Beta 2 Suggestions

Hey everyone – this is my first post for the beta 2 testing, and I have to say that SOASE is going to be one unbelievable game! I jotted down a couple of notes from my first game, just a couple suggestions and some minor bugs I found:

Bugs:

1)After successfully thwarting off attacks by pirates or CPU opponents, I found that about a quarter of the time if I went to manually move my remaining ships into custom position in the gravity well, that some ships would attempt to make a jump to a random planet in my empire. This happened maybe 10 times over the course of my game
2) I noticed that during a fight at a Dead Asteroid - that lasers, autocannons and missiles were missing their animations (they weren’t there at all, just completely invisible, but the sounds were still there) during a battle, but battle damage was definitely occurring. Moments later at my home planet during a pirate attack all weapon "animations" were back to normal, and after I moved my original fleet out of the Dead Asteroid battle, their weapon animations returned to normal as well, even when I sent them back to the Dead Asteroid to test the bug out again. I was unable to repeat this bug.
3) I noticed later in the game, once I colonized planet, and started to set up shop (metal mines, hanger defense, gauss emplacements), that the construction ship would attempt to build a metal or crystal mine and it would start constructing normally, and then just freeze its construction. I found this for structures at around 35-40% complete, and 65-70% complete. I had to manually scuttle the un-built mine in order for further construction of other orbital items to complete. I was able to repeat this a couple of times (maybe three or four times).

Suggestions:
1)When a capital ship gains a level, it would be nice for an icon to appear maybe on the right hand side of the screen so you can easily click and pick new abilities without searching for the specific ship in your empire…once you have about 8-12 ships its hard remembering where they all are!
2)It would be nice to be able to manually set (at a hanger defense) the attack priority for fighters/bombers (the only reason I say this is because it would be nice to have one set of hanger’s bombers directly attack pirate pillagers, and have the other three hanger’s bombers attack other non-planet bombardment pirate ships)
3)It would also be nice to have a listing in the empire view of all ships currently in phase jump – I lost some ships this way when they weren’t grouped or when I wasn’t following them directly – although the empire view helped me find them, it would just be nice to see who was going where to keep track of everything (but maybe not trade ships, that would get too hectic)
4)After losing a planet or two to enemy CPUs, I found myself in a situation where I didn’t have any colony ships on hand, my battleship that had the colonization ability hadn’t been researched yet, and my ship count was something like 376/313. I needed to scuttle a whole bunch of ships just to get my ship count down to an amount so I was able to build a new colony ship. I found this to be kind of a pain, how have other people managed this (other than making sure that the battleship that has the colonize was researched prior to this type of situation!)
5)The trade ships and the ships that are auto-built when you build the "foundry" ( I know that’s not the right name of the orbital structure that enhances mines) added a really cool level to the game – protecting them really felt like you were protecting your mobile empire other than just static planets, and ideas for adding other ships that would go about their business that require your fleet’s protection would add even more. Maybe something like leisure vessels or "cruise" boats. Just some ideas. Tourism could be a great addition for credit increases at specific destination planets
6)It would also be great to add some sort of privateer orbital structure which creates ships around your planet that assist in planet defense, maybe a couple of different types of privateer ships would be good (a couple of frigates and maybe a small cruiser or sorts). Once you start expanding your empire, its really hard to defend all of your planets…the citizens of each planet should take up arms (frigates) to defend themselves!
7)Not to complicate things, but maybe another couple different types of planets with unique attributes, but only if that worked well with the overall design of the game.
8)Once more quick thing – maybe some other types of orbital gun emplacements (maybe laser or missile ones as well? Or maybe even orbital targeting assistance platforms…
9)One more: maybe mini-veterancy for frigates and cruisers…small bonuses to armor, shields, repair, speed or damage output?
10)I promise this will be last one (for today): an orbital structure that slows down approaching enemy fleets in phase space (to buy you some time to ready your defenses and call in reinforcements from adjacent planets)

Just some ideas I had, I love reading everyone’s input for the beta, its going to really help make this game amazing (even though it already is!). Regardless, this game is awesome, keep up the good work guys!

Any comments are more than welcomed
8,881 views 17 replies
Reply #1 Top
I wholeheartedly agree with suggestion 1, it would make it much easier and faster to upgrade your capital ships.

I haven't run into the problem in suggestion 4 yet, but it seems like a pain. Maybe being able to build 1 colony frigate without costing fleet-points would help.
Reply #2 Top
Thanks Bootleg - for suggestion four - I totally agree with your idea, I just wouldn't want to dilute the importance of planning for this and/or having colony ships already built for this situation, it was just a pain having to scuttle 50+ ship "points" just to build a measly colony ship (losing valuable frigates/cruisers)...I should have upgraded the battleship that has the colonize ability, but at that point I was unable to even "train up" because I had already trained that ship to the max...

