Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!vergis
From: vergis@cs.umn.edu (Anastasios Vergis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: Spaceward Ho 2.0 Suggestions
Message-ID: <1991May31.210354.18769@cs.umn.edu>
Date: 31 May 91 21:03:54 GMT
References: <12981@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> <1991May31.170041.9305@tc.fluke.COM> <1991May31.185759.24553@tc.fluke.COM>
Organization: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, CSci dept.
Lines: 28

In article <1991May31.185759.24553@tc.fluke.COM> moore@tc.fluke.COM (Matt Moore) writes:
>
> A) Better and better computer opponents, of course.

YES!! Please allocate most of your efforts to this, it is well worth it.
Better graphics and stuff is just the icing on the cake.

> C) Lack of retreat from battles is not a problem for me: it adds a major
>element of uncertainty of the game, which is OK, because the game is all
>about long range planning in the face of uncertainty.
>

I agree. People who want to retreat from battles, should not forget that it
takes years to prepare a jump through hyperpace! If you really want
to find out about the enemy defences, well, send a small force there
first. This adds to the complexity of the game. Option to retreat
would make it much easier. There is also the question of how well
the computer opponents will use it.
Ditto for the "cloaking" option to allow you to "explore" the enemy
defences undetected (then it is only fair to allow "cloaking" for
the defennces as well!).
IF THE RETREAT OPTION IS IMPLEMENTED, LET IT BE JUST ANOTHER OPTION SET
AT STARTUP.


Finally, for all of us b&w macintosh users, it would be nice to mark the
unprofitable ("pink") planets with a * just before the planet name
in the budget window.