---- Originally written and posted by Lizon. ----

(PLEASE NOTE THAT I WILL EXPAND THIS POST THROUGH EDITS AS TIME GOES ALONG)

This post here is my effort to screen, weed out, and sort the various ideas on this forum. The ideas will include

---- Family/Ally Portals ----
Common idea which allows fellow familiy members and even allies to use your portals and for you to use theirs. This is usually an idea based around cutting costs either by having it as an extra unit or an additiona spell/op.

Comments -
With the current portal system and the way the game works this idea would not benefit the game. The key issue here is who would be able to use the family/ally portal and the cost measures around it. Larger families, by their very nature, would be able to exploit this advantage over the smaller families to a massive extent. If it's a unit, the larger family can afford to build it. If it's a spell, the larger family has the ability to cast it. If it costs money to use, the larger family has the GC necessary to spend to use it.. No matter where you turn, the larger families will gain a huge tactical advantage, and would decrease the ability for all players to have a fun and enjoyable round.

---- Family Banks ----
The general idea of a fam bank is having a central place to store GC and/or resources, with the ability to withdraw and deposit whenever you like.

Comments -
A common response to this idea is, "This is not Imperial Savings 'n' Loans, this is Imperial Conflict". The reason we say this is that we already have a problem with players saving up too much money for EOR (End of Round) jumps. Large families have the current ability to raise and save billions of GC and millions of resource units currently with the system we have now. In fact it got so out of hand that we had to introduce Beaucraucy in order to shave a percentage off of the total savings that people had in storage in order to entice them to spend their GC instead of saving it. Now knowing this and know that we currently already have a problem with people saving too many resources and GC already, why would we implement an idea that goes against what we are trying to accomplish; that being getting people to save less, spend more, and spend more times fighting and playing the game. It goes the basic principles of the game.

---- Family/Individual Super Weapons ----
With the increase in popularity of games with graphics (ones which move too!), there tends to be more suggestions of having super weapons like capital ships, super defense stations, death stars, nova bombs etc.

Comments -
There are 2 reasons as to why this won't work in the current game: First is similar to the Family/Ally Portal idea, with the simple fact that the larger families would gain a greater advantage over the smaller families. Due to the very nature of super weapons, the large will be able to exploit their power to a much greater effect than the weak. We need balance in the game; this does not help in that. Second is the fact there will be no more units added into the game and the fact that a new unit would have to be balanced into the current game system. Concepts like giving people an attack bonus by building a ship need to realize that that same GC can be used for research instead of ships and obtain the same bonus. You need to have a legitimate reason to add that new unit, as of now, there is no way to do so as all factors are covered by our research system.

---- New Basic Units ----
Similar to the super weapon idea explained above, we often get suggestions for more units like tanks, advanced fighters, cyborgs etc.

Comments -
We currently have a balanced system, and it is unlikely to change anytime soon. The reason we have so few units is to keep the game simple. It appeals to a larger player base and forces people to think to win their battles. What is the point of having a new unit that really will serve no other purpose other than to exist, remember there are not many variable we can apply to a new unit. The only variable we really have is attack bonus, which is already taken care of by droids. So there is no need, and there will never be one.

---- Early Detection Systems (Buildings or Ops) ----
This idea basically works around the want of some kind of buildings, or unit, or op that allows the user to detect any fleet approaching them. People claim that it will allow them to build defenses before the fleet arrives and try to hold onto the planet.

Comments -
The main reason why this won't work is portals. The way wars are currently handled, most people attack a planet within 5 ticks of their portal, if not the same system as their portal. There is no way to build defenses in time. The only area that it would serve purpose is in a long range war, where fleets have to travel 18-48 hours to reach their destination. But this is a rare occurrence, and as such serves little purpose in the current game.

---- Space Battles/Intercept Fleets ----
From the concept of the previous idea comes this idea. If you can detect an enemy fleet then why can't you intercept it before it arrives at your planet?

Comments -
Again, given how the battle system currently works, it is impossible and illogical to try to put this into the game. It just doesn't work.

---- Family Tax ----
People who propose this idea want a means for the family leader or vice leaders to levy a tax on all players within their family so that they don't need to ask people over and over again to contribute to the family funds.

Comments -
One simple answer here, ABUSE! This idea can be abused a lot, especially by rogue players and leaders. It can really hurt many more families than it helps. It is too exploitable.

---- Family Fleets ----
This idea usually comes from players who are in smaller families and want to have a way to beat up the larger families.

Comments -
One thing people don't realize is that the larger families could do the same thing, as the smaller families and build just one huge family fleet and beat up all the smaller families. If the smaller families have all their ships in the family fleet then there is now a easy for those larger families to wipe out the entire defense network of a small family at one time, instead of working through a family, player by player, which is much more difficult.

