Gameplay suggestion: Resource market changes + logistics hubs
Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2022 9:24 am
Summary
MVP 1: Make resource market buy and sell resources. Resource availability is limited. Resource cost based on resource type and amount in the market.
MVP 2: MVP 1 + Adjust eco and spoils priorities for nations to also add resources into the resource market. Bonus from resource regions.
MVP 3: MVP 2 + Technologies for improving resource generation on earth. Events (such as global energy crisis) affecting earth resource production.
Logistics: Change supply depo on stations to special slot (like mine on habs) that can also use boost to add delta V to fleets transferring from the station.
Full: MVP 3 + Logistics + Remove building in space beyond earth-luna with funding and boost.
Problem
The mechanic of being able to sell to Earth but only buy if you are missing some, but then pay boost to transport it, except you never have to pay boost to move resources under any other circumstances, is unintuitive.
Add to that the 'I can claim a spot on the other side of the solar system, even though my hab will only get there two years later' makes colony ships seem pointless to new players (and be redundant until mid / late game).
It also scales strangely in comparison to engine technologies.
Lastly with enough boost and funding you can run a bunch of shipyards in earth orbit even if you do not have space resources. It leads to strange gameplay like spending your resources first in far-away shipyards and then start building earth-orbit only when you hit a bottleneck on a resource.
(Noble metals, I'm looking at you.)
Since funding and boost are both 'increasing yearly incomes', you can get to quite high incomes of them later on if you want to, and have time for nation splitting and unification tedium.
Details of suggestion
Change the resource market to be able to buy and sell resources, and not just sell, as long as the player has at least one station in Earth interface orbit.
Each 1 decaton of resources bought would also cost 1 boost over and above their funds cost.
Each resource (separately) would then track how much of it is available for purchase on the space market, with some maximum stockpile cap, and a base monthly market income (i.e. how much gets added to the space market each month).
You can only purchase a resource if there is available on the space market, and prices vary according to availability.
If stockpile is between 60% and 100% of maximum: Abundance. Price scales towards half the normal price as it approaches 100%. (Configurable)
If stockpile is between 40% and 60% of maximum: Price is the standard price.
If stockpile is between 0% and 40% of maximum: Scarcity. Price scales towards quadruple the normal price as it approaches 0%. (Configurable)
The cost of resources (metal, noble metals and fissiles) will no longer be adjusted upwards based in completion of the economic priority.
Each resource would have a few additional parameters:
- Maximum stockpile. (Increased or decreased via effects. Tech, event, etc.)
- Base income per month. (Increased or decreased via effects. Tech, event, etc. Some global technologies improve base income.)
- Income each time economic priority is completed. (Increased or decreased via effects. Tech, event, etc. Some faction projects improve this.)
- Price multiplier at total scarcity. (Should be around 4.0)
- Price multiplier at total abundance. (Should be around 0.5)
Water would have a very large maximum stockpile, and a good base income and economic priority income.
Volatiles would have a decent maximum stockpile, base income and priority income (boosted by oil regions).
Metals would have an average maximum stockpile, base income and priority income (boosted by resource regions).
Noble Metals would have a small maximum stockpile, base income and priority income (boosted by resource regions).
Fissiles would have a very small maximum stockpile, base income and priority income (boosted by resource regions).
Initial amounts (and base monthly incomes) should be sufficient for all factions to comfortably get their first few settlements and stations going, but require effort to scale up to amounts for later game fleet and mass-habitat building.
[EDIT]Suggestion originally had a new resource priority suggested, but was adjusted to economy and spoils changes only based on good feedback.[/EDIT]
Change to Economy priority:
- Adds resources to the space market, increased by the presence of any resource regions. (Or oil regions for volatiles.)
- If the space market is at capacity for any of the generated resources, then funds are given to the control point owners instead, based on the current price for that resource (which will be lower than normal, given the stockpile is full).
Change to spoils priority:
- Adds a good amount of resources to space market on completion (more so than economic priority. Maybe 2x times?).
- If the space market is at capacity for any of the generated resources, then funds are given to the control point owners instead, based on the current price for that resource (which will be lower than normal, given the stockpile is full).
- Increased pollution generated.
Finally restrict boost + funds to only be usable for founding orbitals and habitats in the earth-luna system. Modules and ships must be fully paid from normal resources (which can now be bought).
Habitats (orbital and settlements) beyond earth-luna needs to be done via colony ships.
Each of the outpost or platform projects (outpost core, platform core, settlement core, orbital core, etc.) also grants access to a new utility module that founds the equivalent, without any additional power generation or construction modules. (Adjusted cost / mass.)
To assist the human factions in getting over the initial (engines suck too much to go anywhere) hurdle, as well as give humans and aliens a means to move single ships (or at cost fleets) around more easily, we change supply depo to a special slot 'logistics depo' (I would change the slot 'north' of the core to special, same as mines on settlements, but otherwise leave station layouts the same (maybe add an additional normal slot 'south'?).
