Whenever ships are sent to another colony for whatever reason, show the ships as a transparent gif/png on the tile as they travel. It wouldn't necessarily have to be representative of the ship type or numbers, just something that visually indicates that you have ships in transit.

Also, this could tie into a radar module for detecting incoming ships. Level one could detect ships 1 tile away, level 2 shows two tiles away, etc.

Thanks!

It would be nice but I think it would kill the server. I mean, imagine hundreds of players sending their ships around, and the map has to update for all of them.

No, the map only updates when the map is viewed. It just a adds a query when you update the map. It's not ajax based, it's web 1.0.

It's not like the server has to sit there constantly updating ship positions, just when you click map or refresh the page. Even then it's just a matter of a little algebra to determine the ships position.

i know it sounds neat, & everyone wants to see little ships flying around the map, but in reality it's a little more complicated than just "show them on the map" .. you need a path-finding algorithm which places each ship, & you have to calculate positions for a lot of ships every time the map is loaded, because you don't know if they're on it until you work it out. & even then all you get is little pictures of ships or fleets, which reveal almost nothing, since the map is a grid, & you can never accurately read their heading or composition.
in reality it's a lot more useful to have a list of your fleets with destinations & ETAs, & any fleets on their way to you. the sensor upgrades idea works well with this too - better sensors can warn you earlier or give you more details about the incoming fleet.

Did you guys just skip algebra class or what?

The map is a Cartesian grid. If you are sending ships from say, 5,5 to 10,15 you draw a line from those two points (using javascript). The line will have a slope m = (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1) or 10/5 or 2. Then you just need to determine what percentage of time has passed since launch. For example, let's say it takes 30 minutes till attack and you're 10 minutes away. x = x1 + .66(x2-x1), y = y1 + .66(y2-y1) so x=8.3, y=11.6.

The beauty is, you don't need the server to do shit. All the information you need is already on the client and you can do the rest with good old javascript.



E: oh and you can ignore the part about the line slope formula. You don't even need to do that. I was just trying to remember my algebra.

yes, simple enough if all you can see is your own fleets or those heading directly for one of your colonies, but that's a very limited application of the principle, & doesn't actually do anything useful. if you can see all fleets in range of your sensors, players might be able to intercept them, warn allies of potential threats, or more effectively plan attacks.
i'd also like to be able to raid freight convoys, & intercept comets with mining vessels to gather some rare isotope for use as fuel for a siege weapon or something.

call me crazy, but i think additions to a game should add some depth to the gameplay, not just silly graphics which don't tell you anything you don't already know. & of course there are those annoying problems which still need fixing before anything can sensibly be added to the game ... especially something which doesn't actually add anything to the game

Well, the game doesn't currently allow for interceptions, but yes, the idea of radar would be that you could see things coming. Which would "add something to the game." Which contradicts your own point that it would "do anything useful".


So wait, you do like the idea, and are adding to it.


So, you DON'T like the idea. And now you're calling it "just silly graphics".


Let's just tell the developers to get rid of the "Suggestions & Requests" section of the forum until they've fixed all bugs. Is that about it?

Please don't start a fight. It doesn't matter who makes the best suggestions, Pr3t3nd3r is already working on the game and I'm sure he has a list with priorities and everything will be done in time, so relax.

To whom are you speaking? I've proposed an idea, and nubbins is offering a critique, and I'm responding to that critique. It's just how it goes. My feelings aren't hurt and hopefully I'm helping nubbins understand the flaws in his logic.

And hopefully the algebra post helped you understand the flaws in your argument.

Lol you got to love words posted. You never really can tell the true attitude behind what someone is saying

I personally like Creamy Goodness' Idea. Although I do wonder how much stress it would put on the server. Most of it would be client side, but there would be server side too. If i remember correctly the whole server is like 2mb so far?