Suggestions for v5.1

[UnLimiTeD]

I think theres also some other stuff, like engineering spaces getting smaller, and I've yet to find out how to research improved cargo handling, just not available.
So certainly it wouldn't be bad.

Seeing as no one openly opposed it, I'd like to see tactical maneuvers that alter the ships behavior, as seen here:
http://aurora.pentarch.org/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2450
Basically advanced possibilities to react to situations with experienced Crews.

Also, it seems that I can not train my crews above 2000 points in space, but they seem to be able to leave the academy with more.
Can I get those Drill Officers on my ships, too?

[AndonSage]

... I've yet to find out how to research improved cargo handling, just not available.

I might not understand the problem, but I'm seeing "Improved Cargo Handling System" for 10,000 RP in the Logistics/Ground Combat category in my current game. This is in version 5.02.

Seeing as no one openly opposed it, I'd like to see tactical maneuvers that alter the ships behavior, as seen here:

I read the post, but since I have no experience with combat yet, I didn't comment. That said, more options are always good

[praguepride]

Also, it seems that I can not train my crews above 2000 points in space, but they seem to be able to leave the academy with more.
Can I get those Drill Officers on my ships, too?

Building off of this, having "tiers" of training based on situation:

1) 0-1000 - academy training. This teaches the basics of ships, military tactics etc. but isn't a replacement for hands-on training.

2) 0-2000 - ship manuevering. Crew gets hands on experience running drills and getting to know their ship, but it's still no replacement for combat training.

3) 0-3000 - war games. Simulated battles you can run. Lasers are underpowered and ship computers set to "simulate" damage. Dummy warheads would need to be researched and produced for missile boats. Ships would burn fuel at combat rates as a limit to people abusing this over "manuevering". The main difference is that manuevering would improve crew response time, war games would focus on actual combat performance. It'd be a fluff distinction, true, but game mechanics wise, the difference would be that manuerving would gain XP at a faster rate but have a lower cap and wouldn't consume fuel for powering weapons. War games owuld have lower XP gain but higher cap, and would burn up fuel (powering "dummy" weapons) and resources ("dummy" missiles).

4) 0-4000 - commander training bonus. Nothing beats a good leader for whipping a crew into shape. Would be slowest XP gain of them all but have a high cap and would be continuous throughout the commander's assignment.

5) No limit - combat. NOthing beats actual combat for learning how to function during combat

[The Shadow]

Perhaps gravitic weaponry?  Ranging from tractor beams that can be used in combat to keep a ship from pulling out of range... to repulsor beams...  to weaponized versions that can shake a ship apart...  to the ultimate version, which can rip its constituent atoms apart.

[The Shadow]

On the Class Design screen, how about a streamlined "Update Class" button.  It would take a class, set it obsolete, copy it with the name <Class Name> <Roman numeral> or <Class Name> Mk <X> or the like, and open it.  Would save some clicks.

[Journier]

Almost every game ive played so far has had an issue with population shortages on my homeworld.

the 75% of population in the service industries, I am pretty sure causes this.

Could we have different government types sorta modify that number? Democracy = 75% Tyranny = 50% or something?

I understand in modern world many work in the service industries but....  thats just due to current tech levels right??? i want my robotic plumber and food worker to handle everything in me game.

If thats not a good idea you think...

Can we get a SM modifier for these numbers? or if there already is please let me know

[The Shadow]

IRL, most research gets done by the civilian sector - though it's subsidized by the government.

Why not allow an empire to subsidize particular areas of research - Power & Propulsion, say.  The civilian sector would then provide a certain number of research points, but you wouldn't have any direct control over where they went;  they'd research the topics that interest them, rather than you.  (Probably random, but you could get more complicated if you wanted.)  But over the long haul it would benefit all sorts of things.

You might not be able to subsidize research into Energy Weapons or Defensive Systems, though, as those are more intrinsically military.  (Missiles are more of a borderline case.  Drones and buoys have definite civilian uses.)