A logistics depo can resupply like a supply depo can, but can also spend boost to add delta-v to a fleet launching from the station using 'assisted transfer' (same button, icon just changes text and icon).
The amount of boost cost depends on the total weight of the fleet, and the amount of additional delta-v requested. (Boost cost would use the same formulae as the current funds + boost cost formulae for moving weight.)
A tier 1 logistics depo can add a maximum of 2 km/s, and reduces the final boost cost by 2 (i.e. small delta-v boosts to small mass amounts could even be done for free.)
A tier 2 logistics hub can add a maximum of 5 km/s, and reduces the final boost cost by 4.
A tier 3 logistics array can add a maximum of 20 km/s, and reduces the final boost cost by 10.
The existing techs that speed up module delivery (Ex: Space tugs) instead give boosts to the maximum delta-v logistics can add to an assisted transfers.
The existing techs that reduce the cost module delivery (Ex: Nuclear freighters) instead reduce the cost of boost for assisted transfers.
Some techs (Ex: "Directed Energy Launch Systems") adds to how much 'free' boost you get per assisted transfer.
Assisted transfer button shows how much boost it will cost.
Assisted transfer button will show a slider for how much delta-v boost you want. By default it uses the minimum.
The minimum possible delta-v boost is however much 'free' delta-v you can get based on the fleet weight and the 'free' boost the logistics hub gives. (i.e. Net 0 boost cost.)
The maximum possible delta-v boost is the minimum between the maximum delta-v the logistics hub can provide OR the maximum delta-v you can get based on your current boost stockpile.
A tickbox for 'Do assisted transfer' is ticked by default in this scenario, but can be unticked to do a normal unassisted transfer.
After granting an assisted transfer, the same station cannot do another assisted transfer for 5 days.
This is to avoid players breaking up fleets and spamming assisted transfer on them all. You can still do that, but your fleet will arrive piecemeal (with 5 day gaps in between, allowing enemies to defeat you in detail.)
Aliens get a large amount of 'free' boost per assisted transfer, reflecting their advanced technologies.
This mechanic would also allow players make more use of high-thrust low-efficiency engines, though by paying a boost penalty.
Also gives an ongoing key use for boost, other than filing geriatrics away in space containers, in terrible for your health zero gravity, high-g launches, and no magnetic field protection against cosmic radiation. (Face it, TI geriatric facilities is just murder with extra steps and bills.)
Spending boost to fling nuclear torpedo armed interstellar atrocities at alien habitats is much more humane.
MVP 1: Make resource market buy and sell resources. Resource availability is limited. Resource cost based on resource type and amount in the market.
MVP 2: MVP 1 + Adjust eco and spoils priorities for nations to also add resources into the resource market. Bonus from resource regions.
MVP 3: MVP 2 + Technologies for improving resource generation on earth. Events (such as global energy crisis) affecting earth resource production.
Logistics: Change supply depo on stations to special slot (like mine on habs) that can also use boost to add delta V to fleets transferring from the station.
Full: MVP 3 + Logistics + Remove building in space beyond earth-luna with funding and boost.
Problem
The mechanic of being able to sell to Earth but only buy if you are missing some, but then pay boost to transport it, except you never have to pay boost to move resources under any other circumstances, is unintuitive.
Add to that the 'I can claim a spot on the other side of the solar system, even though my hab will only get there two years later' makes colony ships seem pointless to new players (and be redundant until mid / late game).
It also scales strangely in comparison to engine technologies.
Lastly with enough boost and funding you can run a bunch of shipyards in earth orbit even if you do not have space resources. It leads to strange gameplay like spending your resources first in far-away shipyards and then start building earth-orbit only when you hit a bottleneck on a resource.
(Noble metals, I'm looking at you.)
Since funding and boost are both 'increasing yearly incomes', you can get to quite high incomes of them later on if you want to, and have time for nation splitting and unification tedium.
Details of suggestion
Change the resource market to be able to buy and sell resources, and not just sell, as long as the player has at least one station in Earth interface orbit.
Each 1 decaton of resources bought would also cost 1 boost over and above their funds cost.
Each resource (separately) would then track how much of it is available for purchase on the space market, with some maximum stockpile cap, and a base monthly market income (i.e. how much gets added to the space market each month).
You can only purchase a resource if there is available on the space market, and prices vary according to availability.
If stockpile is between 60% and 100% of maximum: Abundance. Price scales towards half the normal price as it approaches 100%. (Configurable)
If stockpile is between 40% and 60% of maximum: Price is the standard price.
If stockpile is between 0% and 40% of maximum: Scarcity. Price scales towards quadruple the normal price as it approaches 0%. (Configurable)
The cost of resources (metal, noble metals and fissiles) will no longer be adjusted upwards based in completion of the economic priority.
Each resource would have a few additional parameters:
- Maximum stockpile. (Increased or decreased via effects. Tech, event, etc.)
