Friendly suggestions for Next Egosoft era

General discussions about the games by Egosoft including X-BTF, XT, X², X³: Reunion, X³: Terran Conflict and X³: Albion Prelude.

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Poobah
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Post by Poobah » Mon, 17. Aug 09, 01:23

Too complex, too time consuming and potentially unbalanced. Again "who decides what factories the NPCS get?".
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mrbadger
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Post by mrbadger » Mon, 17. Aug 09, 01:24

Then thought occurs that a useful thing for complexes would be a warehouse station. No product, just storage, so you could add warehouses to a complex and increase the amount of end product you could have. I'm thinking particulerly of flail and hammer production complexes, so you could increase the max storage capacity without needing to add more production stations.
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Nazgutek
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Post by Nazgutek » Mon, 17. Aug 09, 10:24

Poobah wrote:Too complex
Building a station would involve building a structure unit in space, which would be just as complex as building a single station is now. Structure units would work in a cubic grid, so extending the structure would be as simple as telling the extension to build on the N, S, E, W, top or bottom of existing structure. No positioning, no rotating, no manual aligning needed. Adding internal modules to the structure would be just as complex as equipping a ship; TL next to structure opens up a menu, selects a carried module, and selects 'Install'.

In fact, I think it would be simpler. Linking seven extension structures to an initial structure would be very simple. In my head I can think "link #2 to top-side-#1, #3 to N-side-#1, #4 to E-side-#1, #5 to N-side-#2, #6 to E-side-#2, #7 to top-side-#4, #8 to N-side-#7" would give you a 2x2x2 cube of structure, and that's without using a 3D view interface to help. With a 3D planner window, even easier.

Now you've got a rather sizeable station core, you use the 3D planner to attach the externals (docking, solar panels, for example), and then fill the internals with factories and other facilities. The internals don't need to be placed; the structure provides room for <x> amount of factories the factories go in. You don't have to arrange your cargobay when loading up with goods, and the same can apply here.
too time consuming
Probably quicker than aligning <x> number of factories. Especially considering that there's a nice potential frame-rate saving to be had. In fact, this whole idea came about from the Complex Cruncher script/mod.
and potentially unbalanced
About as unbalanced as the current system is (like 60 chip plant complexes). With an upper limit on station size, and no station linking, players would probably end up having to have multiple stations for megafactories, and using transports to 'connect' them, just like the NPCs have to.
Again "who decides what factories the NPCS get?".
The same people using the same methods as they do currently for what factories the NPCs get.

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Gazz
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Post by Gazz » Mon, 17. Aug 09, 10:27

The_Lost_Marauder wrote:very odd request: can you add a clock script ingame? When I play I lose control of how much time has passed and when it's night I can't see the clock which stands near the screen...
There is a function to (somewhat) query the system date but I can't say offhand if there is a system time instruction, too.

How about you get a cuckoo clock instead? You can hear that at night.
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The_Lost_Marauder
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Post by The_Lost_Marauder » Mon, 17. Aug 09, 11:23

Gazz wrote:How about you get a cuckoo clock instead? You can hear that at night.
:lol:

not a bad idea, but I should be able to suppress him otherwise it can be heard by my parents too, and this is NOT nice! :shock:

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Post by 5c0rch! » Mon, 17. Aug 09, 13:31

I'd like to point people's attention to this thread started by Aragon Speed, for a suggestion on the engine on which Egos next game could be based on. Very interesting prospect in my opinion.
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Lord Dakier
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Post by Lord Dakier » Mon, 17. Aug 09, 13:50

I'd like to see something early in time. Like say, 2137 AD mankind officially develop warships out of space thanks to the help of a handfull of races technology. With a high council of races much like Mass Effect you can take many roles into leading certain factions to power or even becoming such a faction. Only thing is I dont want to see shields. I think it would be much more interesting if we left shields out or atleast made them a later design into the game. Maybe being able to be like the prime minister of a race would be pretty cool lol.

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Post by MegaJohnny » Mon, 17. Aug 09, 14:22

Lord_Dakier wrote:I'd like to see something early in time. Like say, 2137 AD mankind officially develop warships out of space thanks to the help of a handfull of races technology. With a high council of races much like Mass Effect you can take many roles into leading certain factions to power or even becoming such a faction. Only thing is I dont want to see shields. I think it would be much more interesting if we left shields out or atleast made them a later design into the game. Maybe being able to be like the prime minister of a race would be pretty cool lol.
If you did that you'd have to lessen the punishment for taking hull damage.

In X3 if you're still in the Buster and you get half blown up you'll end up with lost equipment, bad top speed and a repair bill you probably can't pay for.

Having hull-only could work though, if it was done right.

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The_Lost_Marauder
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Post by The_Lost_Marauder » Sun, 23. Aug 09, 15:35

A major request if possible: as we all know, X³ (both titles) allow each player to install several addons at the same time: of course if you try to load a previous savegame without the required addons, the game will crash.
If you're lucky, you just close the game and it's all fine, but if not you'll most probably have to reboot the pc, which is not funny.
So the question is: what addons do I need then to run that saved game? IMO, there is no answer for this unless you have good memory (or a piece of paper where you wrote that).

Would be possible to add a feature which recognizes the addons used in that file so can know before loading the saved game if you already have what you need or not?
It is clear that if I start a new game today I'm supposed to know if I'm using one or more addon or if I'm playing Vanilla version, but for old saved games it may be not so clear

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Carlo the Curious
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Post by Carlo the Curious » Sun, 23. Aug 09, 15:36

No need (or point) to post the same thing in multiple threads.

