New colonization tech layout - Ideas

It sounds interesting though does there have to be a set path to the second colonization type or can that be a random choice between the two remaining? Gas planets seem to be more prevalent but I guess that could be adjusted...should be adjusted as well. I am sure you have seen the discussions on why there are "tiny" gas planets and those placed in a Mercury orbit around a star but I digress. I will be watching to see how this evolves. BTW, there may be a way to limit population size as well to allow say an outpost to eventually evolve into a full colony....

Nice idea but not sure how possible it would be to implement it. Something needs to be done with colonization as the stock approach of increasing cargo capacity of the basic module is a bit lame for the amount of research you have to spend on each level and the BM & IRM version on one TL per type is far too all or nothing for my liking. Personally I was thinking in terms of a one Tl and expensive tech followed by some cheaper techs which would give bonuses like the larger capacity colony modules or an initial build boost

Easy to do. Just create a new tech that enable the second one. The first one is expensive and 1 level, but the second is cheaper but has many levels...

Well, how about adding different types of atmospheres into that as well? How effective could a dome made for colonizing Oxygen worlds work on a Nitrogen planet? I imagine they'd have different things to deal with.

Also, I think Gas goes more naturally to ice then to rock. Ice is just frozen liquid which is just cold gas, after all

How I think this would work-

Initial Tech(Gives Gas/Rock/Ice depending on race)
Colonization Level 1 Gives "None" Atmosphere Colonization, or Oxygen for "None" Types. and opens up the techs "Colonization Developments"
Colonization Level 2 Gives the next kind of Planet Type (Rock, Gas, Ice)
Colonization Level 3 Gives the third Kind of Planet Type (Rock, Gas Ice)

Colonization Developments 1- Gives the next logical atmosphere type, increases cargo capacity by a small amount and decreases component cost by a small amount
Colonization Developments 2- Gives 2 other Atmosphere types, increases cargo capacity by a small amount and decreases component cost by a small amount
Colonization Developments 3- Gives the last Atmosphere Types, increases cargo capacity by a small amount and decreases component cost by a small amount
Colonization Developments 4- Adds the tech "Planetary Engineering", increases cargo capacity by a small amount and decreases component cost by a small amount
Colonization Developments 5- increases cargo capacity by a small amount and decreases component cost by a small amount

And so on, with Stellar Manipulation being under Planetary Engineering, requiring developing the processess of colonization of worlds before you can harness the powers of the universe.

Better colonization tech should imo make colony module smaller and cheaper (so in end, you could pack 3 colony modules in place of one, so you could build universal colony ships).

Making the modules expensive to begin with sounds like a bad idea to me.....
To begin with your ability to build is very limited, so an expensive module means early expansion takes FOREVER.
Later on your shipyards are faster, double the speed maybe or more, so if you can also build a cheaper module at the same time, your turning far far more out in the same time.
Playing 50 turns just to colonise 4 or 5 planets doesn't sound that great an idea to me.

My mod already does that, and don't steal my mod name, it's already called Inter-Related ...

The problem with rock/ice/gas is that if you trade or steal techs early, you get a very big advantange. In many circumstances it's game breaking (double your number of planets).

Either they need to be made cheaper to research, or some changes are made where anyone can colonise any system body, and increasing tech increases your max colony size.

I would agree suddenly getting one or both of the other colonization techs can change the course of the game and in many respects it spoils it for me if I manage to trade for it early since it generally means that you do not need to expand as much and places colonies in systems where you already have an infrastructure space port system enhancing facilities defences etc. It also makes mounting a research rush so much easier if you discover a large world with a breathable atmosphere in your home system 20+ research facilities in a safe area is quite a boost to your research pool

I would particularly ask Fallen Haven to implement something a bit more complicated with his interrelated mod as it would I feel be in the spirit of that Mod where you have to work and plan a bit more for techs

I tryied to make thoses tech harder to come by, but by doing so i also prevented from colonising with the starting planet type. I haven't found a workaround yet. My AI isn't too found of trading techs though, getting thoses tech early is less likely.

Your AI doesn’t trade techs but I managed to get them early twice via a technology exchange clause in a treaty it might be better if the AI's especially Neutrals where more reluctant to do that. The net result of this was I went from 5th to second place in a couple of years

Diplomacy still need some work, i haven't found a way to prevent it from sharing tech or offering to share systems. Thoses things should happen only when you are in a strong alliance, not with every casual agreement...

agreed, in both cases this was the first treaty they offered me both waited a few turns to offer the treaty during which they went from indifferent to amiable without me doing any thing and then offered me an treaty which allowed for complete exchange of all techs something well worth agreeing too with a neutral which as got 100 more tls than you at that point.

I had no idea that the exchange included those techs as 100 tls any 100 tls I did not have to research was fine by me at that point.

The trade content is hard coded right now, nowhere it can be edited. It's easy to disable unwanted trade elements, but very difficult to set who is allowed to receive them. As for trading with the smaller empire, there is a problem. The way it works, i can make it so the AI is willing to trade with some range of relative power, but once it's no longer met, they automatically break treaties (they won't care how good your relations are). I'm sure there is a workaround but i have yet to find it.

