4.7 (latest) SUGGESTIONS

[sloanjh]

For fuel, the option to instruct it to build to a certain level, then cease.

As an adjunct, the option to maintain a certain level, i.e. 50,000,000 litres of fuel. If it drops below that, the refineries get turned on, and build up to that, then shut down.

My first reaction was "Oooooh - that's a neat idea".

My second reaction was "Actually, my big problem is not having a good way of spotting trends in my fuel stocks (i.e. going up or going down)".  So I'd still like something that tracked fuel in the same way wealth is tracked - maybe adding up fuel production from all sorium refineries and fuel factories every 5-day and logging it in the database, so production for month, 3-month, and year could be tracked.  The other thing to log (that wold be easy) would be total planetary fuel stock at the end of the same 5-day (after production).  What would really be nice for this would be to have an amount-vs-t plot (of fuel every 5-day vs date, kind of like stock histories) so that we could use our eyes to pick out trends that might be hidden by the week-to-week jitters of refueling and construction.

John

[Erik L]

A "command" for military officers, "Reserve". Would allow us to keep officers that we have no slot for without them being RIF'd out. Of course, they'd still age, die, etc. just not get surplussed.

Seconded.  Or even a checkbox on the startup screen to turn off "up or out" (which Erik called RIF-ing) while still using realistic promotions.

John

I don't mind either a global or individual check. I think an individual one would be better, just because there are some that are not worth saving

[sloanjh]

A "command" for military officers, "Reserve". Would allow us to keep officers that we have no slot for without them being RIF'd out. Of course, they'd still age, die, etc. just not get surplussed.

Seconded.  Or even a checkbox on the startup screen to turn off "up or out" (which Erik called RIF-ing) while still using realistic promotions.

John

I don't mind either a global or individual check. I think an individual one would be better, just because there are some that are not worth saving :-) ).

2)  Allow Army officers to fill Naval staff positions such as Intel, and PR.  This would emulate the current drive (at least in the US) towards "jointness"

3)  Introduce Army staffs, either at the Division or Corps level.  Note that this suggestion is more based on symmetry than that I actually think it's a good idea - Aurora is fundamentally a snaval game and introducing the same complexity on the ground side is probably not worth the effort.

John

[Erik L]

Spurred by a couple posts in the bug thread.

Personally, I'd like the name selection routine to randomly pick a name from the theme list, and mark it used when the ship is locked.

This would prevent the names from being consumed with repeated use of the "auto-name" button.

[boggo2300]

Since a lot of my Civillian mines are playing out now, and being abandoned, how about an Abandon Colony button, so i can clear them off my colony list??

Matt

[lastverb]

there is del colony button on bottom right of economics window, it deletes colony with everything on it (minerals, installations, shipyards, stockpiles (excluding fighters))

[boggo2300]

there is del colony button on bottom right of economics window, it deletes colony with everything on it (minerals, installations, shipyards, stockpiles (excluding fighters))

Excellent, thanks, didn't spot it cos i don't play in SM, deleted and happy

Matt

[lastverb]

Excellent, thanks, didn't spot it cos i don't play in SM, deleted and happy
Matt

well u dont need sm mode for this button

[waresky (OP)]

Steve..can u change "delete colony" key cosmetics?..ADANDON r more realistic and feeling

[Drakale]

Is there any reason the ship designs are not researched the same way the missile design are? It would solve a lot of weird behavior associated with modifying a ship design while it is still in service... It also mean the design decision are more meaningful as they cannot be instantly modified.

The one thing that I see as a problem is that a variation on a known design would cost just as much research as the original. Maybe there could be  a "Use this design as a base" option that let you edit the design up to a RP limit(based on a fraction of the original RP cost). The new design total RP cost would just factor the new components + a fraction of the original RP cost.

example:(Assuming 30% limit on RP upgrade and 10% fraction base cost)
Valhalla class troop transport MK1, a new design, was designed and then researched for 300 RP
some year later, the troop transport need more space and some upgraded point defense so the MK2 concept is created from the original MK1.
The RP limit is 30%*300, so a maximum of 90 RP can be spent on the upgrade.
It is based on the MK1 so the cost for the new design is a base 10% x 300RP for the original concept+ the new component worth 50 RP
So for a cheap research cost of 80 RP  the upgraded design can be retooled and then built at a shipyard...


Sorry if this was already discussed, I might have missed it...

[waresky (OP)]

For me are first time who read an post same as your.
Compliment for this interesting idea!

Raise hand!

Steve?

[boggo2300]

Excellent, thanks, didn't spot it cos i don't play in SM, deleted and happy
Matt

well u dont need sm mode for this button

Hmm so you don't, weird, I looked, then went into sm and looked again, only then did I see it

Must've been my expectations overiding my observations

Matt

[sloanjh]

Is there any reason the ship designs are not researched the same way the missile design are? It would solve a lot of weird behavior associated with modifying a ship design while it is still in service... It also mean the design decision are more meaningful as they cannot be instantly modified.

I believe that this is encompassed in the retooling costs, which grow bigger the larger the change you make in terms of design cost.  In other words, my understanding is that part of the cost of retooling is in the R&D of working out the kinks in the design.  Before retooling, it was as you said - a ship could be designed and construction upon it started in zero game time.  My recollection is that the reason Steve put retooling in was precisely to address your concerns - that it was too easy (quick) to begin production on a new design.  You might try looking/searching in the Mechanics board for the retooling shipyards discussion (it might be jumbled up with the slipways discussion) if you're interested in reading about the debate - not sure if the discussion was before or after our most recent loss-of-old-posts.

I'd also like to reiterate that modifying a ship design while it's in service is not playing the game as it's intended to be played (i.e. locking designs before retooling/building and not changing locked designs).  If you play as intended, then a new ship design cannot be instantly be put into production - in fact it can often take a year or more simply to get the SY retooled.  For example, I just designed a large civie freighter (10 holds, 80kton).  Simply retooling the SY is going to take me more than a year of game time.  After that, I suspect that the first ship will take a year or two to construct (assuming that I don't prefab some civie engines with my industry).  So it can take several years to get the lead ship in a new class of freighter built.  And once the retool is started I'm stuck with it - if I realize I made a design error I need to wait for the retool for finish, then launch another retool to get to the design I want (as long as I play the game as intended).

John

[Drakale]

Yeah, that makes sense John, I guess I should learn some restraint and stop making some easy upgrades by bypassing the retool process...

I believe the game should at least enforce the locking mechanic before allowing retooling, with no way to unlock. Its not just a cheat, its also very confusing for a starting player that have no way to know a design change will propagate this way. But this must already have been suggested of course heh.

[Steve Walmsley]

Steve..can u change "delete colony" key cosmetics?..ADANDON r more realistic and feeling

Good idea and easy to do Changed for v4.81

Steve