The mythical character upgrade, that thing that will never be completed. Everything mentioned here is relating to the test code - not the live game.

The basics of the character code in place - agents/politicals/officers have all been converted to characters. Scientist will also most likely be converted but there is no rush to that (converted + general research skill). The basics of learning skills etc is sorted, and everything is being aimed to use custom code so that we can quickly change anything we like.

The agent design is in place and once we are sure we know what we want to do the implementation will not be too long as it is relatively straight forward. The mechanic can then be transferred over into emissary style characters (religion could be made to work in a similar way)

The biggest hurdle is converting the nexus so that we can use the characters meaningfully and without overburdening everyone. The general plan is to make sure that you can completely ignore the characters if you chose to. Caveat: Just because you ignore them, it does not follow that you can't be affected by them, in the same way ignoring combat does not prevent you getting a good kicking.

Basics [done]
All the basics of skills are complete and they are not much different to those already in the game. (Check that skill points converts to free training and all skilled maintained on existing characters).

• All skills have 0-4 levels - each of these levels have a fixed linear effect (Level 4 is x4 effect of level 1)
  
• All skills have a base cost for training and this is modded up per level at x1 x2 x4 x8 (So if Dodge has a base price of 500 stellars, it would cost (1+2+4+8)*500=7500 to train it to lvl 4).
  
• If you have the exp and the stellars you can train the skill anywhere.
  
• Skills generally have a 'Skill Effect' that is converted into an in game effect. So you might have 3 skills contributing the the 'Seduction' Skill effect. All old skills will be kept with a skill effect the same as their name - they may not have additive skills in this case.
  
• There are no prerequisites skills, all skill with the same effect type just add together with diminishing returns. When a skill effect is tested the skills are added together in order of size divided by their position in the list Skill. {Skill 1}/1 + {Skill 2}/2 + {Skill 3}/3 + {Skill 4}/4 ...

• Aff only skills: are fixed to an affiliation, and if the character is outside the aff then the skill will no longer be active or trainable.
  
• Combat Readiness Skills: Will be based on combat readiness - the skill be will reduced based on this percentage. A character's combat readiness is set to 100% after being in combat vs another player/aff. The combat readiness will decrease every week that a character is not in combat. It will bottom out at 50% on a ship/platform and 0% in a base. There will be an order to increase it for stellars but not to 100%.
  
• All skills are by default allowed on all position types but this can be limited (e.g Dodge might only be allowed on ships).
  
• No exp skills: Will not require experience to train (just stellars).
  
• Locked skills : These are only trainable when you have them - from a GM or in game action.
  
• Special skills : These are not trainable but a assigned by the GM or game action. A political's generation of funds and free exp will be handled this way - it may also be linked to the RL cost of a position.
  
• Could be prerequisite Skill
  

• Free experience from political per week (dependent on lvl) [done] - Is not cumlative (free exp is reset every week not added to)
  
• Lump of free exp [pre-payed] when you go to pol level [not coded]
  
• Any character over a certain amount of political exp becomes non transferable[not sure]

• Experience based on crew available on a ship (limited by max crew) [not sure]
  
• Multiple officers share exp in similar way to current [done]
  
• Experience from explorations, investigations and appropriate special actions (drop down to add exp in specials) [not coded]
  
• Space battle experience in similar way to existing [done]
  
• Space battles give ship exp that improves ship overall [not coded]
  
• Integrity checks give exp[not coded]

Movement/Invisibilty

• Can enter bases on their own by moving there [not coded]
  
• Be delivered with the Drop operative order [not updated]
  
• Agents can issue an order to go invisible [not coded]
  

Skills will cover effects from items, upgrades and actual skills on a character. To get the benefit of the item skills you will have to give the in game item to the character and the skill level given will depend on the tech of the item.

