Peacefull expansion is a boring game

[HsojVvad]

This isn't just for DW, but most 4X space games I play. Since DW seems the most real and life like, I am playing as life like I think how we would expand if we have warp technology. So I met a few races and they only colonized 2 systems, while I have 5. I am thinking of declaring war, since all I am doing now, is letting time go by. Makes for a boring game. I was thinking of starting a new game, with less stars so territory would mean so much more.

So I opened up the editor, and saw other races have 5 or more systems, so I think I will keep playing this game right now. But it will be a bit of time before, we ever meet. I have nerfed myself so my military ships only have one fuel tank so their ranges are not long. Only my scouts have 2 fuel tanks, and deep exploaration ships have 3 tanks.

So how do I make the peacefull expansion more fun? For the last hour I didn't do much, quite boring. I don't think I should start a war, since I am roll playing humans who expand peacfully. What can I do to make it more fun? Research is slow, I have colonized as many planets that I can, no more continental planets, so it's scouting as far as I can on 3 fuel tanks will let me.

So what's left to do except for running at 4X for a while.

[Erik Rutins]

Set the galactic aggression higher is one option, and setup a galaxy populated with some of the more xenophobic/aggressive races.

[Joram]

I think it depends on your style. To be honest I prefer peace as I can't handle war very well in this game and still have fun.

[Titanwarrior89]

Same here. Some wars can be hard to keep up with. I enjoy both.

ORIGINAL: Joram

I think it depends on your style. To be honest I prefer peace as I can't handle war very well in this game and still have fun.

[taltamir]

press the + button twice... it will increase your speed to 4X, making the boring early expansion part move along much quicker.
Actually I play the entire game in only two modes, 4x and paused.

[Bartje]

Peace and Development shoudn't be boring, perhaps some kind of random event system and internal politics could be introduced?


Internal Politics:

Elections! A senate! (This is seen nicely in GalCiv and EU: Rome by the way!)

This can be as abstract as possible, a screen that displays a senate room and a percentage of the party dominance is all that's needed.

How would this work? Well depending on your government you get elections.

Elections determine some of your racial strengths and weaknesses.

Peacefull development is aided by a progressive liberal party

War & Military armament is aided by a conservative or nationalist party

There could even be radical parties that desire radical policies.

The consequence for not catering to the "will of the people" is simple to abstract as well, It simply adds to Empire unrest.

How is this fun? Well it adds to the amount of things the player can manage in peace. Its an extra mechanic for immersion as well as gameplay.


Random Events:

Nothing spices up life more than some nice unpredictable events! Ofcourse there should be an option to turn it off though.

Ofcourse certain races / governments should have smaller chances of certain events occuring. (Does a hive have politics? Crime? Scams? That seems highly unlikely)


- Bank robbery (catch the escaping pirate!)

- Trading Scam! (aprehend the civilian selling bad spaceship parts!)

- Giant Kaltor Mating Season! (they're mating like rabbits!)

- Asteroid on a colission course! (kill it quickly!)

- Space Slug Infestation! (they're mating like rabbits!)

- Hyperspace Disturbance! (temporary slower travel / faster travel in a region)

- Political Landslide! (Unexpected election outcome!)

- Significant Cosmic Event Observed (Science bonus!)

- New Solar system formed (who will claim this system?!)

- Unexplained Cosmic radiation increase! (sensors become less effective)

- A sun goes Supernova! (get out of there!)

This could just be the top of the iceberg! There is so much potential here!

How is this fun? Well unpredictabilty is a part of our existence, mimicing this in the DW universe provides immersion. It also provides something to do in peace times!





Besides, as Erik says in his signature: In times of Peace, Prepare for war!!
(Note: Rome was a Republic once Erik!! What do you think about internal empire politics?)

[FerretStyle]

I don't see how peaceful expansion can be fun with such a lack of micromanagement. All you really do is scout out resources and colonize.... not very interesting.

[HsojVvad]

I was playing at 4X speed, with nothing to colonize close by all I did was wait, and wait and wait. Well I am starting a new game and setting the AI agrression to Choas. Hope I don't regret that setting. [:'(]

[taltamir]

Elections! A senate! (This is seen nicely in GalCiv and EU: Rome by the way!)

This can be as abstract as possible, a screen that displays a senate room and a percentage of the party dominance is all that's needed.

How would this work? Well depending on your government you get elections.

Elections determine some of your racial strengths and weaknesses.

It was fine for gal civ... but I really wouldn't like seeing it in distant worlds.

