C# Suggestions

[swarm_sadist]

Currently trying to create a static galaxy map in SM for a playthrough.

SM anomalies onto a planet, as well as it's type and modifier.
SM Specific ruins, with the option to associate said ruin to current empire, previously specified empire, or randomly.
SM Geosurvey potential
SM add specific spoiler races to a system body
SM Block new JP from connecting to current system
SM Descriptions that can be attached to wrecks, bodies, contacts or systems, which the player is able to see but not modify outside of SM mode.
SM Notes attached to system bodies or solar systems, not visible outside of SM mode.
SM Actions (like SM adding a ground force) based on conditions or trigger events (EG: performing a geosurvey or succeeding an excavation roll)

[Erik L]

I'd like to see the system numbers on the System window (F9) again.

[serger]

To prevent massive simultaneous auto-promotions, identical ages of commanders, absolutely identical ground formations and ship crews, and so on, implement some randomization in such functions:

Commander creation
Age = MinimalCommissionAge + Random(0..YearLength) + StartingRankAboveMinimal*MinimalTourTime*Min(YearLength*Random(100%..200%),MaxServiceAge)

Commander auto-promotion
PromotoionSuccess = 50% * ProductionPhaseLength / YearLength

Ground Formation Creation
ActualElementsNumber = Ceiling( TemplateElementsNumber * PopStabilityModifier * Random(90%..100%) )

ShipCreation
CrewGrade = BaseCrewGrade * PopStabilityModifier * Random(90%..100%)

P.S.
Can be combined well with Empire/Species player-customizable parameters like EmpireCalendarYearLength, EmpireMinimalTourTime, SpeciesMinimalCommissionAge and SpeciesMaxServiceAge.

[Father Tim]

I'd like to see the system numbers on the System window (F9) again.

YES!!!  Oh do I want these back so, SO much.

[serger]

Mark colonies in Tactical window with some color, different from orbital paths.
(As for me, ideally it would be white or light gray default, Empire-level customizable.)

[Father Tim]

I have been thinking of doing a campaign where you start with (virtually) nothing but there really isn't any in-game method of doing this. I would like some "rebuilding" civ tech or structure which is highly inefficient. If you have no construction factories I am not aware of how to RP them starting from scratch. I guess you could spawn some Construction Squads but you would need a huge quantity just to build anything.

If ground forces are the only way to do it. It would be nice to have miners, fuel harvesters etc duplicated in troop rolls.

One Conventional Indsutry is enough to get everything going, though you might hit the date limit (December 31st, 9999) if you start that small.

[Father Tim]

To prevent massive simultaneous auto-promotions, identical ages of commanders, absolutely identical ground formations and ship crews, and so on, implement some randomization in such functions:

Commander creation
Age = MinimalCommissionAge + Random(0..YearLength) + StartingRankAboveMinimal*MinimalTourTime*Min(YearLength*Random(100%..200%),MaxServiceAge)

No, though I agree that starting officers would be better if their ages were 'back-dated'.  Aurora even sets the number of starting officers and crew by multiplying some number (I believe ten) by the rate your academies produce per year; if it instead generated them one at a time and incremented their ages appropriaetly that would be better.

(Here's a work-around:  fire your entire officer corps at game start, and let your Academies send you new people at nice, semi-randomized rate.)

Commander auto-promotion
PromotoionSuccess = 50% * ProductionPhaseLength / YearLength

No.  The current system of promoting the most qualified officer when their is a vacancy is better.  The only reason you see "mass simultaneous promotions" is the identical starting dates (and time-in-grade) for the starting officer corps.  Fix that and the problem goes away.

(See above for work-around.)

Ground Formation Creation
ActualElementsNumber = Ceiling( TemplateElementsNumber * PopStabilityModifier * Random(90%..100%) )

No.  We already have a sizeable faction of players screaming bloody murder about their combat losses causing a pain of micro-management to fix.  I don't want to deal with them complaining about us forcing even their starting units to suffer the same way.

ShipCreation
CrewGrade = BaseCrewGrade * PopStabilityModifier * Random(90%..100%)

No.  First we need to fix the problem of well-trained ships' crews "dissolving" into the crew pool and raising everyone by one-half-of-one-percent.

In the mean time, content yourself with giving every ship a Conscript crew and letting your XOs whip them into (varying) shapes.

P.S.
Can be combined well with Empire/Species player-customizable parameters like EmpireCalendarYearLength, EmpireMinimalTourTime, SpeciesMinimalCommissionAge and SpeciesMaxServiceAge.

Yes, more Race and Empire customization options are always good.  We desperately need varying lifespans (and 'healthspans') for species.

As for calendars, I actually prefer VB Aurora's in-software solution.  I could re-define day & year lengths (and, of course, production cycles) by my homeworld's stats and use negative dates along with six-figure years.

[vorpal+5]

I'm creating a new game as per the Garfunkel Protocol (tm), i.e several NPR races on Sol. Garfunkel emphasises on something, when you create the 2nd and subsequent human races, ** you should not ** use the first human race in the dropdown box, but the one from the first race you created (the only player race) on which you modified the race portrait, so you can identify it as the human race to use in races 2+

And indeed, in races 2+ there are 2 human races to choose from, the first one is not the valid one!!

This is quite the bobby trap shall I say! Perhaps Steve can remove this trap?

