**Consolidated BETA Suggestion List**

[color=red]Last updated September 28, 2009 (Version 1.13)

Browsing this forum I’m finding a lot of people are suggesting the same sort of things over and over, so I took the time to build a consolidated list of a good portion of what I saw. I realize that not all these items will make it into the game and some even conflict with each other, but it’s just a comprehensive list of suggestions already made. These are not (all) my personal suggestions, but I do agree with most. A good portion of these were originally listed by Quitch.

Feel free to reply with some more suggestions and I’ll add them to the list as time permits.

[size=150]Design Screen Interface[/size]

1. Components should be sortable by parameters such as name, cost, range, type (missile, laser, etc.) etc.

2. Name sorting of components should not result in the following order “Fusion Engine II – Fusion Engine III – Fusion Engine”.

3. Components should have either names beside them or unique icons. Most of the missiles and rocket components look exactly the same.

4. The additional stats window should be closed as well as opened using the graph button, as there is nothing to do with that window except close it there is no reason for the additional mouse movement necessary to do so.

5. When loading a ship, the list should provide some kind of summary of the ship, such as hull size and cost.

6. When loading a ship, the list should be sortable by name, type, cost, ect.

7. The ship loading screen could also be a ship management screen where ships can be:
   A. Renamed
   [color=lightgray]B. Deleted (Implemented in version 1.13)
   C. Put on “hold” (where the ship is still saved, but doesn’t show up on the deployment screen).

[color=lightgray]8a. Hull selection should be sorted quite differently. There currently is no order at all. Hulls should be able to be viewed by each type (fighter, frigate, cruiser) or all at once in a vertical scrolling menu with a summary of stats beside each one.(Implemented in version 1.04)

8b. There’s no way to compare the hulls without incessantly flipping between them. Stats should be listed beside each hull. That way it would be able to directly compare one ship to another.

8c. Hulls should be sorted by race or have race buttons on the side to switch between them.

9. Hulls should be sortable by statistics such as type, power, hardpoints, etc.

10. Components should show their description and information when the mouse is over the item. This would make browsing components more efficient for zero functionality loss.

11. Target painters need to state specifically whether missiles really does mean just missiles or extends to torpedoes.

[color=lightgray]12. It should be possible to move the cursor and change only a small part of the name, (i.e. if the ships name is “federation missile corvette” and needs to be changed to “federation laser corvette”, it’s required need to delete and retype “corvette”) (Implemented in version 1.04)

13. The game should save the ship designs however it wants when the player saves a ship. When the player wants to load a ship, the menu should present him with ship names instead of filenames. Obviously the game should ask the player before overwriting any existing design.

14. Have an option for saved pre-built formations with orders that could be dropped into the deployment like a ship.

[color=lightgray]15. Modules shouldn’t re-appear (grow) when scrolling. (Fixed in version 1.12)

[color=lightgray]16. Modules lists should support mouse-wheel scrolling. (Implemented in version 1.12)

[size=150]Design Options[/size]

[color=lightgray]1. Pre-set orders for ship designs. (Implemented in version 1.09)

2. Set weapons to attack certain types of ships with priority settings

3. Set ships or weapons (likely, mainly fighters) to attack certain classes of weapons on ships (maybe ability to set the ships to attack weapons with certain attributes, such as ‘weapons with a range over 700’ or ‘weapons with damage under 8’ or ‘weapons with a tracking rate over 1.0’, etc.).

4. More component variety.

5. Bigger power cores, crew cabins, etc.

[color=lightgray]6. Custom colours / ship banners (mainly for distinguishing between sides using the same race in a battle) (In version 1.13 “O” key shows teams)

7. Slot specific bonuses (eg. +25% power, +10% range, +15% rate of fire, etc.)

[size=150]Deployment Screen Interface[/size]

1. There should be a “Clear Deployment” button.

2. When setting a ship to the escort rule, it’s annoying having the escort options window on the far right of the screen when all my other options are on the left.

