Suggestions for v5.1

[sloanjh]

On the research tab of the F2 screen, sort the active and queued research projects in the opposite order, so that the most recent project is highest on the list.

After adding a project, I tend to want to look at it.  When there's more than 6 projects active, I have to grab the vertical scroll bar and pull it down to see what I just did.

John

[sloanjh]

When precursors or NPR are lurking (stationary), have them go to speed 1.

I'm trying to rescue some life pods that got blown away by precursors.  The approach course I picked would have run me right over the precursors, except that they're sitting there with their engines on full and so I picked them up on thermals.  If they were at speed 1, then they probably would have picked me up first and blown me away (since it's an unarmed picket ship that's trying to make the pickup).

John

PS - With small ships, passive detection and low signatures, Aurora feels more and more like submarine warfare to me.

[Brian Neumann]

It would be nice if I could do a sort in the Research tab based on the specific field or research for projects that I have already started.  Either that or have the list of active projects be grouped together.

Brian

Edit***
another sort that would be usefull is of the scientists by their specialty.  

Thanks for all the hard work you put in.  I really enjoy playing around with Aurora.

Brian

[sloanjh]

1) The ability to send a time-delayed message to myself (like there used to be in SA).

I often find myself in a situation where I want to do something for e.g. a month, then stop doing it.  If the "do something" is moving a TG somewhere, then I can use the "send message" order to remind myself when it arrives.  If not, though, then I have to tie a string around my finger, and then I get weird looks when I go out in public with 50 strings tied around said finger

2)  (Stolen from a recent post of Brian's)  Being able to double click on the ground unit/team/whatever is selected in the secondary orders list that pops up when you do a load/unload command.  I always find myself trying to double-click, then remembering I have to do an "add move".

John

[sloanjh]

Decouple loadout definitions from classes, or at least allow multiple loadouts for a particular class.

I've got a standard "Nitro" class munitions ship.  There are 3 different loadouts I'd like it to have, depending on the mission:

1)  All AMM (for resupplying missile defense ships/PDC).
2)  All ASM (for resupplying missile FAC/Cruisers)
3)  Empty (for dead-heading back after dropping missiles off at a colony)

Similarly, I might want to add some size-1 ASM (heavier warhead, more fuel) to my Anti-missile escorts' magazine according to the mission.

At present, reloading to these loadouts can't be automated, because the loadout is bound to the class definition, not the ship or the role.

So the idea is to create an extra layer of indirection between the class and the loadout definition.  Rather than binding the class to "200 Sidewinder and 25 Harpoon" and having that be the loadout for all ships, at the class level you would be allowed to define multiple loadouts, giving each one a name (in the same way missile series have names).  Individual ships could then be set to use the loadout that's most suited to their particular mission.  That way one could have both ASM and AMM colliers in the same TG and a simple "replenish ordnance from colony" order would fill them both correctly.

John

[quintin522]

I'm pretty new here, but this game has been really great so far. Did a quick search on this, and didn't find anything

Expanding civilian businesses to include corporations. Right now from what I've seen the player is the only one who can terraform, survey systems/planets/moons/asteroids, and facilities. My idea is the ability to outsource these tasks to the civilian sector and have them do it, for a price.

Examples:

                 You've just started expanding into a new system. You want to explore the system quickly to see what resources are available and whether there's anything lurking out there. But you don't have anything nearby that can do that. So you outsource it to the civilian sector. Good news! Whitman's Incorporated is based on a planet in the next system and have a survey ship available. They send you a contract that lists how much they'll charge per orbital body/type. You accept, and they head out to start surveying.


                 One of your new colonies is the perfect spot for a military refuel/repair/resupply hub. You want to put orbital/ground facilities there to do so. But your production ques are full. Yes, the answer is outsource! Using the civilian manufacturing sector, Bigstong Constructors can create those modules/factories for you. Then it's sister company, Bistong Shippers, can ship it out to that location and set it up.



   I feel this would add a higher level of realism and get rid of the need to make all those survey ships and the like (need, not want ). Most government branches will outsource construction contracts to military contractors or the civilian sector. Or provide incentives for businesses/companies/corporations to build something somewhere.

[ZimRathbone]

In the Create Research Project window, can you please remove the Ship Type Limitations options for Beam Fire Control and have the Platform Type select from Ship Based System, PDC Based System or Fighter Based System  - as it is just now you can create a PDC Based System limited to Fighters Only!

[Another]

Most government branches will outsource construction contracts to military contractors or the civilian sector. Or provide incentives for businesses/companies/corporations to build something somewhere.

In real world that is highly dependent on political regime. I doubt that the "Player Race" = any flavour of "Democracy".

[Father Tim]

Civilians will perform Geo surveys in the current version - not, necessarily where you want them to, though.  (You can't specify, they just pick the closest unsurveyed system body.)

From a certain point of view, what you are describing is what happens currently.  A nice, friendly democractic government issues contracts and payments, the evil dictator says "Do it!  Or off with your head!" and the militant theocracy cries "God demands it of us!"

Personally, I consider it a bug that 'hive mind' races have a civilian sector at all, but it's not much of one and I can easily ignore it.

#:-]

[sloanjh]

A change to the way construction factories are allocated.

I like the flexibility of the new %capacity stuff for construction, but it's led to a lot more micromanagement (I think) than the old way when my priorities change.  Someone else already suggested that, when a project ends, the next project on the list should start with whatever factories are available, and should accrete factories until it reaches its max.  The other problem is that factories sit idle whenever a project finishes.

I'd like to extend this concept (now that I think of it, this is more a display extension - I think the mechanics are the same as previously suggested):

At present, there is only 1 column in the display - the % capacity.  In addition, once a project is active, there is no prioritization among projects.

The proposal is to differentiate between the % requested and the % assigned, and to throw everything (queued and unqueued) into one big queue (similar to the old system) with arrows to move projects up and down.  Construction capacity would be assigned by assigned the requested capacity to the 1st project in the queue, then to the second project, until a project is reached which requests more capacity than is available - that project only gets partial capacity.  All other projects are in a queued state.  So the current "% capacity" column changes to "% capacity requested" and a new "%  capacity assigned" column appears.

Doing it this way will make it very simple to change priorities or requested capacity - simply change that project and everything redistributes automagically.  It also solves the "idle factories when finished" problem - it should be easy to assign the idle capacity to the next project in the queue....

John

[VariousArtist]

Just a humble idea: I would love to see that diplomatic administrators could reduce the money you have to pay to buy the minerals from a CMC.

[Erik L]

When a ship name theme runs out, default the ships to Class 001, Class 002, etc. when building in a shipyard rather than "No more names in category".

[Erik L]

I mainly run off the economic screen. It'd be really helpful to have the auto-time control replicated there as well.

[Father Tim]

I mainly run off the economic screen. It'd be really helpful to have the auto-time control replicated there as well. :)

Me too, and yes please.

[teoleo]

a guide and or a manual   :O)