Thanks for the feedback
Reply #3 Top
Id like to see the ability to have 'Ship Formations'. Also, have the ability to make ships hold positions or patrol an area. I find these abilities actually pretty common in most RTS games...but for some reason are absent from SSE.
Reply #4 Top
I just thought of something else:

11) Specialized orbital emplacements that deal damage only to capital ships, but are limited to only two or one per planet depending on tactical slots that are open. These specialized emplacements could only target capital ships with large laser turrets, torpedoes, maybe even an upgrade to slow down capital ship movement within a gravity well...? A planet that is spammed by 7+ capital ships appears to be royally screwed, this may turn the tables (or at least assist in the defense)
Reply #5 Top
Formations would be a great addition DonnieD - and patrolling would help dealing with insurgent pirate attacks that come from random vectors towards a planet
Reply #6 Top
Welcome to the party. And great first post.

I've noticed the same thing happen to me as you described in bug #3. Setting up shop in a new planet, you already have an idea what Logisical structures you want to put in. In the end game, I'd automatically research the additional logistical slots right off, so I could cue the other buildings to be built when it's available. Doing that, however, would freeze the production of my initial mines. I scuttled the additional structures and production resumed normally. I also tried the other way. I did the same thins as before, cue reasearch and buildings, and waited. It did start building as soon as there was enough logistics to cover what I've cued to be built. And this was something I could do with any logistical capeable planet. Strange how it doesn't do that to any other sort of cue. Researching a new ship prototype and cueing up several of them didn't stop production of the other ships at that facility. Don't know how they would fix this, though.

NEways, your suggestions. I really like suggestions #5 and #6. It would most certainly add more life to your empire. Suggestion #1 would definatly help things out there. I find it odd that they didn't add a message for that very thing to the left side panel that they added in Beta 2. That thing allone really helped out.
Reply #7 Top
i dont think formations are a good idea. fleet battles are slugfests in a lot of ways already. With formations you would lose most incentives for manual movement control. Need to encourage more tactical unit use, not less.
Reply #8 Top
For suggestion 1), capital ships with unspent ability or fleet points appear with a + over their icon in the empire tree. If you have your capital ships grouped in with your fleets (I don't see why you shouldn't), they should be very easy to find.
Reply #9 Top

For suggestion 1), capital ships with unspent ability or fleet points appear with a + over their icon in the empire tree. If you have your capital ships grouped in with your fleets (I don't see why you shouldn't), they should be very easy to find.


For CapShips whose primary role is of a planetary defender, I don't necessarily group these all of the time. I'm just looking for an easier way to quickly pick the new CapShip ability when managing 15+ CapShips - but grouping is also a solution as you mentioned Stratteggi
Reply #10 Top
Man I really hope the Dev's put in formations *HINT* lol.

I'd also like to see a ships special ability to 'disrupt' or 'collapse' a jump point. Basically, stopping the escape of a capital ship, or making the jump point implode on the ship.

Something else that would really be great is the ability to target 'SubSystems' of a ship (ie. Engines, Weapons, Sensors, Hangars)...I think that would be really nifty.

Lastly, the ability to sending boarding parties and capture ships.

What do you guys think
Reply #11 Top

i dont think formations are a good idea. fleet battles are slugfests in a lot of ways already. With formations you would lose most incentives for manual movement control. Need to encourage more tactical unit use, not less.



I disagree whole heartedly!

1. I would like my ships to adequately perform their roles without intense mirco.

2. I would like to choose between differing formation, possibly even creating my own from some templates of sorts.

3. EVEN MORE I would love to see a retreat/disengage limit that I can set so that I don't have to manually move singular frigates away from battles to recharge. I do now and honestly, I'd rather just sit and watch my pretty ships do it themselves.

Just hoping!
Reply #12 Top
Agree with 1, 2 and 3 - completely. Custom formations would be pretty awesome, and setting disengage instructions and perhaps retreat rally points would also be...awesome.
Reply #13 Top
I wholeheartedly agree with Nick that formations would add another level to the game.
Being able to design your own formations through templates is also a great idea.
Allowing formations would not stop you from micro managing if you wanted to.
A very good example of a game using formations for fleets is Space Empires V.
This game also allows you to micro manage a fleet even if it has formation orders.
Reply #14 Top
Great suggestions guys. Notes taken.

Also, have the ability to make ships hold positions or patrol an area.

To alter your attack states simply right click the attack button. You can toggle between Attack within Weapon Range (HOLD), Attack local area, Attack Gravity Well. I am not sure how the patrol would work with the node system we have. What did you have in mind?

Reply #15 Top
Maybe a complete hold fire option, should you want a scout to go from A to C without getting in a fight at B, should it be attacked by a ship within its weapons range...
Reply #16 Top
I'm for ship formation if it encourages the ships to be on different height. I think by default now the ships should move up/down more often, I do see they do that when they get into jump formation. But normally right now the ship will only move left right like objects moving on an invisible 2D plane.
Reply #17 Top

9)One more: maybe mini-veterancy for frigates and cruisers…small bonuses to armor, shields, repair, speed or damage output?
10)I promise this will be last one (for today): an orbital structure that slows down approaching enemy fleets in phase space (to buy you some time to ready your defenses and call in reinforcements from adjacent planets)


funny, thought of exactly that just a few minutes ago. a gravity well projector that forces an enemy fleet out of phase space further away and thus buys the defending party more time to organise. would be tough to balance though since it would be a major advantage.

also mini-experience bonuses for smaller ships would be cool. c&c and earth already showed how it can work, doesn't have to be dramatic, but would add a nice touch.

good suggestions overall.