3. There are problems with the menus not accepting a escort rule when multiple ships are selected.

4. Clicking on a ship’s name should bring up the ship name menu.

5. Deployed ships should be able to copied (or cloned) with all its orders by right-clicking and clicking on a “copy” option or, even better, holding Shift while dragging the ship into a new position. Either one ship at a time or a group of selected ships could be copied together.

6. More detailed information about a deployed ship can be obtained by hovering over its rendered image in the lower left (such as the shields, armor, and hull) but there is no information of the speed of a ship. This is important not slowing down faster ships when escorting and the like.

7. Designed ships should show detailed information (type, cost, speed, etc.) and should be able to be sorted by these statistics (most importantly type).

8. Designed ships could potentially have their names listed as if you have many designs with the same hull type, it takes a while to find the one you want.

9. Designed ships should have different icons/borders/backgrounds for each type (fighter, frigate, cruiser) as when the silhouettes they’re all scaled the same, a fighter can look like a cruiser.

10. Right-click on ships for a quick orders menu. For example, right click on a fighter, click escort, then click on the cruiser you want it to escort.

[color=lightgray]11a. In order sliders, clicking the bar moves the slider so you don’t need to grab the slider all the time. (Implemented in version 1.09)

11b. Arrows that move the slider one notch.

11c. Fields where you can enter the number on sliders manually.

12. Ability to select a ship and all ships connected to it by orders (eg, click while holding Ctrl)

13. Hotkey orders shouldn’t require confirmation.

[color=lightgray]14. Right clicking on an order should delete it. (Implemented in version 1.09)

15. Ability to set default naming scheme.

16. Last deployment should automatically be saved to the ‘deployed’ save file from last battle and automatically loaded onto next battle.

17. Hexagonal grid for snap placement of ships.

18. Undo (and Ctrl+Z) for accidents such as deleting a group of ships.

19. An inherit orders option where you can have a ship gain all the current orders of another selected ship.

20. Use windows standards for selecting (ie. Shift to select more) and ability to use selection box again while adding more ships to selection.

21. Remove snap on grid (while maintaining no-stacking rule) or make grid smaller/different shape (such as triagles)

[color=lightgray]21. In mass deploy mode, a ghost of the ship under the cursor. (Implemented in version 1.09)

22. Why bother dragging to deploy? Make single click normally mass deploy mode.

[size=150]Battle Screen Interface[/size]

[color=lightgray]1. Pressing ESC shouldn’t leave the battle, but pause the game and bring up a menu with options such as ‘Options’, ‘Resign to Statistics’, ‘Resign to Deployment’, ‘Resign to Main Menu’, and ‘Quit to Windows’. Pressing ESC again should resume the battle. (Implemented in version 1.04)

2. More detailed information should be accessible for a component from the components icon when the ship is selected in battle mode.

3. Automated cinematic camera (view) movements. (I.E, panning, zooming, cutting to the action)

4. More detailed battle statistics.

[color=lightgray]5. ‘WASD’ keyboard panning. (Implemented in version 1.12)

6. ‘Damage per second’ for ships shown on battle statistics information.

7. Time compression beyond 4.0x

8. Battles without graphics that could run at maximum processing speed.

9. Time limit for stalemates.

10. Ability to turn off auto-pause.

[size=150]Menus & Miscellaneous Interface[/size]

1. The highlight colour on the menu is also counter-intuitive. If only two resolution options are available, it’s difficult to tell which one is selected.

2A. When selecting a race, vertical scrolling may be more reasonable.

2B. When selecting a race, mouse-wheel scrolling should be enabled.

2C. When selecting a race, scroll bar not selectable (must use left/right arrows)

3. There are tooltips for everything, but none explaining the options. Which will make a big performance difference? When is motion blur used? etc.

4. Difficulty naming scheme on the race screen doesn’t match up with the one used on the battle screen.

5. The mouse pointer should have feels “acceleration” (the speed of the pointer is much slower when moving the mouse slowly and much faster when fast.) Without it, going for a button on the other side of the screen is difficult.

