New CG - Supernova

[nexxo]

In practical terms it's a bad idea, because supernova events are rare but new players are joining the game all the time. So for every player to have a chance at this experience we'd have to have a supernova go off somewhere every few months. Now we have more than enough stars for that to happen even in the inhabited bubble, but it would not be terribly realistic.

I would suggest the alternative idea of regularly recurring events, such as huge unpredictable solar storms requiring the temporary evacuation of scientific outposts, or large asteroids or comets threatening to impact on colonies unless they are diverted/destroyed/mined into oblivion before they hit.

 

[bigian12]

In practical terms it's a bad idea, because supernova events are rare but new players are joining the game all the time. So for every player to have a chance at this experience we'd have to have a supernova go off somewhere every few months. Now we have more than enough stars for that to happen even in the inhabited bubble, but it would not be terribly realistic.

I would suggest the alternative idea of regularly recurring events, such as huge unpredictable solar storms requiring the temporary evacuation of scientific outposts, or large asteroids or comets threatening to impact on colonies unless they are diverted/destroyed/mined into oblivion before they hit.

It could be a large story arc, some unknown advanced alien species is purposely causing stars to go supernova, to study them or for some unknown reason.

 

[KayAitch]

I was going to suggest something like that, only going for the most likely candidate that we know about: Betelgeuse - it's on the verge of going supernova now (or 800 years ago, which is when the light set out from it).

I would have a CG be: Betelgeuse goes boom!
Note: in the lifetime of this game the supernova still won't be visible from even the closest stars to Betelgeuse.

1) week 1 - unobtainable permit required for system
2) week 2 - new CG, paying for detailed scans of the new black hole (or neutron star, which is more likely) at the centre of the new planetary nebular.
3) week 3 - capital ship or ocellus starport arrives in system and CG start being about that.

 

[nexxo]

It could be a large story arc, some unknown advanced alien species is purposely causing stars to go supernova, to study them or for some unknown reason.

Good idea, but too disruptive to the world of the game. If some alien species had the power and inclination to pop a star in the bubble every few months, that would create a galaxy-wide crisis of such propositions that nothing else would be happening. The economy would crash, politics would collapse, all activities would cease and everyone would be gearing up for the mother of all interstellar wars. It would be a whole game world in and of itself.

 

[bigian12]

Good idea, but too disruptive to the world of the game. If some alien species had the power and inclination to pop a star in the bubble every few months, that would create a galaxy-wide crisis of such propositions that nothing else would be happening. The economy would crash, politics would collapse, all activities would cease and everyone would be gearing up for the mother of all interstellar wars. It would be a whole game world in and of itself.

Or an accident, I don't no, just coming up with ways for supernovas to be a thing.

 

[tiger61378]

Evacuating a whole system would make for a pretty epic CG...and naturally the pirates would be out in full force to try and see how many people they could force to burn when the star went off. So...Trade CG, combat CG, possibly mining CG (mine metals to help get engines for the main coriolis/ocellus station to evacuate the system as a "life raft"), and even exploration CG (find a safe place for the station(s) to flee to).

 

[Mechanist]

Evacuating a whole system would make for a pretty epic CG...and naturally the pirates would be out in full force to try and see how many people they could force to burn when the star went off. So...Trade CG, combat CG, possibly mining CG (mine metals to help get engines for the main coriolis/ocellus station to evacuate the system as a "life raft"), and even exploration CG (find a safe place for the station(s) to flee to).

Most pirates would rather want your passengers to sell them as slaves. Imagine the huge supply of slaves from all the evacuation ships.

Alternatively we could have a nova instead!
Not as spectacular as a supernova, but seems to happen more often.

"Astronomers estimate that the Milky Way experiences roughly 30 to 60 novae per year"
Source: Wikipedia