Lots of ideas in this thread...

I have not yet TA, but I would like "resurrect" an old post, some suggestions could be applied to TA...
Some images are no longer available, I will try to update them.

1) The UI has a ton of really lousy design covering up even more lousy design. Get rid of the popups and consolidate more information into an easy-to-read single window. I don't need 45 popups about mining starbases. You already saw my thread on this (telling me to get bent, oddly).

2) Tech trading is miserable. Again, you already know about this as you told me to go to hell. But whatever. Make it so we have a few options on how to change trading that will restrict it in a way that still allows trade, but doesn't allow the AI to dilute tech trees. My proposal: Any tech that isn't in your tech tree cannot be traded for. This will keep 90%+ of the techs tradeable, and will make races like the Drengin / Korath natural trading partners.

3) Altarian / Thalan tech trees feel really incomplete. The former just feels like a beta feature, the latter is just broken.

4) Espionage is still really bad, but I guess that's changing.

5) Make diplomacy harder! With a good diplomacy rating, you don't have to do anything and everyone will just love you. In addition the diplomacy modifiers, like -- "Trying to Ascend", are simply weak. It's way too easy to get a ++ for "good relations", a + for "trading", a + for ethics, etc. and you'll never have to worry about a thing.

There's a few things I'd change for GalCiv3 which are impractical as a "fix this first" list entry, like a more reasonable production system.

For things to fix now, as part of GC2/ToA, however. . .
1. Fix the instances of broken racial tech trees, most notably the Thalan lack of starbase offense techs.
2. Fix the Mind Control Center. Very long running bug that should have been fixed in or before the previous expansion, much less ToA.
3. An option to keep racial "special" techs secret, while still being able to trade or sell more common techs.
4. Make Terror Stars more interesting and/or effective and/or affordable. For six constructors and 10 turns of inactivity, I'd at least like the chance to fight back against a single lightly armed scout. Having your uber weapon of doom blown up by a pilot in a junky fighter makes great movies, but terrible strategy gaming.
5. Update the ToA manual to at least make some mention of the various ToA features.

There are a pile of techs that aren't tradable from some racial tech trees...just not all of the * flagged ones.

1. add an option to turn off most popups (asteroid base changing owners, research done, ship going into standby). On huge maps, all those popups can really interupt your gameplay.

2. add more shortcuts and keep them consistent. Make it so "return" = done or accept on all screens. "esc" = cancel or close on all screens.
Add more hotkeys, like "space" to end your turn. And maybe more hotkeys so you can really guide all your ships without having to open up the details panel.

3.-5. Get some bug fixes in please, please, please.

Another thing I'd like: an option to choose the proportion of extreme environment planets when setting up a game. One slider that would add a ton of gameplay variety IMO.

The only thing that bugs me is: if I launch a ship from the orbit screen that ship is not automatically selected. I often peek at the orbit screen to decide if to change from my usual constructor rush, decide what I want to build, launch the constructor then expecting it to be auto selected I direct one of my scouts or miners to go to the destination.

I might be repeating some things others have said, I only read half the posts, but:

1) I think the yor economy is fine and like how different they are. Their buildings are fine too. I'm not requesting that they not be changed. I'm just saying, when 'fixing' races due to complaints, fix things that aren't operating as intended, add whatever ya feel like, change 'em up in whatever ways ya feel like, but I request those doing so just keep in the back of their mind the need to avoid taking away their uniqueness while doing so. Races should have weaknesses as well as strengths. Don't fall prey to constantly overbalancing like WoW until everything is the same as everything else. The game just came out, so obviously it isn't much of an issue yet, I'm talking long term. It would be all too easy, one little step at a time, to accidentally end up like this w/out noticing, so better to mention it early.

2) The rally point map that comes up doesn't seem to actually show rally points, or if it does they are so small I can't see 'em. The trade route map, on immense at least, is too small to gain more than a very general idea where the routes are.

3) Maybe this already exists, but I'd like an ability bind a key to turn on all travel lines for all ships so I can more easily tell which ship I'm sending where at a glance in congested areas. Then, I could turn it right back off again once I've gained the info I need, and could do so w/out having to go to an options screen. Could also use it to trace back and figure out 'which ship is it that has this destination point I see here?'. Some times I load a saved game and see a lone destination point in a weird place and wonder why the heck I sent anything there? Which of my many many many ships out there is the one I sent here and why? hehe. Or another alternative, the ability to click the destination points, make them selectable, and upon doing so, the travel lines for that destination show up. Same w/rally points. Would make things less confusing when loading up an old save game from an immense map when trying to remember what the heck I was thinking.