6. Patching process should say its patching, display a percentage complete, time remaining and current download speed.

7. Once patching is complete there should be an option to view the change log.

[color=lightgray]8. Ability to retract player challenges. [color=lightgray][cliff note: This should work now] [color=lightgray](Implemented in version 1.08?)

[color=lightgray]9. Single player high-score list (Implemented with ‘Survival Mode’ in version 1.11)

10. Option to redefine keyboard commands.

[color=lightgray]11. Comprehensive tutorial with mock battle. (Tutorial updated in version 1.08)

[color=lightgray]12. Patches automatically detect game install location. b[/b]

13. Patches need to look more like patches and less like an install.

14. Delete key should work in text editing fields.

15. Unlock races by other means (eg, Honor points or percent of game complete)

[size=150]New Gameplay[/size]

1. Use crew as the limiting resource factor in deployments instead of pilots.

[color=lightgray]2. A timed arrival or “Attack Waves” game mode. (New ‘Survival Mode’ added in version 1.11)

3. “Hotseat” game mode

4. “Sandbox” game mode

5. Area of effect weapons.

6. Mines.

[color=lightgray]7. Detonating/Exploding power cores in ships (potentially with an area of effect blast)(Implemented in version 1.09)

[color=lightgray]8. (moved)

9. Boarding parties / ship takeover.

10. Critical hits

11. Ships that can move backwards or sideways. Either by default or by adding modules.

12. More variation in hulls

13. Engines speed and turn rate could be separate variables. Some engines would have high turn rates, but are slower, some are fast but turn slow and some with both would be expensive.

14. Single-player “Campaign” game mode.

15. A ‘reply to challenge’ option where the original challenger may rebuild the deployment to fight the deployment that beat the challenge.

16. Ability for the challenger to view challenged battles.

17. Customizable challenges (eg “no fighters”, or “attacker get 75% point cost of defender”)

[size=150]New Units & Modules[/size]

1. Fighter carries (potentially with special orders such as launching fighters when ship X is at X damage or when in a certain range of X enemy)

2. Boarding craft with boarding parties.

3. Larger and smaller crew and power modules.

4. Unique class of flagship that ‘levels up’ though a ‘campaign’. Only one of these ships may be placed in a deployment.

5. Support modules such as Shield booster or remote repair (hex-slot “weapons” that you shoot at your own ships)

6. Scanner module that lets you see what’s on the enemy’s ship

7. Race specific modules.

[size=150]New Orders[/size]

1. Attack X: ships only attack a specific ship until it is destroyed.

2. Wait X seconds: a ship with this order would wait a a certain time before it starts moving/attacking

3. Attack shields: Lets you prioritize targets based on which ships have shields

4. Don’t attack until shields are down: ships only attack ships without shields.

[color=lightgray]5. Weave and dodge: the ship keeps moving, regardless of whether its in range or not. (New ‘Keep Moving’ order added in version 1.04)

6. Hard Man (opposite of ‘vulture’): ships would attack the biggest, strongest targets.

7. Organized (opposite of cooperative’): ships fire at targets that are the being the least attacked

[color=lightgrey]8. Ignore: ships do not to attack either a particular named ship. (in version 1.04 when an attack order is deleted, the ship ignores that class)

9. Claustrophobic: The ship keeps away from a particular ship at a distance (like a backwards escort), or tries to keep away from all ships. (Would be useful if area-of-effect damage weapons become implemented.)

10. Shield Tactics: Don’t turn on the shields until below a certain percent of damage. Would be useful in conjunction with retreat and repair components.

11. Orbit: the ship remains at a set distance from a target (whereas escort is anywhere within a set distance)

12. Coordinate attack order has ability to specify ships.

13. Move to order that you specify a point on the map or maybe generic terms such as ‘flank left’. Potentially could be stacked such as ‘flank left’ then ‘attack rear’.