[vorpal+5]

And another interface suggestion. Have a file naming convention for races and flags, like prefixing with an underscore, that make this image reserved for human use, so that no NPR is generated using it.

Quite simple, but would allow for example to have x human portraits in the directory to choose from when you create a game, while being sure the NPR won't be using it (which is a bit killing suspension of belief in many settings, unless you wanted to roleplay lost colonies).

[Jorgen_CAB]

Could we please... pretty please get a condition for standing order that trigger when a ship reaches its deployment time?

It is really tedious to have to babysit all your survey crafts and make sure they turn home when their deployment time is up. A ship that is "correctly" designed should not need to refuel or resupply before its crew need RnR anyway.

At least give us an interrupt when ships pass their deployment time... right now the turns just blast past any ship that need to return home for RnR.

If we had this as a trigger for conditions I could truly automate survey as I force them home for overhaul which give RnR in the process and then the ship head out again. I should not need to wait for ships stores of MSP to deplete before they head home and give the ships unreasonable deployment rates just so the ships are automated.

In addition to this I also want orders of "refuel & resupply" and "refuel, resupply then Overhaul" for standing orders too. There are no reason why ships would not both refuel and resupply if they get back to port anyway.

[smoelf]

I would love the ability to create a 'status report' interrupting event.

The idea is that once your empire grows there can be a lot of information to keep track of. I want to go over all the elements regularly, but either I forget when time passes, or I keep reminding myself to check mining status on all colonies or commander assignments so I check too often, which is pointless since time needs to pass for change to happen.

If we could have an event that interrupts every year with a message 'Status report' that would be a nice in-game reminder to check some of these things. If player-created events are too much to ask, then perhaps single event that could be activated at game start by setting the interval. '0' for inactive, '1' for every year, '2' for every other year and so on.

[serger]

(Here's a work-around:  fire your entire officer corps at game start, and let your Academies send you new people at nice, semi-randomized rate.)

That's what I do every time - recovering civilization from the scratch - because I just cannot believe in this story, if all my commanders of all ranks are 20-agers.
I like to do this, but it's very narrow work-around, I don't think there are more that a handle of players, ready to do such things, even among us, stodgy Aurorians. 

No.  The current system of promoting the most qualified officer when their is a vacancy is better.

I mean that's additional check, not a complete random.

The only reason you see "mass simultaneous promotions" is the identical starting dates (and time-in-grade) for the starting officer corps.  Fix that and the problem goes away.

Well, no.
There would be, sometimes, mass simultaneous promotions (after heavy losses, or completing some massive buildup, or smth like this).
It will be cruel to compel players to deal manually with such events more realistically (simulating stretched reaction of their HR Departments) - that is also a cause, that I don't suggest to make randomization of ship- and GF-building: it will be micromanagement nightmare.
But if such events to be - there will be "aftershock" every time: non-randomized auto-promotion will generate secondary wave of promotions every TourLength after that event. Randomized auto-promotion have to stretch it automatically, without adding any micromanagement strain.

No.  We already have a sizeable faction of players screaming bloody murder about their combat losses causing a pain of micromanagement to fix.  I don't want to deal with them complaining about us forcing even their starting units to suffer the same way.

The cause of this pain - is the fact, that new-built formations are ideally fit, and veterans are not.
Make all of them not-ideal, only close to fit - and players will see it as normal state of things (as it is in real life), and it will be micromanagement to deal with very important operations only (as it is in real life, too).

[Migi]

No.  We already have a sizeable faction of players screaming bloody murder about their combat losses causing a pain of micromanagement to fix.  I don't want to deal with them complaining about us forcing even their starting units to suffer the same way.

The cause of this pain - is the fact, that new-built formations are ideally fit, and veterans are not.
Make all of them not-ideal, only close to fit - and players will see it as normal state of things (as it is in real life), and it will be micromanagement to deal with very important operations only (as it is in real life, too).

What a terrible idea. For the life of my I can't grasp why you want this, do you also want your ships to be built with 89% crew to simulate people not showing up when it's time to leave port? Should that increase if the ship is going on a long deployment? Do you want to receive 93.2% fuel when you do a refuel order because it's easier to leave a little gap at the top of the tanks? Do you want to build an HQ with 30000 capacity only to have it arrive with 29321 because some of the staff officers are off sick?

If I pay for 6000 infantry inside the world of a game I damn well want to receive 6000 infantry not any other number.

Not to mention it would cause a continuously rain of posts in the bugs forum asking "why has my newly built formation has taken combat losses despite never leaving Earth?".

[Father Tim]

I'm creating a new game as per the Garfunkel Protocol (tm), i.e several NPR races on Sol. Garfunkel emphasises on something, when you create the 2nd and subsequent human races, ** you should not ** use the first human race in the dropdown box, but the one from the first race you created (the only player race) on which you modified the race portrait, so you can identify it as the human race to use in races 2+

And indeed, in races 2+ there are 2 human races to choose from, the first one is not the valid one!!

This is quite the bobby trap shall I say! Perhaps Steve can remove this trap?

The return of the "SM Race" to help with game starts should fix this problem.

[skoormit]

In the Naval Organization window, I would love to have the option to preserve fleet orders when detaching ships from a fleet.
Maybe another button next to Detach, called Detach with Orders?