My idea is that the game needs lees information available to the player AKA stealth rules for map moving, sensor range, hidden burn enemy speed, hidden shiptypes etc.
This and the OP are so true, and it goes much deeper into the entire game than just the map. I've got a few suggestions to throw up/out
Issue: Omniscience on the map makes combat grindingly predictable, and makes many other aspects of the game rote.
Since you know exact enemy fleet composition/numbers, you know exactly what to deploy. In real war you usually need a forces ratio of 3:1 for assured victory in order to beat the odds and unknown enemy dispositions. In SS you need a ratio of about 1.1:1 since you know everything ahead of time. Thus combat becomes rote and predictable. See target X, deploy Y.
Solution: Limited info on the map (fog) + mix of sensor/stealth skills, Hull upgrades, and specialized ships (e.g. AWACS) for both player and AI.
Changes to map:
The map displays fleets incompletely in some conditions
- Incorrect number of ships (within reason)
- Only as ships' size, not class
- Mask fleet faction at distance
- At worst, entire fleet is a question mark, or entirely invisible
- Mouseover fogged fleet shows question mark, vague shapes, or different sizes, etc.
- Map shows fogged fleets as different sized lightspecks/engine glows.
This might be affected by following conditions:- Distance from detecting to detected fleet
- Local EMR emitters/absorbers such as nebula, black holes, etc.
- detecting fleet sensor skill
- detected fleet stealth skill
- various sensor and stealth upgrades in both fleets
- presence of AWACs or jamming ships in both fleets
How it might be fun:
Spoiler
Players could choose to invest in AWACs ships and sensor skill/upgrades to get something like the information we get now; stealth skills/upgrades/ships to deny the enemy some information, or just lots more ships to compensate for not knowing what you're fighting.
Different factions could also take different approaches to this problem in their fleets, further differentiating them.
You could take a capital ship and apply a stealth hull coating upgrade to it, compromising armor but preventing enemy fleets from seeing if it's an Atlas or a Conquest
In the early game weak players might stick close to friendly space. Tension would be added to daring, lucrative trade runs in unstable systems.
Applicability to combat:- Increase/decrease sensor range and visibility radii of friendly/enemy ships with skills/upgrades & AWACs ships
- Affect friendly/enemy missile guidance via skills/upgrades/jamming ships
How it might be fun:
Spoiler
You could deploy a fragile, expensive AWACs ship to combat and have it roam the edges of the map- either making one large visibility bubble or extending the visibility bubble of all your ships.
You could upgrade some fast frigates to have very low visibility radii and then use them to surprise attack.
Applicability to player/faction relationships:
- Chance of faction detecting/punishing attacks against them depends on stealth skills, hullmods, or distress call jamming ship
- Trade & blackmarket related offense detection depends on stealth skills.
How it might be fun:Spoiler
Pirate players could upgrade skills that let them plunder with increased (albiet not always total) impunity from rep hits. (Lore explanation: false flag tech) Or have jamming ships in the fleet (that would 'block' any distress signals, so faction never learns of crime).
Smugglers could upgrade "business stealth" skill to sell blackmarket goods or flood markets and get less punishment. (Lore explanation: computer hacking, fake identities, shell companies, bribery, etc)
Applicability to exploration metagame
Planets etc could also be invisible until discovered by the player, making 'exploration' playstyle more rewarding. Though lorewise you'd think everyone would have a map; gameplay wise it is fun- cf. Escape Velocity et al.
How it might be fun:Spoiler
-Players could follow trader fleets to discover new markets, or roam empty space to discover secret bases.
-Modders could implement exploration based scenarios
Quick breakdown of hypothetical new skill/aptitudes: (Some might be put into combat aptitude, etc, just suggestions)
Aptitude: Sensors
Skills:
-Long range sensing: Fleet Detection range on map, fleet ship sizes and numbers
-Astronavigation: Planet detection range, cancel out nebulae on campaign map, etc
-IFF, enemy ship class breakdowns
-Combat sensors- combat viz radii, missile guidance, etc?
Aptitude: Stealth
Skills:
-Block your IFF signature and fleet composition until close to enemy
-Stealth navigation- Reduce range of other fleets detecting your fleet on map
-Stealth in combat: Reduce range your ships are detected at in combat.
-Identity Masking- reduce punishment for attacking faction ships
-Market manipulation: use hacking/intermediaries to mask your activities on markets and get punished less.
Basically it's a question of how much of this would be too much, and what mix of special ships vs. skills vs. hullmods would be preferable for these features.[/list][/list][/list]