Heres something i saw in another thread, and thought it could fit in here.

A scout vessel has come across a technologically advanced ship adrift in sector______. ( As a result, either A. You get control of this ship, to make use in your fleet [ofcourse there would need to be restriction placed on exactly what this ship could do, but i dont think this bonus could work out this way], or B. discovery of this ship has advanced our research in the area of ______ by _____ teraquads of data.)

what do ya think..

Heres another i thought of. It deals with the concept of loyality that ive seen in a few different threads.

In a system that is in the lower levels of loyality, you could have something along the lines of "Our internal security forces have uncovered and arrested (or executed, depending on which empire you are) terrorists. As a result, loyality among the citizenry has improved." (Not the best explanation for this concept, but i think there should be a random that effects loyality.)

There could also be another random that decreases loyality in a system. Like anohter empire has succesfully disseminated propaganda against us to one of our colonies.

Just more ideas to knock arround. Let me know what ya think...

Gamma-Ray-Bursts within the galaxy as a rare random:

Field astronomers report the super-giant star at XX,YY has gone collapsar, producing a massive Gamma Ray Burst. Planetary systems in its path will be sterilized once the burst reaches them. They will need to be evacuated. This includes these systems, in order of urgency: [list of known inhabited systems falling on a line randomly determined on the map, closest systems first].

Field astronomers report the orbits of the binary pulsar system at XX,YY has decayed to the point where they've combined into a black hole. The resulting radiation burst will sterilize all life within R light years. The following planets must be evacuated before the radiation hits: [list of systems known to be inhabited within a preset radius, closest first].

The list would include systems belonging to another's race, if known by the player. This would allow the offer of assistance to systems that are not yours and improve relations and moral. Or, if you don't like them, to attack when they're weak.

A certain number of turns after the announcement (determined by distance) the nearest star systems get destroyed. And then, after a time, the next systems... And the next... Until the preset radius for that event is achieved.

Once a system is affected by the GRB, it can be recolonized.

Both these would be extremely rare � just as they are in reality. The random galaxy generator would have to create a super-giant or binary pulsar system in the first place and only afterwards could it be a random event. But when they happen, it would be a complete catastrophe.

I've been thinking about test beds as random events.

"A prominent scientist in the field of ______ has formulated a new and exciting theory. If it proves true, it could revolutionize the field. He requests funding for a test-bed: XX officers, YY Deuterium per turn, ZZ dilithium [per turn] for TT turns.

"Do you wish to fund him?"
<yes> <no>

If you fund the project and it is successful, you jump to the next level in that field. Using BotF1 analogy, you'd jump from tech5 to tech6 in biology, for example, the moment the project succeeds. There might be a moral boost, too.

If it fails you still get some teraquads of research data. (Remember, knowing what *wont* work is important too.)

However, every turn there is a small probability that the project goes sour: cost over-runs, delays, terminal bureaucracy or any of the other things that tend to happen to government projects. (Actually: projects in general. We're just more likely to hear about the gov ones.)

If the project goes sour there is a chance of it getting out to the public and hurting moral. In the random events window there would be a place where you could keep track of and, if you so choose, defund a project. If the project is defunded, you get zero research points from it.

Honestly, I'm kinda on the fence as to whether this is a good idea or not. First, it makes it the code that much more complex. Same for game-play: more to keep track of in both cases. On the other hand, it's that much closer to reality.

Rigel: I did not feel you were being overly hard in your reply. Instead I felt like a know-it-all. And, as I said in my correction, the general ideas in my smart-ass response was accurate (according to theory), but the details are off.

iwulff: My personal opinion is that if supernovae happen at all, they should only happen to the right types of stars. In spite of my GRB-post flub, which types of stars go supernova is well known. However, I will bow to the opinions of the game makers and simply agree that there should be enough warning prior to a supernova for evacuation.

Are there any comments to be had on the idea of testbeds?

I for one am behind it every step of the way. I know less about astronomy than ZDarby, however I spotted so many frankly laughable astronomical occurances in botf and it would be great to avoid this in future.

I vote ZDarby is elected 'Astronomical & Scientific Advisor' and checks any ideas or consults with the bosses about galactic bodies/anomolies.


(Ps- That's quite possibly the worst made up title since 'Strategic Operations Officer.)

If ZDarby wants the position, I say sure. Just as long as he gets his info straight the first time. (Just kidding ZDarby)

SonofMOgh, were you behind the supernova ideas, or the testbeds? (or both?) It wasn't too clear by your reply.

Both.

Good, thats atleast three for the testbeds.

When i first read the idea i really liked it, I just hope a few more of you guys agree , maybe we can get it included in the final release.

I'm all for anything tangable increasing scientific understanding. I thought research in botf was shallow as hell, at least in this one we'll have science ships analysing anomolies, new interesting finds etc etc. That's what trek's about, moreso that ships blowing up.