- Base income per month. (Increased or decreased via effects. Tech, event, etc. Some global technologies improve base income.)
- Income each time economic priority is completed. (Increased or decreased via effects. Tech, event, etc. Some faction projects improve this.)
- Price multiplier at total scarcity. (Should be around 4.0)
- Price multiplier at total abundance. (Should be around 0.5)
Water would have a very large maximum stockpile, and a good base income and economic priority income.
Volatiles would have a decent maximum stockpile, base income and priority income (boosted by oil regions).
Metals would have an average maximum stockpile, base income and priority income (boosted by resource regions).
Noble Metals would have a small maximum stockpile, base income and priority income (boosted by resource regions).
Fissiles would have a very small maximum stockpile, base income and priority income (boosted by resource regions).
Initial amounts (and base monthly incomes) should be sufficient for all factions to comfortably get their first few settlements and stations going, but require effort to scale up to amounts for later game fleet and mass-habitat building.
[EDIT]Suggestion originally had a new resource priority suggested, but was adjusted to economy and spoils changes only based on good feedback.[/EDIT]
Change to Economy priority:
- Adds resources to the space market, increased by the presence of any resource regions. (Or oil regions for volatiles.)
- If the space market is at capacity for any of the generated resources, then funds are given to the control point owners instead, based on the current price for that resource (which will be lower than normal, given the stockpile is full).
Change to spoils priority:
- Adds a good amount of resources to space market on completion (more so than economic priority. Maybe 2x times?).
- If the space market is at capacity for any of the generated resources, then funds are given to the control point owners instead, based on the current price for that resource (which will be lower than normal, given the stockpile is full).
- Increased pollution generated.
Finally restrict boost + funds to only be usable for founding orbitals and habitats in the earth-luna system. Modules and ships must be fully paid from normal resources (which can now be bought).
Habitats (orbital and settlements) beyond earth-luna needs to be done via colony ships.
Each of the outpost or platform projects (outpost core, platform core, settlement core, orbital core, etc.) also grants access to a new utility module that founds the equivalent, without any additional power generation or construction modules. (Adjusted cost / mass.)
To assist the human factions in getting over the initial (engines suck too much to go anywhere) hurdle, as well as give humans and aliens a means to move single ships (or at cost fleets) around more easily, we change supply depo to a special slot 'logistics depo' (I would change the slot 'north' of the core to special, same as mines on settlements, but otherwise leave station layouts the same (maybe add an additional normal slot 'south'?).
A logistics depo can resupply like a supply depo can, but can also spend boost to add delta-v to a fleet launching from the station using 'assisted transfer' (same button, icon just changes text and icon).
The amount of boost cost depends on the total weight of the fleet, and the amount of additional delta-v requested. (Boost cost would use the same formulae as the current funds + boost cost formulae for moving weight.)
A tier 1 logistics depo can add a maximum of 2 km/s, and reduces the final boost cost by 2 (i.e. small delta-v boosts to small mass amounts could even be done for free.)
A tier 2 logistics hub can add a maximum of 5 km/s, and reduces the final boost cost by 4.
A tier 3 logistics array can add a maximum of 20 km/s, and reduces the final boost cost by 10.
The existing techs that speed up module delivery (Ex: Space tugs) instead give boosts to the maximum delta-v logistics can add to an assisted transfers.
The existing techs that reduce the cost module delivery (Ex: Nuclear freighters) instead reduce the cost of boost for assisted transfers.
Some techs (Ex: "Directed Energy Launch Systems") adds to how much 'free' boost you get per assisted transfer.
Assisted transfer button shows how much boost it will cost.
Assisted transfer button will show a slider for how much delta-v boost you want. By default it uses the minimum.
The minimum possible delta-v boost is however much 'free' delta-v you can get based on the fleet weight and the 'free' boost the logistics hub gives. (i.e. Net 0 boost cost.)
The maximum possible delta-v boost is the minimum between the maximum delta-v the logistics hub can provide OR the maximum delta-v you can get based on your current boost stockpile.
A tickbox for 'Do assisted transfer' is ticked by default in this scenario, but can be unticked to do a normal unassisted transfer.
After granting an assisted transfer, the same station cannot do another assisted transfer for 5 days.
This is to avoid players breaking up fleets and spamming assisted transfer on them all. You can still do that, but your fleet will arrive piecemeal (with 5 day gaps in between, allowing enemies to defeat you in detail.)
Aliens get a large amount of 'free' boost per assisted transfer, reflecting their advanced technologies.
This mechanic would also allow players make more use of high-thrust low-efficiency engines, though by paying a boost penalty.
Also gives an ongoing key use for boost, other than filing geriatrics away in space containers, in terrible for your health zero gravity, high-g launches, and no magnetic field protection against cosmic radiation. (Face it, TI geriatric facilities is just murder with extra steps and bills.)
Spending boost to fling nuclear torpedo armed interstellar atrocities at alien habitats is much more humane.