Too Many Alerts in Space Age? poll

[booly]

What do you think about alerts in the space age?

I wanted to find out if other players found them too much... or not. There doesn't seem to be a poll about this yet but I noticed a lot of posts saying that people find the alerts too frequent so I thought we needed one.

Would be nice to hear if you have tried different difficulty levels in space and if alert levels are any different. Please express yourselves.

[Draycen]

Yes I think there are too many. I'm less than 2 hours in and have spent at least 1/3 of the time rushing back and forth to planets to save them.

There REALLY should be an option to turn this stuff off. When you consider the market they're aiming it at, as in casual gamers, it's going to put off a high percentage. It would be far better if:

a) these alerts could be turned off
b) the grox could be turned off
c) an option for no race to attack you UNLESS you agressed them (for those that just wanna fly around the galaxy enjoying themselves)

that's my two pence anyway

Draycen

[Gerishnakov]

I'm afraid the suggestions you've made would make the game too easy. I think there should just be more, and more efficient ways of dealing with the alerts.

[Lauryn]

Yeah I'd have to agree, I bought this game as a casual gamer yet space stage just forced me to ragequit >.> lol

I'm playing on easy, I just want a nice happy slow little game yet I can't help but be at war with 3 or 4 different empires, each time I get enough money to try end the war for one of them they reject it and keep the money...

I'm honestly getting really fed up with this game, I really enjoyed the rest of it but i seriously cannot comprehend how this is in any way shape or form 'easy'...

*sigh*

[Banquet]

Yes, there's definitely too much of this for my taste. Something potentially simple and fun like going around planets deciding which plants and creatures to abduct in order to terraform lock a planet, is usually interrupted by mulitple attacks or disasters.

I'm trying another game on easy and have noticed that some things should be easier to manage. For instance, the races who don't like strangers begin at -15 instead of -30 on relations.. but my main gripe is the pirate attacks and I'm not far enough in yet to notice if they're lessened at all.

Unfortunately some of these alerts are tied in with badges to earn which unlock stuff.. i.e, body guard, eco hero.. so there's not much chance we'll be given the option to turn them off in a patch.. but I would like a big reduction..

[booly]

I can see your point Gerishnakov and welcome your ideas and agree that would help. I agree Banquet, I actually like playing the hero like Capt Kirk but just not that often.

I kept the poll simple deliberately because it is the first poll on the subject and wanted to establish whether people agreed there was a problem or not in the first place.

I find the alerts are breaking an otherwise enjoyable game but there is more than one way it could be remedied for sure.

[LordTif]

I do agree completely. I am spending almost all my time trying to keep the land and relationships I have rather than exploring, trading and just enjoying myself. Maybe it is because I am playing on hard... But I do agree, either reduce the amount of alerts, or add in an auto-management function of some kind.

So that you can delegate to the computer force, your "empire's other ships!", to go and defend your planets, their strength can be based on your ship or the amount of planets you have, or cities or whatever.

Just a side note, no offence but... your empire only has one space ship??? hehehe I find that hillarious, just yeah... an Empire with 10 star systems... one ship. Go Go fleet, you good thing you!

[sporegnosis]

Unless you have the energy terraforming tools and the uber turret, and the ecosystems protector specials there is no point in expanding your empire or exploring.

Once you get those tools you can make T3 worlds that are self efficient in protecting themselves and you won't have eco-disasters on them. At that point you can ignore all attacks, grox included, and do whatever you want.

The people that made the mistake of having many T1,T0, and T2 colonies are in deep trouble...

Also, go directly for the rare spices. It is worth going to war for those even in the early game.

[Cyberfrog]

Yes, they are a bit too frequent. I've found them manageable though (partially by ignoring most of certain types, such as spice raids and ally under attack alerts). Even if you would prefer to be a pacifist, some empires (such as Spode worshippers) are practically begging you to put them out of their misery. So in those cases, learn to stop worrying and love the bomb. Then your part of the galaxy may see some peace... for a time.

[GolgoThirteen]

While I am still playing my first game to actually get into space, I am quite far down the path to completion with it. However, I do agree that random attacks on and warnings on your planets happen too frequently. I barely have time to explore a world or two before I get at least two alerts from my allies and one alert from one of my own planets.

[Mytharox]

It would be nice if there were a few things where you would get less messages.

I was thinking of:

A. Get a refuse mission option for bio disasters/pirates etc of other players.
B. Don't let AI players that are clearly out of range hail you all the time or give a way to respond to them e.g. allow you to respond if you have a planet in their range.
C. Allow some items to block all of type x events happening. Either using an existing item like bio stabilizer or uber-turret to stop new pirate attack's and bio-disasters 100%. So you don't even get a warning.

This way you can create a larger empire, secure it and you don't get called back by 100 allies when you want to explore the galaxy a little

[Wasabigit]

Hmm, I do get a lot of warnings, but I mostly ignore them. The only ones I really take into account are eco ones as they can actually ruin the planet. Granted I only have 4 planets in 2 solar systems (all with ubers), but I'm also playing on hard.

