Another Wish List for Simple Game Changes

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Author Topic:   Another Wish List for Simple Game Changes

Dixon posted 03-28-99 07:48 PM ET
I love this game, but I'd like to get some feedback from other players on some ideas for a few tweaks to the game that might be nice. I'm only suggesting things that are (apparently) so simple that they might make it into a future upgrade patch. (I've been trying to follow these posts, but I can't read them all, so I apologize if I've duplicaed someone else's suggestion.)
1. Give the AI the intelligence to stop sending probe teams at me after I've built the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm. Since the possession of a "secret" project is not a secret, it's extremely foolish to waste resources by sending probe teams to infiltrate cities owned by the faction that has this project.
2. Add a Preferences option to warn when a base reaches the end of its build queue. I play with the governors off, and if the last item in a build queue is a unit, that base happily keeps building more of that unit type. I have to watch my messages area for messages that don't end with "... items remain in build queue."
3. Add the diplomatic option to cancel a loan. I know that I can just give credits to factions that I want to help out, but it would be nice (and cheaper for me in the short term) to simply cancel a loan that a friendly faction owes me.
4. Add an "economic sanctions" dipomacy option. I sometimes find it impossible to get even pact brothers/sisters to go to war with my enemy. Okay, so maybe they feel too weak militarily for a shooting war, but how about downgrading that Treaty of Friendship to a Truce? That has the effect of breaking off commerce. My intent is to isolate my enemy economically. Let's hit Morgan where it hurts!
5. Add a unit action to "stand your ground". I've had fast units that, when attacked, chose to disengage at 50% damage, even though they were winning the engagement. I hate that. Often, before the end of a turn, you can see that your unit will be attacked, and you might want to instruct it to not retreat. This happens a lot when my scout rovers encounter mind worms. Alternatively, enhance the AI so that fast units won't disengage if they're winning.
Singularity posted 03-28-99 08:01 PM ET
I agree with your ideas. I think they should be added in the next patch. Take a look at my 2 posted topics for my ideas.
Dixon posted 03-30-99 12:25 PM ET
Thanks. I found the post on Additional Random Events. Although my personal preference is to steer away from any random occurrence, no matter how rare, that drastically alters the course of a game (disappearance of all water, loss of all technology, and so on), some of the suggestions were interesting and some additional random events would help to maintain that sense of not having discovered everything about the game yet.
Does anyone know if the good folks at Firaxis periodically read through the suggestions posted on this board and consider them possible inclusion in an upgrade patch? I've seen some really clever and imaginative ideas put forth. Even if they don't make it into SMAC, some of the concepts might apply to a future Firaxis game. Just curious.
Sam Spammer posted 03-30-99 12:41 PM ET
In diplomacy it would be nice if you could pick from a COMPLETE list of technologies to offer other factions as a gift instead of choosing between 2 that the AI picks.
Certhas posted 03-30-99 01:44 PM ET
What I would find VERY handy, would be a farmer automation, to tell them to enhance all farms to soil enrichers, for it's just boring to move 20+ Farmers over 200+ Squares to enhance the farms to soil enrichers.
Or did I miss this option?
myriadSLLS posted 03-30-99 05:04 PM ET
Mostly good ideas; I especially like the ideas of allowing cancelations of enemy loans, the idea of getting those stupid rovers to hold their ground (if told...sometimes it's actually better if they run), and the idea of allowing formers to automatically construct soil enrichers (although I'd make it "pave under all improvements and plant forest," since I tend to usually do that anyway once I've built a Hybrid Forest), or at least some kind of action better than pacing back and forth when formers are set to "automate." I have another gripe: I hate it when my so-called "allies" build bases so close to my own cities that they push the territorial marker into my ciy radii, effectively stealing MY production squares. I see nothing against pushing back your allies borders by building bases right on them (I do it all the time), but stealing an older base's production squares isn't right. Squares in overlapping city boundries should belong to the first faction that claims them, not the last.
Dixon posted 03-31-99 10:43 PM ET
Good ideas. I too have wanted to give an ally a specific technology, but been unable to because it's not on the list of two. And I definitely agree about the border problem, especially if it's a pact brother/sister who's pushing me out of my production squares. Here's a related annoyance -- have you ever planted kelp farms and prepared an offshore area for a sea colony, and then had your "ally" zip in and build his own sea colony there? My fault I suppose for not building my own colony there first, and I suppose it would be hard for the AI to figure out just annoying this behavior would be, but it's still irritating.
Koshko posted 03-31-99 11:14 PM ET
1)Auto Foresting
2)Bonus pts for 'interrogating' a side
3)Minimum distances between cities (no cities 2 squares away from each other)
James W Corney posted 03-31-99 11:49 PM ET
I don't know if this is a stupid idea or not, but I'm throwing it out anyway. To add some more realism; when units are recalled because... say you have units in the Hive's territory, he threatens you to take them out and you do. They instantly appear in the closest base. Forget that the units took five turns to get where they were. Would it make more sense to have them on a sort of forced return. They would pick the shortest route to the closest border and cross it without the player allowed to change the course. Should the player try to he would get that little message thing "you currently have a treaty with The Hive: Break Treaty? Cancel Action?" Does this make any sense? Maybe successful probe teams should have a few turns neccessary before they appear at the closest base. Instead of miraculously appearning. Or crossing an ocean or something.
