Movement points are
now reduced according to the hull type of the spaceship. This leads
to bigger ships being slower. Also, movement points are no longer
calculated in integers, but with decimals.
Ships may now get for
example 2.7 movement points per turn, have 5.8 remaining movement
points and a maximum of 11.7 points.
I used the
opportunity to refactor the Ships database table and remove the
spatial data types from it.
The feature list for the
next game got two new items:
The ranking will
calculate the rank depending on population, research, goods and so
on.
I am ambivalent
about this feature. On the one hand I don't like it, because it is an
artificial competition which should not be needed. On the other hand,
I heard multiple complaints about this feature missing in the game,
and, frankly, this artificial competition does indeed trigger some
kind of “I just want to catch up with the next guy in the ranking”
feeling, which can be fun.
The second task, the
ending scenario, is a big one. But as soon as that is implemented,
this game reaches beta status.
There will be
multiple ending scenarios later, but for now the “Ascension”
scenario will suffice:
Ascension
As soon as one player has the needed research,
he can begin with the construction of a special space station, the
Ascension Construct. Completion of the space station will trigger
galaxy-wide Ascension – which ends the game.
The construction of
the Ascension Construct will need so many resources that a single
player will not be able to do this on his own. His alliance, and
possibly other alliances as well, will help constructing it.
All the while other
player/alliances may start their own Ascension Constructs, hoping to
win the race themselves.
When the first such
construct is finished, all players gain victory points according to
several factors:
- Their contribution
to the winning Ascension Construct
- Distance of their
homeworld to the construct
- Ownership of the
construct. membership of the alliance owning it, being allied with
the owners
- the normal ranking points will probably also count as victory points
