So I was looking at some of the recent images that folks have been uploading of planets now showing signs of life with all the lights and twinkles, etc. It looks amazing and got my thinking cogs into gear.
Imagine if we had the ability to set up and establish colonies on newly discovered worlds (since there are 400 billion or so systems out there to explore! J ).
CORE CONCEPT
The player is able to explore and discover a new and uninhabited planet out in the uncharted areas of the universe. Upon finding one, they can opt to establish a colony on the planet in the hopes to make it thrive and gain in size and population.
Doing this would enable the player to start to gain money from trading and importing / exporting goods by working up to building a trade outpost in the planet’s orbit.
The trade outpost could eventually grow in size and usefulness to become a fully fledged Station under the player’s ownership. (Which would tie in with player-owned stations).
Only one planet can be colonised by a player. The planet could be razed and all outposts destroyed if need be, to allow moving to a new system.
PLANET / COLONY NAME
The planet could be renamed after the CMDR who discovered it (Or at least the colony city in the system map as a minor faction perhaps), enhancing its importance in the universe and the effect that the player has on the game universe as a whole.
BUILDING THE COLONY - RESOURCES
Building up the colony on the planet takes time and a lot of resources (both money and trade resources). This would make a good money sink for the game as well. The player will need to provide for the colony as a full time job (perhaps Colonizer becoming a new career path), by providing money and trade items for them as the colony grows. Eventually the colony would become (more or less) self-sufficient, enabling the player to be away for longer periods of time.
If the colony starts to lack the resources it needs, it will start to dwindle in size and tech levels, etc. Eventually the colony would “die out” if left too long and the planet would be open for re-colonization.
BUILDING THE COLONY – GAMEPLAY
The colony would be created in a similar manner to games such as SimCity / CitiesXL with a sim-style building mechanic. The player could create his colony however he wanted, placing settlement buildings and trade / industry buildings in the shape / placement that suits his city-building needs. Other players can also view the colony in a “birds-eye” view to admire it (and so the builder can show off, of course! J ).
COLONY UNDER SIEGE
The trade outpost / station would be able to be attacked by pirates (player and NPC), though it would have some minor defences as an outpost and major defences as a station. The player would be warned that the colony is under siege and can return to defend off attackers. This would need some further thought as to the stages that the siege happens / how quickly – in case the player is offline. Perhaps a warning through the Mobile App would work too?
COLONY RESOURCES
This could depend on the planet itself, starting off with just a few base select resources that can be produced (mining extracts, metals, etc). As the colony grows in size and number, increasing its technological ability and produce, this affects the trade available and more advanced trade materials are required.
These are my general thoughts on how this could work. Let me know what you think.
You might like it – great. You might hate it – that’s ok, too. J
Imagine if we had the ability to set up and establish colonies on newly discovered worlds (since there are 400 billion or so systems out there to explore! J ).
CORE CONCEPT
The player is able to explore and discover a new and uninhabited planet out in the uncharted areas of the universe. Upon finding one, they can opt to establish a colony on the planet in the hopes to make it thrive and gain in size and population.
Doing this would enable the player to start to gain money from trading and importing / exporting goods by working up to building a trade outpost in the planet’s orbit.
The trade outpost could eventually grow in size and usefulness to become a fully fledged Station under the player’s ownership. (Which would tie in with player-owned stations).
Only one planet can be colonised by a player. The planet could be razed and all outposts destroyed if need be, to allow moving to a new system.
PLANET / COLONY NAME
The planet could be renamed after the CMDR who discovered it (Or at least the colony city in the system map as a minor faction perhaps), enhancing its importance in the universe and the effect that the player has on the game universe as a whole.
BUILDING THE COLONY - RESOURCES
Building up the colony on the planet takes time and a lot of resources (both money and trade resources). This would make a good money sink for the game as well. The player will need to provide for the colony as a full time job (perhaps Colonizer becoming a new career path), by providing money and trade items for them as the colony grows. Eventually the colony would become (more or less) self-sufficient, enabling the player to be away for longer periods of time.
If the colony starts to lack the resources it needs, it will start to dwindle in size and tech levels, etc. Eventually the colony would “die out” if left too long and the planet would be open for re-colonization.
BUILDING THE COLONY – GAMEPLAY
The colony would be created in a similar manner to games such as SimCity / CitiesXL with a sim-style building mechanic. The player could create his colony however he wanted, placing settlement buildings and trade / industry buildings in the shape / placement that suits his city-building needs. Other players can also view the colony in a “birds-eye” view to admire it (and so the builder can show off, of course! J ).
COLONY UNDER SIEGE
The trade outpost / station would be able to be attacked by pirates (player and NPC), though it would have some minor defences as an outpost and major defences as a station. The player would be warned that the colony is under siege and can return to defend off attackers. This would need some further thought as to the stages that the siege happens / how quickly – in case the player is offline. Perhaps a warning through the Mobile App would work too?
COLONY RESOURCES
This could depend on the planet itself, starting off with just a few base select resources that can be produced (mining extracts, metals, etc). As the colony grows in size and number, increasing its technological ability and produce, this affects the trade available and more advanced trade materials are required.
These are my general thoughts on how this could work. Let me know what you think.
You might like it – great. You might hate it – that’s ok, too. J
