i agree with orymus3, maybe you should first focus on what the player *is* supposed to be doing in your game(and what would be the fun in that) then whatever he shouldn't be doing should come out naturally.

The premise is that the player is "building" the fleet (overall structure, units composition, upgrades, formations, appointing officers, assuring logistics, defining the combat doctrines) but is not fighting with that fleet personally (it's done by AI) or at least he has a big help of AI/automation in this and deal with it on strategic/operational level at most (and definitely not moving thousands of ships one by one to assure mundane reinforcements).

Generally, I want a system that could be used in a game where the player is an Emperor, not an Admiral.

then war should first have a smaller impact on the game, compared to "conventional" 4X-games.

then war should first have a smaller impact on the game, compared to "conventional" 4X-games.

Yes, of course, I don't even think this mechanic should be for a 4X game.

Anyway, putting the game aside, do you have thoughts how to make this mechanic work (regardless of in what kind of game it used for)?

I especially think about the production part. On one hand it's not desirable to decide on every single ship to be build (especially for replacements for destroyed units), on the other there should be some way to decide what is build when (some sort of priorities system maybe?)

t's for turn based strategy/4X space empire building game.

Yes, of course, I don't even think this mechanic should be for a 4X game.

Which is it?

While I'm ok with hybrid genres and games that are out of genre (that can't quite be coined) I don't believe you can fully abstract a concept from the game to which it belongs before being able to break it down into its components.

I especially think about the production part. On one hand it's not desirable to decide on every single ship to be build (especially for replacements for destroyed units), on the other there should be some way to decide what is build when (some sort of priorities system maybe?)

That would be an impossible question to answer before understanding the approach you have for the rest of your game.

but ...

you re not building individual ships neither, and there is no logistics.

does this mean the emperor only decides on who to go to war with ?

on a sidenote, i am working on an (space/TB)-idea that could come close to your requirements(heavy on diplomacy and use of AI), but it's not done yet.

when it is done i will write it down on this forum and you can steal from it as much as you like :P

I just don't want to move around ships over and over again every single turn. It's boring and time consuming, I don't like it.

It can be for 4X game or some other form of space empire building game, whatever, it is of low importance. I just want a space strategy game where you don't move these stupid ships ALL the time.

you re not building individual ships neither, and there is no logistics.

Well, about the building ships I'm not sure. I don't want to deliever (move around from the shipyard to the frontline) the ships after production, also i don't want to be asked each turn which ship to build next. But for the whole concept of building ships, I have nothing against it.

As for logistics I was thinking along the lines of assuring that there is enough supplies produced by the industry and that you have built enough supply depots to support your local fleet in that area. So, logistic in a very abstract sense (not by moving things yourself), more like "assuring logistic capabilities".

oes this mean the emperor only decides on who to go to war with ?

Well, maybe yes, maybe not. I could go both ways here...