I have been as avid SOASE player for a long time and it really is a good game, but some of it feels not right and a few new things i would love to see added.
First, I want there to be more than two fleets coming face to face and duking it out until the death. There should be bonuses for the attacker like extra damage or something if they hit the enemy ships in the back, or the side, or lessen the amount of damage if they hit the bottom or front. Also, i agree with other people when they want ships to show their damage. Weopens should stop shooting, armor appears dented or burned, speed is halved, or worse they can't move at all. Ships appear almost drunk as they weave because they can't steer. I also think that if a ship explodes near others that those surrounding ships should take small amounts of damage from the shrapnel from the other ship. I would love to see boarding actions too instead of just blowing ships up. Take over the ship and send it into the battle.
Second, the types of ships i think are too general. I mean there is no depth to the ordering of ships, it is just plain and simple. Do i want a ship that can kill everything, or a ship that can repair others, or ships that can blow up fighters. It should get deeper than just that. Good repair, poor guns. Medium Repair, decent guns, Poor repair, good guns. ETC. If a ship gets an ability have it sacrifice something else, but as that abilities effectiveness goes down bring up its other abilities. Also, i feel the carriers in the game are that grand. One squadron on an entire carrier. That seems a little bit wrong. At least make them carry two so they seem more realistic. flak or something else connected with them would be nice so they aren't completeley defenseless. I think squadrons in general should have 8-10 ships with varying hull points and different damage ratios.
Third, i feel the current fleet supply could be better. I mean, i just played Sytems of War against all hard AI's FFA and i used all 2000 points of my supply before i even left my solar system. I went on to take the rest of the map and all of those planets didn't give me anything. They should add like 50 fleet supply a piece. I mean 5 planets support 2000 fleet supply points, and the rest of the map supports 0.
Fourth, I would love, don't know how, to see the reasearch tree expand. Just give some reasearch that is awesome to see be used. Make you reasearch extra capital ship abilities, put more new ships in game and make us research those.
Fifth, love to see, like other people have said, planteary ground battles, zoom in, pause the outer space battle, but let us command our troops on the ground as we storm the capital city.
Sixth, ramming damaged ships into enemy ships would be so cool to watch. On the ship movement subject i'm tired of seeing ships bump and bounce off of each other. It is not majestic to see a fleet of boucy balls.
Seventh, i know people said they are tired of seeing it take forever to see individual ships take forever to kill the other, but i enjoy seeing the battle, maybe a button to speed up time could be added, think they already have one, but if it doesn't that would be useful.
Eighth, agree with the people, we need governments, a new race, and campaign, either co-op or single.
Ninth, i think that logistic slots and tactical slots need upped for planets and we need new buildings to place in those slots. Frigate yard and cruiser yard and of course the capital ship factory. It would be sweet to see some kind of ship bridge the gap between cruisers and capitals.
Tenth, bigger planets, more types, colonizable Gas Giants, bigger pop., moons that allow small colonies and have logistics and tactical slots of their own. that can only be placed in a certain relation to them. Bigger gravity wells that allow for tactics and flank that bring you out of range of enemy guns. Let ships go silent and hide and as your enemy nears ambush.
Eleventh, make the random races that appear on uncolonized planted powerful. Give them some defence, lots of ships, some buildings, and make the planet occupied by them, but with low hit points. Like 500 or something. Pirates also need to be powerful, Allow them to take over planets, build caps, even steal technology used by their opponents that they attack. Let us choose the target when we pay the bounty. Or get a pirate we can hire that you pay that attacks anybody, anywhere, even you. It would be a major chance. Tribute to the pirates to keep you safe?
That's what i think, you might totally disagree with me. I think this would make the game even more cool.