4) This might be intended, so just ignore me if so. When cultural victory is enabled, the victory screen tells you how close you are to a cultural victory. If you are at war, you can't have a cultural victory. This is fine. But if you are at war, it no longer tells you your percentage towards completing a victory. On an immense map when you're past the point that its certain you are gonna win and you're just wrapping up, it'd help make for a quicker 'lets finish this' option if I could see that I'm already past the cultural victory point so if I could just make peace I'd instantly win. There's no gaurantee I'd be able to make peace after all, so that'd still be up to me, the player, but the information will let me know there's a quicker way to have my victory so I can start up a new game. => And its not like this info is exactly hidden from the player anyways, the minimap gives you a general idea of your cultural percentage, but since victory needs a specific number it'd be nice to be able to see where you are at, even if you happen to currently be at war.

5) This is one that probably is as intended, so ignore as needed. But when I get close w/another race adn want an alliance, but can't because they don't have the tech (even though I do), it seems somehow wrong. I turn tech trading off, so I can't give them the tech either. I don't want to be able to give them techs, mind you, but in this one instance it creates a problem. Perhaps, as long as I have the tech, and in games w/tech trading off, I should be allowed to propose it if I meet the other requirements (close enough relation, pay whatever it is they demand, etc..). In other words, only the proposing party would need the tech. This would only be needed in games w/tech trading turned off. Makes diplomatic victories a bit difficult as it is in no-tech-trading games when the AI just never researches the tech. Or, as an alternative, it could be an option in the trading screen to tell someone you're close enough to that you'd like them to research a specific tech next on their list, if you're willing to pay them enough to make them do so (make it very expensive). This way you could guide them to getting the alliance tech for themselves if they don't already have it and you're not willing to wait.

1) Fix the Mind Control Center to give the planet flipping bonus. (This should probably be done for Dark Avatar and Dread Lords as well.)

2) Fix the Thalan tech tree to allow access to the starbase module "Battle Stations Mark I". (Probably add it in as part of their pre-existing "Defense Industries" tech.)

3) Fix the Korath, Iconian, Thalan AND Yor tech trees to allow access to improved starbase modules for resource extraction and production bonuses. (Either add the upgrades as part of each races' industrial tech chain, or add them as a different tech chain as has been done for the Drengin with "Industrial Starbase Construction".)

EDIT: To expand on this one, I note also that the above races have access to the "Smart Drones" module, but can't use it as it has a prerequisite of a module that isn't on their tech tree (the "Massive Scaling Center"). The Thalan do have a production improving module as part of their "Hyperion Starbases" tech, also, although they still lack modules to improve the mining of resources.

4) Find a slightly less annoying sound effect (or better still, more varied sound effects) for the planetary invasion screen.

5) Keep working on the improved espionage system .

Otherwise, I love the game! Keep it up.

As a rather casual player I play infrequently due to RL commitments and haven't tried the metaverse thing.

1) I'm really looking forward to the espionage update. I'm hoping for it to become a real feature. I envisage something like this. Maybe the ability to train agents then, in the same way as ships, form teams of them. Then send the team out with objectives and a level of risk. You could have buildings and tech's for training and improving spies.

Possible "objectives"
Temporary effects - Occur as an "event" and wear out over time
*Damage moral for specific planet.
*Disable or reduce effectiveness of building/ship/starbase/planetary defence.
*Damage political relations with other Civ.
*Gather military intel. - can choose Space combat, Invasion, or both.
*Gather general Civ intel.

Permanent effects.
*Frame other civ for action.
*Destroy building / ship / Starbase.
*Steal Ship. (maybe easier to do with a ship in production or orbit.)

You could receive information of estimated times for when these will be achieved. but there would be a random element.

2) Is there some way to "train" ships without fighting? If not, how about training academies and the likes.

3) Sorry, but I'm not a fan of the current sliders. I want my developed worlds to be churning out mainly research, whilst my newer worlds are working on building infrastructure. How about the following?...
Have research, production and espionage sliders, each capable of 0-100% capacity. Then, for planets where you have a starport, each could have a slider to direct the split of social/military. If that sounds too much like micromanagement. Have a single universal slider to split the production for planets with active items in both queues.

