[Suggestion] For the Second Micro-Expansion

I know it's a while off probably, but still...

from Sins Forums

Ok, the next expansion pack is supposed to add diplomacy options, so I thought I'd go ahead and voice a few of my ideas so that some of them might 'actually' get included...at least to some extent...

1. No rush option. This is something that I really loved in Supreme Commander. Instead of the AI (or a player) coming in and dominating in the first few minutes, you set this option before the game starts and it's like both teams agree to a temporary cease fire so you can actually get a bit of an Empire built up before you go out and pwn (or get pwnt, whatever, lol...and isn't this the point of the game anyway?...To build an empire?)

2. Governments. Give players the option to choice what kind of government their Empire will be (remember this from Galactic Civilizations?). Certain governments would have certain benefits/drawbacks and could give you an advantage in the game (or disadvantage if you're not careful)

3. Minor Races. Yet another feature from Galactic Civilizations, and personally, a good one in my opinion. I know that there's already a small planetary defense force over all independant planets, but this seems a little strange sometimes (why would a world that hasn't been explored yet and has nobody living on it have frigates and cruisers over it? Especially ships of only one faction at that?) For this reason, I think most planets should just be ripe for the taking without needing combat ships to take it, but other planets may already have a minor faction controlling it that's 'neutral' (they wont auto attack you, nor you them, unless you attack them deliberatly).

4. Sanctions. Each side should get an equal vote on ingame issues that can be randomly generated, should the player decide to allow or disallow the option (example: The Trade Council has drafted a bill to rid the galaxy of slavery. Should all governments that favor inhuman treatment of it's citizens be forced to change it's government?). If it's a draw, whatever is current would stay.

5. I know this isn't related to the dipolmatic thing, but the AI needs some more work done on it. Normal and Hard has too big of a power gap in it. Right now, normal is a pushover, but Hard is extremely challenging with Unfair being only slightly harder.

Anyone else who wants to leave ideas is free to do so as well. :D

3,507 views 10 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

Well...

 

For the no rush option, I sorta see what you mean, but that's half the fun. 

 

For the governments, they DO have different goverments.  Each faction has a government that's different from each other.  But, some civic options would be nice, like Resource Focus, which increases your fleet upkeep for credits but decreases it for resources, and stuff like that.  Bad example, but you see what I mean.

 

For minor races, I agree completely.  I was thinking about this a lot.  Only problem is, it could really slow down expansion and the like, especially if you have to bombard the planet into submission, so it might just be best to not implement it.

 

For sanctions, a big, fat, no.  If everyone tells you to do something, you shouldn't be forced to do it.  That would be incredibly annoying.  If they want you to listen, they should have to arrive at your home planet with a large fleet.  HOWEVER, something similar, like special trade deals or something.  Where both players have to say Yes.

 

My 2 cents.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

How long would this no rush option be? You are very vague.  It's sounds like a sily feature, as peopel will never agree on the time.  So will want no rush 2 hour option, and frankly all I could say to that is GTFO.  Even with 30 mintue option, if I can kill you in 30 minutes, why would I waste my time playing you for an hour?

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

2 and 4 really don't fit with Sins. Unlike GalCiv, Sins has a pretty set lore backdrop - TEC, Vasari, and Advent are bitter enemies. What would make them sit down in some galactic council and decide to abolish slavery? :P The government types is a similar story - the game is sandbox, but the races are not. The Vasari aren't going to change from being slavers to communists, and the Advent aren't going to adopt gender equality.

Sins does better with rushing than any other game. Don't want to fight too quickly? Play a map where the two homeworlds aren't 2 jumps apart. Flying grav wells takes time, more than rushing across a slightly larger box in another RTS.

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

i would like to see more than one pirate faction .... so i have to Choose wich pirate will go on Who...

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

The no rush option... Yeah, that has issues. It's more of a thing that players should agree to on their own, not something enforced through the game mechanic. I understand the impulse(I myself enjoy gigantic fleets duking it out much more) but if you want that, go for the big maps with few players.

To governments, I agree. Some civic system would be nice, to distinguish your empire from the other three of your race in the game.

Minor races... I think things are pretty good as they are. The current setup represents a few colonists defending their home. The planet only exhibits the massive population and such once it's part of a vast network of resources that is the empire.

And finally, the idea of sanctions only works if you are cooperating to some degree with the people you are trying to sanction. The backdrop of Sins is pure war, no quarter asked or given, in the end. Though temporary alliances may exist, you have no real way of forcing descisions on another player.

And the AI? Normal is normal for a reason. It doesn't cheat. This is an example of unfair bastard AI, except it's not really a bastard, because we asked for it.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheComputerIsACheatingBastard

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

Very helpful imput, puzzlemaker, thank you. Astax, the no rush time would be a pre-set amount of time and wouldn't be long, probably about twenty minutes and it would be an OPTION, that way those of us who don't like people who rush into your territory within the first few minutes don't. It's just my OPINION that there should be a way to give people who want it some more time to build up a more powerful Empire to fight with. Oh, lol, and Annatar, you're right, sorry about that, I was just trying to use an example and I couldn't think of anything else XD.

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

skywalker under 20 rush is almsot impossible on most maps :P  Most of my ebst rushes are about 20 minutes in, cause rushing with 10 frigates won't do, you must hit with 20-30 to overrun the enemy effectively, kill all construciton frigates and frig factories :)

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

I know, I'm just saying that some people (and especially the new hard AI) tend to like to end the game a bit quicker than I sometimes would like. While they don't typically succeed, my hindered progress makes me ANGRY! RAWR! <_< >_>

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

Hey guys... why are you fearing a no rush option? Its only an option. No one says that you MUST use it. So if some player mind, thats a good idea, than I think, it should find a way into the game setup options! If you set that option to any number or not, thats your own decision!

And so i think, it should be with all that options! Minor Races where always an option and never a must-have! So if you don't like it, don't activate them! But i think, too, that they give the game a nice advance.

Also i can think about a fourth Major Race. Maybe a cool new biological Race with Bio-ships and so on. Something like Species 8471 in Star Trek...

Maybe you can put in an option, to split the races into a military faction and a civil faction, both with a strong focus on their specialty. So it could be some more fun to play in a team, each focusing on their strengthens. So the military faction gets their heavy combat ships and the civilians only some minor defense ships, maybe not capable of using phase lanes, and for example they could get a big refinery cap. So the civilians could have the much bigger caps, but need the defense of some military ships, or will be destroyed even by a small enemy fleet in a small time!

Thats are ideas to give the game some more empire-like options... And dont forget: All these should be optional gameplay additions... so a player who likes short fights, can do that by switch all that off and playing a fast-paced war-game!