Space Opera Mod: Idea Brainstorm

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

As some of you might remember, I'm still tinkering about with the (gotta get that name changed) End of Galactic Civilization mod, with which I aim to create a semi-hard science fiction, space opera feel to the game. Up until a little while ago, what I did was mainly mucking about directionlessly, adding in slews of material here and one or two small things there, all without any semblance of cohesion, but recently I have deleted just about everything I put in except one or two things I really wanted to keep, and started a Word document in which I want to create the entire structure of the mod before adding it in in the data files. Problem is, I've kinda run out of ideas, and I think I haven't even sketched out 1/10th of the tech tree alone (I work from the tech tree outward - if I think up something, I fit it into the tech tree first before writing up whatever it was in its appropriate category).

Therefore, I decided I need some expert help.

I already have some stuff I want to keep at least until you can complain about it in the first beta version , but I haven't got..... well, pretty much everything

Currently, I have an entire list of engine types (without technologies for a change) which I think is pretty final but which could benefit from some additions, and I've got all sorts of technologies from random points in the tech tree, though most of them are basic-level techs to be researched in the early game to get your empire going.

The engines go from solid-fuel rocket engines (small, very cheap, relatively high supply usage and low speed, i.e. the staple early game engine for short-range ships like in-system colonizers, population transports and WP defenders) all the way up to the Dimensional Teleport (provides infinite movement at an abhorrently high supplies cost; Emergency Movement ability, re-usable, prohibitively expensive, massive size - you can get from one side of the galaxy to the other with this, but once you're there, you're dead in the water ). Current technologies include basic-level technologies of relatively high cost which go up to high levels; i.e. the "theoretical techs" of stock SEIV, but then these guys continue to pay off throughout the game, with new levels sometimes equalling entirely new levels of technology. I want to have the game techs spread out from the beginning of interplanetary manned space travel and space colonization all the way to the stereotypical sci-fi massive empires of unimaginable proportions, controlling half the galaxy with their highly advanced technology. But, like I said, I could use some ideas

I have some ideas I haven't written down yet because I haven't put them in corporeal form as of now; these include: Red/Blue/Green/UV/IR Lasers, masers, grasers, railguns, mass-drivers, various types of guided weapons, superheavy planet-destroying ISBMs in the form of Drones, ecology, strip-mining, morale, government and administration, solar sail ships (not SEIV style solar sails, but ships capable of high-efficiency low-speed prolonged deep-space exploration and colonization), capital warships (i.e. the basic premise behind the CapShip Mod, for those of you who still remember that monster), a wide range of ground warfare units (various types of infantry, light armor, armor, artillery, field artillery, guerilla fighters, shock troops, aircraft, naval units, special forces, commanding officers, saboteurs/assassins/some sort of troop that kills civilians, etc.), more different functions for "support" types (i.e. bases, sats, weap.platforms, fighters), etc.

Vent all your ideas here; I could really use them. If I use an idea, I'll put your name in the credits.

Thanks in advance.

(Disclaimer: I hope the above wasn't too incoherent and unintelligible, as it's late here and I'm a bit tired.)

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Three linked ideas:
Mobile Planetoid class 'Spaceship'. Can only be moved one square a turn, with a massive supply drain. 50% must be cargo bays. Very, very, very expensive.
Planetoid Jump Drive. Warp Hole opener. Can open anywhere in the galaxy. Takes a massive amount of supply.
Planetoid Bombardment Drones. Large drones with massive warheads. Can only be carried by a planetoid, or maybe a few by a baseship.
So basically, it shows up, wipes out all life in the system and waits for refuel. Vulnerable afterwards. Also vulnerable to swarm tactics.

Planetary Defense Network: A planet-sized Weapons Platform with a bonus to size. Downside: occupies the entire planetary surface. Tiny: +10%, Small +20%, Medium +30%, Large +40%, Huge +50%.

Planetary Cloak: A planet-sized cloak.

Hyper-Velocity Missiles: Direct-fire weapon. The farther away the target, the more the damage.

Ship-Mount Weapons: Takes about half the space on the ship. Fires once. Massive damage.

Missile Pod: Fires once. Very small. Low supply usage. (Idea is that each weapon is a single missile. Pack into satelites for a nasty suprise.)

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Mobile Planetoid class 'Spaceship'. Can only be moved one square a turn, with a massive supply drain. 50% must be cargo bays. Very, very, very expensive.
Planetoid Jump Drive. Warp Hole opener. Can open anywhere in the galaxy. Takes a massive amount of supply.
Planetoid Bombardment Drones. Large drones with massive warheads. Can only be carried by a planetoid, or maybe a few by a baseship.
So basically, it shows up, wipes out all life in the system and waits for refuel. Vulnerable afterwards. Also vulnerable to swarm tactics.

Ooh, me like!

Planetary Defense Network: A planet-sized Weapons Platform with a bonus to size. Downside: occupies the entire planetary surface. Tiny: +10%, Small +20%, Medium +30%, Large +40%, Huge +50%.

Solid idea in itself, and I'll consider it, but I was thinking about having a family of Facilities act as planetary shield generators. (In fact, that's one of the slews of stuff I'd added in. Ranged from small, relatively cheap local shield generator (somewhere between 500-5k shields IIRC), all the way to the Planetary Phase-Shift Generator, which was horrendously expensive and required immense Energy (i.e. rad) upkeep, but which provided 5M phased shield points.

Hyper-Velocity Missiles: Direct-fire weapon. The farther away the target, the more the damage.

Sounds good! I like this concept.

Ship-Mount Weapons: Takes about half the space on the ship. Fires once. Massive damage.

Do you mean Spinal Mount? Iunno, I'll think about it.....

Missile Pod: Fires once. Very small. Low supply usage. (Idea is that each weapon is a single missile. Pack into satelites for a nasty suprise.)

Ah, yes, ammo..... I like, I like.....

Thank you Narf, that's exactly what I need! Keep the ideas coming!

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Sure, shield facilities are good and should be in there, but they can't carry guns. Can't think of anything else at the moment.

[Glyn]

Decoy missiles: cheep, do light damage, take up very little space. There job is to eat up PDs.

[sachmo]

Glyn said:
Decoy missiles: cheep, do light damage, take up very little space. There job is to eat up PDs.

They're called fighters.

[Ed Kolis]

Fighters are cheap?

[Glyn]

Fighters can also be targeted by other weapons and I'm not sure you could make a cheep enough fighter to be used as a decoy for PD.

I believe more fighters are killed by normal weapons than by PD. That and damage overflow (Damage in excess of the amount needed to kill one fighter is applied to the next one in the stack.)

Besides, Missile Decoys could be used to help protect fighters.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Warp Drones? Single-shot warp openers. (Relatively) Cheap, moderatly fast.

Cluster PDS - Small, cheap, low-damage. For those small, cheap, low-damage missiles. Not very effective against anything else.

Mag-Lav Armor - A magnetized liquid that surounds a ship and resists damage. Self-healing.

[Urendi Maleldil]

Unfortunately, drones can't do stellar manipulation.