4) Revamp of transforming / extreme colonisation. - Although there is nothing wrong with the current system how about this....

Each planet could contain upto 3 environments. Each requires a tech for 50% production and another for 100%.

5) Again have I missed this one, can I survey a planet before colonising it? I'd quite like to know what bonus tiles there are before I commit.

Sneaky 6) Updates to the planets list for 4 and 5. ;o)

Thanks for the invitation to influence the game.

1) Allow ships to carry multiple constructor modules.

This works just as it sounds, as your miniaturization tech goes up and you get larger hulls, you can add more then one constructor module to the ship. You can then build with all of these modules when you build/upgrade a starbase.

Of course if you don't use them all in one shot, the extra modules disappear.

This will remove some of the drudgery of building and managing all these constructors. It will also allow civilizations with high productivity to pump out and replace starbases quicker.


2) I would like an easy way to launch empty transports. Sometimes I want to ferry people around, but I have to drag the slider all the way down to 0 then manually add 1 person. Its kind of a pain when you have 5 or 6 transports to do multiple times. Why can't I launch with zero people?

3) When tech trading is turned off, either give everyone the alliance technology or allow just that technology to be given away.

4) Give us our Monster mega event!! <-- :D

Thats it! Just a couple minor points! Great game.

In order of priority,

1) tech tree bugs, e.g. Thalan starbases, and any existing building bugs, e.g. Mind Control Center

2) a lot of what you guys have done with the GUI is really great and kudos for that! But since you asked there are some really basic elements missing like: Being able to move multiple selected fleets with one click. And being able to refer to where a given planet is when setting a rally point. And a ship building queue, like "Build one defender, then spam Constructors" or "Build: Destroyer, Overlord, Transport; repeat".

3) AI responds poorly sometimes, esp. to mega events. (intimidated into unneccesary surrenders by pirates, unable to stabalize economy after setbacks, etc.) Even in ordinary play there are a few other examples where the AI should be more responsive. E.g. as soon as anyone researches Planetary Invasion, they should prioritize research/trade a basic weapon tech and scramble a few star furies or w/e in the air. There's no good reason that I should be able to catch neighbors with their space-pants down in practically every game (not even trying to rush specifically! this on tough)

4) espionage overhaul would be welcome; but at the very least the cost shouldn't continue astronomically increasing the way it does. Frankly it's not a fun element at all as is.

5) Really like the new Fleet Assist modules but was hoping for a few more unique weapons. Like "Area of Effect Gun: Attacks all ships in enemy fleet" effective against swarms of fighters but weak against all armor types. Or "Armor Melty Beam: Reduces Armor of Target for next 3 battle rounds", effective against capital ships but useless to have more than one of.

6) (Sorry!) Never been a huge fan of the colonization-based ethics choices, which always favor evil. Some events not tied to colonization, and some that favor good/neutral please!

Oh I thought of a second thing. When trading, if I want to "top off" the trade with money the slider automatically goes to the max the AI is willing to give. Could you please do the same for influence?

1) Fix the MCC. I don't ever play evil and don't particularly care about metaverse scores, but apparently its an issue.

2) I agree with a poster earlier who suggested the Arceans are underpowered for being one of the older races. How about adding a building that grants +X speed (non stacking with bonuses from other worlds) to your ships within an area (about the size of a starbase sphere) around this world. Call them "Interstellar Sling-shots" (or something more suitably Arcean). This could be upgradeable through a research branch, probably an off-shoot of "Interstellar navigation". By limiting it to one per planet the Arceans still suffer in term of battle outside their empire through their lack of engines, but would excell at defeding the homefront since their powerful/expensive ships could quickly get to places where defenders were needed.

3) A way to upset/downgrade the relations of civilizations who are friendly/allied with one another. Perhaps using spies to stage the assination of a leader or something and blame it on another civ. Its easy to get a civ that hates someone to go to war, but would be nice to turn their friends against them too.

4) Minor grammar errors and such in flavor text and building descriptions. I know its knitpicky.

5) There's an interesting discussion in another post about tweaking terror stars so that they differ from one race to the next or from one alignment to the next. COuld be neat.

You mean nitpicky?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

On a more constructive note, when somebody mentioned the ability to gift fleets I realized that should have made my list. It drives me nuts when I'm trying to fight a proxy war and I can't gift an army without breaking the entire thing down and then renaming each of 50 ships (I tend to play with swarms of tiny ships) so I can find them in the diplomacy screen.

