There's a defensive system I asked about making in Galactic Civilizations II, and I realize it's gotten late in the development stages here to put it in, but something I'd like to see is a defensive tech/system that can shut down an enemies weapons. I got the idea in a cross from a Stargate TV episode and the sandbox game UP issue of arming trade ships for their own defense. It would be operating like the ECM systems for missiles, but acting on ships. The system fires, and disrupts the control systems for the systems on an attacking enemy ship. It could be made so that it only works on defensive situations, i.e. if your unarmed trade ship gets attacked and carries it, but not if you attack another ship/fleet. It could be set for acting only to turn off the weapons. and letting the combat simulator run a similar program as in GCII, where if you didn't damage each other after a given number of rounds, it kicks them apart and stops the battle. If they wanted, they could make it work for other systems, but that could make it too powerful (yes, I know crazy it sounds for having a system in GC that could have too much power, but still...). It would help on diplomatic fronts if you were able to be a neutral civilization and able to travel across warring nations areas without getting drawn into it, at least, until you decided to get into it, or were attacked and decided to take a side. I suppose it would have to be countered by being able to upgrade or repair your ships' damage to reverse the effect after the battle. In either case, it would make it much more expensive to attack otherwise 'unarmed' or civilian ships.
This might also be useful as a starbase module if you could create fleets under the starbase, making them a haven, for your ships to repair, although it could also make them nigh on impregnable if you could effect more than one ship at a time.
Ideally, it would be available only after a long research line, preferably Neutral since in GCII I noticed that the Neutral civilizations got trade benefits and economic benefits, but not as much in the way of defending those trade routes, facing off against things like terror stars or Arnorian Armor type systems. It gets particularly relevant if it could be added in multi-player games.
Also, has anyone suggested yet creating a 'learning' module - an addition like a troop module or mining module that would allow you to translate experience from one ship to another - if you had a ship that survived a heavy battle and gained a lot of experience, could there be a way that that ship could relay that knowledge to other ships, making them more formidable, kind of like a 'Top Gun School' Module, unless it's already been incorporated into a planetary system. I haven't had a chance to browse all the forum suggestions yet, so if these have already been suggested or incorporated, please let me know.
