I would like more options in the game creation. I would particularly like an option to slow down research. Attaching a multiplier to the R and D costs ought to be easy. All, what about options to remove things, wormholes for example.
Thanks for the feedback. I don't know if IS:G will offer the option to remove wormholes specifically. It isn't something I have ever seen requested before, but it is something that can be considered. I can say that ways to adjust the game speed have been requested by a number of individuals, both here and on Steam. This is definitely a desire that the dev team is aware of the demand for.
Another possibility for changing the pace of the game would be options for how quickly captured worlds are fully assimilated (meaning productive). When it's immediate, capturing a world or two can mean the game is effectively over, since you're stronger and they're weaker. If captured worlds were unproductive for a period of time, and maybe required significant military forces to remain invested there, it would certainly change the pacing. You could add technologies, leaders, and events that affect assimilation rate. Tweak the AI to recognize military strength that is tied down by holding captured worlds, and thus unavailable for defense. You'd also have to tweak the AI to avoid overextending itself, with racial differences, of course. Some of these factors can be left to personal modification of files, but the factors have to be made accessible in files (and documented, so the modders know which does what), and for some of them, the AI has to be altered to respond to those changes. Research speed might be something that doesn't need any AI changes.
I am more interested in tech pacing than game pacing. But the more the game can be customized, from tech to construction to galaxy parameters, the more different kinds of games I can play.
I would also love the option to remove things, such as ruins. We are already given the option to disable other events, but no option to disable events for exploring ruins. If ruins are able to be toggled on/off in the future then other things specifically related to ruins may need to be altered as well.
I usually turn off ruins or equivalents in 4X games too. I dislike the frantic hunt aspect, and the treasures that might influence the game too strongly (gamebreakers). Having the events in an easily accessible file would be helpful for people who like to mod the game their way. Someone might like having some treasures available, but delete some from the list, edit the strength and probability for others, or add a few copies of something interesting but not powerful. It also allows community generated treasures/events.
I would like to be able to vary travel time travel between stars, usually to make it take longer. An option to do this during game creation would be great. I guess you could globally increase the distance between stars or decrease the speed of the engines. These two methods would have different effects on sensor detection.
