Logistics Technology and Macromanagement
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Looks like Frogboy is leaning towards implementing a "logistics" branch to the tech tree to help sort out some StarBase balance issues. I'm all for that! I don't play Large/Gigantic maps since even though GalCiv is extremely streamlined, with very large maps it still gets very tedious to manage your empire turn by turn. I'd like to see some additional "macromanagement" functionality, something along the lines of:
- "stellar government" logistics tech. It turns all the planets in a system into one "metaplanet". Maybe after you get the tech you still have to complete a project that ties in all the information/management conduits between the planets in the startsystem together. Kind of like how Dell and its suppliers use the same database to manage inventory and procurement. So you would have one planet screen for the star system, but all the resources are pooled. So when you build an Overlord, all the planets in the star system work together to get it out. Instead of having two being built at the individual planets over 24-36 months, you would have one being built in 12-18 months.
- "sector government" Now extrapolate the same concept to an entire sector. All the star systems/planets glom together to turn into one "hypermetaplanet" if you would. On a gigantic map, this can cut player time-management overhead by a significant amount. Maybe even extrapolate to one level higher with "quadrant government" fusing 4 sectors together....
Points of consideration:
- Social projects: What happens to existing social projects when planets come together? Perhaps production goes to duplicating projects on planets that don't have them until it is an even playing field. Or maybe projects have their system/sector/quadrant counterparts that have to be built from scratch (with existing projects reducing the amount of time it takes to make the metaprojects"
- low cost military projects: What happens when you want to build a constructor, but with the pooled resources it would only take .05 turns? Where does the excess go? It can roll over, or maybe you can produce "fleets" in one turn. i.e., select constructor and next turn 3 are built instead of just one. Higher cost advanced constructors would mitigate this as well. But freighters/sensor drones etc. could be produced in multiples/turn.
-"construction management" tech -- another idea for a logistics tech is the ability to "custom order" a starbase at a certain location. You send a constructor (maybe with a management team?) to build a starbase. As soon as the SB is built, you order all the modules you want. Then you task individual management centers (planets/systems/sectors/quadrants) to build out constructors, send them to the site, and autobuild to the selected template. This allows you to retain the strategic aspects without having to go through the equivalent of a hundred clicks, twenty mapscrolls and dozens of dialog boxes for each starbase you want to build. Perhaps even governors for starbase templates?? Can do the same concept with "custom fleets" being built out at strategic locations.
OK I'm getting carried away here but you can see where I'm going with it. This automation doesn't make sense early on or on small maps -- it would take the fun out of the initial build. But by introducing logistic techs, you can evolve your civ into the more automated form. So even on a gigantic map with over a hundred planets, the administrative overhead in the endgame is closer to what you would expect from a medium map.
You get the satisfaction of growing your empire to epic proportions without the accompanying dread of having to manage all the individual planets that come with it.
Can you guys help me improve this concept? What pitfalls am I missing? Once this idea is fleshed out, I'd like to add it to the "suggestions" thread. I didn't want to put it in there right off the bat since it would get lost in the noise....
-Baz
- "stellar government" logistics tech. It turns all the planets in a system into one "metaplanet". Maybe after you get the tech you still have to complete a project that ties in all the information/management conduits between the planets in the startsystem together. Kind of like how Dell and its suppliers use the same database to manage inventory and procurement. So you would have one planet screen for the star system, but all the resources are pooled. So when you build an Overlord, all the planets in the star system work together to get it out. Instead of having two being built at the individual planets over 24-36 months, you would have one being built in 12-18 months.
- "sector government" Now extrapolate the same concept to an entire sector. All the star systems/planets glom together to turn into one "hypermetaplanet" if you would. On a gigantic map, this can cut player time-management overhead by a significant amount. Maybe even extrapolate to one level higher with "quadrant government" fusing 4 sectors together....
Points of consideration:
- Social projects: What happens to existing social projects when planets come together? Perhaps production goes to duplicating projects on planets that don't have them until it is an even playing field. Or maybe projects have their system/sector/quadrant counterparts that have to be built from scratch (with existing projects reducing the amount of time it takes to make the metaprojects"
- low cost military projects: What happens when you want to build a constructor, but with the pooled resources it would only take .05 turns? Where does the excess go? It can roll over, or maybe you can produce "fleets" in one turn. i.e., select constructor and next turn 3 are built instead of just one. Higher cost advanced constructors would mitigate this as well. But freighters/sensor drones etc. could be produced in multiples/turn.
-"construction management" tech -- another idea for a logistics tech is the ability to "custom order" a starbase at a certain location. You send a constructor (maybe with a management team?) to build a starbase. As soon as the SB is built, you order all the modules you want. Then you task individual management centers (planets/systems/sectors/quadrants) to build out constructors, send them to the site, and autobuild to the selected template. This allows you to retain the strategic aspects without having to go through the equivalent of a hundred clicks, twenty mapscrolls and dozens of dialog boxes for each starbase you want to build. Perhaps even governors for starbase templates?? Can do the same concept with "custom fleets" being built out at strategic locations.
OK I'm getting carried away here but you can see where I'm going with it. This automation doesn't make sense early on or on small maps -- it would take the fun out of the initial build. But by introducing logistic techs, you can evolve your civ into the more automated form. So even on a gigantic map with over a hundred planets, the administrative overhead in the endgame is closer to what you would expect from a medium map.
You get the satisfaction of growing your empire to epic proportions without the accompanying dread of having to manage all the individual planets that come with it.
Can you guys help me improve this concept? What pitfalls am I missing? Once this idea is fleshed out, I'd like to add it to the "suggestions" thread. I didn't want to put it in there right off the bat since it would get lost in the noise....
-Baz
