Game Idea:

what do you think?

from GalCiv2 Forums

I think a great addition to this game or a future GC3 game would be the notion that ships in space can't sit indefinitely. That is, over time they will need food, fuel etc., I'm not suggesting a new level of micromanagement with keeping track of food on a ship, but that eventually any ship will have to return to a friendly planet or star base. The basis for the return could be anything, I simply suggested food and fuel. The time a ship can go without going to a planet or star base perbably should depend on hull size and be some thing like a few months for smalls and like a year or more for large and huge. Or more since friegters have to travel many weeks at times and during the colony rush some colony ships have many weeks sometimes to reach far off planets. If ships don't get resupplied tyhe will autopilot to your nearest planet or starbase

LIfe support modules that are already in the game could be changed to extend the time a ship can stay in space as well as its current duty of extending range. I almost never add life support to my ships but may want to if this were implemented.

Ships in fleets brings up a question. Could be that a ship may have to break out of a fleet to resupply if the whole fleet doesn't want to go to a star  base. Or maybe the average of all ships in the fleet could be used; kinda like they're sharing. This would give the option to have a ships along thats unarmed but has a lot of life support, making it a supply ship. Anotyher part of this is having to "reload" after a certain number of battles.

Perhaps being adjacent to an Ally's star base will have the same effect, giving a good reaspon to even have an alliance; other that simply for the victory.

This idea will add a new level of srategy to the game, where as ships can't just sit fot 400 turns. It will also give added meaning to life support module, star bases and alliances.

 

 

5,974 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

One interesting idea that came up during beta (when every ship in existance had a big maintainance cost assossiated with it) was decrease ship maintainance to like 1bc (as an example) when they are in orbit of a planet, but increase it when they were outside of orbit. That would probably be as close as Stardock would get to forcing ships back into orbit of a planet and lets face it, this is a game and meant to be fun. Yes, there has to be some realism, but the idea you are talking about would probably ruin the fun factor for a lot of people (me included).

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

I'd just like to think they think they just have a "Star Trek" replicator... "Earl Grey - Hot"

:D

Galactic Civilizations III
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Its not about making it real, or about taking fun out of it, but about the strategy part of the game, where the pllayer has to consider things carefully.

I got the idea when thinking about SSI's Allied General and how you would have to send your planes to a hex adjacent to opne of your airfields when fuel was running low or when they ran out of ammo, or they would crash. It prevented you from just leaving your planes in key locations the whole game.

Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Space Empires has a resource model - ships have a certain amount of support points that are used up when moving (or firing weapons). This indeed adds a strategic layer, as in colonies with resupply depots become more important. In addition you can sacrifice space on your ship for more fuel or for certain components that replenish your stores (solar collectors).

 

It could be something worth looking at in GC3.

Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

I have never really though about this before but now that this came up I think adding this would work

Quoting idunno116, reply 1
One interesting idea that came up during beta (when every ship in existance had a big maintainance cost assossiated with it) was decrease ship maintainance to like 1bc (as an example) when they are in orbit of a planet, but increase it when they were outside of orbit. That would probably be as close as Stardock would get to forcing ships back into orbit of a planet and lets face it, this is a game and meant to be fun. Yes, there has to be some realism, but the idea you are talking about would probably ruin the fun factor for a lot of people (me included).

Fits in with current game play and advances could be simulated with minus running costs techs (if there’s a – costs tech command)

Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

If the code can evaluate a Trade-Ship route to make long-distance worth the effort for MORE output results in BCs, i don't see why almost similar principles wouldn't be good for the entire ship movements concept.

Careful though, as this may imply a highly complex 'bottle-neck' condition for the current AI algorithms.

I've always been prudent with balancing issues -- sic;Tech Brokering, as some could possibly remember when we had intense conversations about this one.