SEV suggestions/gripes

[Phoenix-D]

Perhaps your opponent should be building troops of his own? I mean, would you call it "cheap" if you attacked his systems and glassed his planets without issue because he had no ships to oppose you?

EDIT: and yes, I realize this is an AI issue in that case.

[Baal]

I was going to suggest AI issues seeing as I don't PBW. It makes it kind of a deal breaker for me to buy the game if the AI can't build enough ships to fight me.

Also, the reports of 50 troops being contructed clutter the news.

I find that my ships refuel in enemy systems off of enemy resupply depots.

[arthurtuxedo]

I still maintain that troops should be treated more like ships than fighters. The quantities of troops that can be easily landed on a planet brings my system to its knees, often causing the game to freeze, and is rarely necessary anyhow. I say make them cost ~3 times as much and weigh ~10 times as much. Giving weapon platforms the ability to hit ground troops at ranges and damages far exceeding them would also make things a lot more interesting.

[thorfrog]

Well I hate the current troop use. I'd rather see the MOO2 version then this. I just hope mods address this.

[Baron Munchausen]

Another good solution would be to require special launch-bays as are needed to deploy other types of units. Then you can limit the number of troops that can be landed per turn. Now it's just 'as many as your transport can carry'. MM almost did this in SE IV. There is an unused 'Launch Troops' ability in the abilities file.

[Ed Kolis]

You mean it's posssible in SE5?
I suppose a workaround would be creating a "Landing Pod" unit type which is the only type of unit capable of dropping troops, if "drop troops" is even a vehicle capability listed in VehicleUnitTypes.txt... but I doubt that would work, as ships are not listed there, so you couldn't remove the ability from ships without removing all ships and redefining them as units...

[dmm]

Main UI gripes with demo: 1) "Enter" key sometimes works, often doesn't. 2) Can't click into text box to change the middle of a name; you have to use the left arrow. 3) Tab key doesn't change tabs in UI; you have to click. 4) Clicking on sector with planet should pick planet by default; instead it picks nothing. 5) Clicking on planet brings up a large, pretty window, low on info. "What is it building??!!" You have to left-click, then click again on the construction tab. Aargh! 6) Default system magnification shows only MOST of the system. 7) Wierd inconsistencies in shortcuts for closely-related tasks. (But you can change that in full game, so that's not a biggie.) 8) Only 1st item in each planet's queue is shown in the overall construction queue (Shift-Q). 9) Planetary construction queue has picture where there should be info: "What does this planet already have??!!" You have to left-click the picture, then click on the Facilities tab.
10) PageUp and PageDown no longer work; you have to use the mouse scroll wheel.

In summary: Too many clicks. Carpal tunnel syndrome producer.

[Kana]

Drop Drones?

Drop Shuttles (Fighters)?

Drop Pods (Satellites) ?

[AngleWyrm]

Forcing the player to use limited release components wont solve the problem. The player will simply build ships with lots (or if it per ship) many small ships. The outcome will be the same: Player arrives on planet with a bajillion troops, and stomps all over the three to five defenders. Maybe troops should take up more cargo space. Or, if that's too easy, the AI should build a competetive defense force.

There's another problem with making it even more expensive for the player though: The choice of just glassing the planet from orbit vs landing troops will become a no brainer. Why waste time with marines? Just bring a colony ship instead.

[Captain Kwok]

Keep in mind, it does cost 1/10 of a bajillion in resources for maintenance.