Alright, then I'll answer you seriously as if this had nothing to do with Star Control. This will be harsh, but that's because I will be honest. Game design is a passion of mine, and I have lots and lots of thoughts about it. Take the following as my opinion.

Any game idea that starts with "the playable characters will have all these awesome special abilities and weapons" is deeply flawed from the very start. That's how you make something that is derivative and quickly forgotten by players. Good game design starts at a far more basic level. 

What makes this game unique? Cool aliens and fancy special abilities is rarely, if ever, the right answer. 

What makes this game fun? Again, see above. 

What about this game will make people pick it up and tell their friends about it? 

How does the game play? Is it slow and methodical? Fast and twitchy? Strategic? Tactical? A pure action-fest? Is it customizable or highly directed? 

Game design is hard. You're approaching it from the wrong angle, applying all the common trappings of *insert your favorite FPS here* with a fresh layer of paint that, when peeled off, reveals the old paint beneath. That's how you design a mod (and honestly, not a good one), but not how you design a game. Answer the three questions above, and try to stay away from details when you do so. Your answers must be conceptual and grand. These are off the top of my head by the way. There are many other good questions that you should ask yourself, but these appear particularly important to me.

I'm sorry if this post comes off as negative. I've talked to a lot of people about game design over the years, and I've done my own designs here and there (mostly for boardgames, which were later developed into prototypes. Among them a Star Control boardgame). Everyone's a designer, but extremely few are good designers. You're falling into some very basic traps with how you describe your design in these posts, and I'm just trying to be honest about it. 

Once you've dealt with the basic game design, then (and only then) do you begin to design special abilities, weapons and races. Until then, such ideas have little worth.

!NUF ERA S'NUG!

O.k. I can see making a first person shooter from the ground up. I'm not saying that. First thing would want to see is that the leaders weren't part of the characters you could choose from because the game wouldn't be about fighting but administration. The races would be an option, but not the leaders. They could still be in the game as non player characters.

The political parties should be left out of the selection to choose from because they would work better as plot lines for the game instead. Basically the game would work from two perspectives. From the races trying to compete with each other. The Krynn and the Altarians would be more like startrek with a mixture of different races where everyone would be a boring same race. While the political would be trying to take over the explored galaxy this would be through boring politics or assignation.

The classes would be a requirement because unless we were going to do like Star trek, and just mix the races instead of doing things like the game most of the map would be one race. The racial abilities would not matter unless you had to deal with other races. For the most part the abilities and personality would mean nonething because everyone would have the same ability for a quite a few star systems. If we were going to have abilities they would be.

1. The Dominion of Korx would be shrewd traders getting the best deals, and they would be the best at salvaging. The disadvantage they have no loyalty its all about power and money. You could also say they make poor administrators. Good smugglers. They make the best freighters. They would also see areas for profit when others don't see it. They make poor fighters. They would be big on hireing mercenaries.

2, The humans would be second on shrewd trading. The slowest at ship building. The best diplomats. Best at building engines. Relentless when hand to hand won't stop until everyone is dead. Very well rounded abilities. Great at organization. Great at shields.

3. Altarians would have the best scientists and good at making everyone feel like they are the underdogs to their advantage when attacked, but make the worst weapons on the game. They seem to be really good at dread lord technology. They are very morale than other people always doing what they think is right.

3. The Drath would be the third best at trading. The second best at salvaging. Also good at dread lords technology. Good diplomats matter of fact so good that they can make whoever they want to look like enemies to anyone. Slow at population I guess you would have to be creative with this. I heard they were shape shifting thieves.

4. The Torians would be a sembient species like the Trill. These guys are the opposite of the Drath, great breeders. They don't trust outsiders.

5. The Krynn would be the best at espionage. They would be the most popular in political circles. Great at tourism. The most religious, and they attack with a religious fervor. Great terrorists. They are the happiest on the game.

6. The Iconians get replicators. They are great at robotics. Great espionage. Good knowledge of Precursors. Try to stay out of conflicts. Great at adapting to inhospitable environments.

7. The Yor are the collective. Hearty soldiers. Always loyal. Great at social and military building. They don't farm, but use charging stalks instead. Great fighters probably the best on the game. Kill all organics is the ultimate goal.

8. The Arceans fly ships slower at the begining, but as they level up they fly ships faster. Best at navigating and terraforming. Good at morale.

9. The Thalans great at defense. Poor diplomats and population growth. Don't build structures much. Great at building without factories and great at building factories. The best at building ships and social stuff even though they don't build theese on their own. The most advanced being from the future. They are very happy. Don't trust humans.

10. Drengins make the strongest ships. They make the best ships. They are slavers. Poor diplomats not good at the galactic council. Great tacticians. The best on the games. Rule through fear.

11. Kill everything that is not Drengin. Best at genetic engineering. Rule through fear. Not good at the Galactic council. Great shipbuilders.

I still think that a First person shooter or a role playing game would make a better first person shooter game than this game mainly because most of it is not applicable.

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IS ALL I AM HEARING!!!!!

NEW GAMES ARE GREAT!!!!!!

A STARDOCK FPS is what this forum is about and I love the idea!

Hey Joe can you do me a favor check out this site and when you are done please a comment. https://forums.galciv3.com/450709

Sorry to hear that, but if you don't know how to make an avatar for this site please visit this post https://forums.galciv3.com/450987 and leave a comment here when you are done.

Hey, I'm writing a book too. Authors unite! And yes, it's damned hard. At least I've mapped myself past the infamous swamp in the middle of the book.  

You're probably right, and I already feel bad about it. 

As long as you don't want an avatar that's fine. The only reason I do that is because some people like me didn't know that windows come with the ability to make this, so you don't need any other software to do this.

I think he was serious that actually sounds exciting reminding me when I was a kid in the black hills in South Dakota as a kid. Oh yeah the Black hills are actually mountains.

I wish. I know you are from Canada, so you might not understand someone not liking cold. I was born in South Dakota. When I was one we moved down to Arizona. when I was eight we moved up to South Dakota didn't like the weather. Moved back to Tucson when I was fourteen. Weather over rides looks in my book.

Cool ceative post if you did that yourself violator.