Mod/Sandbox Dev Ideas

[SaintXi]

We are planning out mod/sandbox ideas at the moment - we would be very happy to have your input.

So if you have ideas for missions, tech or even 100% conversions you can add them here to help us design the mod kit.

And if you have experience creating content with other games we appreciate your ideas on how to make the kit as useful as possible. eg: Text files, GUIs, Scripting langs...

Simon
Lead Dev at SaintXi

[Warfunn]

For Sandbox:
-Be able to select amount, type, size, number of fuel/resource spots and moons of planets. So you could have it random, I do not know if this is possible with your engine, for an unique play everytime. Or adjust the settings so you could have the game you wanted. I am sure there will need to be a maxium setting for the amount of planets.
-Be able to select different types of missions/game modes, like defeat pirates, defend a certain planet, stay alive for a certain amount of time, endless sandbox fun or reach a certain income goal.
-Be able to select different factions and the amount of players. (Pretty much a given :) )
-Be able to select starting money, resources, number of colonies/planets and colony level.
-Be able to set tech level/researched techs.

Misc:
-Able to build land defenses
-Able to build/research missles that you can launch at other planets from your own. They will be faster then ships but would still take a good amount of time to reach another planet.

[spyre]

Settable faction types for the sandbox, ie how agressive they are etc

How about missions to find alien artifacts, they could give boosts to happyness / trade / new weapons / ships. Or maybe you have to find 3 of a particular type to gain a benefit. Be too greedy about getting them though and the alien faction may show up wanting the planets where the artifacts are located.

Ground based laser / missle defense towers would be useful but make them pretty unpopular happynesswise so you cant go crazy and have a planet which then becomes a death star ;)

A Boarding party option to the ship design with it you can board enemy ships and take them over, but you would have to get close and need more boarding parties if the ship is large and it would only have a chance of success

A smugglers hideout building type where you can hire pirates to harrass the enemy for x number of months / years. This spawns x number of pirates at an rival factions planet. Stopping them expanding until they are taken care of. You could also hire sabotours to take out power to a particular colony or blow up their star port etc.

Random natural disasters like an plentquake/storm/volcano or a meteor hitting a planet just to spice things up a bit to keep you on your toes. These could introduce new deposits of minerals etc so add new resources to the planet.

Ion cannons for ships to take down enemy shields on planets

Option to blow up a resource (although it would cost quite a bit) so you can use the land for something else. Ie if you just needed one more of another building type but couldnt build it as you dont have any more room but didnt need the resource

cloaking generator for ships, stays active until ships fire, takes a while to auto-reactivate. Useful if anyone wanted to do a Star Trek mod etc.

[Warfunn]

Boarding ships would be fun :D

Techs:
-Computer Systems ~ Targeting systems, Nav systems, Engine systems, Planet Managment etc... They will provide a small bonus to the selected field, but make the ship easier to disable via Ion Cannons, Energy weapons or EMP type weapons.
-A weapon tech like an EMP that will disable a ship and enable you to capture it. You can also savalage tech off a captured ship at an increased cost and research time.
-General savalaging, returns a precentage of resources from a destoryed ship and could also provide small bonuses to fuel output.
-Tech for reducing colonizing costs and increasing the speed at which you can colonize.
-Tech for reducing construction costs.
-Tech for increasing population birth rate.
-Tech for reducing construction cost and time for ships.

[someguy0]

a quick game option would be good.

[spyre]

How about a Cyborg Tech so that people dont need as much food (since they are part machine) They can also use faster ships since their bodies aren't as frail anymore. They would be less unhappy as they like machines more. Slower birth rate though.

Maybe make it so if you research some techs you cant research others to add more strategy to it. For example If you did research Cyborg parts you couldn't research faster population growth since your people would have problems in that area if they are more machine than human.

[Dr DooM]

How about a Cyborg Tech so that people dont need as much food (since they are part machine) They can also use faster ships since their bodies aren't as frail anymore. They would be less unhappy as they like machines more. Slower birth rate though.

Maybe make it so if you research some techs you cant research others to add more strategy to it. For example If you did research Cyborg parts you couldn't research faster population growth since your people would have problems in that area if they are more machine than human.

cyborg tech.

UPSIDES

Less food requirement.
Faster ship production.
Higher pop cap.


DOWNSIDES

Pop requires energy.
Slower research speed.
pop morale limited to "content".

[Teellox]

And if you have experience creating content with other games we appreciate your ideas on how to make the kit as useful as possible. eg: Text files, GUIs, Scripting langs...


I believe that Lua is the de-facto choice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lua_(programming_language)#Applications) for game scripting these days. Many existing game modders are familiar with the language, and as it comes with a C API for embedding into other programs, and LoA is written in C++, it's the most obvious choice for scripting support.

Teellox
(pjf on the SaintXi forums)

[Dr DooM]

Someone posted this on the other site and it occured ingame to me as well.

Simk wrote:
(...)
Just something I would like to comment on with this:
Will you ever plan to create some form of intergalactic trade? I just don't see that small moon with four asteroids stockpiling all the goods they can create so only they can have the coolest TV's. It could just be a building that has to be built at the "capitol" that enables goods to be "sold" to other worlds that require it.


maybe a structure that enables trade with other planets?

Launchpad evolution:

1.Landing pad

2.Starport

3.Orbital Starport (Requires T3 colony + X goods)[enables trade with other planets within same Solar orbit. IE: the neighboring moons]

4.Solar Hub (Requires T3 colony + X goods+ X planetary pop) [Enables trade with all planets in solar system]

5.Galactic Port (Requires X SOLAR pop - some huge number but that systems total) [Enables trade with other Solar systems]


Of course for the bigger trade centers to work you would need more than one, the more you have the better the return.