Rather than giving skills multiple effect, you will be able to buy the parts you want individually. So for instance if we had the pilot skill (only example) it might be broken down into: Piloting - Weapons, Piloting - Dodge, Piloting - Defence etc

This is represented below by Piloting -{ Weapons [+dmg], Dodge [+dodge], Defence [+defence] }

Skills

• Situational Awareness [Personal Dodge]
  
• Advanced Tactics - { Damage [+SR dmg], Dodge [+Personal Dodge] }
  
• Small Arms Training [+ SR dmg]
  
• Basic Training [+SR dmg]
  
• Combat Training - { Damage [+SR dmg], Dodge [+Personal Dodge], Defence [+defence] }
  
• Melee Combat [+SR dmg]
  

• Personal Armour [+DR]
  
• Battle Armour - Only applies in ground combat [+DR]
  
• Personal Weapons [+ SR dmg]
  
• Heavy Weapons [+ LR dmg]
  
• Advanced Sensors [+ Control]
  
  

• Subdermal Armour [+DR]
  
• Backups + Cloned - Can not die , but jumps to old save [assumed to be current backup]
  
• Cybernetic Enhancement - { Reflexes [+Personal Dodge], Organs [+defence], Senses [+Control]}
  
• Organic Enhancement - { Reflexes [+Personal Dodge], Organs [+defence], Senses [+Control]}
  
• Personal Shields [+DR]
  
• AI Battle Computer - { Prediction [+Personal Dodge], Threat [+Control]}
  
• Nanite Cloud [+DR]
  
• Subdermal Weapons [+SR dmg]
  

This is how I see the group upgrades working
Skills and techs allow a character to upgrade other items within their position. While these upgrades are in effect the character is locked in the position (loss or deactivation of the character undoes the upgrades). These are generally designed as short-term benefits.

This is about making a position unique or at least interesting. As such these abilities and limits will enter the game pre-nerfed and then only after some serious consultation.
It is not about adding a bucket load of perks to a single position to further increase overkill. Further, the quantity of upgraded troops should not make a significant difference to a standard battle GP but they can have their uses in dealing with small lightly defended outposts. Consider these analogous to the Dirty Dozen. Rather it is the abilities of these upgrades that can make a meaningful difference or achieve a specific goal that is parallel to the actions of the primary battle force GP.
As such only one character can be locked into a position. This prevents the mega-GP having all the characters of the affiliation and allies present. Also each account will be limited in the quantity of these characters they can have - initially 1.

Troops upgraded to elite have higher wages commensurate with their abilities (offset so you are paying slightly more wages for a more manageable group). The premise is that you can have the equivalent cost and effectiveness of a modest GP without needing dozens of ships.

How Many?
The amount of elite must not be ridiculous - this should be something where you go in with a few - maybe the equivalent to a hundred to a few thousand troops at level 4. The exact quantity will be dependant on the troops, their base combat ability and the para-combat role they serve.
There has been no definitive power ratio of elite:veteran, but somewhere in the region of 10 seems reasonable, i.e. 1 elite = 10 veterans.
As to how many upgrades at each rank; again we have not decided.
There are two options - increasing up to the ceiling or diminishing returns.
10 > 30 > 60 > 100 - makes level 1 almost not worth it but makes people grumble it should go up to rank 5 and beyond.
40 > 70 > 90 > 100 - favoured choice as it means you do not feel you have to max out before doing anything.
Obviously the above numbers are scaled in line with the maximum quantity of upgrades per troop type.


Combat Skills
These are skills that can only be used when the position is flagged as in a battle. This means that they can only be used after the first day of combat. This is the primary purpose of the elite troops. It is what makes them interesting as opposed to simply boosting an already bloated GP. The idea is that with these acting alongside a GP or even as the assaulting GP, the goal need not simply be capture of the target base.
Example: A GP assaults a base and has the first day of battle. If it survives it can submit orders to Sabotage the Shield Complexes to be processed on the next day. Another GP also assaulting will attempt to capture the base's Naplian Training tech (will check untooled then tooled). The also both submit the order to secret route out as the fleet is entering orbit.
Multiple uses of skills on a base suffer from diminishing returns mechanics for the duration of the battle (full first attempt, half second attempt, a third on the third attempt, quarter on fourth) or possibly reset daily?

