Well, I finally cleaned out all of the hundreds of old Begin message and have compiled a list of all the suggestions (45 to be exact) that all of you have made over the last three months. Suggested new features for future versions of Begin: 1) Player designed Strategy, Ships, Nations etc. 2) Graphics display rather than or in addition to the text display. One or more adapters: VGA, EGA, CGA, Hercules? 3) Popup display windows. 4) Preemptive Multitasking. This allows continuous strategy and movement computation as well as unprompted command input. Multitasking also makes the game seem to run faster since your thinking and typing time is interleaved with other processing. Most often the enemy has completed their strategy decisions before you have finished entering your command. This idea would most likely require a major rewrite. This one also happens to be my favorite. We have a "hacked up" multi- tasking version made from Begin V1.4 but it was only to see what it would be like. A rewrite maybe a good idea anyway considering the scope of some of the ideas in this list. 5) Multiplayer by modem. Direct two player and/or more than two through BBS? This is also one of my favorite ideas. It seems that all the ideas I like the best also require the most work. 6) 3D universe. How would you make an understandable display? Is it worth slowing down the game just for 3D computations? 7) More than two nations during a single game. Romulans allied with the Klingons? 8) More nations, ships, etc. (Part of player designed...) 9) Other types of ships. (Part of player designed...) Tankers, Freighters, etc. 10) Save/Restore game. Is this needed now or only if some major new feature are added which lengthen time needed to play a game? 11) Addition of planets, bases, etc. 12) Loadable/Saveable fleet configurations. This would allow quick setup if more ships are involved. You may have favorite fleets depending on the scenario. 13) Actual missions to complete. Such as capture enemy tanker, Deliver freighter to planet,etc. Any other suggestions? 14) Multigame campaigns. Your crew could improve as they fight each campaign. How about a single score that is computed for a set of missions? 15) Ship Log. Keep track of all major game events in range of player ship, positive and negative. Your score would be adjusted when you transmit a log with enough positive events to headquarters. Also the log could be kept after the game to trade with other players as evidence of an exceptional game. 16) Ascending player rank. For what purpose? During a single game or over multiple games? 17) New command input features. Such as: Mouse, Function keys, Cursor keys, Command macros, etc. 18) New rating system. Suggestions? 19) Display odds during setup. Changing the rating system will effect the odds computation. 20) More end game messages. Suggestions? 21) Status/chart for objects other than ships. Display course, speed, etc. of objects such as probes. 22) Warning/display for immediately dangerous objects. 23) Full screen position display. Toggle small position display to/from full screen. 24) Record of all ships maneuvers. Allows you to ask what moves an ally or enemy has made. 25) Multiturn commands. e.g. Zigzag, Angle shields, etc. Maybe one outstanding command per bridge crew member? 26) Limited cargo. Torps, Probes, etc. This would make all ships be more "sure" of their shots since they would have a limited supply. Of course resupply at planets/bases. 27) Other cargo. For Tankers, Freighters, etc. Capturing other enemy ships with some or all of their cargo would be worth more points. Maybe there could be usable cargo such as dilithium crystals. 28) Boarding parties. This could allow you to capture a ship for points or to use. You could also send a crew into dead ally ships for repair. What would keep an enemy from self-destructing to prevent capture? Could you only beam-in if one or more shields are down? 29) Some other weapon to make pirates good at board ships. Pirates need some "gimmick" to make them more interesting. 30) Distress messages. Allows you to request that other ally ships be sent to your defense. 31) Limit to scanning/chart range. This means you would lose track of enemy ships if they got too far away from any ally ship. This feature is needed if it is possible to meet ships later in the game. 32) Allow transporter/sensor damage 33) Directional damage/weapons/sensors This means that a hit on the ship would only damage systems near the hit. Of course these systems would also be directional. Example: Front phasers could only fire forward. 34) Allow other than six shields on ships. Dreadnoughts should have maybe eight where as interceptors only one. 35) Commands to configure damage control. This would allow you to select what's most important to repair. 36) New shield control with shield re-enforcement. Have you ever looked at the shield status? Too complicated! It needs to be overhauled. Also commands to allow energy to be diverted from somewhere to reenforce damaged shields. 37) Ship armor in addition to shields. 38) Cloaking devices. For the Romulans of course. What are the limitations. It goes without saying that they cannot fire when cloaked. 39) Drones/Shuttles. Small Semi-Intelligent attack drones/shuttles. 40) Anti-Drones/Anti-Probes. Probes that chase and destroy other probes. 41) MIRV Probes/Drones. Exploding them creates multiple warheads. 42) Point-Defense phasers. Very close-range weapons for defense against torpedoes/probes. 43) Enveloping Plasma torpedoes. They cause damage all shields. 44) Tractor Beams. Useful for capturing ships. Maybe captured ships must be towed to a base or planet for credit. 45) Desqview aware (for those of you with a 386). Keeps Begin from hogging the whole machine. Whew! That was tiring... Comments, suggestions? Which are your favorite ideas that you are most interested in seeing in the next version of Begin. Mike and I would like to know your thoughts on any or all of these ideas. Tom Nelson, Mike Higgins The Micro Foundry BBS Authors of Begin. (408) 258-3484 By the way... the contributions were doing great for about two weeks. They now seen to have stopped. Keep those checks and ideas coming, as you can see, there is plenty of work to be done. The Advanced Strategy Manual is nearing completion. We plan to send out copies to all of you great contributors around July 30. If you have not made your contribution, Come on, send it it! :-) 6/30/88