[color=lightgray]14. Salvo/Volley order where a ship wouldn’t fine until all it’s weapons (or selected weapons) are fully charged. (To be implemented later)

15. Ability to escort a selected group of ships, not just one.

16. Speed control, where ships could be slowed to match the speed of other ships.

17. Cloak Tactics: Like number 10, don’t turn on the cloak until below a certain percent of damage or other situation (eg. being targeted by X number of ships).

18. Kamikaze orders (potentially in combination with detonating power cores)

Deployment screen - hotkeyed orders shouldn’t require confirmation - Shift-E -> click ship. no need to ‘ok’ the (possibly) new order before moving on.

Orders - escort with a distance slider to indicate how far from the mothership you should orbit.
Orders - orbit: when you’re at optimum distance from a target, don’t just stop - orbit it. good for fast frigates and anything else that’s dead when stationary

+1
/signed
/10char

I approve of this topic!

Add the ability to zoom out completely so you can view the entire battle

Add Kinetic weapons such as Mass Drivers or Magnetic Accelerator Cannons (i.e. a long range weapon firing a single non-explosive projectile that requires large amounts of power to equip)

An update changelog - partially for my own interest but I’m sure the community would like to see how the game evolves though the beta; it’d be quite educational

Thanks Viper. Just thought the developers are busy enough making the game that they don’t have time to dredge though the forums.

Pirateor, I believe there’s an option to enable full zoom somewhere. Also, there’s something like a changelog on the forum here.

You can select multiple ships by holding the CTRL key. But this is only for single clicks. Box dragging cancels your current selection.

I would like to see a Keyboard controls addendum for the manual and a key list screen in the game, if not a ‘Redefine Keys’ screen.

Hull type carrier would probably be the largest hull to reflect the actual physics of the thing. Launch tubes would be circles or triangles instead of squares or hexes to keep the function of a carrier…a carrier. Engine is compulsory in a carrier, but I could see Hull type Space Station having a couple of Launch Tube Slots.

Or…maybe a lauch tube is a quarter square. Four tubes or one crew module…your choice. It would end up being less efficient in any other configuration than a carrier.

Launch Tube Types:
Launch Tube
Launch Tube II (more fighters per tick)
Launch Tube III (yet more)
Sling Tube (Fighters enter arena with temporary speed boost)
Efficient Rail Tube (Less energy or crew…you get the idea)
You Tube (Only used to launch non-copy protected works)

Adding something from another thread:

Babylon 5 proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that it just isn’t particularly fun to watch actual physics in space. Jump ahead half a decade and you get yourself BSG. Back to “engines on the back” jet fighters in space, making miles-long turns…and that’s the way it should be.

I vote that this stays true to the genre of gratuitous space battles in general and not get too hung up on what “real” space ships can do.
Make it pretty, make if fun, and make it explodey.

EDIT: Actually it is pretty, fun and explodey right now. Great job on this game.

When zooming in during battle with the scroll wheel, I’d like it to zoom in towards my mouse, not towards the center of the screen.

Ship list should support mouse-wheel scrolling.

I personally think it would be more fun if at least shield, armor and health (the green bar?) were shown when clicking on enemy ships.

I never said make the game strictly realistic, I just said it’s silly for my ships to retreat towards the enemy. Not to mention, Babylon 5 wasn’t exactly ‘realistic’ and I’m pretty sure the Galactica could maneuver backwards if need be.

Yep! We definitely need a single place to spam with the suggestions!

Some form of break trigger for orders would be quite nice. For example: tell your fighters to escort a cruiser until an enemy cruiser gets within 1000 units, then break off and attack. Currently escorting fighters only seem to be useful for defence because the escort order prevents them from making attack runs.

Hiya, just played the beta a bit and enjoyed it a lot!! Fun game!

One suggestion that I thought of and wanted to toss into the forum was to be able to set a default ship naming preference when placing ships (I didn’t see one, at least…) Every time I place ships, they have the “gratuitous” names set, and I’d prefer to use a combination of the “warship,” “roman,” and “squadron” names, depending on what I’m naming, and I have to go through all of them and re-name them.

