I've have quite a few ideas in mind, so rather than making a bunch of threads I might as well put them all together.
Renting/leasing ships and modules
Rather than buying for something in full price all at one, you can use it for a lower price, though with some limitations. These limitations could include
- Light-year limit (ex. Don't fly it further than 25 light-years from where it is rented from)
- Planetary landing limit (ex. Don't fly it on planets exceeding 3 g's, don't fly it around the surface of any planet, etc.)
- Activity limit (ex. Don't outfit it with certain modules, don't use during for combat, exploration, or trading, etc.)
- Damage limit (ex. Don't let overall health fall lower than 50%)
- Time limit (ex. Ship/module must be returned to home station within one month of rental)
Credit/loans
If you can't afford something you can use a loan to get the money you need. Like real life, the loan will come with a minimum monthly (or weekly) payment that must be met. Making these payments regularly can increase your credit, which will positively affect your ability to take out more loans and rent ships or modules.
Ordering ships and modules to be delivered
One of the most annoying things in this game is travelling hundreds of light-years to find something I need, only to find it's out of stock or is no longer sold there. It would be much more convenient to be able to order ships and modules to be delivered to a station or base, where you can pick it up. Of course the delivery fee and transfer time increases the further the item has to travel.
Overall enhanced combat
I think combat needs a major overhaul. Combat zones feel like a disjointed, communication-lacking mess. What could make it more interesting both visually and gameplay-wise would to
- Have combat zones appear in logical places, rather than round random planets. This could be near stations, along trade lines, etc., anywhere that would tactically make sense.
- Enhance communication and organization. Like real war, members of each army should be following strict orders given out by superiors. Imagine: while several capital ships battle each other for superiority, smaller ships work together to sabotage the enemy. Some could come in waves, taking out enemy ships. Or maybe there could be lines of fighters rushing behind enemy lines to hit capital ships. Of course these are very tight maneuvers, and thus would require lots of communication. New UI elements could be added to show where to the player must fly and how fast (maybe auto-pilot?).
This isn't everything, but I'm short on time, so I'll stop here.
Renting/leasing ships and modules
Rather than buying for something in full price all at one, you can use it for a lower price, though with some limitations. These limitations could include
- Light-year limit (ex. Don't fly it further than 25 light-years from where it is rented from)
- Planetary landing limit (ex. Don't fly it on planets exceeding 3 g's, don't fly it around the surface of any planet, etc.)
- Activity limit (ex. Don't outfit it with certain modules, don't use during for combat, exploration, or trading, etc.)
- Damage limit (ex. Don't let overall health fall lower than 50%)
- Time limit (ex. Ship/module must be returned to home station within one month of rental)
Credit/loans
If you can't afford something you can use a loan to get the money you need. Like real life, the loan will come with a minimum monthly (or weekly) payment that must be met. Making these payments regularly can increase your credit, which will positively affect your ability to take out more loans and rent ships or modules.
Ordering ships and modules to be delivered
One of the most annoying things in this game is travelling hundreds of light-years to find something I need, only to find it's out of stock or is no longer sold there. It would be much more convenient to be able to order ships and modules to be delivered to a station or base, where you can pick it up. Of course the delivery fee and transfer time increases the further the item has to travel.
Overall enhanced combat
I think combat needs a major overhaul. Combat zones feel like a disjointed, communication-lacking mess. What could make it more interesting both visually and gameplay-wise would to
- Have combat zones appear in logical places, rather than round random planets. This could be near stations, along trade lines, etc., anywhere that would tactically make sense.
- Enhance communication and organization. Like real war, members of each army should be following strict orders given out by superiors. Imagine: while several capital ships battle each other for superiority, smaller ships work together to sabotage the enemy. Some could come in waves, taking out enemy ships. Or maybe there could be lines of fighters rushing behind enemy lines to hit capital ships. Of course these are very tight maneuvers, and thus would require lots of communication. New UI elements could be added to show where to the player must fly and how fast (maybe auto-pilot?).
This isn't everything, but I'm short on time, so I'll stop here.