Paper #06 (EXOTIC RESOURCES) by: Paul Zimmerman

[jimbob]

It sure seems outside the current SEIV system, but it would be Tres Chic! The possibilities would be nearly endless, and trade and piracy would take on incredible importance. Imagine...

... you're the only one with access to 'spice' (Dune). You trade it at great profit, but in truth you do it out of fear that others will come after you if you don't.
Then one day the universe does come after you. Once you've lost the planet though, you've lost your main source of power. The good news? Nobody's trying to kill you now!

I'd love to make some addictive resources. Improves your planetary happiness for a while, but if you ever run out, the riots will bring your empire to it's knees.

-jimbob

[Mark Walton]

I was trying to think of a way to do something like this, and the best I came up with was:

Create many new racial techs which players are not allowed to choose.

Create Neutral races which use these techs.

Each tech allows immediate creation of facilities, components, maybe even hull styles which are:
not available any other way;
much more useful/powerful than normal starting tech (even advanced tech).

So, these AI's can create these wonderful features, but players can not. Players can negotiate, conquer, or steal the techs but can't make any more of their own. It may be that there is only one world in the galaxy with particular facilities.

I haven't got as far yet as designing the actual techs involved, just outlining the plan.

With this type of setup, there might be serious competition to be friends with a particular Neutral AI - protecting them from other players conquering them, etc.

[Menschenfresser]

Or Jimbob...you park a planet destroyer in orbit and become an untouchable.

(Given that destroying a planet with special resources also destroys the special resource.)

That would be ultra cool.

[Suicide Junkie]

Very nice.

You would also have to take good care of all those ships you buy from the neutral, since the special components can't be repaired (unless you give the ship back).

Some ideas:
- 1% maintenance component (as in P&N nomads)
- Organic Armor style regenerating internals.
- "Infinite PD" cannon. Very expensive, range 1, but has a reload of zero, thus destroying absolutely any unit that comes in range. Will likely use up all your supplies in the process.
- Perfect Simulators. Facility (or base component, so it can be sold easily) that allows training upto 50%.
- Distributed MC. Ship cannot be captured by Psy Subverters, since the MC ability is built into the hull. (Still requires normal C&C to be designed in)
- Ship-based Massive Energy Lens. Large (~750KT) component which adds lots (~500) shields to all ships in the system.

[Mark Walton]

Yes repair would be a problem, but it would keep players interested in the neutral, AND identify the neutrals as a source of a player's power.

You would probably have an arrangement to trade the ships in for new ones when they get hurt...

[jimbob]

For special components I can see this as being valuable... only they can make them. But then, how do we make the neutral (computer) player smart enough to actually trade with anyone else? Plus, there is no way of upgrading a few of the components on a ship... so we would have to content ourselves with buying ships with special components but crummy shields (for example). The crummy shields could never be upgraded without losing the special component... er, unless it was built into the hull!?

With facilities it would be easier, just drop some troops on the planet. Of course if you damage the facilities during pre-ground combat bombardment you've made yourself a problem. But otherwise, the special facilities are not going to help you at all.

So, would it actually be possible to do any of this without hard-code changes?

-jimbob

[jimbob]

yeah, I know, my Last post made less sense than even my regular comments I'm trying again, though I promise nothing.

This is the way my fevered mind sees it.
If the 'buyer' acquires a ship with a special component on it from a neutral race (or anyone else for that matter) they will not be able to upgrade other components of the acquired ship because they cannot design an upgrade that still has the special component.

So, for the components to be 'usefully transferable' they would need to be an integral part of the hull. Then the 'buyer' could upgrade the components on the ship without losing the special ability. So every special component would actually have to be a new hull type.

But! the 'buyer' cannot make that hull type, so they cannot upgrade that hull type, so they're stuck with crummy ships from the neutral player! Argg.

This is why I think we can only accomplish successful trade of 'special commodities' through hard-code changes.

-jimbob