A few noob questions about Colonization

[Coolgroove]

1. How system Allegiance and Government type are set?
- As I understand both would come from a Minor Faction that controls a Spaceport player would buy Colonization beacon from. Is that correct?

2. What determines the Economy of the system?
- Would initial economy type come with the Minor Faction? Or is it somehow selected, or pre-selected for the system? Or there is no Economy until the first settlement/spaceport (apart from Colonization/Claim one) is built, and type of that settlement/spaceport would determine the economy?

3. What can change the Economy of the system?
- For example, if initial economy is Agriculture, and there is only one unit (settlement or station) that supports it. Then two Extraction units are added. As I understand it would change system economy to Agriculture/Extraction. But if then, 3 Tourism units are added - will it change status of main Economy for the system? Or am I understanding the whole thing wrong?

4. What would determine available facilities for Stations and Settlements - Interstellar Factors, Material Traders, Technology Brokers, etc. ? and are any of those facilities mutually exclusive?
- Maybe specific types of buildings in settlements, or blocks of a Station, or would it be "just pick from a list", or would there be any requirements to have specific combinations of Allegiance / Government / Economy, or influence from a neighbour systems... ?

5. Can Architect build Megaships and/or Installations? or it is only regular Horizons / Odyssey stations and settlements?

6. Can Architect put unique facility into the system - Engineer, Rescue Ship, ... ?

7. It's a shame that there would be no possibilities to have a passive income of some sort from colonized systems (no credits or materials). But maybe there could be an option to install Components Trading like on FCs, or personal storage, or Squadron Storage (ala Guild Bank) ?
- I understand that with Fleet Carriers it was done the way it is to prevent clutter of the game database with abandoned stuff. Yet I really want some solution to "You have too much cargo to move to this ship" and ability not to sell things I'd rather keep. Plus some form of Squadron modules and commodities storage would be nice. The solution probably is "just get a FC and put it in your Colonized system", but I hope for such functionality in system's Stations and/or Settlements.

8. Would it be possible to set a specific conditions for System/Stations - discounts on outfitting or ships for example? Or the only way to get anything like that is with PP bonuses from specific Powers?

9. Can any system with 10 Ly from an inhabited system in the Bubble be colonized, both inside and outside of the Bubble, or only systems on the edges of the Bubble?
- Are there any other criteria? For example, can a system with only stars in it be colonized, or it has to have other bodies? Any other criteria?

10. Would it be possible to name a colonized system, name planets and moons in the system, name stations/settlements and other units in the systems?

11. Would it be possible to select / influence the visuals in the system?
- Pick colours for system security vessels, styles for stations, fonts and placements of names, show Architect photo on holo-screens around the systems, etc.

12. Would it be possible to influence mission board / missions in a direct way, create chain of missions, mini stories maybe?
- Colonization seems like something that could give an option for players to create content for other players. Maybe more of RP content, or something that would use existing missions UI (or Community goals UI) to tell other players what system Architect needs/wants. Obviously there would need to be restrictions and pre-set triggers/conditions, so it is not something like "bring 1 Gold and have 1 Bil", but Architect would need to sponsor these from their pocket so to say. Something like this could be nice not only for old players, but also to engage with new players. A quest-like system form players for players, self-containing stories for that specific system.

 

[Jinx Chrome]

Being a mostly an explorer, your idea of "influence mission board / missions in a direct way, create chain of missions" sounds very attractive and would enrich the game!

I am not planning to colonize anywhere because I am a gypsy at heart (ok, maybe a beach house on an ELW in the Formidine Rift looks attractive) but stumbling on a small colony with a chain of missions during my journey would be awesome. (Adding that these settlements shouldn't really sit directly in a scenic system / planet so that I don't have to care about the random pirate).

 

[Coolgroove]

Being a mostly an explorer, your idea of "influence mission board / missions in a direct way, create chain of missions" sounds very attractive and would enrich the game!

I am not planning to colonize anywhere because I am a gypsy at heart (ok, maybe a beach house on an ELW in the Formidine Rift looks attractive) but stumbling on a small colony with a chain of missions during my journey would be awesome. (Adding that these settlements shouldn't really sit directly in a scenic system / planet so that I don't have to care about the random pirate).

Thank you!

I enjoy playing RP/Story mode the most, something like players creating chain-missions for other players would add a lot of fun. Plus there are a lot of players who would like a quest-like system for the game. I don't see how a system like that would fit into global story telling of ED, since its main thing is that it happens in real time. But for contained stories made by players for other players - I would love that, and it would make Colonization a much richer experience for everybody.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

1. How system Allegiance and Government type are set?
- As I understand both would come from a Minor Faction that controls a Spaceport player would buy Colonization beacon from. Is that correct?

That seems to be what they're saying.

2. What determines the Economy of the system?
- Would initial economy type come with the Minor Faction? Or is it somehow selected, or pre-selected for the system? Or there is no Economy until the first settlement/spaceport (apart from Colonization/Claim one) is built, and type of that settlement/spaceport would determine the economy?
3. What can change the Economy of the system?
- For example, if initial economy is Agriculture, and there is only one unit (settlement or station) that supports it. Then two Extraction units are added. As I understand it would change system economy to Agriculture/Extraction. But if then, 3 Tourism units are added - will it change status of main Economy for the system? Or am I understanding the whole thing wrong?

