I looked around, but did not find anything on this, so I am going to post my proposal here.
After all combat-oriented players can resort to PvP whereas traders and explorers have no such 'endgame'-activity This proposal seeks to offer such an option for this kind of PvE-focused players.
What I am proposing is the chance of letting players colonize a system they come across. This would happen in several stages and would involve a significant effort in terms of time and resources. But it would allow players to take part in shaping the universe and if their colony is gaining momentum it may serve as stepping stone for other players to create a colony of their own further out in space.
NOTE: To avoid getting the map cluttered with colonies all over the place I would limit this to one colony per player, so choose wisely which system you want to claim.
Stage 1: Finding a suitable system.
While in theory you could colonize just about any system by putting up a station or outpost I think those would be waypoints at best instead of qualifying as fully colonized. For a full-on colonization you would require a system that can sustain life - meaning terraformable planets (preferrable ELW or water world so that future colonits have a place to live beyond the confinement of orbital installations).
When the player found a system that he/she is content with they can then deploy a claim marker near the sun (think of it as a solar-powered satellite broadcasting locally that this system has been claimed by Player X and is awaiting further colonization. If the colonization is then not advanced beyond this stage within a certain timeframe (1-3 months for example) the satellite will cease its operation and despawn, effectively rendering the system available for others to claim it once more.
Stage 2: Setting up the infrastructure:
After claiming a system in Stage 1 the player next needs to set up some basic infrastructure for the first colonists to use. To do this there are three options: Planetary colonies, Outposts and Stations. Each of these three would be built as a modular structure the layout and purpose of which would be the player's choice. All three of which would require a frame to be transported to the desired location and deployed there. To turn the frame into a fully functional installation would then require large quantities of resources, some of which may be mined locally if the player is lucky, but otherwise would have to be transported to the site from elsewhere. Depending on the structure the player wants to build we are talking thousands if not hundreds of thousands of tons of material here, depending on what the player wants to build. The frame would also offer a single docking platform through which a player can unload their shipment of material along the lines of regular commodity trade - with the exception that they would not get paid for their delivery. Instead the material would go toward the pool of resources needed to complete construction. In this effort other players can be allowed to also dock with the installation and thus help the owner of the colony to speed up construction.
To be clear: This stage is likely going to take months or even years to complete, if the player in question tries to go big. Once the first such installation is completed and stocked with basic provisions the player can either put down frames for additional installations or proceed with Stage 3.
Stage 3: Populating the colony
With the initial base of operations set up the player can now begin to transport colonists to the system. I can see several ways of how to do that:
1st: Transport of colonists as passengers to get the initial staff in place and start operation (basically a mission saying that colonists are looking for a new home) or
2nd: Bulk-transport of colonists in cryo-pods which work like a commodity and allow to transport significantly larger numbers of colonists per flight. However, to get people out of these pods you would require some basic staff already present at the installation - hence the previous proposal.
Depending on the size of the initial installation you would require a certain number of colonists to begin operations proper. Once that is reached the installation becomes fully operational like the ones you already see in the game (albeit with limited services available) - with the exception that the player can modify and manage their own installations to their leisure - meaning to determine which installation serves which purpose (industry, agriculture etc.), perhaps even naming some of the NPC-groups aboard and giving them a bit of backstory if he/she is feeling creative.
If applicable any colonits transported to the base beyond the station's capacity will subsequently be transferred to the planets themselves (more on that see in next stage)
Since the colony is at this point gaining momentum it is time to look at the local surroundings - welcome to Stage 4.
Stage 4: Accessing natural resources:
Now that the initial base is up and running it is time to explore what the base can gain from the planetary body it is linked to (either through orbiting or being located on said body). Basically this means tapping into the resources offered by the planet in question in order to gain production bonuses depending on how large a population is available to tap into such resources. As the colony grows further this results in an increase in local supply and demand for the goods in question if the installation's purpose matches the planet. To give an example let's say a player has built a Station in orbit over a water world or ELW and set it to agriculture - this would allow the colonits to use the planet for additional production of food for example. If the same station, however, has been set to refinery it would barely benefit from orbiting a water world at all, so the supply would not grow as much. Demand, however, would at least increase besed on the station's and planet's population.
So it is in every player's best interest to match an installation's purpose to what the linked orbital boddy offers.
Stage 5: Expansion and Management:
As final touches the player can further upgrade the existing installation through a variety of upgrades beyond mere commodity exchange and repair facilities. They can add pretty much all the other features you know from other ingame installations (with shipyards and outfitting services coming in tiers that determine what exactly they have to offer) Also on stations the player can add garrison-structures which result in system-security NPCs patrolling the system depending o.n the garrison level. In terms of management the player can flag certain goods as legal or illegal within their system, resulting in the NPC patrols taking action accordingly. Changes hzere are applied only once every 24 hours to avoid explots.
Additionally a player is not limited to just one structure in the system - although a limitation of one orbital installation per stellar body is a given. But planetside you are free to create as many installations as you see fit (or as many as the game allows you to).
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Given enough time and effort this proposal can create a fully functional system in the middle of nowhere which makes the game feel less static as far as I am concerned.
