Colonization: Types of Goods, Infrastructure, and Economies

[aymerix]

Hello,
I'm wondering about the "specialization" and optimization of my systems. Currently, information about market development, economic factors, and population dynamics is quite unclear for me. We get details during construction, but afterward, it becomes complex to understand how a system and its market evolve.

For example, in one of my systems, the market is empty despite having some structures (including a surface research lab).
Similarly, at what threshold does a system transition into a specific economy (e.g., mining-based)?
Additionally, can we confirm whether multiplying structures of the same type increases the availability of goods on the market, or is this factor tied to the population?

To assist me, I use this sheet: https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Commodities/Supply_and_Demand
In your opinion, is it functional and accurate for Trailblazers?

Thank you for your help.
o7

 

[Kzak]

Speaking only of my own experience, I have built a Coriolis. When I built a T2 Industrial settlement on the planet the station was orbiting, the Coriolis turned into a Colony/Industrial economy. With three Refinery hubs also on the same planet later, the Coriolis became a Refinery/Industry economy.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

To assist me, I use this sheet: https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Commodities/Supply_and_Demand
In your opinion, is it functional and accurate for Trailblazers?

It's very out of date (none of the more recently-added commodities, including some used for colonisation) - might actually be pre-Horizons in terms of how old it is.

At a quick glance I'd say it's about 95% accurate for what it does include (there are definitely at least some errors) if you stick to considering orbital single-type economies only. The hybrid economy columns are wrong and wrong in a way that's more complicated than can be shown in that sort of table.

You can see import/export (including whether it's surface- or orbital- specific) on the commodity descriptions in the market in-game.

For example, in one of my systems, the market is empty despite having some structures (including a surface research lab).

Starting out, systems appear to have heavily suppressed production/consumption levels compared with normal stations of a similar population. This is fixable (people have) but exactly how to do so is still under investigation. Odyssey settlements - which have very small populations and production levels anyway - are most vulnerable to having completely blank economies until you've past this initial "setup" stage.

Similarly, at what threshold does a system transition into a specific economy (e.g., mining-based)?

System economy is just the two largest weighted components of all your station economies.
So mine started out as Industrial (T1 Industrial Outpost)
Then it became Colony/Industrial (I added a T1 Planetary Port, which is Colony and bigger than the outpost)
Then it stayed Colony/Industrial (I added a T1 Medium Military Settlement, which is tiny, so Military is the 3rd largest component and doesn't show up on the system economy)

So if you want Extraction to be the primary system economy, build more/bigger Extraction stations than anything else.

But more important in terms of access to goods is what your individual station economies are, and how big those economies are.

Additionally, can we confirm whether multiplying structures of the same type increases the availability of goods on the market, or is this factor tied to the population?

Not clear yet. There are likely multiple contributing factors.

If you're talking about building multiple System Economy Influence structures of the same type to convert the same Colony station, it's likely that building multiple of the same sort has more effect than just one, but I haven't seen a proper test of that yet.
(Also, whether that effect is because of the SEI, or because you've put twice the bonus onto Wealth/Security/whatever might be hard to control for)