Creating a construction mafia or: why we really should push for base building

[RamirezKurita]

While I fundamentally agree with base building in a general sense, your suggestion seems far too much like it belongs in Eve online rather than Elite.

Adding in proper in-depth persistent NPC plots alongside minor faction colonisation, station construction and colony/station abandoning in a fully dynamic manner on the other hand... I personally would find it more interesting to attempt to politically wrangle a minor faction into setting up a colony somewhere rather than just entering into another grind to build it myself.

As an alternative to player-owned assets, it would make far more sense and be easier to manage/implement if we could instead rent some commercial/industrial halls in existing stations to fill with our own stuff if we have sufficient reputation.

 

[Aethyr]

If base building is going to become a thing, I hope to god it is not going to be just a simple, "space housing" concept. These bases need to be manned by NPCs. In my honest opinion the best way to make this fun would be to have a four-way job system. Player created jobs for NPCs and other players as well as NPC created jobs for the owner(s) and other players. Some examples:

Player created jobs for NPCs:
Hire Administrators
Hire Job Brokers
Hire Traders
Hire Flight Tower Controllers
Hire Mechanics (to fix and mod your ship)
Hire Engineers
Hire Pilots (to patrol the system)
Hire (anything I am forgetting)

NPC created jobs for Owners:
Find and hire staff
Equip staff
Purchase ships for protection / mining / trading
Expand the bases facilities
(other stuff I'm not thinking of atm)

NPC created jobs for Players:
Source materials needed for expansion
Trading
Passengers
Kill pirates
(other stuff I'm not thinking of atm)

Player created jobs for Players:
Contract killing
Smuggling
(other stuff I'm not thinking of atm)

This would add much needed depth to this game. It would give reasons for all of the things we do. If players can create jobs then they can set their own rates to be competitive with other stations. Imagine player created factions. Where the factions war with each other for turf. They encroach on each others territory and perform espionage in their systems and stations. This could give a reason to have space legs as well. Imagine instead of getting a run and gun shooter type game. We got stealth killing mechanics and hacking. Smuggling people and goods in and out of places that they shouldn't be.

Imagine if smuggling wasn't ruined by someone targetting your ship (here's looking at you NPC scanning ship spam, f***ers). Imagine if you had to board a ship to find illegal cargo. Yeah, you know what I thinking about. Having special cargo bays designed to be used to hide goods would be excellent. (This could be done without space legs just by making a slightly smaller but shielded cargo/passenger bays).

But I digress...

 

[Ipecac]

I like this vision (of course), though I'm a little wary of player shops as they might destroy the existing economy, or at best make the eve-online economy happen which this game isn't built for currently.

Another thing I would add is that if you wanted to transport building materials for an outpost station, it should take hundred(s) trips in a T-9. Remember you need machines to build, some might be big ones.

I love the idea of keeping a base supplied with food and water, hauling off the waste etc. Very cool.

 

[Phongsalt]

Seems like a lot of work to build a salt mine.

 

[CMDR Big Mike]

I like this vision (of course), though I'm a little wary of player shops as they might destroy the existing economy, or at best make the eve-online economy happen which this game isn't built for currently.

Another thing I would add is that if you wanted to transport building materials for an outpost station, it should take hundred(s) trips in a T-9. Remember you need machines to build, some might be big ones.

I love the idea of keeping a base supplied with food and water, hauling off the waste etc. Very cool.

I dont want to haul the stuff myself though.

 

[Ipecac]

I dont want to haul the stuff myself though.

Maybe then you'd post a mission at a nearby station asking for hauling to your port! If pirates are raiding near it, you might put a bounty contract on the pirates?

Possibilities = Endless

 

[Alec Turner]

Somewhat related thread ...

srvs-and-base-building-speculation-on-some-exciting-possibilities

 

[JohannStrauss]

I second this idea. In addition I want to buy me a room/apartment on a NPC space station. Buy furniture, rare artefacts.
I would like to build a farm, maybe a factories or mine.

Give me something to feel at home in the game.

 

[JohannStrauss]

I would like to add:
---> it must not be an entire base.
Let us start with a small farm. A place on a planet. Jut a living quarters, tiny buildings for fabricators.
You can add modules maybe.
Maybe you can build a tiny market later.
Let us take it step by step.

What I really want is to land, park my ship and enjoy my own apartment looking out the window into the stars.

 

[CMDR Big Mike]

In my head, it would make sense if they did it like this:
Players would choose a planet (or belt?) to put a base in. They would then visit the nearest station that houses the base building entity in the game.

They would enter the planet/coordinates where they want the base. From this point it is base building a la carte. You can choose to build/ upgrade different parts of the base.

Each part of the base either has a cost per week or a revenue per week. Players looking to just have private storage would probably end up with a cost per week. However, if you add a farm or a market and ship outfitting, then this would generate revenue. Players could use this as another stream of money if they are so inclined (probably wouldnt be much). And I think it would be an interesting way to implement a realistic cost and management to them, without it being a full time job. I dont want to haul biowaste from my own base, id rather hire someone to do it, but cover that cost by selling ship parts.

I do not think that they should have an effect on the BGS states, but the BGS state could have an effect on the base. That would be a fun way to do it IMO