James
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Author	Topic: Another Wish List for Simple Game Changes
Dixon	posted 03-28-99 07:48 PM ET I love this game, but I'd like to get some feedback from other players on some ideas for a few tweaks to the game that might be nice. I'm only suggesting things that are (apparently) so simple that they might make it into a future upgrade patch. (I've been trying to follow these posts, but I can't read them all, so I apologize if I've duplicaed someone else's suggestion.) 1. Give the AI the intelligence to stop sending probe teams at me after I've built the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm. Since the possession of a "secret" project is not a secret, it's extremely foolish to waste resources by sending probe teams to infiltrate cities owned by the faction that has this project. 2. Add a Preferences option to warn when a base reaches the end of its build queue. I play with the governors off, and if the last item in a build queue is a unit, that base happily keeps building more of that unit type. I have to watch my messages area for messages that don't end with "... items remain in build queue." 3. Add the diplomatic option to cancel a loan. I know that I can just give credits to factions that I want to help out, but it would be nice (and cheaper for me in the short term) to simply cancel a loan that a friendly faction owes me. 4. Add an "economic sanctions" dipomacy option. I sometimes find it impossible to get even pact brothers/sisters to go to war with my enemy. Okay, so maybe they feel too weak militarily for a shooting war, but how about downgrading that Treaty of Friendship to a Truce? That has the effect of breaking off commerce. My intent is to isolate my enemy economically. Let's hit Morgan where it hurts! 5. Add a unit action to "stand your ground". I've had fast units that, when attacked, chose to disengage at 50% damage, even though they were winning the engagement. I hate that. Often, before the end of a turn, you can see that your unit will be attacked, and you might want to instruct it to not retreat. This happens a lot when my scout rovers encounter mind worms. Alternatively, enhance the AI so that fast units won't disengage if they're winning.
Singularity	posted 03-28-99 08:01 PM ET I agree with your ideas. I think they should be added in the next patch. Take a look at my 2 posted topics for my ideas.
Dixon	posted 03-30-99 12:25 PM ET Thanks. I found the post on Additional Random Events. Although my personal preference is to steer away from any random occurrence, no matter how rare, that drastically alters the course of a game (disappearance of all water, loss of all technology, and so on), some of the suggestions were interesting and some additional random events would help to maintain that sense of not having discovered everything about the game yet. Does anyone know if the good folks at Firaxis periodically read through the suggestions posted on this board and consider them possible inclusion in an upgrade patch? I've seen some really clever and imaginative ideas put forth. Even if they don't make it into SMAC, some of the concepts might apply to a future Firaxis game. Just curious.
Sam Spammer	posted 03-30-99 12:41 PM ET In diplomacy it would be nice if you could pick from a COMPLETE list of technologies to offer other factions as a gift instead of choosing between 2 that the AI picks.
Certhas	posted 03-30-99 01:44 PM ET What I would find VERY handy, would be a farmer automation, to tell them to enhance all farms to soil enrichers, for it's just boring to move 20+ Farmers over 200+ Squares to enhance the farms to soil enrichers. Or did I miss this option?
myriadSLLS	posted 03-30-99 05:04 PM ET Mostly good ideas; I especially like the ideas of allowing cancelations of enemy loans, the idea of getting those stupid rovers to hold their ground (if told...sometimes it's actually better if they run), and the idea of allowing formers to automatically construct soil enrichers (although I'd make it "pave under all improvements and plant forest," since I tend to usually do that anyway once I've built a Hybrid Forest), or at least some kind of action better than pacing back and forth when formers are set to "automate." I have another gripe: I hate it when my so-called "allies" build bases so close to my own cities that they push the territorial marker into my ciy radii, effectively stealing MY production squares. I see nothing against pushing back your allies borders by building bases right on them (I do it all the time), but stealing an older base's production squares isn't right. Squares in overlapping city boundries should belong to the first faction that claims them, not the last.
Dixon	posted 03-31-99 10:43 PM ET Good ideas. I too have wanted to give an ally a specific technology, but been unable to because it's not on the list of two. And I definitely agree about the border problem, especially if it's a pact brother/sister who's pushing me out of my production squares. Here's a related annoyance -- have you ever planted kelp farms and prepared an offshore area for a sea colony, and then had your "ally" zip in and build his own sea colony there? My fault I suppose for not building my own colony there first, and I suppose it would be hard for the AI to figure out just annoying this behavior would be, but it's still irritating.
Koshko	posted 03-31-99 11:14 PM ET 1)Auto Foresting 2)Bonus pts for 'interrogating' a side 3)Minimum distances between cities (no cities 2 squares away from each other)
James W Corney	posted 03-31-99 11:49 PM ET I don't know if this is a stupid idea or not, but I'm throwing it out anyway. To add some more realism; when units are recalled because... say you have units in the Hive's territory, he threatens you to take them out and you do. They instantly appear in the closest base. Forget that the units took five turns to get where they were. Would it make more sense to have them on a sort of forced return. They would pick the shortest route to the closest border and cross it without the player allowed to change the course. Should the player try to he would get that little message thing "you currently have a treaty with The Hive: Break Treaty? Cancel Action?" Does this make any sense? Maybe successful probe teams should have a few turns neccessary before they appear at the closest base. Instead of miraculously appearning. Or crossing an ocean or something. James