Sins of a Solar Empire is often described as a 4XRTS game, or a game that tried to merge the action and tactics packed gameplay of a Real time strategy game with the deep, complex, empire wide strategy of a 4X turn based game. It's up to debate whether Sins succeeded in this goal, but I think all can agree that of the 4Xs of "explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate", Sins is much more focused on the exterminate than on the others. This mod seeks to give more depth to the other 3Xs of the game by adding additional game elements or refining the existing ones to reward players who give more strategic thought to the non-combat side of the game. Combat will still be the center point of the game, but players will find that the non-combat options available will be much more rewarding. Spying, exploring, sabotage, diplomacy, culture, and economic development have all been added or changed in innovative new ways. Regardless of what you think Sins is, this is the 4XRTS it should have been.
Another sweet model by SZ0 some of you may have seen before will be coming to the next version of Enhanced 4X. Despite being a mashup of the pirate base and Argonev Starbase though I don't want to use it as a pirate starbase. Instead it will be another E4X captureable structure that will allow the player the recruit the pirates to their cause, but that's not quite awesome enough. So if you have any ideas for what this pirate structure should do, let me know in the comments.
I think you should name it "Tortuga Station" and along with recruiting pirates, have it give a culture boost to the faction that controls it? Nice job, btw.
Allow the controller to get a Black Market bonus. Maybe by reducing the metal/crystal prices or they get an extra few more with every purchase.
I really wish I could do this, but the market can only be influenced by research, and there is no way to allow a player to research something only if they control this structure... :-(
You should talk to the SOA guys about that. They've made a research tree that's influenced by who you're allied diplomatically with.
I believe they used pacts to do this (I assume they based it off the system ZombiesRus pioneered in Sins of the Fallen), so sadly that mechanism cannot be extended to check for owned structures.
Players that own one can pay money to reduce bounty on a faction
I think you should still have something as a pirate starbase anyway.
Is it possible to make pirates build starbases across a system periodically as you leave them to their own devices?
A year ago I would have said no, but now I think it could be possible. However, I was only planning on doing that in a different mod. ;-)
Is it possible to make an ability that has much the same affect as a black market research, but temporary?
Or one that spawns some hostile random pirates in an enemy gravity well. (somewhat like how the tec rebellion research works)
Or maybe even make upgrades that let the player turn them into miniature colonies (I keep thinking of Omega from Mass Effect 2)
just a few ideas
Black Market research is still a no, but maybe the other two may kind of work, though I've only played the first Mass Effect so I might not get what you are saying there. :p
Maybe if you have one of these, the severity of pirate raids against you will be lessened by a level or two
Well my only other ideas revolve around making a few custom mercenary ships only available at a pirate station, maybe a pirate Capital ship? or maybe have that act as a small base for a whole mini-faction. But that would probably be WAY to much work, but maybe something for future releases.
I am actually leaning towards this. I've already added a "Pirate Captain" capitalship to guard this pirate base with this update, I'll probably make him like a hero unit so you can only recruit one per pirate base.
Maybe it could give your ships a slight boost in weapons while in that gravity well. I am not sure if that is even do able. But it would be cool to see something like this. Or it could spawn a pirate raid at an enemy base but they loot the enemy a bit and you get part of what they loot. If that makes any sense.