This is my first time posting. Space Empire V is really fun to play, still, it is imho too oriented on ships and not enough on population/people. Every great empires had outstanding leaders in their histories.

Now, imagine your new battleship with the best crew aboard, leaded by the best men in the empire!!! It would worth 2 or 3 times the same battleship with poor staffing.

To make this happen I am introducing the concept of officers. This would had an incredible level of depth to the game. A minister could be set to take care of them if ever players don't like this level of management.

Let's start with a new facility named "Space Academy". It would permit to produce officers, like a "Space Yard" produces ships. 6 type of officers could be trained there:

1. Command officer
2. Science officer
3. Tactical officer
4. Engineering officer
5. Medical officer
6. Social officer

Officers out of the academy would have random "Efficiency rating" making them more or less valuable. Once the officers are loaded aboard ships or facilities they would significantly increase its capabilities.

A tech branch should make the Space Academies increased in level over time. The average efficiency rating would then increase and it would take less time to train new officers. Also maybe some officer types would be made possible after a certain technology level is achieved.

Officers on a ship:
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A new ship component named "Officer Quarter" would permit officers to be transferred from the Space Academy to a ship equipped with it. Ships equipped with officers would have the following benefits:

1. Command officer: Increase crew loyalty /
add bonus to officers under his command.
2. Science officer: Increase sensors rating / range
3. Tactical officer: Increase defensive and offensive hit chances
4. Engineering officer: Increase ship movement points in combat,
turn rates, shield regeneration rates, etc.
5. Medical officer: Ability to cure the crew / officers
Even more efficient with a med lab on board.
Help curing planet populations with med lab.
6. Social officer: Keep crew moral high /
Increase experience for crew and officers.

On a planet:
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A new planet facility named "Head Quarter" (a type of government building) would exist. The sole purpose of this facility would be to house planet based officers. The planet would then get advantages similar to the ones ships gets. Except that this would be on a planetary scale. So moral and loyalty bonus would apply to the complete population (if they have good leaders they are happy). Combat bonus would apply on every weapon platform & troops based on the planet.

Some Facilities could also house some type of officers that would make them more efficient. Example: Science officers can run a research lab, an engineer an extraction facility, etc.

A Space Academy equipped with officers will produce even better officers.

Officer records / statistics:
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A new dialog should permit to list all officers existing in our empires our known one in enemy empires, with some stats like: ID (name), officer rating, experience, ages, health, duty (ex: Science officer on cruiser USS Delta I 0002 or Commanding officer on planet Terra III), etc.

When they spawn from the Academy, we should have the possibility to name the officers (like ships), else a generic name will be assigned to them.

Only one of every type of officer can be on duty on the planet / ship / facility even if more then one resides there. The highest rating one will take duty. Rates would be a function of the efficiency rate from the academy, the experience and the health of the officer.

Traveling:
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Officers may live in the Space Academy or Head Quarter facilities. They also live in the Officer quarters on ships. So it is possible to assign them to any of those by transferring them (like cargo). So if you want to staff your brad new cruiser with the best men, you need to make them travel there and transfer them to your vessel. More then one officer quarters can be installed on ships to permit transporting them as guests or backups in case the officers in duty get badly hurt.

Intelligence:
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New intelligence missions would be possible like: Spying to find where enemy officers are or plan assassinations of key officers.

Officers life span:
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Officers can die in several ways, like:

1. Natural death at an age that should vary as a race parameter (some races lives longer then others). this should be seen as retirement and has not effect on crew and population moral.
2. Health dropped to zero due to damaged done in combat.
3. Health dropped to zero due to sickness got from being around a plagued planet
4. Health dropped to zero caused by an accident (random event)
5. Health dropped to zero caused by an enemy spy (assassin)

Non-natural death of an officer which is in duty should affect negatively crew/population/other officers moral on the planet or ship where they are working on.

Other various ideas:
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- The monthly log journal should show new officers promoted from space academy, when they die, etc.

- Ancient ruins could give outstanding officers rescued by the colony ship that gets there.

- There could be a commanding officers that is you alter ego. If he dies your game is over (new victory condition)

- If ever it becomes possible to script campaign, mission could become possible like escorting/transporting diplomats or other people treated like officers in the game.

- If there moral gets to low, they could defect to another empire. Or take over a ship or a planet and become rebels.

- if the head quarter / academy / facilities is destructed due to planet bombardment or by invading troops, officers housed in them will die.

- if a planet / ship is captured, the officers could be made prisoners. Using diplomacy you could demand to exchange them against your own officers our other resources. Even propose to return them if a peace treaty is signed. Unless you just decide to execute them. What about prisons on planets (in HQ)... We would then try to free them ... hmmm ... interesting scenario.

- There should be a way to make the planet population work harder since their leaders permit to increase their happiness.

- my mind will explode, there is so many possibilities !!!

It would be great indeed, but the current tools we have to mod don't allow us to add such things yet, and i doubt Aaron, the one man army of MM has time to spare to add such features. Maybe in SE6.