I just like how he combines "ethnical" and "eliminate". That's so evil!

Seriously: I agree that good civs are hampered by the game - unless you do a lot of evil and buy yourself a white vest (which is just like Bill G., btw).
I don't think tat complicated details and new game mechanics are the answer though.
There is no real reason why evil civs like each other - punish them diplomatically/influence-wise and you've got it simple and realistic at the same time (and don't give me the Axis of Evil rhetorics - that's just propaganda)

This is a really stupid question, but tactical battles means you actually decide what the ships on the Battle Screen does, rather allowing for the computer as now?

I'd love a more developed Diplomatic choices.

I am aware very few are interested in multiplayer, I would though be in the small minority who wants, if only to be able to play with my best friend.

So yes, I'd pay for several more expansion packs, including a MP expansion.

Sincerly,
TIP

A somewhat off topic request: a Twilight of the Arnor AAR from Frogboy.

i think that's what's most players mean when they use the phrase. though i don't think it necessarily needs to mean the player controls every single action. personally i'd much rather have tactical battles work like football. you start in a specific formation and with certain actions and goals in mind, but once the action gets going each player (ship) has to use discretion, on-the-spot judgement and make use of every opportunity (a good player anyway).

IMO this is also more realistic for a tactical battle. the pace of battle wouldn't allow the admiral of a fleet to micromanage every ship's action. a few orders could be sent out to modify the plan - unless of course the enemey were jamming transmissions - but i don't think the kind of management in MoO2 is realistic, and it'd also help keep the pace of battles from becomming tedious.

I would really love a regular series of expansions. Even if I did not love every one, I would probably buy them all (love tactical combat, hate multiplayer but would buy them both.) I would even love to see minimum effort expansions like MOD packs and scenario packs filled with player generated MODs and scenarios. packs like this would keep the game fresh, and on the radar of the gaming sites until the next release is ready. The only downside that I can see from this is someone will eventually accuse you of nickle and diming people to death. I think that that can be dealt with.

Scincerely,
Scintor

The game mechanics not being as you would like them, however, doesn't mean that this is some sort of "Bug" that needs to be "fixed."

Your earlier post makes it sound like there are objective problems with the game in which we owe players an explanation for not "fixing". 

Every design choice we make will always have some percentage of players who disagree with it.  But that doesnt' make the design choice some sort of bug to be fixed.

I'd be up for one more expansion.

I'd like to see an expanded UP and more diplomatic options, as well as have some new random events/colonization events, and have it where the player can choose between if he'd rather build the most advanced building of a certain type or one of the less advanced buildings of that same type.

It would appear that my arguement against a dozen or so expansions backfired. Apparently I need to work on my choice of words, and how I phrase things.



No, you don't owe us an explaination. I never said that you did, though I did ask for one. You don't need to provide one if you don't want to.

In any case, would it be to much to ask to get a "disable random events" button much like how we have the "disable minor races" button?

________________
I appolagize if I came across as rude or was somehow offensive. I don't always percieve these things. I can be overly critical at times, but its never my intent to be mean.

Evil races should not get a diplo bonus with each other.

NLC's do need to be nerfed some I think as well.

hi Brad, did you notice my input on the subject, reply #57? i'd be interested to hear your feedback on my thoughts, especially since you handle the AI.

I'm fairly new to the game, so I might be a slightly different voice than others.. I dunno. I would definitely buy expansion packs up to a point (probably 5 is the most that is reasonable), and would especially like to see the following things improved:

Economy: ?!? I really dislike the current sliders approach. Maybe make each slider individually say how well it will be funded (all 3 being 100% as an option), but feeling like I am hurting myself by not doing an all factory or all labs strategy kinda hurts.

Campaigns: I like storylines, but I wish there was more story and less repetitive building up/doing the same thing over and over. Would love to see more streamlining in the campaigns to make them more "fun". Admittedly, I haven't made it to the DA ones so perhaps this is already happening. But I do get frustrated having to essentially play the sandbox in a constrained environment over and over. I feel campaigns should be more like a starcraft mission, where things happen and a story is told rather than an intro box of text, a contrained sandbox game, and a concluding box of text.

