A couple of suggestions

from GalCiv2 Forums
I really like the new Asteroid Fields, they not only add a dynamic to colony management, but they make the galaxy seem more realistic. But there's a couple of other astronomical entities that I think would also fit in well with the game.

The first would be Black Holes. No ships can travel within 1 parsec of one, they would have to go around. And of course no Stars/Planets etc. could exist within one parsec either. Two would probably be more realistic.

And then there's Nebula. They would affect movement in the same amount of space as a Black Hole, but wouldn't be quite as restrictive. Movement rates while travelling through them would be reduced by half and there would be a chance that ships suffer some damage while inside them. Ships with armour/shields etc. would stand a better chance of escaping the damage inflicted.

One thing I find lacking in the game, strategy wise, is choke points. Ships can go anywhere so it's impossible to really set up defensive positions. If there were some restrictions as to where ships could move, then proper placement of your fleets would become more of a consideration.
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Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
One thing I find lacking in the game, strategy wise, is choke points. Ships can go anywhere so it's impossible to really set up defensive positions. If there were some restrictions as to where ships could move, then proper placement of your fleets would become more of a consideration.


to quote some of the flavor text, "the thing about space is, it's big. really big."

i don't think choke points make any sense for this game. and i have no problem setting up defensive positions, since enemy ships go so slow. you just need a modest fleet in each sector and enough sensors to see what's trying to get in.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Choke points do not make sense in space, because really its not the situation of going left or right to avoid something, you cna go up or down as well
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
When you're outside the Schwartzchild radius of a black hole it's no different than any other star, so it wouldn't make much sense for them to block more space than a star already does. Honestly, as it is we've got more obstacles than make sense. There's absolutely no reason a planet should occupy a parsec (that's 3 light years, give or take) of space square for example. I understand why it's the way it is and it doesn't really bother me, but you can't really make any astronomical arguments about a game where Earth is 4 light years from the sun.

As to nebulae, they actually can take up a multitude of light years worth of space and their inclusion might be interesting in a future expansion. Most of them would take up most of the map, but there's no rule I suppose that you can't have smaller ones exclusively. Since they're really just a cloud of gas and dust that happens to be lit up (be it by radiation from central stars or by reflecting the light of stars nearby) I don't really know what impact it'd make sense for them to have.

And finally, as others have said, there simply are no choke points in space. Period. A two dimensional simulation of 3d space is really only acceptable for that very reason, in practical terms it doesn't much matter.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The closest you're going to get to choke points is Military starbases, and strategic positioning of your worlds. The area of effect for Military starbases are quite large, they can nearly cover every parsec in a whole sector, and the effects of multiple Military starbases over lapping stack.

Strategic positioning of your worlds means such things as, being the only race with worlds in a sector, fortifying sectors nearest to your enemies, preventing the enemy from having worlds on two differents sides of your territory, etc... Good strategic fortifications make defending your world easier, and allows you to better distribute your forces.

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Suffie to say, a good combination of the two will make it difficult for you enemies to attack you.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Actually, a good idea for nebulas would be to make it that some nebulas may be different from one another and have some sort of effect on your ships.

For instance, one type of nebula could mess with your sensors and weaken your visual range by a certain amount in the area it's located.

Another effect would be that whenever a ship goes into a nebula's area, it will become "cloaked" and can effectively hide in the nebula in order to avoid enemies.

Another could be a sort of nebula that can either boost or slow down your overall speed by a certain percentage.