Been having fun wiping out the races that go to war with me and hassle me. Only allied to races that aren't such great hassle.

[Assassin Rex]

The alerts really do annoy me, I have colonized soo many star systems, I have even been through a black hole and built colonies on the other side, and its annoying trying to save a planet, especially lalalalalala who is too lazy to build the eco stabilizer thing from eco disaster when on the other side of the universe.
Its more annoying to jump through 2 wormholes in rush only to get lost. What is more annoying is there is no auto save, so you have to restart the game from your last save. 10 colonies ago.

[WorMzy]

The amount of alerts doesn't annoy me, it's the fact that 3 usually happen all at once, and it only gives you enough time to respond to one of them, maybe two if you're quick.

I ignore any I get when I'm making a planet into a T3, or any that I get from my colonies through the wormhole.

[itsmoirob]

I think the first hour or so was freakin hard--and that was just on medium. There were times when I was going to give up on the game.
But after playing the game for a few hours and trial and error I've finally gotten to a point now where the attacks dont happen too often--plus with the purchased weapons it only takes a few seconds to get rid of everything on the screen.
Although like WorMzy says, it is annoying when you get 2 or more attacks at the same time. That's a little annoying.

Although saying that I've not progressed too far in the Solar system so and dont have too many colonies at the moment. I might come back here soon

[flixern]

Way to many. That's the reason why I cheat on the space phase. So I can bribe my enemies so they wont attack me hehe

[Kritorian]

Played 2 games on normal level into space age (finished it on 1 race). I have to agree there are too many raids on my systems. Ok after having upgraded to T3 colony with full turrets and uberturret pirates can be ignored but i find that if i ignore Grox they will do significant blows to the cities and might even raze 1. So i find my self rushing there to help kill em off. And after having actually met their empire their attacks go on and on and on.

And i just want to get to the center of the universe *sigh* and explore and terraform. Trying to play a peacemonger game and i've had fun so.

Also would be nice if i could upgrade allies ships cos some of them are made of porcelain.

One suggestion i personally would think is great for more than one reason is to have colonies rebuild themself with whatever you made there. Its actually **** annoying to have to build turrets again and again and again. Why not have the colony remember your configuration and rebuild itself if there are sufficient funds. And then please a notice somewhere if it's not possible for whatever reason. But not only would it save me from boring clicking it would also help me be away to explore and terraform etc.

Please?

[SharonQ27]

If you ignore lalalalalala under attack alert does it affect your relationship with the ally that's under attack??

I also voted yes on the poll cause I'm sick of having to save something while I'm busy trying to terraform my colonised planets.

[Opsis]

i have no problems with alerts. pirates are a pest but can be ignored, eco disasters rarely happen and i dont get attacked by anyone cos i dont make any enemies. (havn't bothered with the Grox yet)

[SharonQ27]

I actually don't mind the eco disasters and saving my allies right now. I'm sick of being attacked myself though.

[Opsis]

i actually found its quiet easy to play the game without being attacked.

[GodBen]

At the very least (and I mean VERY least) you should only be able to receive alerts from planets within your blue circle range. In my game I'm at war with the Grox and I built a colony on the edge of the core and I made a few allies there and I'm fighting my way through, destroying their worlds on the way (running is for cowards). I should not be able to receive an alert about some poor sick animals halfway across the galaxy, let alone be expected to take 3 minutes to go back there to sort it out. I should receive alerts from my colony and my allies at the core, nothing else.

[flixern]

Originally Posted by SharonQ27

If you ignore lalalalalala under attack alert does it affect your relationship with the ally that's under attack??

I also voted yes on the poll cause I'm sick of having to save something while I'm busy trying to terraform my colonised planets.

It didn't affect my relationships to my ally when they needed help against my other ally and I didn't help.

[Cyberfrog]

Hmm, do you get minus points saying you failed missions? That's all the minus points I've seen after minding my own business while they were attacked. Seems sensible that they also might "lose interest" in the alliance if it happens often.

The Bananaz empire is "invincible" though, no attacker has been able to take a world from them.

[Assassin Rex]

Originally Posted by GodBen

At the very least (and I mean VERY least) you should only be able to receive alerts from planets within your blue circle range. In my game I'm at war with the Grox and I built a colony on the edge of the core and I made a few allies there and I'm fighting my way through, destroying their worlds on the way (running is for cowards). I should not be able to receive an alert about some poor sick animals halfway across the galaxy, let alone be expected to take 3 minutes to go back there to sort it out. I should receive alerts from my colony and my allies at the core, nothing else.

exacto-mondo

Just like you each time I jump blackholes, I build colonies (big mistake), so it annoys to always have to travel back and forth. escpecially annoying when you travel through the wrong black hole. twice.