Even though this is created only for The Vaulters. I'm very into this idea of having really unique for the others as well. This is a good way to improve expand side of the ES2 because this special node is something I would really consider having in my empire just imagine if all of them giving more attractive nodes such as this. I really hope for rework for unique nodes as well. Because +50 dust here, +50 Industry there... those are boring.

Another thing is the theater effects. You get to fight inside one of those maybe one time throughout the session. I wish they could have improved somehow. Maybe they would give that battle effect to connected nodes as well? or something else but those theater effects yet to be mindful about, in the game.

Agree that they seemed to have miscalculated the affect of the special nodes on actual gameplay aside from the influence sphere. Now if it was possible to somehow blockade another empire's special node and siphon its effects so that they HAD to send ships to get their effects back, that would make more sense.

Ridiculi wrote:

This is just a wild on idea on my part, and probably has no chance of being implemented in this way, but I would love it if players had the ability to build space stations on special nodes in order to claim them. Make them have a significant upfront Dust cost, and than have the time it takes to be completely built work like a Riftborn outpost, having Industry shipped to it from another system.  Once it's built it will cost a certain amount of Influence per turn to maintain, and the player can select which system it's effects go toward, with the effect diminishing the futher away the system is from the special node.

The space station can be destroyed by other players, much like a pirate lair, which would force the owner to guard it with a fleet and maybe we can actually have battles that actually take Theater Effects into consideration. Right now, I almost never think about taking advantage of Theater Effects because the special nodes are typically not in a strategically important location. At least this might force them to become so.

I really really like this. Kind of similar to strategic and luxury resources in EL. You have to claim them and defend them outside of your cities range. Would create a lot more geography imo.

Ridiculi actually does have a good idea there IMO. The effects of special nodes are significant enough that they really should not simply be a side effect of having a wide influence area.

The cost to build on them could be mitigated somewhat by having your influence area envelop them.

I guess everyone is now liking Ridiculli idea. because, im into too! :)

Since you guys were a fan of the idea, I submitted it to the IDEA page :D

ALLOW SPECIAL NODES TO BE CLAIMED BY BUILDING SPACE STATIONS

While the Space Station idea occurred to me at one point, it also occurs to me now, that instead of a space station we could have another use for our Civilian ship designs by providing a Node Mining module for them. The module would get more and more expensive of course, but it would be an Industrialist or Ecologist (not sure which makes more sense) action to build one of these "Worker" ships, and station them around a special node to exploit it kind of like the Leech effect.

Influence would then be an advantage primarily because you could kick out other peoples worker ships for crossing your borders to reach your claimed nodes, instead of only being able to work them once you produce an ungodly amount of Influence to grow your sphere of Influence.