C# Suggestions

[Borealis4x]

Its currently not possible to load a single formation into multiple different transports, but would it be possible for it to in the future? I'd like it if I could deploy my marine companies via 4 fighter transports rather than 1 large boarding ship.

[nuclearslurpee]

Component suggestion: Commercial missile dropper/buoy layer. Basically a component that can deploy missiles only with the Launch Ready Ordnance order. Could be designed with a variable missile size or just fixed at size 25 if you want to be cute about it. Ideally this would have an internal MFC and not require an MFC to be designed and added, similar to how CIWS has an internal BFC.

Main motivation is to make laying sensor buoys easier as right now there's no great solution (putting missile launchers on a survey ship seems to make the commander auto-assign consider it a warship, which is unfortunate). In theory this could also be used to lay minefields except that those are broken presently, otherwise I don't think this would be an immediately broken addition.

[QuakeIV]

I personally think there should be more of a 'range' of more or less normal costing engine sizes (or whatever), and you can research to push that range outward, the further you go outside of that range the more expensive it gets.

[StarshipCactus]

Component suggestion: Commercial missile dropper/buoy layer. Basically a component that can deploy missiles only with the Launch Ready Ordnance order. Could be designed with a variable missile size or just fixed at size 25 if you want to be cute about it. Ideally this would have an internal MFC and not require an MFC to be designed and added, similar to how CIWS has an internal BFC.

Main motivation is to make laying sensor buoys easier as right now there's no great solution (putting missile launchers on a survey ship seems to make the commander auto-assign consider it a warship, which is unfortunate). In theory this could also be used to lay minefields except that those are broken presently, otherwise I don't think this would be an immediately broken addition.

You could avoid the minelaying thing by making a prebuilt sensor buoy that can only be launched by the sensor buoy launcher, it would also be the only thing the SBL could launch. You could make it more granular by being able to select the size of sensor buoy you want. If you just want a tiny, cheap passive sensor in orbit of an NPR world or on a JP, you go for a small buoy and launcher. If you want a larger sensor to watch trade lanes and can spot a fleet that jumped at 100K KM away from a JP, you go for a larger buoy with actives instead of passives. Maybe you can even armour them to allow you to gather weapon data if they fail to OHKO your buoy.

[Migi]

Minor Suggestion:
When a fleet is in a training admin and is given an overhaul order, the order should fail and display an error message something to the effect "Fleets in a training admin command cannot undergo overhaul." or maybe "Ships cannot undergo training and overhaul at the same time."
Alternately:
Every construction cycle check each fleet which is in a training admin and see if it contains an overhaul order. Display the same message  as previous in the log.

I think adding this would be help new players.

[Droll]

In the formation template creation screen, the existing templates should be sorted by abbreviation and not their names

[Borealis4x]

The player should be guaranteed to spawn with at least 1 scientist in every field.

[QuakeIV]

You can switch scientists fields so you are never truly without one, but the thing of which you speak sounds nice and convenient (also they will start with a higher bonus generally than a switched-over scientist).

[nuclearslurpee]

The player should be guaranteed to spawn with at least 1 scientist in every field.

We already have the ability to switch a scientist's field for a 75% skill penalty which is reasonably fair (I use my 0% skill scientists for this and then try to train them up, usually I pop a better one in that field first though). This is sufficient IMO, part of the challenge particularly on smaller starts is dealing with a lack in some areas and one of those areas can be scientists.

Keep in mind that a scientist can research in any field, e.g. a 40% researcher in biology can still research a propulsion tech and will give the 40% bonus instead of the 160% bonus you would get from them if they researched a biology tech, in other words they are the same as a 10% researcher in P&P except that the latter has a chance to gain more skill in that field (which is why you could just retrain the biologist instead). Research speed will be slower but not crippling, certainly it is not as if the NPRs are going to dramatically outpace the player in ship speeds.

[Borealis4x]

The player should be guaranteed to spawn with at least 1 scientist in every field.

We already have the ability to switch a scientist's field for a 75% skill penalty which is reasonably fair (I use my 0% skill scientists for this and then try to train them up, usually I pop a better one in that field first though). This is sufficient IMO, part of the challenge particularly on smaller starts is dealing with a lack in some areas and one of those areas can be scientists.

Didn't know you could do that. Thought I still think you should at least start with 1 reasonably skilled scientist in every field.

[Froggiest1982]

The player should be guaranteed to spawn with at least 1 scientist in every field.

We already have the ability to switch a scientist's field for a 75% skill penalty which is reasonably fair (I use my 0% skill scientists for this and then try to train them up, usually I pop a better one in that field first though). This is sufficient IMO, part of the challenge particularly on smaller starts is dealing with a lack in some areas and one of those areas can be scientists.

Didn't know you could do that. Thought I still think you should at least start with 1 reasonably skilled scientist in every field.

I like to don't have scientists in all fields becausevit adds to variety at the start.

You can always add yourself an extra batch of 100 people (civ ad, officers etc) at the start by SM with literally one click. I am sure this will produce you at least another scientist in the missing field.

[Borealis4x]

How about an option to lock trans-newtonian tech behind surveying a ruin on Mars?

It always felt weird to me how cheap the tech that lets you break the basic rules of physics is, so I always waited until I colonized Mars with conventional tech to research it. In my mind, my guys find Precursor ruins there that can be reverse-engineered to understand Trans-Newtonian physics. Its a well-worn trope, but a good one.

Of course, that would necessitate making troop bays Conventional tech.

[Droll]

How about an option to lock trans-newtonian tech behind surveying a ruin on Mars?

It always felt weird to me how cheap the tech that lets you break the basic rules of physics is, so I always waited until I colonized Mars with conventional tech to research it. In my mind, my guys find Precursor ruins there that can be reverse-engineered to understand Trans-Newtonian physics. Its a well-worn trope, but a good one.

Of course, that would necessitate making troop bays Conventional tech.

I get the feeling you've already come up with a decent solution to this problem.

[Migi]

How about an option to lock trans-newtonian tech behind surveying a ruin on Mars?

It always felt weird to me how cheap the tech that lets you break the basic rules of physics is, so I always waited until I colonized Mars with conventional tech to research it. In my mind, my guys find Precursor ruins there that can be reverse-engineered to understand Trans-Newtonian physics. Its a well-worn trope, but a good one.

Of course, that would necessitate making troop bays Conventional tech.

This would railroad the start of the game in a way fundamentally the opposite of how Steve wants to use Aurora.
Aurora is more of a role-playing tool than a game and that means giving more options and flexibility.

If you want to RP situational limits to certain technologies that is 100% encouraged.

[nuclearslurpee]

This would railroad the start of the game in a way fundamentally the opposite of how Steve wants to use Aurora.
Aurora is more of a role-playing tool than a game and that means giving more options and flexibility.

If you want to RP situational limits to certain technologies that is 100% encouraged.

I usually headcanon in my TN start games that TN tech was discovered from observations after a massive nuclear event large enough to affect the gravitational field.

There's no need to railroad the game and limit how people RP things.