I've numbered the above so it's easier to refer to.BFett wrote: 1. Visible damage on ships (beyond health bars)
2. Unique-per-NPC AI (each NPC is its own "person")
3. Shield and armor systems (instead of pure HP)
4. Destructible subsystems
5. Stealth mechanics
6. Industrial production lines (factories to produce ship parts/ammo/trade goods from raw materials, ore refineries, etc.)
7. Law enforcement and Pirates
1. Yeah, this is a feature that adds cool factor. Not many games do it, though those that do (Like EVE) generally end up being quite pretty.
2. This seems like something that is just intrinsic to LT's gameplay. Without this, the whole AI stuff doesn't make sense.
3. This one is almost required when building a space game. If you don't split shield and armour it becomes difficult to differentiate between the subsystems' benefits. Plus, this is quite easy to do.
4. Agreed, quite a cool one. Can be a pain in the ass sometimes though, depends on how it's implemented
5. Generally included in space games, though not always. Adds to the cool factor. I didn't think about whether or not this was in LT as it's not something I generally use.
6. Kind of required for a complex space sandbox, still cool nonetheless.
7. Definitely required for any space sandbox because it's the majority of the combat.