I'd definitely like to see passive system defences in ES2, I always felt like ES1 was missing this.  Militia + space stations/defence platforms would be awesome. Every system should have militia slots like in Endless Legend, which can be upgraded with improvements/research. Space stations could provide a substantial upgrade to system defences; but come with a high upkeep cost, and be unlocked with research.

Stations could be great for protecting key systems and creating checkpoints at the boarders of your territory. These types of system defences could be a great alternative to building fleets to protect systems, especially for non-millitary focused empires.

Also, spaces stations could be upgraded to provide special bonuses to the system they're in. For example; a research station that provides a passive bonus to science production in the system, a 'dry dock' to repair ships faster, etc.

Posted my idea as suggestion into @ValhallasAshes idea (look at the link in his post), as I think we pursue the same goal and don't want duplicities.

If you feel it's not in your idea way, I'll move it into a new idea.

Also -subreticiously- I voted it.

lo_fabre wrote:

mixerria wrote:

@lo_fabre: maybe make this into an idea?

If got time I'll try to work it a bit and make sure someone posted a better or similar idea before.

The actual ideas system open lots of space for this kind of things!

PM me when you're finished. :)

mixerria wrote:

@lo_fabre: maybe make this into an idea?

If got time I'll try to work it a bit and make sure someone posted a better or similar idea before.

The actual ideas system open lots of space for this kind of things!

@lo_fabre: maybe make this into an idea?

Kotetsu wrote:

I'd definitely like to see passive system defences in ES2, I always felt like ES1 was missing this.  Militia + space stations/defence platforms would be awesome. Every system should have militia slots like in Endless Legend, which can be upgraded with improvements/research. Space stations could provide a substantial upgrade to system defences; but come with a high upkeep cost, and be unlocked with research.

Stations could be great for protecting key systems and creating checkpoints at the boarders of your territory. These types of system defences could be a great alternative to building fleets to protect systems, especially for non-millitary focused empires.

Also, spaces stations could be upgraded to provide special bonuses to the system they're in. For example; a research station that provides a passive bonus to science production in the system, a 'dry dock' to repair ships faster, etc.

This idea is really good. Do you care enough about it to write a suggestion topic about stations like these? :D I'd support it.

Also, regarding militia: I feel like basic militia should be around two basic small attackers at the start so Tier 1 Titan/Hyperium ships would already easily wipe them, though minor factions and the first random scouts flying about could not.

Militia should have strongly reduced upkeep as you're not able to move them out of their system and maybe should not be able to make a blockade (not sure about that, though). Militia should be bolsterable (more ships) by medium-expensive system upgrades and generally get stronger (bigger ships) for each system tier, whereas the weapons improve by science progression/science era. A militia fleet should never, though, be able to exceed your current maximum command points for a fleet, instead they get split into multiple fleets. (Gotta be fair)

On another point: militia would probably dampen that ridiculously easy conquering to some extent, especially if it got stronger by simply upgrading your system by a tier.

I have a simple proposal:

Make improvements that each turn damages invading/enemy orbiting fleets. This is logic: how is possible that you can build spaceships but you can't fire a missile to an invader?

Also this will make invasion more interesting, as if you don't have manpower enough to make it quickly you can lose your fleet.

Kotetsu wrote:

I'd definitely like to see passive system defences in ES2, I always felt like ES1 was missing this.  Militia + space stations/defence platforms would be awesome. Every system should have militia slots like in Endless Legend, which can be upgraded with improvements/research. Space stations could provide a substantial upgrade to system defences; but come with a high upkeep cost, and be unlocked with research.

Stations could be great for protecting key systems and creating checkpoints at the boarders of your territory. These types of system defences could be a great alternative to building fleets to protect systems, especially for non-millitary focused empires.

Also, spaces stations could be upgraded to provide special bonuses to the system they're in. For example; a research station that provides a passive bonus to science production in the system, a 'dry dock' to repair ships faster, etc.

Yup, something along the lines of this is exactly what I was thinking.

