Game needs more "choices"

i agree, an easy fix in theory would be a way to travel using warp points that didnt actualy make you go through enemy space.

a really simple fix (in concept) for this would be just to make the very outside ring of the system grid "neutral space" and place all the worm holes there. so you could jump into a system, fly around the outside ring to the next wormhole and move on. make the one sector right in front of a worm hole the entrance/exit sector for that wormhole into local non-neutral space (thus defencable) so that you can still controll access to your system, but also allow free passage through systems for everyone at the same time. your just shrinking 'local space' a tiny bit and using the outside ring as 'deep space'

i DO think their should be a way to make warp point travel 'outside' systems available. if only to avoid having to fight your way through 5 semi-allied systems and thus ruining your relations with those empires, just to get to a fight half way across the galaxy. i know you can do that now more or less either by making a solid alliance and thus granting and getting free movment through allied systems, or by using cloaking, but i dont think that its all that realistic to only have warp points inside systems. there should be a way to move from system to system in the game w/o having to smash through every thing in your way, or make alliances you dont really want to avoid doing just that.

let me also add that you should NOT be able to see any details of the system your in no matter how good your sensors are if your in that 'neutral' ring (nore gain any resources from techs you may have on your ship, im thinking of the solar generators that get you supplys from local suns, you should be concidered to be in 'deep space' in that ring and thus to far out from any local suns for your tech to work). you also should not be forced into combat in that neutral ring with anyone unless you or they specificaly choose to fight or are at war allready. you and they should be allowed to pass through each others formations on your way by just as if you really were in deep space and a bazillion miles appart. i envision that outside neutral ring as all of the vast ammount of space outside the heliopause of your local suns.

There is a sort needed to pathing since I habitually mark semi allied systems as systems to avoid which is all well and good but it doesn’t clear the orders of ships which have already been given orders to go there by a minister.

As A partial fix this works but is no way ideal as all it does is reduce the incidence unintentional border violations by ships not equipped to do so transports and colony ships in particular.

I have considered escorting such ships or arming them but such would only increase the loss of relations.

why not make ships at one end of a warp point see the other side of the warp point. If ennemy is there they will not move by default.

The only way i know of going through ennemy ships on warp points without blowing them up is by using cloaked ships. And i have to do it manually because the "pathfinding AI" will not go through them on his own, and will try to find a way to go around it. Wich will likely take a LOT of time.

Without ammo, nice guns are just sophisticated clubs.

I'd prefer something like an empire strategy
for instance two options
fire first - ships will always attack ships unless they are allied or you have an non aggression treaty
and
dont fire unless attacked - your ships wont fire unless you are at war with the opposing ships or they fire first

it should be in the empire options and you should be able to set a flag for the ai races
so if you warp and have the peaceful option and the ships on the other side have it too no combat will begin

BUT
this would cause other problems as you cant blockade warp holes, i guess this isnt easy to implement as you should still hae the possibility the block wappoints even towards neutral empires

Knowingly entering a hex with an enemy is the same as attacking. Why else would you do so? If you don't want to attack then don't move there. Enemies are funny about close proximity. If you don't know they are there (like at the end of a warp point) then that's the fortunes of war. If you did your homework you might have an idea what to expect or better yet, just be ready for anything. If you're not ready to attack then don't.

You should be able to enter the hex of anyone you have a treaty with.

If you are in the hex of someone who has no treaty with you you can always retreat instead of fighting. Popping in at warp points though can make anyone jumpy. Best to scout those out first.

Hmm, like the neutral space/limited sensor ability idea. Since we don't have access to the pathfinding routines its hard to say but it could be coded to work. You make adjust the values for the hexes so that the outer ring always requires less movement. Have seen such discussions on GameDev.net. I think the CIV games incorporate such coding ergo the units navigate around mountains or swamps if an easier route across the plains are available...only Aaron can likely make it happen.

As for warp point blockades...you could still build on them and zap whatever comes through taking the risk that you create more enemies. Getting around that would require modification of the politics to allow for "blockade" notification be made to allies (AI) who then flag that system as off limits.

i always liked the way MOO2 handled space travel. I would like to see something like that in SEV and then also add a branch to the tech tree like interstellar space travel.
Now that would really open the game up. the warp points have always bugged me. I would still keep them , but they would be a optional way of getting somewhere, not the only way. just getting into the game and loving every minute, with all the mods and fan support its a very interesting game.

Krec

I do agree that there needs to be a choice for "I don't want to fight". Automatically entering combat is stupid.

That would be assuming the other side also does not want to fight.

It would at least give them the option. This way i don't have my guys automatically try to blow up unarmed ships.

I meant the AI.

Enh... AI's don't need to always attack. It'd makes sense for them to want to avoid combat if they were in an unarmed ship.

I agree there. AI attempts to send colony ships through heavily guarded WPs are legendary.