Early on you had to choose what kind of build you had energy, attack, cloak, scan etc. Now it is more like you have everything and just get artifact production to get more sooner. Matched NPCs grow easier to kill as you progress rather than harder (HP grows at a slower rate than damage cap). The only thing that becomes more difficult is PVP to the point killing someone online is impossible and offline takes minutes. Worse is since attack, energy, defense, hull and shields are infinite basically anything that adds fixed amounts will just become useless w/o an ability or % boost in addition, which exacerbates the situation. Attacks capable of taking planets with 100k defense with 90%. Energy bars so they can autorank fairly easily on a few missions and donating to the base. Hulls over 1M buffed or 400k unbuffed. Research becomes only useful for credits, mining for exotic matter and artifact for all the above stats.

We need a hard cap/rank on the things we get from artifact production.

Expansion of the research trees to things that add tech that are useful. Either making them insane fixed amounts or set bonuses that grant passive abilities like the Litheor Tetractic Crystal. Weapons that do % damage or fixed amounts dependent on your ships decks.

NPCs that require more than just mindless clicking to kill (the newer elites start at this, but needs to be expanded to common/uncommon standard ones too). You need to be flared or something in order to hit this NPC, have an ability active, something that requires more than point and click.

Missions that require artifacts, but you have to decide which to use rather than it just being told. Choose correctly the energy is less or if you choose poorly the mission fails.

At this point the game is mindless clicking, production collecting and whether you have the best internet connection. This is classified as a strategy game, but there isn't much strategy left in the game.

Scanning legions are the last thing that required strategy, planning and coordination. They were not intended, but at the same time it is a good example of what needs to be done.

+1 still a mid rank but would like to see more stuff out for my future in this game.

+1, 100% agreed. A lot of things already suggested would go good with this: Homeworlds, Formal legion wars, fleets, etc.

well said +1

So you're saying that we should get rid of scanning legions?

How did you interpret it in the complete opposite way in which I meant? I am asking for content to be added that requires strategy, not removing the tiny bit of game that does.

Even though Dan said he won't be expanding the research tiers I think it deserves a second look. After the current tiers the paths could begin to branch out.

Example: After Quasis Chaos you are faced with two options for new technology. If you pick option A you will never be eligible for option B and vice versa.

Each category could branch several times and lead to some unique builds.

Choose only one options would be great.

This actually sounds like a really good idea. +1

As long as the options are known. None of this random 1 of 10 crap. That's not strategy that's guessing and hoping to be lucky.

I like.

+1

I believe that's what ravadge means. I see it like the mass effect 3 structure. How after you get so far 2 become available and you chose which one you want/ feel will be more advantageous to your playstyle, and can't get the other option. Either way what ever Dan chooses to do I'm cool with as we need new things to research.

No he means instead of a straight branch it forks and you get a bonus from one that the other doesn't give and vice versa. What I am saying is the bonus needs to be known. I don't want to read just a name of the tech, the stats of the bonus need to be known.

Like the Mission archives and access core ability, where after months we finally found out because someone did finish. If I am making a decision I want to be informed prior to making it. Otherwise I might choose a strategy I don't want.

Clearly someone hasn't played mass effect You get a full description of what you are chosing.

I know it would require a ton of reprogramming and will probably never happen but I always wished there were multiple types of attacks (energy, kinetic) which could be pitted against different resistance types.

When you say hard cap do you mean like a limit on how strong you can make your ship?

I would love this. It would greatly add strategy and sacrifice.

And this is where Dan can get some extra hands to help with the project.

Yes a hard cap like 100 brackets added to your ship per rank. that way the usefulness of artifact production becomes limited. Slow rankers would reach the cap and then be unable to add more and then have to rank up in order to further improve their ships. A rank 1500 can potentially be stronger than a rank 2000, but it shouldn't be because the rank 2000 is a higher rank. meaning they have the same hull and shields, but because the rank 1500 is a lower rank they have a lower damage cap and are stronger. This allows the rank 2000 to have potential to be stronger than a rank 1500 if they reach the cap.

What would happen to ships that are well over your proposed caps? Would ships that were made before the caps were implemented be allowed remain over the caps until they rank up enough, or are you suggesting that these ships be nerfed? Are you willing to have your ship nerfed? Are other players willing?

Edit: I like the idea of caps on artifacts but if it results in mass nerfing then I doubt many others will jump on board.

I don't think the game keeps track of how many brackets you add to your ship. I think the only thing(s) that need to be managed are attack and energy. Two of the biggest stats (by proportion)

Prolly not, and since there are Lazuli toys that add hull and stuff, it would be impossible to get a 100% reading on brackets; it would have to be based on total hull/shield added. Not a huge problem/drama to work with, though.