Hope people like this, it does effect expansion and some people will love it and others might dislike it, it does change the core game by requiring ships to have a maximum range they can travel;



A Life Support module limits the distance a ship can travel from an outpost or colony, the maximum distance (ships range) is in part based on the speed of the ship; a ship has a basic range of its speed x4 from the nearest colony or its speed x2 from an outpost. Such that a speed 5 ship would be able to move 20 distance from the nearest colony or 10 distance from the nearest outpost (whichever is longer). If a ship finds itself out of range (from a system being captured for example) then on the next turn it retreats to the nearest outpost or colony.



Ships can use the nearest allied outpost or colony as well their own factions.



Factions start with a basic Life Support Module to increase the distance and some technologies open up better Life Support Modules. A Corvette receives a 50% discount on Life Support Modules, Destroyers receive a 20% discount.







Basic Life Support

Industry Cost: 15

Military Power: 4

Weight: 30

Effect: +25% Ship Range

Requires: NA?

Tehcnology: NA





SIMPLE LIFE SUPPORT

Industry Cost: 20

Military Power: 6

Weight: 40

Effect: +33% Ship Range

Requires: NA?

Tehcnology: Applied Casimir Effect





ENHANCED LIFE SUPPORT

Industry Cost: 25

Military Power: 12

Weight: 50

Effect: +50% Ship Range

Requires: NA?

Tehcnology: Atmospheric Filtration



ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT

Industry Cost: 30

Military Power: 16

Weight: 60

Effect: +67% Ship Range

Requires: NA?

Tehcnology: Mass Particle Displacement



SUPERIOR LIFE SUPPORT

Industry Cost: 40

Military Power: 32

Weight: 80

Effect: +100% Ship Range

Requires: NA?

Tehcnology: Complex Regulated Systems

Naw this wieghs too much. After engines scout armor you would not have anyroom to pack in weapons.... If I was a ship designer on a galaxtic scale and I gave my military liason a ship design that didnt have life support I think I might need a new job... just sayn.

It's a scout, as such you're basically strapping on extra fuel tanks or whichever equivalent you want to think of it as.



It has a high weight as you don't typically want a DN flying around as a scout, even more reason to shoot your military liason for being a moron.



Having said that, getting a good sweet spot for weight is important. And obviously the numbers are not as important as the concept.



Changing 30/40/50/60/80 to 24/30/36/40/48 or whatever numbers are thought of as appropriate is second to the concept.

MoO2 had a simmilar system called Fule Cells. Personally I appreciate fuel cells more then star lanes. For scout ships there was the option of ExtendedFuel Cells which doubled the ships range

It would be nice, and also another reason to keep some more focus on the diplomatic screen.

I would say absolutely not.



Not in the idea, but in the execution.

I rather like not being limited in the distances I can travel. It seems it would slow down the game quite a bit as well.

I think this description is too restrictive, but I would definitely be in favor of something like this. (Copy + Modify)



Basic Life Support

Industry Cost: 15

Military Power: 4

Weight: 30

Effect: 100% Ship Range

Requires: NA?

Tehcnology: NA





SIMPLE LIFE SUPPORT

Industry Cost: 20

Military Power: 6

Weight: 35

Effect: 150% Ship Range

Requires: NA?

Tehcnology: Applied Casimir Effect





ENHANCED LIFE SUPPORT

Industry Cost: 25

Military Power: 9

Weight: 40

Effect: 200% Ship Range

Requires: NA?

Tehcnology: Atmospheric Filtration



ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT

Industry Cost: 30

Military Power: 12

Weight: 45

Effect: 300% Ship Range

Requires: NA?

Tehcnology: Mass Particle Displacement



SUPERIOR LIFE SUPPORT

Industry Cost: 40

Military Power: 16

Weight: 60

Effect: Infinite Ship Range

Requires: NA?

Tehcnology: Complex Regulated Systems



This makes the technology necessary for a ship to go anywhere (except you can forgo it to make a more potent stationary defense?) And, at the final level, it allows infinite travel as in current mechanics.

Keep in mind the idea as proposed is based in part on the ship speed, so by increasing that over time with engines and technology it would also increase the range of the ships as well, and of course your colonies get further and further out that increases dramatically the ships range and it makes taking over a logistically important system interesting.

I have a less.....dramatic idea.



Why not just double or triple the upkeep cost on ships out side of your influence?



Hell why not just decrease the speed of ships outside of your influence?

Both are interesting choices and certainly less dramatic.



Heck you could even do a merge of having higher upkeep and/or slower ships outside your influence (and/or allies influence) which could be mitigated by the life support modules.

Indeed, hell to be honest you could also make that effect on the engines!



I just wish the support modules were smaller for like transport ships or something so that we could have proper repair ships and the like.

Igncom1 wrote:
I have a less.....dramatic idea.



Why not just double or triple the upkeep cost on ships out side of your influence?



Hell why not just decrease the speed of ships outside of your influence?

a change that is easier to make to the game, I like it, it would be fun with some kind of limitation, being in a star system now is like being in a backyard it is to easy to explore everything.



Would be interesting to add some kind of fog of war, more than the existing it reveals to much