For those of you who played Endless Legend, you may recall cities in the game had militia. You didn't need to micro-manage them, they just defended your cities as a last resort or against small incursions. I was hoping we could see the implementation of something similar in ES2, as the lack of defenses was one of my pretty major gripes with the first game (especially in the late-game when any fleet can jump from anywhere to anywhere). Either small ships that are hidden until activated, or system improvements that are physical structures (such as space stations). Thoughts?

Sounds like a reasonable idea. Space stations, moons armed with missiles, and various other types of system defences exist in most sci-fi, including in the form of smaller ships/non-warp ships, that are basically just guns strapped onto a cheap hull with a cheap engine. It'd be cool to see these able to be upgraded via the tech tree, with two or three different tiers (not counting some kind of default/starter tier), that increase in range slots, or gun slots, or whatnot. Just have the downside of having to actually research, and build, all the advanced forms and you have an early game protection that has a default on colonies for fighting off one or two pirate ships, as well as a method to have stronger solid system defence later in the game that prevents immediate invasions for species like the Sophons who may want to turtle.

Tripas wrote:

What I'd like to see is some sort of "home advantage" to the defending fleet outside of just "you can repair your ships after the battle is done". I dunno, something like sattelites that you can build which might give an edge to the planet that's under attack, so you have to do more than just win one battle against an equal force to pretty much be able to conquer that planet. Hell, you can pretty much already do that with ground forces if you get that building that gives your ground troops a bonus to damage against enemy invasions.

You could roll this into what I'm proposing. The "militia" would reinforce your defending fleets, similar to how Endless Legend does it.

What I'd like to see is some sort of "home advantage" to the defending fleet outside of just "you can repair your ships after the battle is done". I dunno, something like sattelites that you can build which might give an edge to the planet that's under attack, so you have to do more than just win one battle against an equal force to pretty much be able to conquer that planet. Hell, you can pretty much already do that with ground forces if you get that building that gives your ground troops a bonus to damage against enemy invasions.

Zenicetus wrote:

I like the idea of some form of static defense that you wouldn't have to micromanage. It would hold off a minor attack long enough to bring in a fleet, but wouldn't stand up to a major invasion. Maybe scale it to population size or industrial strength of the planet, so new colonies would have fewer (or no) defenses.

It might not need major graphics work. The game could just show an attacking fleet's icon flashing if there is a delay of a turn or two, due to local defenses. And if the fleet is strong enough, the defense is overwhelmed immediately in that turn.

I see what you're saying, but I think having the defenses actively intercept orbiting fleets rather than preventing invasions would be somewhat better. That way you don't have to bring over a fleet just to take out a single ship that strayed into your territory, for example. 

I like the idea of some form of static defense that you wouldn't have to micromanage. It would hold off a minor attack long enough to bring in a fleet, but wouldn't stand up to a major invasion. Maybe scale it to population size or industrial strength of the planet, so new colonies would have fewer (or no) defenses.

It might not need major graphics work. The game could just show an attacking fleet's icon flashing if there is a delay of a turn or two, due to local defenses. And if the fleet is strong enough, the defense is overwhelmed immediately in that turn.

System monitors or other spaceships with no faster then light drives would be cool.

No need for the defences to literally be 'static.' 

Could be a system improvement to arm the system defence forces with better equipment and strategic resource costing equipment.

Koranis wrote:

That would be a biggie on my list as well and it only improves the gameplay. I'm sure we will see something like that, either in the base game or in one of the many expansion Sega will have them churn out.

I hope so, having to micro-manage garrisons is a real pain in 4X games. Creative Assembly learned this a few games ago, and now they have an extensive garrison system in their games.

PANCZASU wrote:

Static defences would be interesting (by which I mean - awesome!) but I doubt Amplitude will have time to implement them before the end of early access. I mean, that would require new models, textures, sound assets and AI. Lot's of work.

I'm not too keen on small ships working as militia. Militia makes sense when you can just give a civilian a polearm and tell him to fight. Not when you need an entire spaceship.

No need to call them militia. They could be a local garrison or law enforcement.