What do you guys think about this proposal?
After all combat-oriented players can resort to PvP whereas traders and explorers have no such 'endgame'-activity This proposal seeks to offer such an option for this kind of PvE-focused players.
What I am proposing is the chance of letting players colonize a system they come across. This would happen in several stages and would involve a significant effort in terms of time and resources. But it would allow players to take part in shaping the universe and if their colony is gaining momentum it may serve as stepping stone for other players to create a colony of their own further out in space.
NOTE: To avoid getting the map cluttered with colonies all over the place I would limit this to one colony per player, so choose wisely which system you want to claim.
Stage 1: Finding a suitable system.
While in theory you could colonize just about any system by putting up a station or outpost I think those would be waypoints at best instead of qualifying as fully colonized. For a full-on colonization you would require a system that can sustain life - meaning terraformable planets (preferrable ELW or water world so that future colonits have a place to live beyond the confinement of orbital installations).
When the player found a system that he/she is content with they can then deploy a claim marker near the sun (think of it as a solar-powered satellite broadcasting locally that this system has been claimed by Player X and is awaiting further colonization. If the colonization is then not advanced beyond this stage within a certain timeframe (1-3 months for example) the satellite will cease its operation and despawn, effectively rendering the system available for others to claim it once more.
Stage 2: Setting up the infrastructure:
After claiming a system in Stage 1 the player next needs to set up some basic infrastructure for the first colonists to use. To do this there are three options: Planetary colonies, Outposts and Stations. Each of these three would be built as a modular structure the layout and purpose of which would be the player's choice. All three of which would require a frame to be transported to the desired location and deployed there. To turn the frame into a fully functional installation would then require large quantities of resources, some of which may be mined locally if the player is lucky, but otherwise would have to be transported to the site from elsewhere. Depending on the structure the player wants to build we are talking thousands if not hundreds of thousands of tons of material here, depending on what the player wants to build. The frame would also offer a single docking platform through which a player can unload their shipment of material along the lines of regular commodity trade - with the exception that they would not get paid for their delivery. Instead the material would go toward the pool of resources needed to complete construction. In this effort other players can be allowed to also dock with the installation and thus help the owner of the colony to speed up construction.
To be clear: This stage is likely going to take months or even years to complete, if the player in question tries to go big. Once the first such installation is completed and stocked with basic provisions the player can either put down frames for additional installations or proceed with Stage 3.
Stage 3: Populating the colony
With the initial base of operations set up the player can now begin to transport colonists to the system. I can see several ways of how to do that:
1st: Transport of colonists as passengers to get the initial staff in place and start operation (basically a mission saying that colonists are looking for a new home) or
2nd: Bulk-transport of colonists in cryo-pods which work like a commodity and allow to transport significantly larger numbers of colonists per flight. However, to get people out of these pods you would require some basic staff already present at the installation - hence the previous proposal.
Depending on the size of the initial installation you would require a certain number of colonists to begin operations proper. Once that is reached the installation becomes fully operational like the ones you already see in the game (albeit with limited services available) - with the exception that the player can modify and manage their own installations to their leisure - meaning to determine which installation serves which purpose (industry, agriculture etc.), perhaps even naming some of the NPC-groups aboard and giving them a bit of backstory if he/she is feeling creative.
If applicable any colonits transported to the base beyond the station's capacity will subsequently be transferred to the planets themselves (more on that see in next stage)
Since the colony is at this point gaining momentum it is time to look at the local surroundings - welcome to Stage 4.
Stage 4: Accessing natural resources:
Now that the initial base is up and running it is time to explore what the base can gain from the planetary body it is linked to (either through orbiting or being located on said body). Basically this means tapping into the resources offered by the planet in question in order to gain production bonuses depending on how large a population is available to tap into such resources. As the colony grows further this results in an increase in local supply and demand for the goods in question if the installation's purpose matches the planet. To give an example let's say a player has built a Station in orbit over a water world or ELW and set it to agriculture - this would allow the colonits to use the planet for additional production of food for example. If the same station, however, has been set to refinery it would barely benefit from orbiting a water world at all, so the supply would not grow as much. Demand, however, would at least increase besed on the station's and planet's population.
So it is in every player's best interest to match an installation's purpose to what the linked orbital boddy offers.
Stage 5: Expansion and Management:
As final touches the player can further upgrade the existing installation through a variety of upgrades beyond mere commodity exchange and repair facilities. They can add pretty much all the other features you know from other ingame installations (with shipyards and outfitting services coming in tiers that determine what exactly they have to offer) Also on stations the player can add garrison-structures which result in system-security NPCs patrolling the system depending o.n the garrison level. In terms of management the player can flag certain goods as legal or illegal within their system, resulting in the NPC patrols taking action accordingly. Changes hzere are applied only once every 24 hours to avoid explots.
Additionally a player is not limited to just one structure in the system - although a limitation of one orbital installation per stellar body is a given. But planetside you are free to create as many installations as you see fit (or as many as the game allows you to).
=================
Given enough time and effort this proposal can create a fully functional system in the middle of nowhere which makes the game feel less static as far as I am concerned.
What do you guys think about this proposal?
