1. A little green "Earth-like" icon for the planets that are Habitable by All. I've been requesting this ever since DA's Beta though... so who knows.

2. More Invasion videos. I'm suprised there's still only the few that were in the beta, honestly.

3. A Checkbox in the Upgrade for "Upgrade as many of this class of ships as you can afford" option. I hate having to upgrade ships one by one late game, and I feel like I'm wasting economic potential if I let my treasury float above 10k bc, let alone 20k bc. A "upgrade all ships of this class in this fleet" option as suggested earlier could work for me too.

4. Move all those various pop-up windows (Survey Findings, Asteroid Field warnings, "Pay-off for peace") to the GCN. Less clicking is good!

5. Constructor management tools would be a definate plus for me.

6. The AI needs to take better advantage of the new ship modules in its designs. Of course, any AI enhancements to ship design (and other things!) are very much welcomed. I typically restrict myself to only using the AI-designed combat ships just to put me and the AI on a more even level

7. I'd really like to see the Orbital Defense Manager and its big brother dropped and just have all planets defended as though they had the Orbital Defense Manager. Of course, I have a (not fool-proof) work-around method for modding this in, if need be (Planet Quality Change is such a modder friendly ability...).

8. Speaking of Planet Quality Change... I kinda wish that when buildings with the ability are Upgraded/Destroyed that they would remove the extra tile(s). Would make the ability more useful for creating faux-galactic bonuses. Of course, you can get around this by just making the buildings not upgrade to each other... but that just feels clunky.

Oh... and one more for good measure:

9. Lessen the effect each, individual point of War Profiteering has. Something to the extent of 1/5th or even less as much as it currently does, but raise the current techs/improvements that grant War Profiteering to the equivelent new score.

So (using the 1/5th number), the Mercenary Academy would give +10% War Profiteering instead of 2% it currently does, but would bring in the same level of cash that 2% of War Profiteering currently does. The Drath's tech would seem a lot more impressive at first glance when it says +50% War Profiteering instead of +10%, no? Even if it is the same thing. Mostly an asthetic thing, but I imagine modders migth be able to find a use for small amounts of War Profiteering.

 

I solved that issue simply by editing the screens.str file and putting it along with the new 'descriptive lines' in the wanted mod folder.

 

***

[Ability0] Economics Skill:
[Ability1] Weapons Skill:
[Ability2] Defense Skill:
[Ability3] Speed Skill:
[Ability4] Morale Skill:
[Ability5] Pop. Growth Skill:
[Ability6] Social Prod Skill:
[Ability7] Military Prod Skill:
[Ability8] Research Skill:
[Ability9] Influence Skill:
[Ability10] Trade Skill:
[Ability11] Diplomacy Skill:
[Ability12] Hit Points Skill:
[Ability13] Repair Skill:
[Ability14] Sensor Increase:
[Ability15] Espionage Skill:
[Ability16] Soldiering Skill:
[Ability17] Interest Rates Skill:
[Ability18] Planet Quality Skill:
[Ability19] Trade Routes Value:
[Ability20] Crime --:
[Ability21] Cabinet --:
[Ability22] Range Value:
[Ability23] Luck Skill:
[Ability24] Courage Skill:
[Ability25] Creativity Skill:
[Ability26] Government --:
[Ability27] Loyalty Skill:
[Ability28] Logistics Points:
[Ability29] Miniaturization Skill:
[Ability30] Home Planet Quality Skill:
[Ability31] Colonize Heavy Gravity Worlds
[Ability32] Colonize Aquatic Worlds
[Ability33] Colonize Toxic Worlds
[Ability34] Colonize Barren Worlds
[Ability35] Colonize Radioactive Worlds

***

 

...as a result, any 'real' bonuses given by buildings remain with the 'bonus' tags and empire-wide values get to have 'Skill' as a trailer instead.

Someone mentioned putting in an offset slider for ship building earlier, which has given me a thought: make sliders that can adjust where a piece attaches to a hardpoint. If you notice, several pieces and even the hulls themselves don't always have the hardpoints in the exact same spot of both sides, and so buidling perfectly symmetrical ships is often difficult. Another reason is that several pieces, such as the double-tentacle thing, have a slightly offset hardpoint that ends up making mirrored pieces sit at differents heights relative to each other, even when attached to symmertrical hard points. I currently get around this by using a short antenna to shift the hardpoints silghtly, but it annoying to have to do all of that just because the piece you're using isn't quite right.

 

If not outright impossible in a number of specific models. I even figured these 'flaws' would some day be fixed by SD - but i guess, it involves too much work.

 

I soon found out that using freely rotating parts to design most of my 'moddable' ships was a solution which i had to use rather than relying on an easier method with a 5% gap altogether for anything; i simply do not get why the elements *to be attached* do not have at least one clear hard-point reference to detect or move around towards the intended connection "area".