jpf190279

Join Date 02/2006

Ideas for improving

Ok I know the game is good already but we all agree that it isn't quite squeezy perfect yet. I just want to list a few ideas and observations I have had during my time playing GC2.

1. Colonisation

Well what can be said that hasn't already been said? Its a mad mad dash at the beginning and a slow slow expand via invasion later on. I really feel that some sort of limiting mechanics factor should be put into place to slow mass colonisation. I have heard of a few very good ideas. The best one being a colony logistics factor, a new line of technology that reduces having a massive empire in early game by adding a maintenance cost to colonies outside the logistics range, for example, beginning empires start off with colony logistics of 3 so they can colonise 3 planets no problem. After the 3rd they start getting heavily taxed, for each planet after that the overall cost for maintenance all outer colonises increases.

Example:

Colony Logistics of 3
Colonies 1-3 - 0 Cost
Colony 4 - 25BCs
Colonies 4-5 - 100BCs

25BCs * 2 for additional support
Colonies 4-6 - 225BCs 3*25BCs * 3 for additional support

This way a beginning empire can affort to have 1 planet beyond their logistics cost, but trying anything above that will very quick consume their economic budget just to maintain. Of cause these values are changable I think 25BCs a colony is pretty high personally but its a rough figure to demonstrate the principle.

2. Invasion / Bombardment

Now this really bothers me a lot, especially in the current system of gameplay, after 6 months in a game you can almost certainly guarantee that the galaxy is going to be rammed full of colonies. With no way of expanding other than invasion or flipping a planet (which takes a lot) you quickly run out of options. So then you need to go and take over the planets belonging to other races. Now thats ok but why on Earth do you need to slaughter the entire population to do it? Come on I know they might not be happy to see you but would I land 1billion troops which is a silly number, to fight 8 billion population something doesn't quite add up.

Surely having a set number of the population as troops and having a smaller number of troops in the module makes more sense? I mean sending 10 million troops in a ship is more in line with my thinking, and having 8 billion / 100 to get 80 million defending troops is acceptable, this way you could invade a planet and KEEP the population instead of commiting countless acts of unnecessary genocide. Which I personally feel is actually quite a bad concept in the game. Doesn't exactly teach people the value of life does it? LOL!

Although I'd like to see an option to do exactly that those and have that affect the relationship of you against several other races.

Example:

You send 3 troop ships to Altaria and invade using 30 million troops, Altaria's population is 10 billion, so you meet resistance of 100 million, you kick the fizzy haired puckers behinds and occupy the planet, reducing its population by 100million but adding your troops to the number. That way you get a instantly usable planet but at 50% of maximum capacity since its a conquered world and obviously the population as unhappy, but this should fade in time. But say you were playing as an evil race and wanted to be EVIL, after you win you have a option saying GENOCIDE, you use it and clear the population from the planet, instantly you're relationshp with the Altairans nose dives and other races beginning to show their disgust at your behaviour, but the EVIL races love you to bit for it.

Now would that be just a lot cooler than the current system of invasion? Also after the inital genocide you would have an planet population bonus to boost the troop numbers on the planet to colony levels, this would be explained by saying the planet is being migrated to be other planets citizens. So if you only had say 5 million troops left on the planet after the genocide by the turn after it would by 50 million, then 65 etc...

Another thing I'd like to see is an non-invasion option like planetary bombardment, instead of having to deal with the population with ground forces, wouldn't it be nice to have ships (normal ships) be able to attack planets directly and bombard the planets surfaces targetting their population and industry centres. That way you can soften up planet prior to transport arrival. I see NO reason what so ever why ships can't attack planets, this is just silly, even the most pathetic ship could hurt the surface. I'd like to see some options for this in the future. The amount of times I've seen a undefended planet and wanted to bomb it is unreal.

Anyway I'll post some other ideas in a bit.

J

ideas

Locked Post

Advanced Search

Watch this post

Do not email me updates for this post Email me updates for this post

Successfully updated karma reason!

1. Colonisation

Maybe. Well, In the 1.1 patch apparently population growth is a lot slower, and so if you colonise too fast then you soon run out of people. I don't know how much the slowness will change things but I can imagine it would slow you down a *little* bit. Not as much as your suggestion would... but ultmately I don't see it making things any different. Just slows down the enevitable... You will still end up with colonisation followed by invasion.

