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IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0015164The Last FederationGameplay IdeaMay 15, 2014 2:22 am
ReporterNichG Assigned To 
Status newResolutionopen 
Product Version1.018 (Treasure Trove) 
Summary0015164: Suggestion: Specific subsystem techs to make technologies more interesting
DescriptionRight now, the relationship between the strength of the player's ship and the process of collecting technologies is very straightforward. However, there's a lot of different aspects of the player's ship in the combat mini-game that one could take advantage of to make meaningful decisions on the strategic level.

There's four 'tiers' to this suggestion, from the simplest to implement to the richest/most complicated to implement.

1. Some techs specifically boost your weapons, armor, shields, engines, etc. These have to be researched collaboratively with a race to gain their benefits, like the various unique-ship-powerup techs. Basically gives a bit more variety than 'defensive upgrade'/'offensive upgrade'.

2. The above, but these techs are restricted to particular races, giving incentive to be on people's good side/balance the races strategically.

For example, lets say the Burlusts had a unique racial tech that would upgrade your weapon system by one 'always on' virtual power bar, the Peltians had racial tech that specifically improved missile payloads, the Skylaxians had racial tech that improved your shields, the Acutians had racial tech that improved your engines (they can deorbit moons, so...), and so on.

3. The above, but also some of the techs give access to specific ship modules (rather than having everything be random black market or quest finds). For example, get the Burlusts to research Disruptors and then you get that weapon module.

4. Some techs might be prerequisites for performing certain kinds of missions - you need a bombing tech from the Peltians before you can assist a fleet in bombing planets; you need a hacking tech from the Acutians before you can take over outposts; etc.
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Drak

May 14, 2014 7:41 pm

reporter   ~0038082

Last edited: May 14, 2014 7:41 pm

I like # 2 alot (and it should be easy to implement).
# 3 would definetly increase the depth of player/race interactions and could make initial racial choice more important depending on your goals for the game.
# 4 This would have to be done carefully or it could cause significant porblems, but if done correctly could create some nice downsides to the current "pick someone to bully and get everyone else to go along" strategy. In the end, if implemented correctly I agree that this could HUGELY increase the depth of the strategic map's relation to the tactical map - which I wholeheartedly support.

Potential problems that would need to be carefully avoided with # 4:
1) Not being able to do certain missions based on initial race selection making chosing that race completely unfeasable
2) "Favorite" races that have critical/"too useful to ignore" technologies creating restrictions on the breadth of strategies (For instance, the acutian hacking tech mentioned would make any strategy that involved killing the acutians very costly, so those strategies would become "challenge" strategies only instead of feasable options unless some other way to get the tech exists)
3) Losing accesss to important missions/techs if a race gets defeated before you can get rep up to research, or possibly even before it becomes available if year restricted

In short, I like # 4 in principle ALOT! But it would have to be carefully done, and the techs should actually have multiple means of acquisition (like really expensive on the black market if the race dies, or dangerous "tech recovery" missions at the race's destroyed/lost planet to recover critical techs, etc) or be minor enough that having them is "nice" but never getting them isn't a big deal (for techs that are hard restricted to a race). Or a combination of the two.

timfortress

May 14, 2014 7:45 pm

reporter   ~0038083

well we got Health upgrade we got attack power upgrade, I want a speed upgrade for challenging very hard mode

NichG

May 14, 2014 10:08 pm

reporter   ~0038085

Last edited: May 14, 2014 10:08 pm

As far as # 4, perhaps its a good argument for not making techs that act as gateways to specific standard courses of action (like taking over outposts) race-specific, but instead have them be something any race can research (but perhaps certain races are biased towards researching earlier).

Drak

May 14, 2014 11:05 pm

reporter   ~0038090

Yeah, as long as multiple paths (so maybe not every race, but a few, with other alternatives as well) exist to aquire "essential" techs, I think it'd be fine.

Drak

May 14, 2014 11:20 pm

reporter   ~0038091

Last edited: May 14, 2014 11:22 pm

Breaking out (or adding) weapon boosting techs by TYPE (Energy, ballistic, missile, etc) that are exclusive to certain races would also help differentiate the races (Thoraxians/Acutians/Skylaxians may specialize in Ballistics, Burlust in Missile, and Evuck/Andor in Energy for instance - demonstrative only, not meant to be recomendations :), but the player could end up with all the techs (or just the ones desired) allowing them to increase their capabilities more by having more friendly races, or specializing along the lines of their "adopted" race and being rewarded for it.

nas1m

May 15, 2014 2:22 am

reporter   ~0038103

Last edited: May 15, 2014 2:22 am

Love # 2 as well! +1

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
May 14, 2014 5:22 pm NichG New Issue
May 14, 2014 7:41 pm Drak Note Added: 0038082
May 14, 2014 7:41 pm Drak Note Edited: 0038082
May 14, 2014 7:45 pm timfortress Note Added: 0038083
May 14, 2014 10:08 pm NichG Note Added: 0038085
May 14, 2014 10:08 pm NichG Note Edited: 0038085
May 14, 2014 11:05 pm Drak Note Added: 0038090
May 14, 2014 11:20 pm Drak Note Added: 0038091
May 14, 2014 11:22 pm Drak Note Edited: 0038091
May 15, 2014 2:22 am nas1m Note Added: 0038103
May 15, 2014 2:22 am nas1m Note Edited: 0038103