Greetings,
First off great job! The game and its features are progressing very well in my opinion. This build feels like a game. Below are some things both positive and somewhat less so.
My game is on occasional Stars, Planets and Habitable Planets with lots of asteroids. I felt this was a GREAT setting. I had about 6 planets I was able to colonize yet I would definately need life support to reach other areas of the map, which ment that the AI also need that as well. I was able to build a small core of established worlds before my venture in other territories. This was a HUGE point of happiness for me at least. I wanted to get my empire set up and production going along with starports and econmics going.
I spent 45 minutes trying to figure out how to mine the new resources. Yes we need to build a starbase but, nothing tells me how or what tech I need to do so. In fact I could find NOTHING on our tech tree that says, enables the building of Constructors. I found it when I unlocked medium ship size, however nothing said thats what it gave me. It would help a new player if they hover the mouse over a resource and a tooltips says " Elerium, research "Medium to unlock constructors for starbases"
You took away our cash! This forced me to build slowly and also to adjust production to help build colony ships rather than focus on social production. Good job here!
This first phase of play felt like I had tons of stuff to do while preparing to get the empire built up for 2nd phase expansion. The enemy could not reach me but neither could I reach them. I really liked it this way.
There is zero incentive for anyone to go Benevolent. I took pragmatic for the most part but there needs to be a reason, or pay off for taking benevolent. At this point is all diplomacy bonuses but it really needs more, war mongers benefit heavily by research bonuses, how bout a good economic boost for going benevolent? You people are happy so they complain less?
I feel that if we have a planet and a resource is in its immediate sphere of influence mining bonuses should be had if I plop a starbase near it to get it. Starbase out in no mans land are as is but ones inside the sphere of your influence or empire should have slightly better mining production. Just an incentive to colonize those places with resources adjacent.
Planetary buildings like Economic or Production capitals should NOT appear in any planets build cue if I have already planned to build them on another planet. I put my eco capital on Yavin V with 5 trade centers around it, it should not appear in my build options when I go to Smarkand II and build there.
I started at 6pm last night and looked up and it was past 10pm and I still did not encounter the enemy as I had not researched life support. I was really establishing my empire and I still have not researched weapons or defenses.
Lines on the map. these lines show up horizontally inside my planets influence area, not outside it.
Love the build so far!