OR

*i dunno they might already be in the game i havent finished it yet

Planetary Goods Hub Evolution:

1.Goods Hub (Enables trade with other neighboring moons)

2.Solar Triage Center (Enables Solar trade)

3.Planetary Immigration Center [separate building](Requires Solar Triage Center, enables populations from over populated planets to migrate and vice versa)

4.Galactic Hub (requires Solar Triage Center, enables interstellar trade, if you have a Planetary Immigration Center on planet it enables interstellar migration as well *requires civilian transport tech*)

OR you could just go with ship techs, but then again you would REALLY start pushing into traditional 4X territory, at least with structures its build and forget kinda philosophy.

You could still do cool things like "Pirates are in the sector! Trade is plummeting!" instead of "a ship has blown up! find the pirate" it equates to the same.

[Dr DooM]

Next time it would be perhaps better to give the player the option to pick a side.

Story choice Driven : you decide to follow the orders/suggestions/pleas from one faction or the other which in turn leads to the other factions "liking" you less or more reflected in the options [and tech] you will have later.

Initial Choice Driven : You pick a faction at the beginning or the game. Its more "traditional" and probably easier to script. a LOT less immersive though.

Its a bit frustrating to be constantly playing against "oneself"

[Dr DooM]

A "flatten planet" and "flatten Solar system" key

you press/click it and can see ALL the built structures with ownership.

No more playing crazy maze ball searching to a free spot or if you've built a particular structure more than once.

ALSO

When looking at the planet in current 3D mode could we please have the entire owned section [not just the bordered outline] in one colour? (or at least give the option to do so) Enemy factions on the same planet would have their entire owned landmass/colonies in one colour as well.

After an attack it's currently a nightmare to figure out who owns what and where should i plonk down my colony to get maximum structures under my control.

[DukeP]

A "flatten planet" and "flatten Solar system" key

you press/click it and can see ALL the built structures with ownership.

No more playing crazy maze ball searching to a free spot or if you've built a particular structure more than once.


Hey! I consider that to be a fun, fun mini game. ;)

~~DukeP~~

[DukeP]

What about an option to make it turn based?

I know - this stinks of old-school pretech.

But hey. I AM old. ;)

~~DukeP~~

[E-carus]

I`m thinking just keep it simple for now, choose a solar system and how many players. Don`t add anything new just nice and simple, maybe add other stuff later.

[Smiiley]

Im amazed they make a space game with no aliens whatsoever! Making a couple of Unique palyable alien factiosn with unique technology like cloaking!

I also like the idea of defensive emplacements on a colony :) a Big lazer cannon would be sweet ^^ Also its something i would expect on a planet with no ozon layer and good vision. Maybe you can sacrifice a meteor circling a moon or something to make it into a big powerful cannon ;D

Ofc, also need the divide fleet option! :D

If its under planning ;) id hope its possible to get a multiplayer mode, special made where things get produced quicker and income is faster so people dont need to rely on putting on super speed :) This game is perfect for multiplayer ;) just need to adjust the income and production rate.

Cheers!

[Dr DooM]

this game with no "aliens" harkens back to SciFi when the real "enemy" was the USSR..that in itself deserves kudos. CLASSIC stuff.

Only man would be stupid enough to go into space, discover new horizons, and fill it with war.

[Smiiley]

yes :) we all know mankind is warhungering...then lets warhunger on some aliens

[Engine]

A "flatten planet" and "flatten Solar system" key

you press/click it and can see ALL the built structures with ownership.

No more playing crazy maze ball searching to a free spot or if you've built a particular structure more than once.Man, do I love this idea. Even a little icon box at bottom right that quickly shows number of each building on the planet would help. It can be a pain hovering over starport on each planet to see how many I have.

I'd also like to see a wireframe display of what space the colony will take up after it expands to T2, so I can plan my colony placement a bit better. I like trying to maximize colonized area on planets. :)

[Dr DooM]

[...]

I'd also like to see a wireframe display of what space the colony will take up after it expands to T2, so I can plan my colony placement a bit better. I like trying to maximize colonized area on planets. :)

As far as i've been able to tell (and im no expert) T1 colonies upgrading to T2 gain one cell space circumference.


maybe ive been doing it wrong ...you can get more??:)

[OrtRestave]

They expand again at City. It can be a little hard to keep track of where multiple colonies will expand over a long period of time, especially on small and irregular worlds, so a visual expansion guide (dotted lines?) being present would be sort of nice. Especially for those of us compulsive types who try to fit in as many colonies of the largest size possible on every world. :)

[Engine]

Especially for those of us compulsive types who try to fit in as many colonies of the largest size possible on every world. :)

That's why I'd like the wireframe. I have a problem. :(

[Smiiley]

When can we expect the sandbox mod to arrive? =) and hopefully its free? ;)

[SaintXi]

It will take a while to get right - and will probably form a big part of LoA2

[bomimo]

I heard you guys plan on episodic game series, i was just wondering, wil they work like expansions for this game?

Pro's for doing that could be extra content, bigger galaxy for sandbox and more factions and gamemodes.

and if you were to release multiplayer you could release it as a seperate executable that uses all of the content of your episodes?

or are you going to release it as a seperate game?

i know my composition is bad heh sorry. but i just thought i would say this if you hadn't thought about it, but you could treat it as valve does with the source engine games: each game their executable but shared resources.

or bundle it all up so we have a multicampaign, spacecolonisation game with a great number of stars and several factions... just a thought though.

anyway GReAT GAME thanks for making it.