designing a science fictional turn based strategic 'simulator'. in the civ nd strategy type games one builds structures, usually in 'complexes', which 'do stuff' like build tanks or uplift the peoples spirits. fleet0ps imagines a 'near' future where these 'buildings' are orbital complexes. thus, unlike othr designs, ALL assets are mobile. a playr who believes that their factories at gamma hydra are about to be obliterated can simply move them to some more discreet location. comments pls as to whether this idea adds or detracts from fun gameplay.

Could go either way. I'd like to be able to reorganize my empire when a new front opens up, but I don't want to spend 80% of my gameplay time doing "paperwork" to get it done. A quick, intuitive interface would make this a terrific feature.

Will these orbital complexes be like moving civ cities, or will they be modular? Can I take an entertainment unit from my station at Gamma Hydra and shift it to my Betelgeuse complex, or will I have to move the whole shebang?

modular cities.

ops has defined a functional unit called a 'spine'. this unit's function is to physically transport assets from one stellar system to anothr. playrs can mix nd match which insystem assets to attach to a spine.

Not sure if it fits with your intent, but I'd like to see everything revolve around the idea of spines of various classes. There would then be little difference between ships and bases-- an outpost is a destroyer, and a battlestation is a dreadnaught, once you add a drive.

You could even go as far as having there be a strategic vulnerability around the idea of reconfiguring spines. The pieces undock, the spines are vulnerable, then they redock in the configuration you want. This would be very neat in that you could retool for a battle on the fly.

Depending on your complexity level, modules could be a simple as the stats on ships paired with events or functions (I'm not sure how far, like Civ, you want to go with non-combat ideas like mining or hospitals or intel gathering).

Anyway, just a thought. Could be nice for both gameplay and visuals. (Spines could be rare and indestructable, btw-- an alien artifact-- if you wanted to make them a capturable resource that kept the game from getting too unweildy)

indeed wavinator.

furthr. playrs are allowd nd indeed encouraged to site assets sharing the same stellar systems. plenty of room nd resources for all really.

thus, a complex is an aggregation of assets and these assets may belong to different players. a system of bonuses or increased production should persuade at least some of the less paranoid to co-operate in the great black empty.

re complexity. as fleet0ps is more of an operational lvl sim many assets are concerned w implementing a crude economy based on the logistics of resupplying assets.

unlike most 4x empire games fleet0ps has virtually no tech tree.

assets improve their 'efficiency' thru experience, training nd technological refinments. they lose efficiency as a consequent of military action, hostile takeovr bids or political interference.

ops believes that, in fleet0ps, information time lag is a bettr way of simulating that damnable 'fog of war'.

as example ops has defined a 'headquarters' asset which provides the decision support apparatchiks nd infrastructure to support the playr emperor in their endevours. Much like a king in chess this asset can represent a playr in the gameSpace.

Thus ifn ops is sitting at epsilon indi then the most recent information that they can access from their screens about sigma draconis is months old.

If successfully implemented this idea would, ops opines, give a solid strategic advantage for teamplayers co-operating in the spacial expansion of a shared transtellar corporation.

a note about the fleet0ps gameSpace. this game is scoped to begin some hundred fifty yrs from now nd to run for some two hundred yrs. it's map has a radius of one or two hundrd lights from sol.

in this extant there is one publicly known living world. Earth. perhaps two or three.

furthr, just to keep things really simple, THERE ARE NO ALIENS. altho there may be indications of past nd future intelligences we are still substantially alone in the great black.

asa design ops is going for 'simple', in the sense of less unique artistic content, yet 'challenging', in terms of the typical 4x genre gameplay.

How much will technology shift during that 200-year span? Wavinator has made some observations about evolving technology over epochs. Surely different techs will come in and out of vogue in two centuries' worth of history.

Will you influence tech? Will it always be available, or will there be a tech tree? Will your fleets become obsolete en route to their destination, as another thread suggested?

How will this time affect the game? If it isn't a big element, maybe you should eliminate the date system and just have it take place "over time" with a static tech tree.

ops attempts to restrict tech change innan attempt to control possible gameplays that must be coded. concentrate the playrs on using the tools they have to solve innovative restraints rathr than designing the tools that should have bin there in the first place ?

subject to financing all techs are available at game start. perhaps some of the largr classes kn come a few yrs later.

while ops envisions starting w FTL transport perhaps one can define a minimal tech tree.

initial instinct is to limit to two major techs. ftl transport nd ftl comms. both multidecade, multicorp, very expensive nd requiring earthGov oversite.

additional elaborations can be entertaind, pls suggest.