Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: taltamir

batch delete of ship deigns.

batch select planet for colonization from empire planner.

setting colonization targets should not queue up extra colonizers at planets. It should go to a "master queue" that will queue it when a suitable planet has a free spot for building one.

cancel colonization command from within expansion planner.

+1 on all of the above, especially number #3
With that, the "suitable planet" needs to be tweaked for better selection as well, as brand new colonies aren't truly suitable to build colony ships IMO

Not sure if this has been mentioned before or not... have not read through ALL the pages hehe

How about the ability, at the start of the game when you select the opponents you play against, to be able select the special governments of the different empires.

For example, I can not select to play against an insectoid race with the Hive Mind special government. Can only select the basic types of governments. If they have the special types of governments as perks, they should be able to play as that gov. No matter if they are comp. AI

Yes?

ORIGINAL: BigWolf

ORIGINAL: taltamir

batch delete of ship deigns.

batch select planet for colonization from empire planner.

setting colonization targets should not queue up extra colonizers at planets. It should go to a "master queue" that will queue it when a suitable planet has a free spot for building one.

cancel colonization command from within expansion planner.

+1 on all of the above, especially number #3
With that, the "suitable planet" needs to be tweaked for better selection as well, as brand new colonies aren't truly suitable to build colony ships IMO

Agreed, estimate their their time to build based one their current production rate. A fully built colony is 400+, a newly built is 40... a fully built colony can build 10 in the time it takes a newly founded colony to build one...
this is especially a problem if PIRATES are set to max... because they are everywhere with huge and powerful ships... this means they will blow up your unfinished colonizers unless they are built in a planet with a spaceport.

ORIGINAL: Okim

We need a priority list of objects for automated escort/patrol missions, probably with the maximum/minimum number of assigned ships per object. It seems that currently these ships randomly pick their assignments regardless of importance of objects. For example i sometimes see 2-3 ships patrolling  one of the numerous steel mines and no one bothering to patrol a distant and more valuable resort station or research platform.

The highest priority should be escorting colonisers and constructors or even better - waiting at their destinations to ensure that there wont be pirate ambushes or a monsters wont lurk near the site waiting for a juicy unprotected slow-moving breakfast. There is some kind of a 'wait' mission when colonising an indie planet, so this may be already present.

I disagree, that should be the lowest priory... escort means the ship isn't being used...
the highest priority should be to KILL threats...
Blow up pirate bases, kill space monsters, etc...
if there are no known threats, then and only then should the protect such ships.

Pirates copying other empires' ship models is an emergent exploitable game design.

I've now seen player advice encouraging others to just redesign the capital ship model to something usable at game start and stick to capital ships for the warship fleet, leaving basic designs of the 'smaller' ship classes to be copied by pirates.

This is a strong argument in favor of discontinuing this game feature. Pirates probably should develop their own lines of ship designs.

kind of mentioned before but Calamities! plagues that can cause large population loss. and if you don't isolate/cordon offthe worlds private ships can spread the plague to other worlds.

Individual worlds/merchant guilds should be able to make demands on you. Proptecting planets/ trade routes, etc... 

ORIGINAL: taltamir

Agreed, estimate their their time to build based one their current production rate. A fully built colony is 400+, a newly built is 40... a fully built colony can build 10 in the time it takes a newly founded colony to build one...
this is especially a problem if PIRATES are set to max... because they are everywhere with huge and powerful ships... this means they will blow up your unfinished colonizers unless they are built in a planet with a spaceport.

You'd think the algorithm for finding the best build site would be pretty simple for a computer: Min of (Time To Finish Current Queue + Time To Build Colony Ship + ETA Of Colony Ship When Built). All of these values are knowns and can be computed by simple arithmetic, so it should be really simple to do this. I have no idea why it doesn't already.

troop carries should aggressively load up on troops using the same level of aggressiveness ships now show for loading up on fuel...

that is, any order given to them, even manually, should be suspended while they go load up on troops.

the default install directory is currently "C:\Matrix Games\Distant Worlds"
It should be "C:\Games\Distant Worlds" or at least "C:\Games\Matrix\Distant Worlds"

I have only seen one game thus far (forgot its name) that installed to C:\Games\name by default... yet almost everyone I know manually changes it to be that way...