Metaverse: would love to see the metaverse system improved. There should be lots of more ways to compete, similar to altmeta but taken even further. I especially dislike the penalty for playing lots of smaller games rather than a few really huge ones. Imo, smaller games are more fun.. so why should I feel pressured to play a less fun game to score higher?

Tactical combat: Actually, like multiplayer I don't think this is a good idea. It would be too hard to make the AI do well, so those who choose to micro this will do better than those who don't. Lets leave it out. However, it would be fun to have ship vs ship battles and ESPECIALLY planetary invasions redone to be prettier.

Anyways, guess that got sort of long. But I really love what you have done with GCII, and hadn't found a good game of this type since MOO2. I will play and buy expansions, but I do hope to see GCIII someday as there is a limit to how long expansions can substitute for rebuilding from scratch.

Vilgan

Apart from what we can already anticipate from Twilight of the Arnor (and if these features won't be present as part of the "plus more!" in its description,) the only things I can think of that would make the game even more of a joy to play would be:

1) A greater number of normal and mega events, or a greater frequency for those which are already present. After enough games, these often end up being the moments that vary the challenge or add spice to the galactic pageant.

2) A greater consequence or consequences for selecting ethical alignment. The unique projects and bonuses, as well as AI disposition changes are not insubstantial; however a healthy dose of immersion might be added by scripted progressive "mini-narratives" such as rising tensions or specific galactic events with moral implications into which ethical alignments played.

3) If not the Epic Generator, something less complex to catalogue our accomplishments and defeats, even if it were limited to an end-game timeline indicating when invasions, defeats, surrenders, important mega events, etc. all occurred.

4) An option to continue playing following victory. This might seem pointless, but it's a fun pursuit of mine in games like the Civ series. It would be fun to converse with AI races and have them use scripted comments acknowledging your victory i.e. "Greetings, peace bringer. The galaxy sure is a much safer place since you united all of us!" in the case of a diplomatic victory, or, "What? Is someone there? It's grown suddenly warm in here, and I seem to hear someone speaking in my mind...hey! Get out of my head! Argh!" for the tech victory.

Might I suggest a storyline:

'The proponent race' (player choice), at the beginning of the turmoil of the Hyperdrive expansion (or perhaps near the end of the Dark Lords campaign), siezes the opportunity to send a special long range colonial flotilla through a massive transient wormhole, for the preservation of the race if things go completely sour in the home cluster.

They are thrown to another galactic neighborhood, possibly to another galaxy altogether (the mystery about that can be part of the storyline). They have to find a home, deal with local races, and possibly, ultimately, find a connection back to the home cluster. Who will be in charge there. Did the reach of the Precursors extend to this new area? Are there other precursors, or their artifacts?

Perhaps instead of an ordinary colonist, the safe haven flotilla has the 1st ever mobile starbase, or a hollowed asteroid, and they can opt for a space based culture.

etc, etc.

drrider

An alternate path might be that the safe haven team were tossed in TIME, and they wind up competing to BECOME the Precursors, or they wind up competing with familiar but decendant cultures long after the Dread Lords war.

Any of the above might happen when you go through the wormhole on Turn 1; be prepared to cope.

drrider

Eh, as far as I'm concerned, you could take it a step further (or in this case less) than expansion packs, and offer mini-expansions or micropayments. For example, I'd be willing to dish out 5 bucks for more ship jewlry, or for a decent starbase manager, or for a new race or campaign, or for hot-seat ability. I'd really love the option of being able to pick and choose what I want, and not being forced to buy 2 or 3 expansions for stuff I didn't want. 40 bucks per expansion isn't alot, I know, but it's kinda a principal of the matter thing. In fact, I'd probably wind up spending more than 40 bucks worth of 'extras'. Maybe some combination of expansions and micropayments are in order...