So, Ideally, I’d like to be able to see an option someplace where I could set a default name preference for the various classes of ship, but barring that, even being able to choose one preference fleet-wide would be pretty neat.

Each race has its own preference for a default set of names - a button to change it for the current deployment would be nice, though, and being able to set different ones for fighters, cruisers and frigates would be cool.

It’d be nice to see the DPS (damage per second) of weapons on the design screen, and also the DPS for each ship (calculated over the time it has actually been firing its weapons) on the final battle stats screen.

This is exactly why a carrier type of hull is needed IMO. You could simplify your suggestion by adding carrier-specific or carrier-launched fighter orders rather than spamming the general orders list with more behaviors. Perhaps carriers and/or fighters could have a separate orders list from frigates/cruisers. These would also combine really well with ship default orders as certain fighters would launch at whatever time described by the carrier orders and go into default behavior. Examples:

Defender: Launch when enemy fighters within xxxx radius of formation.
Escort: Launch when any hull type within xxxx radius.
Exploit: Launch only after x% of enemy fighters are dead. (would be great for bomber designs, combine with vulture)

Personally, I’d like to see more functionality for fighters and I like the suggestion that fighters be able to target certain weapon types. This has the potential to cause a side to use fighters or very well designed and placed anti-fighter frigates, etc. Currently, fighters just feel either spammy or limited (escort). I like the overall simplicity of the game, but I think keeping the layers of strategy too simple will cause burnout because players will think things like, “well if I could just give x orders I could beat this challenge with the setup I already have, but instead I feel I have to use xyz cheesy strategy.”

General fighter orders that would be cool:
Wingman: Escort target fighter squadron. If no enemy fighters attacking escorted unit, assist on target.
Cautious: Fight anywhere but attempt to stay away from non-fighter enemies.
Torpedo: Launch projectiles from max range. Don’t get any closer to target than required.
Bomb run: Ignore enemy fighters, stay in formation. Fire only within shield radius.

If you’re planning to add more variety to the hull bonuses, carriers would be a great way to do it. I realize it’s adding a lot of orders/code, but I think it would add quite a bit to the game. I don’t think the hull designs would require much change either…you could just use some of the existing hulls (especially the “why would you use this one over this one” hulls that people are mentioning) and change their hardpoints to accept launch tubes as suggested above.

The UI suggestions are all spot on and while I’m sure they’re annoying/monotonous to program they would be very welcome. Decreasing UI annoyances while increasing efficiency and speed will not only make things better for new players, but it will also increase the longevity of the game for many hardcore players.

Overall, the game is loads of fun. It’s hitting a great sweet spot in terms of simultaneous simplicity and depth. Keep up the great work!

forgot a couple of sugestions of having a sandbox mode where you set the pilets and cash and anomalie’s for chalenges and add a hotseat multiplayer. also smaller fighter squads or a customisable squad leader for fighters so you can have one fighter with a target panter to help the rest of your fighters

Here’s my suggestion. Rework the fighter AI to incorporate something along the lines of Boids-style flocking.

—> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boids

@Omnitronic - Is it not boids driven already? They seem quite boid like

@Cliffski - I think the game is great fun as it stands.
Could do with a bit of tweaking of the weapons but definitely needs a proper tutorial for the lesser hardcore players.
Just a single mission where it takes you through designing a ship, deploying a small fleet against say a fighter squadron, frigate and a cruiser.
I think that would help the learning curve immensely.
Personally, I ended up flicking through most of the tutorial pop ups simply because I was trying to figure stuff out and now can’t remember what they said anyway, but a do-this-then-do-that tutorial would be a lot better.

Iain

Interface - Challenge:
some way of changing race. currently i think you need to quit to ‘main menu’ (which goes to scenario), change race, select, which leaves you at scenarios… quit to main menu (for real this time), re-enter challenges, re-find the one you were about to do, enter it…