Hello all - I was watching this weeks stream and the topic on the black holes came up with Paul and Adam...
I really think it would be cool if the black holes did in fact suck in ships. I am not sure on the best way they can achieve this but somehow the event horizon could be incorporated into the gameplay/tiles.
With this said, I feel the black holes can be an early game exploration game mechanic. The majority of the black holes on the map should be 'dark'. They can keep the same animation and look but just be dark black/grey perhaps, dull blue and more subtle. More importantly they should not show up on the star map (at least initially in unexplored space) and should most definitely be invisible to the player waiting to suck in early explorers. These dark black holes would mainly be useless and would only serve as a dynamic map object/hindrance players would need to avoid.
The colorful black holes currently in the game are beautiful though and I think their color can serve a purpose in game. Paul said himself that they would only be colorful if they were next to a star or absorbing a star - I think this could work as any black hole with the antimatter resource could simply be devouring something in its ring - thus giving it the color and making it special on the map.
I love the idea of varying size black holes and hope they go forward with that idea as well. In game - the size of the black hole could directly relate to its influence on the surrounding tiles (i.e how many tiles are in the event horizon). These could really help shape how the civilizations grow. Starbases could be constructed next to them as 'lighthouses' to prevent ships from accidentally wandering in on autopilot.
I do agree they they 'seem' too prevalent on the map but perhaps with them being visually subdued it won't seem as much.
Anyway though I'd pass my thoughts along.