The suggestion below will be an additional trade/profession where people can make money and even take part in the BGS if FDEV make it so.
Star Fuel Miner:
I have always wondered why every port ALWAYS has plenty fuel and this pondering lead me to this idea. If possible, make it so that people can fit their ships with tanks and mine fuel from the nearest scoopable star and sell it to the station (minus the fuel in their stock tank of course). With this profession, stations can put out missions asking for fuel to replenish their tanks and even make it so that the station cannot refuel you unless you pay a little more for it if they are running dry. Stations that are swimming in fuel will allow you to refuel at minimal cost. This could even lead FDEV to make a dedicated fuel mining ship exclusively for this profession. Tie it into the BGS and states system to indicate what systems will need fuel. I will let you decide what states are swimming with it and what states have small amounts. Possibly even make it so that stations with a seriously limited supply of fuel go into a power-saving shutdown mode until refueled.
In addition to this, you could make prison systems, systems containing a prison station or detention centres the main hubs for cheap fuel and allow other traders to ship it out amongst the stars to a station of their choosing. Obviously with the system being classed as a prison, make it so that its a permit system and only clean players with no bounties can enter or they will be swiftly greeted by system security and sent to the rebuy screen shortly after. Possibly even tie it into the Crime and Punishment system and on top of what is currently in place, make it so players can opt out of paying off their large bounty by giving them the ability to mine fuel for a limited amount of time and return it back to the prison. (they still pay ship costs, just no additional fees) Give them a ship with no FSD functionality and disallow storing of ships in the system to prevent pre-emptive escape
TLDR version
Star Fuel Miner:
You scoop fuel from stars
Sell it to a station
Some stations ask for fuel via missions
Dedicated fuel mining ship
Station charges you more if they have low fuel
Stations that are nearly empty shut down partially until refueled
Crime and Punishment integration - You get a choice to pay your bounty as you do with the current system, or mine for a certain amount of time relative to your bounty.
Star Fuel Miner:
I have always wondered why every port ALWAYS has plenty fuel and this pondering lead me to this idea. If possible, make it so that people can fit their ships with tanks and mine fuel from the nearest scoopable star and sell it to the station (minus the fuel in their stock tank of course). With this profession, stations can put out missions asking for fuel to replenish their tanks and even make it so that the station cannot refuel you unless you pay a little more for it if they are running dry. Stations that are swimming in fuel will allow you to refuel at minimal cost. This could even lead FDEV to make a dedicated fuel mining ship exclusively for this profession. Tie it into the BGS and states system to indicate what systems will need fuel. I will let you decide what states are swimming with it and what states have small amounts. Possibly even make it so that stations with a seriously limited supply of fuel go into a power-saving shutdown mode until refueled.
In addition to this, you could make prison systems, systems containing a prison station or detention centres the main hubs for cheap fuel and allow other traders to ship it out amongst the stars to a station of their choosing. Obviously with the system being classed as a prison, make it so that its a permit system and only clean players with no bounties can enter or they will be swiftly greeted by system security and sent to the rebuy screen shortly after. Possibly even tie it into the Crime and Punishment system and on top of what is currently in place, make it so players can opt out of paying off their large bounty by giving them the ability to mine fuel for a limited amount of time and return it back to the prison. (they still pay ship costs, just no additional fees) Give them a ship with no FSD functionality and disallow storing of ships in the system to prevent pre-emptive escape
TLDR version
Star Fuel Miner:
You scoop fuel from stars
Sell it to a station
Some stations ask for fuel via missions
Dedicated fuel mining ship
Station charges you more if they have low fuel
Stations that are nearly empty shut down partially until refueled
Crime and Punishment integration - You get a choice to pay your bounty as you do with the current system, or mine for a certain amount of time relative to your bounty.
