Hmm.. v1.03
Let's see:
Multiplayer / ICO:
- Automatic downloads of custom maps for joining clients. ATM theres little use in making custom maps, as you can only use them in arranged matches, where you can get the players to download them prior joining your game. This should definitely be looked into.
- Quitting should be removed from MP games. Consider any player who quits to have surrendered. As it is now, if a player quits when he is about to lose, you have to spend your time mopping up the planets of a bastard who isnt playing anymore, but wasnt man enough to surrender.
OR
- Allow players to rejoin ongoing games. Have the AI take over players who leave (hard random AI) and allow players to join the game they left if its still in progress. This way if you have a crash - which happens to me every now and then - while playing an MP game, you can still rejoin. Don't know how hosting is handled if a host of a game leaves, but in case someone else takes over the role of host, the above idea can still work. Otherwise, the host can just restart the game from the last savegame position.
Gameplay:
- Phase Jump Inhibitors: ATM they are a waste of space really.. okay, not necessarily, but even if you have some, the enemy can still come and go as they want.
Suggestion #1: Increase the penalty they give by a factor, so instead of 250%, make it 2500%.
Suggestion #2: (i would prefer this one) Prevent the use of any phase lanes you have under your control by enemy forces. (under control means completely taken by culture) This should only work for phase lanes between worlds colonized by you of course, so the enemy would still have a chance to withdraw (using the normal phase delay penalty) but it would effectively prevent the enemy from passing gateway systems without taking care of at least the inhibitor structure there first.
Additionally: The inhibitor should affect the whole area where it is built, not just a ridiculously small circle.
- AI behavior - fleeing: ATM the AI does weird things when fleeing from you sometimes, like moving way outside the outer ring of a planet/star. (the ring in which you can issue orders). I actually had a ship move from one planet to the other using regular travels once. Dunno if it could have attacked anything there, as it finally turned back when i stopped chasing him, but its still annoying. This is obviously only a case for the AI, as players cant issue orders outside the outer ring.
Also, as many already mentioned
- Pirate raids: There should be an indicator on who the current pirate target is on the main UI, right next to a button where you can add the standard bounty ammount to the player you last placed bounty on. You will place bounty on one player anyway.. most of the time that is, so having a full screen interface open for minutes to make sure the right person gets the bounty seems to be a waste of space for me.
Addition: Computer players should be made a bit more resistant to pirate raiders, as for now the pirates just walk through them. Even on hard AI.
Addition: The raiders of a finished raid should either move on until they are killed, or just go back from where they came. As it is now, if you keep sending raids agains the AI, most of the raiders survive and return to their home base, so after 10-15 raids there are some 200+ raider ships there doing nothing. This does not really make sense for me.
Addition: You could also delay the raids if a raid is still in progress. After all.. Like only start the timer once a raid has ended. (even though having multiple raids plague you in cases you mess up something can be a big tactical advantage to your enemies, so im not 100% sure about this myself)
- Ship behavior:
As someone else mentioned, the resource claiming ability of the vasari scout should take precedence over explore
The autocast usage of specials for capital ships need serious reworking. ATM they are using their abilities whenever they can, no matter if they need them or not. Like when out of combat, and one ship has a minor structure damage, they shouldnt waste antimatter on casting an AoE repair field. The ability usage should be more situation aware and weighted based on the size of the enemy fleet in that system. You just don't need to waste antimatter on abilities, against a single scout, when you have 10+ bomber squads and 100+ frigs with you.
Setting targeting priorities / behavior modes for fleets and ships would be nice. Like i would prefer to set my light carriers to evade at times, when they just try to move as far away from the enemies as possible. ATM i have to micro this myself. Other behavior modes would include:
Targeting priority: planet killers, capitals, carriers, thoughtest ships, most damaged ships. Maybe even allow for primary and secondary priorities. Like carriers / most damaged first.
Movement: Maximum weapons range, 0 range, Evade, stay in formation - movement orders other than stay in formation should override the fleet formation settings.
Offensive Ability usage: all / capitals only / none (tho this is equivalent of turning autocast off)
Defensive Ability usage: all / capitals only / none (as above)
Bombers should always follow the targets of their parents, unless specifically given different orders. So if i select 10 LCs and give them an attack order, then i want their fighters / bombers to do the attacking, not the ships themselves. The ships should just stay away, running from any enemies that might try to get to them.
Phase jumping should not be tied to a few departure points. As it is now, say my fleet is outside the gravity well right on the phase lane, when i give a jump order, they will head back to the edge of the well, either above it, or below it, or split to both sides, and jump from there. I ask myself: why move back to the edge of the well, when they are already outside of it. Additionally, why cant they just jump from anywhere if the general direction (in my case it is just the right direction) they are facing for the jump is okay.
Planetary defenses:
Defense battery ranges should be changed so, that in case you have 8 batteries evenly spaced around a normal sized planet, then at least 4-5 could fire on siege frigates no matter where they are attack from. I dont think they need too much of a range increase for that, but it would go a long way towards solving the 'planets die before you could react' issue. Not that it would be as severe as people describe it.
Obviously, for smaller bodies, like an asteroid, this would mean that all 8 can fire at them, but then again.. a well defended rock is hard to be attacked without taking fire from the full force of its defense structures.
---
Thats it on my part. I'm sure i could come up with some more, but there are the ones troubling me the most, especially the ICO part i would like to have in, this is primarily an MP game after all
Keep up the good work, and i definitely hope that the sales will continue to be fantastic.
csebal
