4X game, you start with one planet and build a factory, then next planet, then next and finally like 20-30 at what point you get a nervous tick each time you invent a new building since you have to build it manually everywhere and finally you decide to give the management of the planets to AI (at what point I ask what is the purpose of this planet management in the first place since the player don't want to do it anyway). It's boring and annoying and lame.

Let's say you start with 20 planets and by the mid game you got 100. How to make a system where you can manage them (and it's fun or at least not annoying, but preferably fun)?

Pax Empira had an auto build list system.

When you have between 1 and 10 planets you can manage each planet.

When you have between 10 and 20 planets, you still can manage each planet, bu they are also grouped in "province" of three planet. And having a "province" allow you to construct better buildings. (if you build 3 production unit on three different planet you will have less than build one production center in a province)

When you have between 20 and 30 planets, they are grouped in "mega-province". It add even more construction options.

Etc...

You have roughly the same number of "unit" to manage, but your possibilities go up.

I really admire the way you use forum :)

And it depends on what you mean by 'fun', for me fun in such games is micromanaging all of them manually, for other it's not. I think key point is preventing unnecessary repetitive task.

I'd like to control economy of all provinces in "Lords of the Realm 2", but always hated to reassign serfs just because population is less than previous turn.

And it depends on what you mean by 'fun', for me fun in such games is micromanaging all of them manually, for other it's not. I think key point is preventing unnecessary repetitive task.

In this type of game, it's not that the task is not fun. At first it is fun, when you have only a handful of thing to manage. But as your empire grows the fun tend to go down, and it become repetitive. I have the same feeling when I play the likes of civilization, or even the total war serie.

That's why I think that the gameplay as to evolve as your empire evolve.

I'd like to control economy of all provinces in "Lords of the Realm 2", but always hated to reassign serfs just because population is less than previous turn.

Bonus cookie to you sir for playing Lords of the Realm 2 :D

Maybe through your tech tree you can have something that generates planetary governors -- a university or House of Nobles or [Whatever Works]. If you don't have the tech to train governors -- or enough of them -- you might have to manage them all yourself. With the governors you could maybe set some basic parameters for each planet and have them chug along on their own (with random calamaties, of course).

Then have an enemy spy turn governors and then you lose planets!

When you have between 1 and 10 planets you can manage each planet.

When you have between 10 and 20 planets, you still can manage each planet

That's why I made an assumption that you start with 20 planets. So we don't focus on the early fun of managing your 2 only planets (which is fun). Let's say the only scenario is we have 20-100 planets (you never had these 2 planets, just 20-30 from the first turn).

I really admire the way you use forum

Emmm... thanks I suppose? :) Not sure what is so unique of me asking questions I want answers for, I always though that's the whole purpose of forums :D But I suppose tastes may vary :)

That's why I made an assumption that you start with 20 planets. So we don't focus on the early fun of managing your 2 only planets (which is fun). Let's say the only scenario is we have 20-100 planets (you never had these 2 planets, just 20-30 from the first turn).

Mmh, then I will try to manage the big picture. Not managing the building, but more the ethic/direction/politics. This plus the possibility of having big plans. For exemple, building a huge space ship or a death star, or whatever. You'll just have to design which planet will work on which project.

Emmm... thanks I suppose? Not sure what is so unique of me asking questions I want answers for, I always though that's the whole purpose of forums But I suppose tastes may vary

It's maybe your unique invasion of the forum and posting posts about space pretty much everywhere :D

You want a system that scales well, basically? How about: Each planet only contributes resources, nothing else, they don't each build things, and just 'grow' on their own over time. Space factories are crazy expensive in upkeep, and require X planets to support. Or just outright give the player X shipyards per Y planets, with the option to move them to orbit other planets they own, but they can't build anything while being moved, if a player dips below the required planets, they have to choose a shipyard to go offline.

So 10 planets or less: 1 shipyard

11+ 2 shipyards

22+ 3 shipyards

Or what have you.

In some ways this is just moving the problem, but it also gives you better control, as you can flatline it, and say anything past 50 planets still only nets the player 5 shipyards, so they are only ever deciding on 5 things to build. (or make upkeep exponential, so 1 shipyard is cheap, but 6 is nuts)

Basically, it's about keeping the player constrained to a limited set of choices that matter, and not overloading the player with trivial choices -- like the build order on a planet in MOO, when it's like you're 36th world.

I like the idea of planets going up levels of scale as you control more of a region. Control a single planet in a region an you give orders to just that planet control all planets in a region and instead you give orders to the region. Regions work together generating more production and research then the individual planets would generate they also allow for larger scale constructions.

Planets > star system

star system > parsec

parsec > cluster

cluster > galaxy