Honestly, there's a lot of possibilites when it comes to nebulas. We just gotta be creative!  
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
As to nebulae, they actually can take up a multitude of light years worth of space and their inclusion might be interesting in a future expansion.


yes, properly speaking, a single nebula would eventually evolve into more than the stars you'd get on a gigantic map. but we're not talking realism here. i could see nebulae taking up 9 to 16 parsecs and being an interesting addition to the game, reducing movement, blocking sensors, and perhaps even providing some kind of research bonus or something.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hehe, yeah I don't think the star formation element's particularly relevant seeing as the game is played out on a scale of, at most, decades. The sensor blocking is a good thought, and makes a degree of sense considering the amount of ionizing radiation that tends to be present in emission nebulae. The research bonus makes sense too. I'm not exactly sure why it'd slow down movement, though as you say we're not really talking realism here.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
What you'er saying would be like the nabula in Star Trek Amarda 2. Now if the almighty dev overlords (all hail the overlords:)) put those in, in addition to a 3d map, now we'er talking.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, you'd just HAVE to have nebulas mess with sensors, otherwise Kirk never would have been able to outmaneuver Khan in the Motara Nebula. Duh.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi!
There's absolutely no reason a planet should occupy a parsec (that's 3 light years, give or take) of space square for example. I understand why it's the way it is and it doesn't really bother me, but you can't really make any astronomical arguments about a game where Earth is 4 light years from the sun.

Look at that this way: hyperwarp engines work efficiently only in deep space. Close to gravity wells they slow down. Since planets and star are those, the distance that ship travels isn't a parsec, but just a distance that can be traveled in one week. OK?

BR, Iztok
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi!
Honestly, there's a lot of possibilites when it comes to nebulas. We just gotta be creative!

And who will be creative with the AI to make it use those new environments properly?

BR, Iztok
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Why does realism have to factor into this anyway? It's not like every other element of the game is realistic. I think suggestions like this should be evaluated on how they affect gameplay, period.
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'd like to also suggest the addition of nebulae that have different effects. Heck, maybe they could even be temporary additions (they exist for so many turns and then leave). There seem to be a lot of possibilities. Thinking back to Master of Orion 2, I believe they had a nebula that would slow down travel in that area. I could see implemented them to:

*Slow down/speed up ships traveling through it (both military and trade)
*Increase/decrease sensor range in there (I like this idea the best)
*Have a higher percentage of anomalies (although they may be harder to find/take longer to get)

This would add a little more variety to normal maps. Asteroids are a good start, but this would be neat, too. Something you could turn on or off, maybe?
Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Hi!
There's absolutely no reason a planet should occupy a parsec (that's 3 light years, give or take) of space square for example. I understand why it's the way it is and it doesn't really bother me, but you can't really make any astronomical arguments about a game where Earth is 4 light years from the sun.

Look at that this way: hyperwarp engines work efficiently only in deep space. Close to gravity wells they slow down. Since planets and star are those, the distance that ship travels isn't a parsec, but just a distance that can be traveled in one week. OK?

BR, Iztok



Ooooh, I like that. Well done!

The scientific nitpicker in me is sated.
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Why does realism have to factor into this anyway? It's not like every other element of the game is realistic. I think suggestions like this should be evaluated on how they affect gameplay, period.


It doesn't have to, but since these are real phenomena their actual effects are a good starting point for discussion, it seems to me.

If you just want to discuss game effects my opinion comes down the same way, nebulae have some interesting possibilities but I don't see the point of a 3x3 no fly zone black hole. Choke points in space make no sense, perhaps more importantly, don't fit the current gameplay model.

Better?
Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Just to clarify, I think that GalCiv2 is a great game. I just don't see realism as its strongsuit.

We're dealing with 2D space where moving diagonally is the same distance as moving at right angles, so realism is sort of out the window. Also since neutral ships block entry to a square, you can create a moving chokepoint of sorts already by employing the gimmicky and extremely unrealistic tactic of using a line of ships to screen races you aren't at war with. If you were so inclined you could even completely surround a non-enemy ship and block all movement.

I do think that there can be many plausable explanations for space choke points (space phenomenon/monsters, really advanced entities/races that want to be left alone, space banned by treaty, etc.).

I'm a big fan of Dominions 3. There you can create less open maps for a different playing experience. If that is doable here it would add more variety to the gameplay. The main difficulty/question would be how the AI would react.