C# Aurora v0.x Suggestions

[prophetical]

I was wondering if there is a system to limit the number of commanders who can hold specific ranks.  I understand that I can make ranks with such prohibitively high promotion scores and just manually assign people, but I was wondering if we can automate that somehow.

[Father Tim]

I was wondering if there is a system to limit the number of commanders who can hold specific ranks.  I understand that I can make ranks with such prohibitively high promotion scores and just manually assign people, but I was wondering if we can automate that somehow.

It's already automated by proportion -- either 1/3 or 1/2 the next lowest rank, but if you mean a way to ensure that your rank of 'Supreme Grand High Sky Marshal of the Galactic Battle Fleet, Survey Fleet, and Support Fleet' only ever has one person in it, then no, there isn't currently such an option.  I, too, would be happy to see a cap I could set to limit the maximum number of officers in a specific rank, so that my "Council of Twelve" would in fact have twelve members and not fifteen.

[Zincat]

I would like to request from Steve more terrifying galactic invaders. They are really needed in my opinion.

In current Aurora, they're not very high tech level. Sure, if they come very soon by chance, they are not winnable. Especially with conventional start, which I always use. But I want to feel... TERROR... when they arrive

I have three possible suggestions for ways to do this:

1) Choose at game start how BRUTAL they are.
2) Have them reliably better than the players when they appear. In tech level, but also with better designs. This is my least favorite options, as it would not reward at all the player who invests a lot in tech research
3) ... who said there's only one race of galactic invaders? Maybe they have a fractured "nation", with different factions or similar. And if you do repel one.... another stronger faction will come knocking later on, with a lot of new and exciting toys 

P.S. Precursors need better ship designs as well

[Steve Walmsley]

I would like to request from Steve more terrifying galactic invaders. They are really needed in my opinion.

In current Aurora, they're not very high tech level. Sure, if they come very soon by chance, they are not winnable. Especially with conventional start, which I always use. But I want to feel... TERROR... when they arrive

I have three possible suggestions for ways to do this:

1) Choose at game start how BRUTAL they are.
2) Have them reliably better than the players when they appear. In tech level, but also with better designs. This is my least favorite options, as it would not reward at all the player who invests a lot in tech research
3) ... who said there's only one race of galactic invaders? Maybe they have a fractured "nation", with different factions or similar. And if you do repel one.... another stronger faction will come knocking later on, with a lot of new and exciting toys 

P.S. Precursors need better ship designs as well

All the spoiler races are getting an overhaul and I will be creating additional spoiler type races.

[prophetical]

I was wondering if there is a system to limit the number of commanders who can hold specific ranks.   I understand that I can make ranks with such prohibitively high promotion scores and just manually assign people, but I was wondering if we can automate that somehow.

It's already automated by proprotion -- either 1/3 or 1/2 the net lowest rank, but if you mean a way to ensure that your rank of 'Supreme Grand High Sky Marshal of the Galactic Battle Fleet, Survey Fleet, and Support Fleet' only ever has one person in it, then no, there isn't currently such an option.   I, too, would be happy to see cap I could set to limit the maximum number of officers in a sepcific rank, so that my "Council of Twelve" would in fact have twelve members and not fifteen.

Yes, I do indeed want a GHSM of GBFSF&SF.  Is that so wrong? 

But you did explain it well that a specific cap is what I am interested in.

[Steve Walmsley]

Yes, I do indeed want a GHSM of GBFSF&SF.  Is that so wrong? 

But you did explain it well that a specific cap is what I am interested in.

That is straightforward. I will try to pick it up when I run back through the suggestion thread closer to release.

[Seolferwulf]

An idea for another spoiler race, or rather just a trap installed in a system.
Whenever a black hole is generated instead of a regular system there would be a chance for a contraption to be installed on top of it.
The contraption is orbiting around the black hole and when ships enter the system it uses high tech tractor beams to pull them closer to the center until they can't escape anymore.
Ways to get away are either to destroy the contraption or its sensor or tractor beam components.

[Kurt]

If you are taking suggestions for spoilers - how about Saberhagen's classic Berserkers?  Huge automated warships left from some ancient war like minefields.  Activated when ships move too close.  Might have battle damage from ancient battles.  Might be a Berserker base capable of building or repairing Berserkers.  Will destroy biological life unmercifully, but inherently unpredictable. 

Hmmm...might be too powerful. 

Kurt

[Erik L]

Could take a page from Star Trek and have space-faring alien life forms. Space whales, etc.

[Conscript Gary]

Suggestion: Modify retooling costs for a shipyard based on how similar the class designs are, similarly to how class similarity is determined for building from the same yard and for refit cost. If you change tooling from one freighter to a slightly more advanced freighter, it would take less time than changing the tooling from a destroyer to a fleet carrier.

[Whitecold]

A suggestion for an improvement to conditional and standing orders:

Split it up into two screens: One is entirely called conditional orders, where you can assign triggers with actions to be taken, and save them under a custom name.
Multiple orders can be joined, to make for example a 'standard refuel and maintenance policy'
Orders here could also be customized, for example limit which specific maintenance locations are eligible, or which sites should be supplied with autominers, or colonists.

Fleets themselves would just sign up to the previously defined standing order sets. If you later on change the standing and conditional orders, it will change them for any fleet that were assigned that order set.

This would prevent a lot of repetition, and allow for future expansion of more interesting and advanced conditional behavior.

[Steve Walmsley]

Could take a page from Star Trek and have space-faring alien life forms. Space whales, etc.

Yes, I keep considering space whales

[Steve Walmsley]

Suggestion: Modify retooling costs for a shipyard based on how similar the class designs are, similarly to how class similarity is determined for building from the same yard and for refit cost. If you change tooling from one freighter to a slightly more advanced freighter, it would take less time than changing the tooling from a destroyer to a fleet carrier.

That is how it works in VB6 and C# Aurora

[Steve Walmsley]

A suggestion for an improvement to conditional and standing orders:

Split it up into two screens: One is entirely called conditional orders, where you can assign triggers with actions to be taken, and save them under a custom name.
Multiple orders can be joined, to make for example a 'standard refuel and maintenance policy'
Orders here could also be customized, for example limit which specific maintenance locations are eligible, or which sites should be supplied with autominers, or colonists.

Fleets themselves would just sign up to the previously defined standing order sets. If you later on change the standing and conditional orders, it will change them for any fleet that were assigned that order set.

This would prevent a lot of repetition, and allow for future expansion of more interesting and advanced conditional behavior.

Interesting idea. I won't tackle it right now as I want to concentrate on getting ready for the new campaign, but I will take a look when I go through the suggestion list later.

[Iceranger]

A few mostly QoL suggestions on components:

1, a 0. 02HS 'micro' fuel tank after the tiny fuel tank research.  This is mostly to be used on fighters.  It should find its usefulness as ship engines can be smaller than 1HS in C#.  (Currently the only component <0. 1HS is the fighter crew module, which is 0. 04HS, and when it is used, the fighter tonnage will end up with xx2 or xx7 ton, which can be an eyesore for some players. )

2, larger cargo holds for research, maybe a large cargo hold = 5x standard cargo hold, and a huge one = 50x standard cargo hold.