Well this is the ideas and concepts board so you are in the right place here. Thank you for the link. :-)

Edit: Now that I read the post, many ideas (of you) already have been incorporated into the discussions here. Is there anything in that topic that has not been discussed here?

Since the project still have to start waiting for the source code, I take the chance to spread some ideas I can think of to alter clonk's design without destroying it

I hope it's ok to discuss about every type of ideas, than of course developers will pick the best ones and most of all the most doable ones :)
If putting too many spreaded ideas is not wanted, just tell me :)

So some new random ones:

Melee combat system: as said here http://forum.openclonk.org/topic_show.pl?tid=16 I think it would be nice to make a complete overhaul of the combat system, mostly of the melee combat systems.
I think that the ranged/weapon based one will already be completely renewed by the revised controls and interface (if they will be implemented of course).

But I think that a good discussion should be done also about melee combat, because I think that actual one's limitations are visible to a lot of you: small interaction, confusionary most of the time (mostly when a lot of clonks are involved), and a lot of times just becoming a :
1)run away if the other has a bigger weapon
2)dig something to throw it
3)throw it
4)avoid objects
5)go back to step 1

As I said in the other post I don't want to remove the throwing out of the combat since a lot of times it can be a clever move, mostly when there is a landscape or resources advantages (one player higher than another, one closer to a lorry full of flints, etc).

But I would like to not have the whole melee combat based on it. I would like to see something more interactive. Like at least one punch (or shovel strike as timi suggests) when a player hits a button. And maybe with the consequence to throw a little away the opponent, and make the chance for both to study the next move (using ranged weapons? go back to melee? run away? etc). And of course that could apply also to swords, axes, etc... and maybe with a slightly different system for type of weapon (minimal combo system or something like that).

Anyway still ahve to think the best way to improve melee combat in clonk, so I just want to start the discussion

2: possible (wanted) interactions between layers: the vehicle layers, the structure layers, the landscape, etc. It would be awesome to create a train smashing a house, or a vehicle to cut down trees etc, mostly if 3d models could be implemented. Not making it the default behaviour, but allow scenario designers to do it and to see some nice interactions between this.

3: Better vehicle system: Even with the wonderful improvements that packs like hazard and western made to many vehicles, it is clear that the original system had some serious limitations about control and interface. Really usable airplanes, ships and other types of vehicles are very difficult to achieve and very tricky to use. Most of them don't feel natural at all. I heard that there is the will to improve and change the interaction with structures, making it more natural. Also interaction with vehicles should be more natural and comfortable, allowing ad hoc interfaces to be applied once entering a vehicle. To tell the truth I don't know if this is a real requirement or not, first there should be some tests with the new revised controls and the traditional vehicle system and see if it's already enough good or not

4: An improved xp/stat system, that could be more visible on actual gameplay: rewards for achieving tasks and killing monsters/enemies that could translates in better combat moves or faster settlement actions. But maybe this should be kept out of the general project and left to modders?