1. Fix the tech inflation bug (if it's real) in a hotfix.

2. Have a tech trading game option that does not allow the trading of unique techs. This would allow each race to keep their identity in a tech trading game.

3. Allow LogicSequence's Hi-Res mod to be Metaverse Compatible.

4. Allow us to plop extra music files in the proper directory and the background music will add that as a random music file to play... in addition to the normal files.

5. Ramp Metaverse points up for people who play larger maps and win via military. Time invested should be a part of the equation. Reward those who play wicked long epic games

In my most recent ToA game I was building and giving ships to the Altarians, who needed these ships very badly as they were losing a war.

I'd launch the ship (right next to my planet) and then I'd give it to the Altarians; it's color would change to Altarian blue. But then several turns later I'd notice that it was still right next to my planet. Why won't they move their new ships?

Eventually I stopped giving away ships, but only for this reason. Can anyone please tell me if there's anything I can do to make races whom I've given ships to move their new ships? Thanks in advance

1c) The colony management screen has lost its bottom row of Icons (mentioned elsewhere, but here as a reminder only and yet important enough).

2c) The Tech Editor has to be made 'DA_compatible' also - if only as an option.

3c) A Twilight blueishly Skin for Editors would be nice to have.

4c) The Map Editor would possibly require a complete overhaul; please refer to this thread (_ Map Editor wishes _) for further details.

5c) Already used by the Constructor(s) request!

PS; That can actually be expanded to include even the circle-selection taggers AND supplemental cues on many visual hints about anything you'd care to splash up on that centralistic Foreign_Policy information asset - BTW.

1. Reworking the espionage system as already planned. Having to shut down an improvement just to gather info (especially if its an ally) isn't right.

2. A favourite tab on the colony screen. While I love the variety of planetary improvements now in TA having to page through screens and screens of them to find a factory, then back a full screen to find my production increaser then down a few more screens for a starport, then back up 3 or more screens for say advanced farming etc etc etc gets a little old after a dozen (let alone 50 or 100+) times. A screen that only shows the buildings I want it to show would be really really sweet.

3. Balancing. The Iconians could use a second look. While they are supposed to be weaker than average in economy and ground combat I think it was taken too far. Likewise their buildings while powerful do not come close to making up for the almost total lack of +xx% bonuses in their tech tree.

4. Weapons techs. I'd very much like to see the weapons trees expanded between the second last weapon techs and the ultimate weapon techs. There is an astounding jump in power there at the end that's IMO too much, too fast. There's a ton of room for another 5-6 (at very least) techs to delay reaching the ultimate techs and reducing the insane sudden power jump.

5. Reserved.

Awesome game - it shows when it's a labour of love as much as a job.

Its still annoying having to make so many constructors to build up starbases, so I almost never bother with them. It might put me at a disadvantage, but I'm willing to take it to avoid the extra micro. The only ones I do build are to nab resources so the AI doesn't get them.

Also, when you upgrade a ship with description text, you have to hold down delete for a while to clear the box. Can't we just have a button that empties it of text for us?

I like the idea of a random race button too. I usually just roll some dice and count the boxes clockwise when I don't know what to play, but that would make things easier.

Oh, and I spotted some broken text in the diplomacy window. It said "Don't you have a crappy little empire to run, Thalan Empire?" I'm guessing the last part should be the leader's name, not the empire name.

That's about it for now, lol.

I second this too! I couldn't edit my previous post for some reason.

I have only one issue that I have been crusading for.

Please fix the influence borders being wrong upon reloading.

Scincerely,

[email protected]

This is a very good point actually. I landed on a planet, and the choices went like this:

Good - Nothing happens
Neutral - +8% production bonus
Evil - +37% production bonus !!

That is really huge. The only way this could be offset would be if the actual choice of being Good were so much better than being Evil (as per the game), which is not really the case.

In the above case, the evil choice entailed enslaving some native alien race, but how about offering a different perk for choosing good?

Such as:

Good - +15% Morale as the positive PR results in greater satisfaction and trust in your government
Neutral - +10% Production/-5% morale While you gain a production bonus, the choice creates a choice leaves people a bit uneasy resulting in a slight lowering of morale.
Evil - etc.

You get the picture.

Now that would be much more interesting IMHO.