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Post by IceFire909 » Sun, 18. Jul 10, 10:28

Shields could become armour plating. But instead of a seperate percentage metre, you could have it add to the ships health.

I just have to say, about multiplayer.

Why does everyone assume multiplayer = MMO?
Multiplayer could just be a very small scale version of Freelancer (or Borderlands* multiplayer). a Dedicated Host and up to say 6 players connecting.

and Planet interaction. Could have shoot at planets = orbital bombardment
and freelancer style planet docking.

* - 4 players working together to achieve a particular goal.
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Chealec
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Post by Chealec » Sun, 18. Jul 10, 11:57

Nazgutek wrote: Stations are built out of structure units, and each structure unit can be fitted with various station modules. External docking clamps, internal fighter bays, bulk warehousing (think equipment dock/trading station), defence turrets/launchers, factory facilities, solar panels, mining equipment, additional shielding generators, and so on.

I think I've said this myself. Modular stations would be fantastic and it's not radically different from the current system of placing factories and then complexing them up. A Crystal Fab, for example, would essentially be a pre-fab (Crystal processing, living quarters and warehousing) - it would need to be thought about carefully of course.

I would actually like to have a workforce "resource" so as you're building up your corporation you can build entertainment structures, living quarters and so on.

Heck, if you were operating out of a "lawless" sector you could pirate passenger transporters and enslave the passengers to work in your mines or "pleasure complexes".

I would like a space sim that retains the Elite style fighty-tradey aspect but in which you can found a corporation, hire employees (CLS and CAG scripts start down this route) and build an "empire".

Other things I would like to see:
Decent AI so that wingmen don't crash into you and the auto-pillock doesn't plough you into asteroids.

A more "living" universe where actions actually have consequences - "Yes, I know I've just pirated your Agamemnon but the weapons fire was in error! Yeah, we're good now, see ya". Where races might take over "sectors", borders move and the indigenous population can revolt (think the Total War games when you capture a city with radically different culture and the populace is unhappy) - of course the timescale in an 'X' type game is much, much quicker so none of this could work exactly in a Total War style.

A good back-story that fleshes out the universe - the BBS missions did this a bit in X3R - things like news reports on recent conflicts, religious uprisings and even silly "filler stories" about corporation CEOs or whatever - and of course the way the events are reported would be biased by who was doing the reporting (news reports from the "winners" would be different from those of the "losers" obviously)

Greater mission diversity - as well as the standard affair of shoot this, transport this and so on; abduction/defection missions, piracy, stealing corporate tech - add in things like industrial espionage and "illegal" (they may or may not be unofficially sanctioned) operations. With consequences of course - don't expect to be trusted with covert ops missions from a faction you've just spend the last week pirating the trade lanes of for instance.

Oh - a decent mission editor would be nice too so that the devs can _make_ these missions (with relative ease) and the community can add to them afterwards.

Tweaks and AI adjustments like putting the auto-pilot into "combat mode" when you switch to a turret, or being able to daisy chain hot-key commands together into macros (assigned to other hot-keys). Just things that simplify issuing commands - a good example would be Gaz's Improved Boarding script as compared to the vanilla "Piracy" command.


Things I would NOT like to see:
Realistic Physics - that killed Elite's sequels for me. I prefer the dog-fighty style of the original Elite (or X-Wing if you remember that).

MMO - nope, I just wouldn't. I find MMOs turn into almost like a second job after a while - you HAVE to log in because people are relying on you for x, y or z.

Console-ising: I'm sure this isn't even remotely on the cards BUT PC games often suffer from being made "console friendly" - it doesn't play well the to PCs strengths (loads of buttons, a mouse AND a joystick all at once).
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Ozkar
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Post by Ozkar » Sun, 18. Jul 10, 19:18

First off, I love X3 R and TC, great games, thank you EgoSoft!

I agree with Chealac: don't make X4 (for lack of a more accurate name) console-ish. Honestly, I don't expect EgoSoft do move in that direction at all.

Keep it complex, from looking at these forums for the past year or so it seems that a lot of gamers (myself included) enjoy games that are very deep. There are plenty of simple (to play) games out there, and they are great fun, but there are few games that take you to a level that the X games do. I wouldn't mind EgoSofts next game to me even more complex :D

1 vote for modular/crunched/whatever you wanna call it complexes. No more spaghetti plz.

Two things I have really wanted in a game are:

1) The unknown. I would suggest having a core or sectors (the known universe at the time you begin) being static. But maybe a randomly generated expanse of space outside of that core. I am sure that a much much larger universe will be possible in the next installment. Another idea is several races have their core systems that are static and a vast unexplored unknown between them. Perhaps you may have an effect on whether or not these races like each other when they finally discover each other.

2) Capital ships that are big investments, a real feather in the cap to own, last of a while (30s cap battles are a little short imho). I would like to see capital ships being something that is a real accomplishment to own, and also a real accomplishment to destroy. It should take planning to attack and destroy an enemy destroyer, and hopefully the AI will be such that a battle is possible. If you don't disable the right parts on a cap, it will be able to escape when it starts to go down. Maybe have turrets destroyable like in homeworld/freespace. And shockwaves! Those were so cool in freespace, and give the AI fighter pilots the sense to gtfo when its about to blow?

edit for clarity
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Post by Nanook » Mon, 19. Jul 10, 21:37

This thread is nearly a year old and there have been many such threads since. No need to dredge up old ones.
Have a great idea for the current or a future game? You can post it in the [L3+] Ideas forum.

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