TL;DR= create outposts based on exploration data over time.
I am an explorer, I love doing it... even if it's seeing the galaxy one jump at a time, and there is so much to see. But is that all there is?
When I was out the other day, I found my first Earth-like planet and was so incredibly happy, I couldn't wait to share the good news... Until I realized just how long of a trek it was going to be back to the nearest system with an outpost, to sell this choice bit of info with all the rest of my data for a paycheck. And I got to wondering.... why should I really care or even bother? I started doing it for the awe and splendor, but do I not have a greater purpose beyond a long trip home for cash, just to make another loooong trip back out to continue exploring?
Is this news not important?
Is this not how systems were colonized in the first place? One habitable(or terraformed) planet, or less-hazardous system at a time?
Should not the various big factions (or smaller independent contractors) be clamoring to claim new territory for themselves once news is put on the market there is someplace worth going? But considering the distance, and security issues, such systems would probably be self-governing and not attached to any of the big alliances anyway.
Is not a frontier outpost, no matter how small, logical? Expected even, at a planet rich with possibilities.
-------Idea--------
When system data that contains an earth-like planet is sold (a 100% detailed system scan if need be), start a timer attached to the system.
This timer could be known to the players(or hidden which I think is best), but it should be large, like 1 real life year (12 months, 365 days, 8766 hours, 525960 minutes) with possibly a little random range (I'll explain why so big below, don't flip out)
The time is the "colonizing" setup of a new outpost in said-system. But a new outpost does not just need time to be built, it needs resources and labor too.
Players can contribute or sabotage the construction time by doing random missions that can appear on mission boards that send you to these systems way off in the middle of nowhere, making it's existence known to us players.
Construction time could be trimmed down by a set amount, or perhaps a percentage of the whole, down to a fixed amount of say... one month, since space wasn't colonized in a day (at which point, no more missions to that system will lower the time, but players wouldn't know that, since missions will still keep appearing) and it will finish ticking down to zero on it's own.
If delays stack up too high (again, as a fixed amount or as a percent of some kind of the whole), then colonization will fail and be abandoned (put on a cooldown till another attempt is made on the system, since the planet is far too precious to be left alone completely).
When the timer reaches zero, a new outpost will open in the system in orbit around the habitable planet in question. (I dunno if renaming the system will be in order, along with whomever owns the station, but that isn't for this discussion)
These frontier outposts would have minimal options, repairs, rearming, refueling, that would pretty much be it.
-------Interaction------
For Traders- Random trade missions to transport construction materials and labor forces out to these outlying systems could appear at existing stations(from anywhere in pre-colonized space, to any or all such systems' new lands, not just one set supply route from one system to another). A successfully completed mission could take off maybe one hour... or thirty minutes of time, and a failed mission adds time due to setbacks. Ignored missions do not contribute. Players could band together to do any or all means necessary to help expand outward, or be jerks about it and deliberately sabotage the endeavor.
For Fighters- New hot spots in space, means lots of possible players coming and going, npcs too, probably carrying something worth while. Pirates can make a fast buck in such lawless space lanes, other players may even take up bodyguard work to protect travelers. There could be more random missions to go to these systems (with a long mission timer of course) to harass the colonials or defend against npc pirates, thus making the systems known to combat oriented. (success or failure could again contribute to, or delay construction time).
For Explorers- What we do matters! We are helping humanity flourish and grow! (Until we find The Borg, or Zerg, or more Space Herpes that I saw on one reddit post (I believe it was a Plague technically)). And we would eventually not have to travel as far back to share our good (or bad) news about what else is out in space.
I hope Frontier looks into this matter and takes some of it into consideration. Because if system populations are static, and all the stations that exist now, are all that will EVER exist in this game, then exploring 400 billion stars is gonna get old really quick if it means nothing, and people may just start switching to combat or trading in the confines of civilized space to keep themselves interested with community interaction. I've already got a space-based trading game, and the spreadsheets to go with it. I did not wish to find that here in E
.