---- IC Open Source ( by Smartys) ----
This idea is basically what it says, that IC should be made open source. This would allow people to run their own servers, edit the game code to their liking, etc.

Comments -
Stefan has worked very hard coding the game, spending money out of his own pocket to host it, etc. The way he makes money out of this is through donations. Making IC open source pretty much means that donations are gone (someone creates a server with VIP features and it's basically done). Also, Stefan has not and isn't coding the game to be open source. He would have to create an install script, provide support for many different configurations, etc.

---- Ally Aid ----
The basic premise of this idea is to allow a means for you to aid your allies in a time of need. Their argument is that if your allies are in trouble you should be able to help them financially if necessary.

Comments -
The major issue here is exploitation, specifically extortion by the larger families. With this in the game a larger family could force a smaller family to ally with it and to give up it?s resources and GC to them as a bribe to prevent people from attacking them. Plus there is the issue of multi?s using multiple accounts, and sending aid to their other accounts to gain an unfair advantage over honest players in the game. It just has to many was to go wrong for the idea to be taken seriously.

---- New Operations (specifically Steal Cash/Resources) ----
This idea has to do with new special operations that would allow you to speed up your fleet to a destination, give you a defense bonus, use someone else's portal, steal their cash/resources/population, etc.

Comments -
> This is being reconsidered to a small degree, some new operation are on there way but please don't post any ideas relating to Ops at the mo as the plans very much revolve around existing ideas and race redesigns

---- New Market Commodities ----
This idea basically covers the concept of selling your population, or your planets, or your units for a price in an open market. People claim it would help them financially and make the game more "real".

Comments -
There will be no new market commodities in IC 1.0. So don't even bother with this idea.

---- Stricter Attack Restrictions ----
These ideas are broad and wide. They include such concepts as disallowing players from attacking players with more than a certain % NW difference below their NW (example, a 5% restriction). Disallowing attacks between families that have a certain NW different (similar to the 35% rule, but for families). The main purpose of these ideas is to prevent extreme bashing of players.

Comments -
First off, it is unlikely that battle restrictions in IC 1.0 will be changed. The main reason is that during the mid to late round, if we had these restrictions, then nobody would be able to attack anybody! Especially true when you get into the top 100 range where you would only have about 20-30 people in your range TOTAL is not less. Add to that family restrictions and you would even have fewer people to attack. Now there may be other ways to restrict battling, a hostile rating would do wonders for the game. But that is a big perhaps if that will happen, I find it doubtful myself, but who knows?

---- Individual Galaxies ----
This idea is a push for individual player galaxies. These people believe that the game could be more fun if you didn't have families. We once had individual player galaxies in the custom Games from a few years back, and a few players liked it, and this idea is a proposal to have a separate galaxy for those players.

Comments -
3 player families in Sagittarius Dwarf is one step closer to this idea.

---- Game Bots ----
This idea is for those people that want the game to auto-attack planets on a timer, to auto buy/sell resources on the market, auto-aid players at certain times, and basically want the game to play itself.

Comments -
Unlike other online games, we IC players believe in the meaning of "Hard Work". There will not be any kind of automation system or bots in the game. Doing so would "cheapen" the experience, and that is the last thing that we want to happen.

---- New Buildings ----
This idea includes defence platforms, cloning facilities, police stations and a variety of other ideas that would allow for users to build new buildings onto their planets for some in game purpose. This purpose can be defence against ops, higher population growth and better military defences.

Comments -
Maybe, maybe not, but please when you introduce a building, think of it from every direction. How will it affect me, my family, and my rivals. Then think of ways to exploit it, be your own worst enemy. This in not likely to happend to the beginning of 2010

---- New Resources ----
This idea has the basic concept of adding a new resource to the game. Common suggestions are crystals, oil, diamonds, ect ect. The uses for these resoueces are varied, anything from new buildings and utions to requirements to preform certain game functions (ops, attacks, building limits ect).

Comments -
Unknown, but VERY doubtful, I wouldn't put too much effort into an idea like this.

---- Game Videos/Game Graphics Engine ----
This idea covers a variety of areas. First off people who suggest this want to see in game videos of their fleets attacking. Often times these same people also want things like a 3D map interface and want to see their fleets on the screen.

Comments -
No way, not now, not ever. First is bandwidth resrictions, second it doesn't add anything to the game, third it will get annoying, fourth this is a text based game, if you want fancy graphics, play something else.

[NOTICE FOR EVERY IDEAS FORUM REGULAR]

I want people to keep in mind that this thread will not work without YOUR HELP. It is your obligation to refer people to this post if they post a common idea, not just me, not just Smartys, not just the mod team, everybody. We all need to work together here to make this work. Remember, we don't want to put people down, or make them feel small or anything, we are here to guide people in the right direction, to give them answers for their questions, and to correct people in their assumptions. We can do this, so lets do it.