2. Invasion / Bombardment

Blah blah blah etc

Its just a matter of numbers. 10 million vs 100 million is the same as .1billion vs 1billion. look at it however you want its the same. The only difference that leaving a bit of population behind makes is that you can get them to pay your taxes, and fight for you. The first is ok, I guess.. The second doesn't really makes sense as I wouldn;t trust them considering they where just fighting for someone else a few weeks ago... In the end whether or not there are people left behind is a minor thing. You'd probably get a few extra bc, but nothing really big. In most cases I would rather not worry about them being unhappy and want them all gone (from a strategists point of view of course, I am not really that mean).

Another thing I'd like to see is an non-invasion option like planetary bombardment, instead of having to deal with the population with ground forces, wouldn't it be nice to have ships (normal ships) be able to attack planets directly and bombard the planets surfaces targetting their population and industry centres.

This exists. You can research it and it gives another invasion option.. You don't get to see any of the actual bombardment but it destroys buildings and kills people.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Maybe you don't actually kill all of the people on the planet ..... they just don't appear on the census list until they're happier with you ..... which would explain why 100,000,000 people can turn into one billion people in a matter of weeks.

Just a thought

Successfully updated karma reason!

This exists. You can research it and it gives another invasion option.. You don't get to see any of the actual bombardment but it destroys buildings and kills people.

Well, I didn't have time to research all of them, but the ones I had, while for sure cool ideas, only seemed to destroy buildings or reduce the quality of the world, and in return would change the rating. They always seemed to have the complete number of people left to defend the world. And while a rating change in the end means you need less soldiers to conquer the world it isn't the same as bombing directy, simple because you cannot flood wave them without trying to invade after that.

I'm also missing the stelar converter

Successfully updated karma reason!

his way a beginning empire can affort to have 1 planet beyond their logistics cost, but trying anything above that will very quick consume their economic budget just to maintain. Of cause these values are changable I think 25BCs a colony is pretty high personally but its a rough figure to demonstrate the principle.

I set my empire up to be able to take starbase tax etc if needed, 25 is nothing to me even in early game (yay for starting credits and production ability)
They do cost per thing. And the can bankrupt you if you expand too fast, like if you start out with a manufacturing capital and no eoconim structure, you'll go down. There isn't really a reason why this should be added

Successfully updated karma reason!

Hi!

This exists. You can research it and it gives another invasion option.. You don't get to see any of the actual bombardment but it destroys buildings and kills people.

Where? I'm not able to find the option "Bombardment only". And if I don't win the invasion, there's no effect on buildings.
BR, Iztok

Successfully updated karma reason!

True True... slightly different in meaning of what it actually does...

Successfully updated karma reason!

None of the invasion options do anything before you put troops on the ground. Planetary bombardment increases the advantage factor (those random numbers flipping on your screen when you invade). He's asking for a way to glass planets from orbit ala MOO. Maybe we'll eventually see something like that.

Successfully updated karma reason!

I think the pop growth change in 1.1 will do a cap on colony rushing. Brad already wrote about a game (1.1 BETA) in which he overexpanded and crippled his eco.

Successfully updated karma reason!

I wholeheartedly agree. Sometimes I don't want to make planetfall and commit to a messy war. Sometimes I just want to bombard a world into oblivion and move on. Granted, that would make it a little easier to achieve a Conquest victory but if some enemy was doing that to your planets, it would increase the sense of urgency of the situation and pose a bigger challenge.

Let's have Planet Killer technology!

Successfully updated karma reason!

I've been posting on the subject of orbital bombardment. I would much rather attack a planet and bombard the hell out of it till all the population is wiped out, then re-colonize it. Sure, its fun to just invade with Billions of troops (pretty big transport to fit 1 billion troops in it) and take over the planet. (We should have done this in Iraq, send the equal amount of troops to match their population, then we wouldn't have to worry about anything since there won't be any Iraqis left to set up an insurgency .)

I don't like having Aliens on my newly conquered planet. They just make the place smell bad. Orbitally bombing the planet until no sentient life exist on it is much easier than just having to set up concentration camps to turn aliens into baby food.

Successfully updated karma reason!

The biggest problem I can see with the first Colony Logistics idea is:
What happens when somebody surrenders to me?
Do I suddenly get crippled beyond repair? Can I decolonize the new planets?

I'm not saying it is unworkable, but the consequences needs to be though out.
The critical issue is really how long it will take to research a higher Colony Logistics rating.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Anyway I'll post some other ideas in a bit.

PLEASE DON'T

Successfully updated karma reason!