Kudos on not installing into program files. A game does not belong there, besides, it causes permissions issues for people in user mode.

an option for merchants to automatically design completely unarmed.
1 gun is not enough, so i might aswell save my private sector the cost of building AND maintaining that.

two SEPARATE design screens.
A state design screen where you design your state controlled ships and bases. (can be automated or done manuallY)

A PRIVATE design screen where you may view private ship designs, however you do not have control over it, the AI designs all private ships.

ORIGINAL: taltamir

1 gun is not enough, so i might aswell save my private sector the cost of building AND maintaining that.

Yes, the one gun thing is basically totally worthless because it doesn't scale to the actual things attacking you, unless you're mounting something like a Devastator Pulse. There is absolutely no attacker in the game that has only one weapon. I would rather just stick to the system of being armed to the teeth and hated by all. Let them hate, so long as they fear.

As an alternative, consider changing it so that things armed over the limit are restricted to home space. I don't really want them traipsing off to the other side of the galaxy anyway, when there are resources right HERE.

Pop up a menu when click on the selected objects list below in order to form a global task assigned automatically.

1. Enemy units / planet / galaxy / group / fleet.
2. Abandoning ship (including those of the repairs).
3. None selected object / Click a blank area.
4. Planet types are mining, tourism, scientific research.

ORIGINAL: skulldownz

Pop up a menu when click on the selected objects list below in order to form a global task assigned automatically.

1. Enemy units / planet / galaxy / group / fleet.[/quote]
I am not sure what you are asking here.
But you can right click, or even ctrl+right click (forces a menu on targets who would otherwise do a default action)

2. Abandoning ship (including those of the repairs).

Already available, "retire>Retire Immediately"

3. None selected object / Click a blank area.
4. Planet types are mining, tourism, scientific research.

Again, no clue what you are trying to say

If you selected a Enemy Unit and Right click on it
Then the pop-up-menu for Enemy unit:">Attack"
will automatic arrange your fleets opportune to attack enemy
I think a group of Enemy Unit can be selected will do more effect..

If you selected a Gas-Plants
Then the pop-up-menu for this Plant:">Build >Gas Mining Station"
will automation stack a task to gobal task,and arrange a worker to do later.
(tourism /scientific place..and so on)

If you no selected any thing,Right click.
The the pop-up-menu will show:
">Build> Immediately/later..." Build somthing..
">CautionLevel >Red/Yellow/Green ..." Gobal force caution,let the Fleets run more or less guard & patrol
...

If you selected a damaged Abandoning ship , you will need
">repair" arrange a Worker repair it later..(no need you Find a Worker to repair it)
I think a group of these ships can be selected will do more effect..

another..
I think a construct,colony,explore Ship can join a Fleet.. .It will work on a Fleet expedition AI:automatic like a Indepent world.

Supply Ship AI/command should do more like Strategic base in a fleet..

ok i get it now...
yea, that would be useful... kinda like how you can right click a planet and select "build a colony ship and send it here to colonize"...

so you could do something similar for sending a constructor to build mines, etc...

good ideas.

This is probably a pretty trivial thing but I have a really hard time remembering where all of the moons are.  Moon QF2817 is not a very descriptive name when one has a couple hundred to try to remember.  Maybe just putting the planet its orbiting in the box would help me. Ex. Moon QF2817, Keppha 3

I would like to be able to give a ship or fleet orders without having to close the ship or fleet windows. Seems like I have to do alot of cycling back and forth.

That has been mentioned before, Diggydad, but still well worth mentioning again!

/seconded

Here's a minor but irritating (and simple to fix!) issue:  How about having an "open lock" icon showing on the lock-view button when the view is unlocked, and the "lock" icon showing for when the view is locked?  I'm frequently forgetting whether the view is locked or unlocked, and being to tell at a glance rather than finding out when I try to pan the view would decrease my overall irritability by .26%.  [;)]