Demolitions
Destroy items in a base currently under player control. Used in conjunction with upgraded troops. Destroying stuff before the enemy captures the base is a perennial SA that is routinely denied. This orders allows the skilled character to destroy some of their own stuff.

Capture Stuff
Takes an amount of a specified item (non-combat) and adds it to the GP. Used in conjunction with elite troops.

Secret Route
Used to move out of a base to beyond the sector. Skill level is GP size covered. This bypasses the kicking you get when fleeing the base. Handy when used in conjunction with Capture Stuff.

Sabotage Shields
Destroy a mass of shield complexes on enemy base (so have to survive at least one day of battle) and if successful prevents new ones being constructed for the duration of the battle. Used in conjunction with elite troops.

Suicide Assault
Exhausts elite to do lots of damage to enemy troops.

Ramming Speed
Destroys ship to inflict mass x g x (elite crew factors/required crew factors rating) in damage on target.

Counter Intelligence
Allows you to swap a quantity of items in the position for items of the same size and type located at any starbase you control.

Impersonator
Immediately move your character to any base you control and downgrade all elite troops.

Secret Reinforcements
Relocate a quantity of troops from a position within the system to this position.

Dig In
Add a quantity of civvy bunkers (large mass, no movement, high defence, high area) to the position.

Concentrate Fire
Delivers a salvo against a specific item type in a specific target (characters/officers are classed as troops).

Board Ship
Allows a boarding action without retaliation by the base/other GP's/fleet present.

Subvert Mercenaries
Poaches mercs (inc veterans) from the enemy position and adds them to your position.

Test Loyalty
Poaches troops (not veterans) of the same species as the character from the enemy position and adds them to your position.

Test Resolve
Causes mercs/troops (not veterans) not of the primary species of the enemy position to quit (removed from the position or converted to prisoners on ships).

Other Suggestions
Keeping in mind that the GP must be in combat and therefore second day - feel free to suggest away. We have thought and rejected quite a few ideas (detonating the massive stockpile of nukes to wipe everyone and everything out - hence the toned down demolitions).




Troop Types
We have quite a bit of play with this. We possibly allow affiliations to suggest their own, tie them in with specific species or just to be absolutely draconian, make them exactly the same for each aff/species. Personally I prefer a bit of flavour.

Heavy Assault
Skill allows the ground party to upgrade a quantity of veteran soldiers (based on skill level) to Heavy Assault Soldiers. Use the Upgrade Troop Order to upgrade as many of your species of Veteran Soldiers as possible. I see these as the forlorn hope, soaking damage and getting a good kicking but gaining control. These are probably going to be the most upgrades at each level. Probably good at suicide assaults.
Heavy Assault Soldiers are significantly more powerful than standard veteran soldier.
Greater area, DR and Defence - these soak damage, taking the brunt of the fire.
If any are killed, they can be replaced simply by running the order again (subject to the presence of appropriate veteran soliders).
Affiliations may have variations on the Heavy Assault stats.

Deathtrooper
Similar to heavy assault but startroopers.
Variants - personal lifters - have cargo capacity (for orbital assault or escape) - these are unlikely to require veterans for upgrade.

Snipers
As above but scouts. These do massive damage e.g. rendering tanks inoperative with a precise hit.
Variant - rapid fire - lower damage but lots of hits. Variants may be specialists at secret routes.

Commandos
As above but marines. These have huge control factors. Useful for boarding ships or capturing stuff.

Crack Pilots
As above but crew - anti-boarding - more control but boarding defence only. Knowing engineering would also make them good at demolitions and sabotaging shields.


Tech
Presuming that we opt for flavour rather than draconian everyone gets the same, we are included to allow the development of specific aff/race tech as part of the variants in the types of elite.
Tech should include things like personal power armour and other one-man vehicles that will effectively increase the mass of each troop. Where the tech increases the mass of the individual troop they will of course prevent the upgraded troops from being involved in boarding actions.
Examples include heavy jump suits, personal attack craft, scooter bikes, amour mounted rocket packs, fluorescent tubes that cut through metal.
Why don't they use these when the upgrading character is not around? Chain of command/activation and deactivation codes/game mechanics - it is what it is.