Peacefull development is aided by a progressive liberal party

War & Military armament is aided by a conservative or nationalist party

I find both of these statements to be incredibly wrong and potentially offensive... eh, but don't sweat it, I have a thick skin.

Random Events:

Not my cup of tea, as long as its possible to turn those on/off in game creation though I am fine with it.

[Bartje]

I'd like to see Election and internal politics if it suits your government.

Don't want to listen to the private sector? Then be a dictatorship! or Hive!

it should be optional, it doesn't hurt to cater to both sides there.


This would be awesome to have!

[Fishman]

ORIGINAL: taltamir

Random Events:

Not my cup of tea, as long as its possible to turn those on/off in game creation though I am fine with it.

DW does not need "Random Events" because it is already a grab-bag of total chaos and randomness, what with all the ruin goody huts and pirate booty. Randomness already kinda heavily dominates the early game outcome, like when you find that 800-firepower capship and go on a shooting spree while the AI has 15-firepower destroyers.

[Bartje]

So what's wrong with expanding and potentially "balancing" the facets of available chaos then? (more random stuff, more = better [;)])

[Fishman]

ORIGINAL: Bartje

So what's wrong with expanding and potentially "balancing" the facets of available chaos then? (more random stuff, more = better [;)])

You have any idea what a pain in the neck it is to test and balance non-deterministic, non-statistical things? It's one thing for something to be random: If it's going to be done a lot, you can apply statistical analysis. It's another thing when the sky may or may not randomly rain blood once in a game. Will it merely be a minor nuisance that you can ignore, or will it be a game-breaker? If the former, then a lot of effort is wasted in making and testing something that has no effect. And if there's one thing the game clearly did not have, it's enough effort in testing it. Why place additional strain on something that is clearly already in a shortage?

[Bartje]

I do, but its not truly chaotic by default because you know it will happen, just not when. (if chaos is truly chaotic then... not everything that's possible is possible ??)

Regarding balance, thats a playtest issue that can be easily scaled through updates as well as beta patches.

Most of the balacing would happen by the developers, who'm I think have a pretty good idea of what fits and what doesn't fit. The rest gets filtered out.

Call it growing pains.

[:D]

I still feel it would improve the game, besides if you wanted too you would probably be able to turn it off.

[Jamoid]

i am in an awkward situation in these games. i generally find peace boring too, but usually feel guilty starting wars myself. basically i enjoy guiltfree fighting. come to think of it, that's how i play most games. when i played pvp-centric MMOs in the past i'd usually bring an irishman with me to start the fights so i didn't have to.

so anyway, obviously since you can't bring an irishman into distant worlds to start fights for you the best thing to do is follow erik's advice and crank up the aggression. then you can either give in to your warlike tendencies or have a much more interesting time trying to maintain peace through bribery etc.

have to say though i've been having a lot of fun playing as the dhayuts. it's fairly hard to avoid war with them, so if you can bring yourself to play as one of the ugly races you could have a lot of fun with them. i find it fun playing a crazy low reproduction rate species that has to rely on enslaving the other races to survive. not usually my style, but i'm finding it very fun for now.

[HsojVvad]

LMFAO. How true that is Jamoid. Why the frack (been watching too much Battlestar Galactica now LOL) do I feel guilty starting a war in a video game? When I play the Dhayuts, I don't feel guilty, but I do when playing humans. I don't get it.

[gargoil]

ORIGINAL: Davor

LMFAO. How true that is Jamoid. Why the frack (been watching too much Battlestar Galactica now LOL) do I feel guilty starting a war in a video game? When I play the Dhayuts, I don't feel guilty, but I do when playing humans. I don't get it.

Hehe, same here. I think I feel they should all submit to my obvious superior culture, ecomony and diplomacy. [8D] If they don't, then the hammer is waiting for their first wrong move [:D]

[Jamoid]

yeah it's weird for sure. i think it's because if we play as the humans we imagine we are playing as ourselves. now i like to think that if i really was running a galactic empire that i'd feel bad mercilessly wiping out a peaceful nation of frogfaced friends or cutesy rodents with cat's faces etc. i guess that reflects slightly on how we feel when we play the game.

on the other hand, if we play alien races, especially the "evil" types like the dhayuts we are obviously not playing as ourselves, so there's a much bigger detachment and element of roleplaying going on. we are playing with a different set of morals if you like.

i need to stop reading into stuff so much and just play the damn game.

[Bartje]

You are the jelly of many faces,
 
You make me hungry
 
I eat you now! [:'(]

[Jamoid]

go on then, just a spoonful though.

watch out for the moldy bits.