I think I will just quietly step away from the thread at this point
Why? I made this reply you quoted precisely to hear your response on that matter. If you wish me to make other thread or something, just say so, I really want to hear your opinion on this. And if you don't want to tell it for whatever reason, I'd be really grateful if at least you stated so explicitly.
For some reason, you seem fixated on performance and are prepared to make whatever gameplay sacrifices are required to improve it.
In the VB6 version of Aurora, players would literally wait minutes for a single turn to execute, usually reading a book or playing something else in-between turns. I've done that myself. In fact, I started coding the C# version while waiting for turns to execute in the VB6 version. From that you can draw two conclusions. Firstly, for any VB6 player the C# version is already lightning fast. Many of the early comments on C# were regarding the vast improvement in performance. The second conclusion is that Aurora players place a much higher premium on gameplay than performance or they would never have played VB6 at all (and VB6 had an active player base from 2004 to 2020).
Aurora is about detailed gameplay, fun roleplay and a huge time investment. It has never been about speed of play. One of the key points about Aurora is that the AI players (as much as possible) follow the same rules as the player. This isn't like a lot of games where the AI cheats to gain an advantage. The AI has the same sensors and gains tactical intelligence information in the same way as the player. It will only make decisions based on information that the player could also gather in the same situations. NPRs explore in the same way as players and have the same requirements for construction. The complex simulation isn't a problem to be solved - its the whole point of the game.
To get the most out of Aurora, it's best to adopt a more relaxed approach. Create a theme and backstory for your Empire and enjoy the journey and the story that unfolds. Don't worry about how fast you get there, because campaigns can last months or even years. If you are impatient or performance feels like a major issue, then Aurora is unlikely to be the ideal game for you. Which is fine BTW, because that will be true for the majority of people. Aurora is aimed at the relatively small group of gamers who want this type of slow-paced, in-depth game. Ultimately, this is a game I created to play myself. I share it on here so that other like-minded people can enjoy too and help me improve the game. However, the suggestions that get coded are usually new functions that appeal to me, or quick quality-of-life fixes.
Finally, this is the most helpful forum I have ever found on the internet. One reason for that is how well Erik runs the forums. Another is that Aurora seems to attract smart, helpful people. You have criticized people for trying to he helpful or having a different point of view, when they plainly had good intentions. You can have a different opinion and still respect the perspective of others.
The reason I said "I will just quietly step away from the thread at this point" was that we don't have a common framework for discussion. What is obviously important to you is not important to me, so it is unlikely we could find common ground. Therefore, the polite thing to do is accept your point of view is different and avoid an unproductive debate.
