Official Suggestion Thread for 5.20 or later

[Vanigo]

Try using Cargo Ships to transport Construction Factories to the colony site.  I normally set up the site with mines and Construction Factories first before I move in Colonists.  Then you will not need to be able to produce anything out of thin air.

I think he's talking about the hypothetical past of the planet - if a species with no industry can never, ever, ever build any industry, how did anyone, anywhere ever get started?

[mavikfelna]

This is an elegant solution.  I concur; however, 20 million seems a little high, especially considering the 70% service and agricultural employment.  Did you decide on the number arbitrarily, or was there a reason behind it?  I think that 10 million would be just as viable a number; given that every construction factory is giving 10x the efficiency of building under this rule, it's hardly too much.

If this was implemented, having less than 10 million give at least a fractional bonus would be much desired.  I could finally task the commercial-settled colonies to begin development on their own dime.  (Bad enough that they start threatening me with rebellion if I don't give them local military presence, the ingrates!)

It was a totally arbitrary number based solely the 25m cut-off point where colonies are considered built up enough to supply colonists. Thinking more about it with your additions I'd almost say go as low as 5m, Which would still be nearly 15m people on the planet.

[UnLimiTeD]

Then you'd still need to build 10 of them to have the construction power to start building your first TN factory, which will take another several years.

[James Patten]

If you start playing a pre-TN game, you start with a lot of "Conventional Industry", which serves a mines, factories, and ordinance factories.  However they are quite un-efficient at building these.  You cannot build your own Conventional Industry once your game starts (why would you when your goal is TransNewtonian-produced objects?).

I've never encountered a pre-TN race, but would assume that they start with Conventional Industry, and once a TN race shows up it gives them the idea that something else is out there.

[Vanigo]

I'd kind of like to see fighter-only cloaks. Much lower minimum size, but reduced efficiency and signature reduction.

[UnLimiTeD]

So, you essentially want increment sizes for cloak.

@James Doesn't belong here, but I've necountered low tech races already, and they don't build anything, ever.
After 20 years their signature barely grew, they didn't seem to produce something at all.

[mavikfelna]

Currently, once you've fully exploited a ruin it totally goes away, there's noting indicating that a ruin was even there. On the colony summary I'd really like something that lists the type of ruin it was and the race it belonged to. Also, these colonies should still be able to produce alien artifact trade goods even after the ruins are fully exploited, even if it's at a reduced level.

--Mav

[Beersatron]

So, you essentially want increment sizes for cloak.

@James Doesn't belong here, but I've necountered low tech races already, and they don't build anything, ever.
After 20 years their signature barely grew, they didn't seem to produce something at all.

Steve has mentioned before that the AI can not do a pre-TN start. I think the low-tech Civs are there to spice things up, give you a relative easy experience in Ground Warfare and the 1st step in adding logic to enable a true NPR conventional start.

[ExChairman]

No sure if its been mentioned before, but I would like to give my warships an order to go to a specific heading.

Ex. Turn all ships to 248 degrees.

[IanD]

The thought is probably more that currently, we have a paradox.
You need Industry to produce industry, so how did you get it in the first place?
Populations without anything should be able to build conventional Industry.

Actually what I want more is a use for the habitable planet with no, few or insufficient TN minerals in system or adjacent systems or the easily terraformable planet without significant mineral deposits in a system that has another easily terraformable planet with mineral deposits, Alpha Centauri can be a prime example. 

This is a planet where there is no point in putting a manufacturing/ship building centre there because there are no TN mineral reserves or there is a better candidate in system. But they should have some use! I don't think you can even train troops there for the same reason. I just feel they should DO something! The only thing I could come up with is enhanced wealth generation from fissionable or other valuable non-TN mineral or gem deposits or as a source of biologicals or a vacation resort. At the moment there seems nothing apart from the population’s intrinsic wealth generation that is pretty small for the first 50 million or so colonists. Is there something conventional industry can make which is of benefit to a TN civilisation?

If the TN deposits are two or three jumps away its usually cheaper to terraform a planet if there’s a suitable candidate in system rather than ship it a few thousand billion kilometres. Geological survey teams are also of little help as even the super survey teams luck out sometime.

Regards

[Laurence]

I think he's talking about the hypothetical past of the planet - if a species with no industry can never, ever, ever build any industry, how did anyone, anywhere ever get started?

That is is sort of why I made the suggestion.  How do you get the first conventional industry?  Even a very tiny production ability would be enough to "explain" the start.  It could even be taken away once industries of any sort exist.

The idea was triggered by a low-tech war on Earth I was playing.  Some of the conventional industries for one nation got destroyed in the fighting and I realized what a disaster it would be if they lost them all.

Research labs also do not appear on the list of things a low tech population can build, so how do they get their first (or what do they do if they lose their only one)? 

I know the focus of the game is the high-tech space travel and such, but I enjoy starting things "from scratch".

[UnLimiTeD]

So, basically, research labs could be available from the start.
I don't see a problem with that, actually.
As for Ian:
Thats the entire point. 10 Conventional Industry equal a Mine, a fuel refinery, and a Construction factory. They are not able to produce anything without TN minerals, and thats not going to change.
Aside from wealth, you can use such planets as fleet bases and for research labs.
Though wealth is a good reason in itself on most occasions.

[Kurt]

Steve -

A minor request.  I'd like to have the ability to rename populations.  As things currently stand, races are named, as are planets, but as far as I can tell, I can't name populations.

What I am trying to do is to set up multiple colonies on the same planet for the same Empire.  The Zogs currently have four races in their empire, including themselves, and in several cases they will find it useful to emplace populations from two or more races on the same planet.  Unfortunately, on the System Display the colonies are all identified as "Zog", because the Zogs control them.  On the Population and Production (P&P) screen the populations are identified by the name of the planet and star, but not by the name of the population. 

The P&P screen is fine, because you can look at the details and figure out what you are looking at, but on the system display, and when you are plotting moves to and from a planet with multiple populations of the same race, it gets difficult to discriminate as to which population you are looking at. 

Kurt

[Kurt]

Steve -

With regards to automated turns, I would really appreciate it if you would make a small change.  Currently it appears to that the automated turn advance is only interrupted if the active race has an event happen to them.  I'd like it if the automated turn advance interrupted if any human-controlled race (not just the active race) had an event. 

Kurt

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

Steve -

With regards to automated turns, I would really appreciate it if you would make a small change.  Currently it appears to that the automated turn advance is only interrupted if the active race has an event happen to them.  I'd like it if the automated turn advance interrupted if any human-controlled race (not just the active race) had an event. 

Kurt

The current version interrupts for any player race event

Steve