Hi folks.
I've noticed in my recent travels (testing NPC interdiction rates in different system types) that, save for ANARCHY systems, there appear to be no "Low Security" systems with populations over a million.
I noticed this because one of my test criteria was to try only systems with population over 1.5 million. I set my Galaxy Map to filter out systems with population levels below that, and then hunted around for suitable candidates for repeated "pirate bait" runs in different government/security style places.
Having tested one system with each of the major government styles, I tried to find a "Low Security" system somewhere. Something that wasn't an Anarchy system.
Can't find one.
It does seem to me that, in order for a governed system to have "Low Security", it needs to be a low-population system.
This isn't really astounding news, but I'm now thinking through the implications for risk/reward.
Low-population systems don't usually have high supply or demand. Their prices aren't great for buying or selling. If they ARE great, they don't stand up to much trading before they shift against you.
This means that players will tend to find few reasons to visit "Low Security" places. Instead of there being higher rewards for higher risks built into the security fabric of the galaxy sim, it sort of works against that aspect of gameplay and player decision-making.
It's a subtle issue, I grant you that.
On the plus side, this area would respond well to some gentle prodding by FD... possibly by adding in an extra pricing mechanism that takes into account the simulated (and possibly real) lack of trader patronage of "Low Security" systems. This would be reflected in (say) higher supply than we have now, which is currently based on population/production. If nobody came (alive) to buy the stuff, it would stockpile... and therefore prices would drop... making nasty "Low Security" systems places where you could pick up a bargain.
Supply in low population, low security systems wouldn't recover fast, obviously. Those good-deal prices wouldn't be robust enough to handle being milked by large cargo ships. But they would be great for hit-and-run purchases.
A brave trader could then plan a long circuit of one Low Security system after another, taking a long while to go all the way around and back to the start.
High risk - from piracy - but higher reward than trading in "boring" High Security systems.
I've noticed in my recent travels (testing NPC interdiction rates in different system types) that, save for ANARCHY systems, there appear to be no "Low Security" systems with populations over a million.
I noticed this because one of my test criteria was to try only systems with population over 1.5 million. I set my Galaxy Map to filter out systems with population levels below that, and then hunted around for suitable candidates for repeated "pirate bait" runs in different government/security style places.
Having tested one system with each of the major government styles, I tried to find a "Low Security" system somewhere. Something that wasn't an Anarchy system.
Can't find one.
It does seem to me that, in order for a governed system to have "Low Security", it needs to be a low-population system.
This isn't really astounding news, but I'm now thinking through the implications for risk/reward.
Low-population systems don't usually have high supply or demand. Their prices aren't great for buying or selling. If they ARE great, they don't stand up to much trading before they shift against you.
This means that players will tend to find few reasons to visit "Low Security" places. Instead of there being higher rewards for higher risks built into the security fabric of the galaxy sim, it sort of works against that aspect of gameplay and player decision-making.
It's a subtle issue, I grant you that.
On the plus side, this area would respond well to some gentle prodding by FD... possibly by adding in an extra pricing mechanism that takes into account the simulated (and possibly real) lack of trader patronage of "Low Security" systems. This would be reflected in (say) higher supply than we have now, which is currently based on population/production. If nobody came (alive) to buy the stuff, it would stockpile... and therefore prices would drop... making nasty "Low Security" systems places where you could pick up a bargain.
Supply in low population, low security systems wouldn't recover fast, obviously. Those good-deal prices wouldn't be robust enough to handle being milked by large cargo ships. But they would be great for hit-and-run purchases.
A brave trader could then plan a long circuit of one Low Security system after another, taking a long while to go all the way around and back to the start.
High risk - from piracy - but higher reward than trading in "boring" High Security systems.