Yes - system economy is made up of the two most common station economy types in the system. But that's based on the economy sizes rather than just the number of markets, so if you added
- a large Agriculture station
- two medium-sized Extraction stations
- three small Tourist stations
...you'd get Agriculture / Extraction.

If you'd made one of the Extraction stations also large, you'd have Extraction / Agriculture.

If you instead just keep piling on those tiny Odyssey Tourist stations you'll eventually get to Agriculture / Tourism or maybe even Tourism / Agriculture if you could add enough before you ran out of planets to put them on.

4. What would determine available facilities for Stations and Settlements - Interstellar Factors, Material Traders, Technology Brokers, etc. ? and are any of those facilities mutually exclusive?
- Maybe specific types of buildings in settlements, or blocks of a Station, or would it be "just pick from a list", or would there be any requirements to have specific combinations of Allegiance / Government / Economy, or influence from a neighbour systems... ?

Interstellar Factors are automatic if the system is Low Security [1] or the station government is Anarchy, and disappear otherwise. So you'd probably start with one in every system as low population systems tend to be Low Security, then lose them from your bigger systems as you expanded and secured them. Keeping a couple of small outpost systems around that you're deliberately not building further might be useful.

Material Traders and Tech Brokers had more complex initial placement rules based on system economy, population, etc. but that doesn't seem to be an automatic thing in the same way as Interstellar Factors - it looks like a system either has one or it doesn't. No confirmation that you'll be able to get those in your new systems at all but possibly they'll start showing up as options if you build a single system up large enough?

[1] Because BGS background states can affect security, some systems on the borderline between Low and Medium security can have Interstellar Factors regularly opening and closing as the states change.

5. Can Architect build Megaships and/or Installations? or it is only regular Horizons / Odyssey stations and settlements?

Not confirmed but I would be surprised if we couldn't, since quite a bit of gameplay depends on them.
(Giving the megaships an itinerary so they actually move between systems would be really nice but I'd be surprised if we get that)

6. Can Architect put unique facility into the system - Engineer, Rescue Ship, ... ?

They've not said but this one seems extremely unlikely, or those facilities would rapidly stop being unique.

 

[Jinx Chrome]

Thank you!

I enjoy playing RP/Story mode the most, something like players creating chain-missions for other players would add a lot of fun. Plus there are a lot of players who would like a quest-like system for the game. I don't see how a system like that would fit into global story telling of ED, since its main thing is that it happens in real time. But for contained stories made by players for other players - I would love that, and it would make Colonization a much richer experience for everybody.

I see myself as a tiny gear in the galaxy and won't have impact on the large story - for that we have games like Mass Effect. I like my own background and lore which I am working on another platform and give my pilot a story. Therefore, I think that contained stories are probably the best approach because they would not impact the large narrative and can be experienced by every player at the time when the player wants / stumbles upon. A bit like getting access to engineers - but hopefully a bit richer experience.
There could be many stories such as a career in an illegal org, helping a small settlement, solving a scientific question.
With player managed settlements, it would be a great expansion if the owners could create them. The rewards don't have to be huge so that they don't feel like an obligation.

 

[Coolgroove]

@Ian Doncaster - Thank you!

as low population systems tend to be Low Security, then lose them from your bigger systems as you expanded and secured them.

A bit of a follow up - Outside of BGS states, does security level changes automatically when system population gets bigger, or is there a way to keep security level low even with high population? Aside from Anarchy MF in power. Or is there even deeper two way connection and Low security system can't grow in population? Basically what influences/determines Security level outside of BGS states and what restrictions every security level has?

That is probably a big follow up question. If there is a guide or some form of manual that explains this - pls just point me in its direction.

I see myself as a tiny gear in the galaxy and won't have impact on the large story - for that we have games like Mass Effect. I like my own background and lore which I am working on another platform and give my pilot a story. Therefore, I think that contained stories are probably the best approach because they would not impact the large narrative and can be experienced by every player at the time when the player wants / stumbles upon. A bit like getting access to engineers - but hopefully a bit richer experience.
There could be many stories such as a career in an illegal org, helping a small settlement, solving a scientific question.
With player managed settlements, it would be a great expansion if the owners could create them. The rewards don't have to be huge so that they don't feel like an obligation.

Yes! yes, yes! Indeed.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

Basically what influences/determines Security level outside of BGS states and what restrictions every security level has?

This is all highly uncertain at the moment.

Higher-population systems tend to have higher security levels but it's certainly not universal - there are small high-security systems and very large low-security ones.
Different Powerplay leaders can introduce modifications (in either direction) to the security level; these are not documented either.

This will probably be one of those things where we learn more about what affects security level by building up systems in colonisation and seeing what happens. Eventually someone might research enough of it to write a guide.

 

[Coolgroove]

This will probably be one of those things where we learn more about what affects security level by building up systems in colonisation and seeing what happens. Eventually someone might research enough of it to write a guide.

I see, it makes it more interesting then. TY!