On a related note, how come you can't have two scientists (with their own sets of labs) researching the same thing?  Basically they'd be working on different aspects of the same problem.  Happens all the time in RL - though there might be a modest efficiency penalty due to a certain unavoidable amount of duplicated effort.

[Journier]

IRL, most research gets done by the civilian sector - though it's subsidized by the government.

Why not allow an empire to subsidize particular areas of research - Power & Propulsion, say.  The civilian sector would then provide a certain number of research points, but you wouldn't have any direct control over where they went;  they'd research the topics that interest them, rather than you.  (Probably random, but you could get more complicated if you wanted.)  But over the long haul it would benefit all sorts of things.

You might not be able to subsidize research into Energy Weapons or Defensive Systems, though, as those are more intrinsically military.  (Missiles are more of a borderline case.  Drones and buoys have definite civilian uses.)

On a related note, how come you can't have two scientists (with their own sets of labs) researching the same thing?  Basically they'd be working on different aspects of the same problem.  Happens all the time in RL - though there might be a modest efficiency penalty due to a certain unavoidable amount of duplicated effort.

I like both idea's. Private companies do a huge amount of research into material sciences etc.

[The Shadow]

Another possibility - assign a scientist and some labs to "pure research" in a field.  This would give a variable number of research points in unpredictable areas (usually, but not always, in the scientist's specialty).  More - sometimes, randomly, much more - than the points granted by a scientist working on a focussed project.

[UnLimiTeD]

I think your taking the one scientist too literally, he's just the guy watching over all of it, theres millions of people doing the actual research, on different parts of it.

Why not allow an empire to subsidize particular areas of research - Power & Propulsion, say. The civilian sector would then provide a certain number of research points, but you wouldn't have any direct control over where they went; they'd research the topics that interest them, rather than you.  (Probably random, but you could get more complicated if you wanted.) But over the long haul it would benefit all sorts of things.

2nd

[sloanjh]

From a thread in The Academy viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2461&p=24351#p24351 :

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Hmmmm - that's an idea.  Maybe the only sensors allowed on commercial designs should be size-1 actives, since commercial ships won't be trained to do TMA....  This would also mean that the "implied" passive sensors should be removed from all ships - if you want a sensor, you need to build it in.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The idea is that passives have now become very powerful (in terms of ID'ing other ships), and so commercial ships shouldn't have the skill or equipment to do TMA or narrow-band signature identification.  It seems like the two options are to either introduce "dumb" (wide-band) passives which don't give you ID and are bearing only which civies use, or to take passives away from civies entirely.  This actually makes sense when you think about it in wet-navy terms - freighters don't have (passive) ESM gear, but they do have (active) navigation radar.

John

[Steiners]

Well not exactly a gameplay suggestion.. but is possible to make the windows scrollable?
Wanna play it very badly on my notebook when i'm around but a 12-13" screen can't handle Aurora windows

[sloanjh]

Well not exactly a gameplay suggestion.. but is possible to make the windows scrollable?
Wanna play it very badly on my notebook when i'm around but a 12-13" screen can't handle Aurora windows

Please read the FAQ, especially this one viewtopic.php?f=100&t=2033  and this one viewtopic.php?f=100&t=2043

John

[Decimator]

Tractor links should be available in the task groups screen.  When selecting a task group as a system location, a tug should display that task group's constituent ships as actions.  Tractoring a ship would move it to the tug's task group.  If there is more than one tug in the task group, the game should pick one based on relative sizes.  Alternately, if you don't mind the clutter, have a separate action available for each tug in the task group.

[UnLimiTeD]

As Jumping results in Significant Sensor Distortion, shouldn't there be a techline to counter that?
I'm not speaking of reducing the time, but instead having a "Jump ECM" of up to 50% that stacks with regular ECM and lasts as long as the distortion, though of course it takes some space.