This suggestion is not to add something new into the game. It's to fix a system that I feel needs a little bit of tweaking, and a little bit of new things.
This suggestion will focus on the skill tree.
Why oh why do we have to waste 12 points on aptitudes? It's not the point that they are there. I get it, they unlock the higher tiers of the tree. I actually think this is brilliant. It's the fact that they don't DO anything! There are however, skills that seriously need to be added, and what a perfect time to hit 2 birds with 1 stone.
I suggest instead of making the aptitudes completely blank other than the fact that they unlock parts of the tree, give them each a skill per level that relates to the tree itself, giving the player a little bit of a bonus for unlocking those trees:
Combat: Damage buff (totals)(fleet) [L1:2% DMG] [L2:4% DMG] [L3: 6% DMG, +3% fire rate]
Leadership: Supply consumption reduction (totals)(fleet) [L1:3%] [L2:6%] [L3:9%, 15% reduced effect from terrain]
Technology: Increases fuel capacity (totals)(freighters) [L1:5%] [L2:10%] [L3:15%, +5% overall capacity of fleet]
Industry: Increases reward for scan missions (totals) [L1:10%] [L2:20%] [L3:30%, 10% reduction in crew loss while salvaging]
With the changes of the aptitudes in mind, I would like to offer a leg up on a whole new tree: Trading. This tree would include things like price manipulation, better rewards for hauling goods, occasional offerings of rare items, and perhaps skills that dabble in the darker side of the game and increases your reputation with pirates and smugglers.
I feel the core changes are the minor balance tweaks this game needs though. A slight modification of the skill tree will make this game go from brutally in-your-face, to a well fought challenge. Thanks
