I just got through playing a rather involved small game, only about 9 planets with only 2 races, tec and vasari. I was tec. I started with just one capital, the kol and it was very nice having the building going and the small fights with the rebels on the next worlds. 

I got to thinking it would be awesome, long but awesome to have to completely build up the planet, before being able to build ships, and then just like 1 cap, maybe a couple of scouts, not very many. And having the enemy of course at the same pace. But once you take like two or three worlds then you can start building frigates. The placement guns? did a wonderful job of defending against the first wave of pirates. And it was beautifully small scale, nice pace, i really liked it. So much so that i was thinking of making a mod, where all the frigates would be researched, with the scouts and the one capital unlocking first. But then having to get to two or three planets before being able to start with the other frigates, and only a handful more. I might get the effect with raising costs on ships and decreasing the amount of logistic slots, maybe to 8 instead of 12 or 24. Also decreasing the number of resource asteroids available and the number of the population so that it takes longer (for both the enemy and the player) to get the money to buy more ships or larger ships. I also thought of raising the tier requirement and the cost of unlocking the ships to get closer to that end.

Anyway, it probably doesnt sound very interesting, but i was having a great time with just the small 1 cap and 2 scouts and the 3 frigates that i started with against the small fleets of pirates and the rebels.   But i thought i would put a mod together to try to duplicate that effect.    It would make for horrendously long games, even the 7 and 9 planet maps would take a good while. But it seems to me, it would also change the way the game is played.

For so long i have built like crazy so i dont get overrun with a larger fleet, but it was wonderful to have the enemy fleet tied to the same numbers i was, small engagements with just a few ships trying to get the upper hand.    It was wonderful!!  Haha, I guess i sound nuts, but i enjoyed the different emphasis, you know?  And i thought instead of game editors or campaigns or anything else that i thought might be cool, it would be very cool to change the pace and number of ships available to all the races to make for some interesting battles where instead of spamming you do something else.    Anyway, thats my idea, silly or not i guess. Anyone else agree?  Or disagree?  Or have any ideas how to change the way the game is played without you know, spamming?  

Thanks for listening,

-Teal