Thanks for the input CaptainYar.
No doubt this is a major overhaul, which is why I don't expect it can be taken as-is and written into the game without many discussions (and yes, I am still working with them to fix other bugs in the current game, an ongoing process). Perhaps it is just the writter, programmer, or game designer in me, but I like to participate in the creative process; in many ways this is a player-made game, which is no doubt the reason for the game's popularity.
I prefer to play metaverse games because I would hate for all those hours of playtime to go "unlogged"
You are correct, that is the reason I have no interest in a mod. My games are long, perhaps "epic" in nature, and I am building towards beating the highest AIs, and writting AARs about it.
I figure that sitting down and spending a couple of hours trying to write a decent proposal for changes is better than "Can I have feature XYZ in the next release?" or "I don't like this-and-that, can you nerf it?"
I am most interested in adding interesting new choices for the player (and the AI as well). I generally view Good as the "pacifist", using techniques of influence, diplomacy, and political manipulation; protecting planets from evil invasion tactics, anti-aggression, alliances, etc. Neutral as the "rock", focused on improving colonies, researching more improvements, and being defensive in nature against outsiders; a smaller number of heavily defended and productive colonies. Evil as the "conquerer", producing military assets quickly in order to dominate, gaining resources and production by risky methods, and having a somewhat unstable and corrupt society. All of these specializations should be competitive in winning the game, regardless of the game settings or victory conditions, if only because each approach when leveraged can give numerous advantages.
