A few observations/suggestions

Tech Enhancements:
The tech feels rather stale after you get into the game. There is no feeling that the tech actually improves much other than some different colored beams/missles. I would love to see further refinement of existing tech as an option. There are some limited examples of this with Plasma and missiles (mark 1, mark2, etc), but I would love to see more variety than just beam/missile/rocket. Mass Drivers, singularity launchers, graviton beams, compression fields, particle beams, absorption fields, reflection fields, trans-dimensional cloaking, etc

Race Customizations:
Although the fleet designs are nice with good variety in appearance, they are all cookie cutter. every race has a fighter with 2/2 or 2/1 slots, Cruisers with 14-18 slots, etc. It seems like the hard points are just too limiting to ship customizations. I also like that a few of the faces had their own special weapons. It adds some originality to the game. Expand on that if possible.

In-Combat Interaction:
In short, just watching combat without any interaction is like watching a screen saver. After the thrill of trying various combo’s wears off, the game has very little replay value. Not being able to control fleet deployments live, concentrating fire on a specific Cruiser, and adapt battle plans as the field changes is frustrating. Even with Chess you are engaged. Not so much here.

Tech enhancements are what Mod’s are for. if you want to see advancements, try downloading the 3xPeRiMeNtAl mod found at viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4718

And i would rather disagree with it’s lack of replay. I’ve had an active WoW account longer then GSB, and yet i’ve logged almost 3.22 times as much time in GSB then WoW (I’m part of an active raiding guild, average ilevel of 267)

I’m talking about out of the box. Mods are nice and all, but they still don’t address the basic inflexibility of the game design. Don’t like the tech? Install this mod and get X more modules. It’s not that it lacks for number of modules, but each module has the potential to be different for every game without modding being necessary. For example, if I want to focus on missiles and shield technology, but ignore point defense tech and ECM jammers in one game, and then in the next game, focus on beam weapons, and armour. It opens up the basic rules of the game to allow much more flexability in the basic game design. Each game could be different in a whole new way.

In a ‘mod only’ universe, I have to hope someone designs a mod that does what I want it to, I download and install it, and play it and that’s it…wait for another mod that does something else, and repeat.

It’s just too cookie cutter. Once you bake in the specs for the tech, it never changes, and every game ends up being the same because every race develops the same way, buys the same mods, and ends up at the same result.

I didn’t say the game wasn’t customizable, but rather it gets stale. That’s great that you find it so enjoyable. I have games I love that I’m sure others would find tedious. I can respect that others will find aspects of this game they love that I don’t. Modding is still too structured if the basic game they mod from forces the same strict cookie cutter onto any mods that get created.

I agree with the OP in that developing said points would make the game better.

However…

In its current form, there are far more important things to address. Basic balance issues are way more important than added features. Once those are taken care of, sure, add in more stuff, but before then we probably don’t want to add more ingredients to this soup when half of them are completely flavorless and the other half knock your socks off.

I agree in that I wish we had in-combat interaction. I wish I could at least click on an enemy ship in combat and see what weapon systems he has and what kind of damage I’m doing. Being able to order a frigate to pull back or a cruiser to switch fire to another ship would be awesome.

If there were to be a head to head version of GSB, sure. But as-is, this would merely add to the advantage a player has when taking on a challenge. The defender wouldn’t get any chance to interact with his or her fleet as you describe.

The “give orders and send 'em out” thing is actually at the core of why GSB is so popular. But you do point out something that would make a head to head version (with many other tweaks) VERY fun. Perhaps Cliffski is working on a whole 'nother game that does just that, some kind of live server thing. Who knows.

RC

I was referring to more interaction during a single player, not PvP.

I never really thought about advantages to challenges because all I’ve played is scenarios and the campaign.

I was just fighting a scenario and I had the upper hand and some of their cruisers were pulling back. All my ships were in formation and it would have been nice to be able to order a frigate or two to break formation and pursue the enemy.

Everybody has something different they like about the game. I like designing the ships and making a good fleet. Being able to give orders, send 'em out AND issue order corrections tactically would be amazing. I keep reading people’s comments about how that would wreck the game and make it like Halo something and I don’t understand it.

I’m still learning the orders and designing. I would consider myself a rookie for sure. :slight_smile:

It can be tough to live with, but chaos and fog of war are part of GSB’s charm. One can’t give orders down to the Nth degree as the action progresses–instead, one has to live with the frakking inappropriate orders one gave. My personal favorite is dorking the range bands such that the enemy parks riiiiiiight outside the range of my cruisers and pounds 'em to flinders.

Of course, the game also introduces plenty of chaos above and beyond orders, as you can see in other threads about how things don’t seem to work out as they should even within the confines of the game. Another personal favorite example: ships set to really far engagement distances that still really want to get close and personal with the enemy.

RC

These arguments seem a bit silly. If you don’t want to issue orders after the battle starts, then don’t. It wouldn’t ruin the game in the slightest.

There’s plenty of space strategy games that offer battle interaction. GSB is not one of them - It’s made on purpose that way (which is one of the reason I like GSB).
If people want interaction they can fire up a different game (Sins of solar Empire, Master of Orion I+II etc.).

Though the idea of a “Battle Scanner” (with radius range) to equip your ship so your can see which stuff and damaged the ships are, is good idea. Perhaps as a fighter/frigate module to make scouts. Eventually enemy ships within scanner range are more easy to hit or critical hit occur more often.

And I’ll ask again. What would be forcing you to interact if you don’t want to?

It’s irrelevant question.

positech.co.uk/gratuitousspacebattles/faq.html

Then the game is boring and will remain so. I lost interest in a few days.

Just because it’s a tower game doesn’t mean there is no interaction during battle. Plants vs Zombies is a good example. You are active during play the entire time. This game is like watching paint peel.

Wasted money…

Then you should read the F.A.Q.'s first of the games you want to buy or do some research first. Then you’ll avoid the trouble and dissapointment.

I bought it because the dev’s were working on enhancements, hence the post in the “Observations/Suggestions” section. Had I known the thought police would be in here, I wouldn’t have bothered.

A bit of an overreaction, there.

Come on, its not like its that far of a jump, you can already click on units and their weapons, ect. Its not like we’re playing Civilization and someone is asking to be able to run around and shoot people like a FPS. You could still have everything just how it is for the hardcore people and have the option to interact during battle for others or multi-player vs battles, couldn’t you?

You can build your fleet very nicely and issue really good orders, but in a battle the fleet would still accept orders for the admiral.

That scanning range thing and being able to see more details would be nice. I hate having to zoom in and try and guess what weapons they have.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love this game and playing it. I tell all my friends they should try it.
I just see something that is so close or just out of reach that would be so awesome and it doesn’t hurt to dream. :slight_smile:

As another user said, if it’s going to happen it’s going to be GSB2. To change a game so dramatically after its release, everything from game genre to the whole game mechanism to rebuild/change the game engine - it’s not going to happen in GSB.
And what about all those people who bought the game that like the game as it is, should they have their money back? Because the game is not the game they bought?

It’s fine wish for GSB2 if Cliff decide for to make another game - But don’t expect such changes in GSB.

I feel that is an exaggeration to say its a dramatic change to everything. There are tons of games that continue to improve and develop. Look at the DLC for the game already. Are people asking for their money back because of the changes and the expansions?

I just can’t get my mind around why someone would be opposed to it? No I guess it is a big world with all kinds of tastes in games. I just can’t stop thinking about the possibilities… it would be really amazing! Having both options.

Anyways I’ll just forget about it and maybe in a couple of years we’ll see it pop up.