Other thoughts or ideas are welcome.
I am an explorer, I love doing it... even if it's seeing the galaxy one jump at a time, and there is so much to see. But is that all there is?
When I was out the other day, I found my first Earth-like planet and was so incredibly happy, I couldn't wait to share the good news... Until I realized just how long of a trek it was going to be back to the nearest system with an outpost, to sell this choice bit of info with all the rest of my data for a paycheck. And I got to wondering.... why should I really care or even bother? I started doing it for the awe and splendor, but do I not have a greater purpose beyond a long trip home for cash, just to make another loooong trip back out to continue exploring?
Is this news not important?
Is this not how systems were colonized in the first place? One habitable(or terraformed) planet, or less-hazardous system at a time?
Should not the various big factions (or smaller independent contractors) be clamoring to claim new territory for themselves once news is put on the market there is someplace worth going? But considering the distance, and security issues, such systems would probably be self-governing and not attached to any of the big alliances anyway.
Is not a frontier outpost, no matter how small, logical? Expected even, at a planet rich with possibilities.
-------Idea--------
When system data that contains an earth-like planet is sold (a 100% detailed system scan if need be), start a timer attached to the system.
This timer could be known to the players(or hidden which I think is best), but it should be large, like 1 real life year (12 months, 365 days, 8766 hours, 525960 minutes) with possibly a little random range (I'll explain why so big below, don't flip out)
The time is the "colonizing" setup of a new outpost in said-system. But a new outpost does not just need time to be built, it needs resources and labor too.
Players can contribute or sabotage the construction time by doing random missions that can appear on mission boards that send you to these systems way off in the middle of nowhere, making it's existence known to us players.
Construction time could be trimmed down by a set amount, or perhaps a percentage of the whole, down to a fixed amount of say... one month, since space wasn't colonized in a day (at which point, no more missions to that system will lower the time, but players wouldn't know that, since missions will still keep appearing) and it will finish ticking down to zero on it's own.
If delays stack up too high (again, as a fixed amount or as a percent of some kind of the whole), then colonization will fail and be abandoned (put on a cooldown till another attempt is made on the system, since the planet is far too precious to be left alone completely).
When the timer reaches zero, a new outpost will open in the system in orbit around the habitable planet in question. (I dunno if renaming the system will be in order, along with whomever owns the station, but that isn't for this discussion)
These frontier outposts would have minimal options, repairs, rearming, refueling, that would pretty much be it.
-------Interaction------
For Traders- Random trade missions to transport construction materials and labor forces out to these outlying systems could appear at existing stations(from anywhere in pre-colonized space, to any or all such systems' new lands, not just one set supply route from one system to another). A successfully completed mission could take off maybe one hour... or thirty minutes of time, and a failed mission adds time due to setbacks. Ignored missions do not contribute. Players could band together to do any or all means necessary to help expand outward, or be jerks about it and deliberately sabotage the endeavor.
For Fighters- New hot spots in space, means lots of possible players coming and going, npcs too, probably carrying something worth while. Pirates can make a fast buck in such lawless space lanes, other players may even take up bodyguard work to protect travelers. There could be more random missions to go to these systems (with a long mission timer of course) to harass the colonials or defend against npc pirates, thus making the systems known to combat oriented. (success or failure could again contribute to, or delay construction time).
For Explorers- What we do matters! We are helping humanity flourish and grow! (Until we find The Borg, or Zerg, or more Space Herpes that I saw on one reddit post (I believe it was a Plague technically)). And we would eventually not have to travel as far back to share our good (or bad) news about what else is out in space.
I hope Frontier looks into this matter and takes some of it into consideration. Because if system populations are static, and all the stations that exist now, are all that will EVER exist in this game, then exploring 400 billion stars is gonna get old really quick if it means nothing, and people may just start switching to combat or trading in the confines of civilized space to keep themselves interested with community interaction. I've already got a space-based trading game, and the spreadsheets to go with it. I did not wish to find that here in E
.Other thoughts or ideas are welcome.
