Starmade Shipyards

[Bench]

What's Starmade Shipyards?
Starmade Shipyards is an idea I've had for about 18-months now. Between work and making videos I've been trying to develop the idea in my head and I think now I'm really excited to share what my dream is for it.

Starmade Shipyards is a ship sharing site with role-playing elements added in, competitions, achievements, and more. At its core it's all about allowing players to buy, sell, and showcase ships, and be able to have a practical shipyard to keep all their ships. Each ship has a ship card, and a ship page where it is showcased.

Ship Categories
Ships on the shipyards site are broken down into categories. These categories are visible on the ship cards as well as that ship's page.

Normal Ship Card

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Normal ships are just ships that have been submitted by a user. There stats have not been verified by a site admin so it's purely showing what the user who uploaded the ship has entered.


Verified Ship Card

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Verified Ship Cards are blue, they show ships that have had their stats confirmed by a site admin. These ships can be used in competitions, missions etc.


Purchased Ship Card

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Ships you have purchased are indicated in green. You can go to this ships page and download the ship sment file to then import into your game and use.


Flagged Ship Card

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Flagged ships have been flagged by a user as being potentially misleading. It may be a user thinks this ship is a duplicate of another ship on the site, or that they think the stats are incorrect. Whatever it might be, flagged ships cannot be downloaded or purchased until the issue has been resolved. Flagged ships are indicated in red.


Legendary Ship Card

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Legendary Ships are ships that cannot be purchased, and can only be won in lotteries, community competitions, or by special achievements. Players can submit a verified ship that cannot be purchased into a review to become a Legendary ship.
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Browsing Ships
The ship cards are designed to give you all the key information in a styled-card, listing ship class, cost, rating, mass, thrust, power, shields, and supported systems like docking, turrets, salvage etc.

All these stats can be used to filter what you see.

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Viewing a ship page

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Selecting a ship card will then take you to that ship's page. There you can see more in-depth stats, images, and either purchase the ship or add it to favorites. If something is suspect then you can also flag a ship from here. On the right you see the character of the player who owns this ship.

So you actually have to buy ships?
Not with real-world currency. As part of the role-playing experience players will earn credits through selling ships, completing achievements etc. They can then purchase other players' ships then download the file to use it in their game.

Is this something I need to sign up for? Will there be any costs?
No costs, and users are through the StarMade registry so it will be the same log-in for these forums as it will be for the shipyards site.

You mentioned role-playing?
Each player will have their own character and shipyard on the site. There will be ranks / levels and selling/purchasing ships, interactions throughout the site and achievements will all lead to ranking up. Going up ranks will unlock new opportunities, achievements and content (probably... i haven't thought that far) as well as new customizations.


Player Characters will be customizable

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Each player will have their own character who they can customize. New items for customizing will be unlocked as achievements are completed and missions completed successfully. Missions will have the opportunity to unlock rarer customization items.

What are missions?
Missions will be another way to complete achievements, earn credits, and unlock rare customizations. If you have any verified ships you can participate in missions. Choose a mission and assign a verified ship you own to do that mission. Each mission has a time it takes to complete, and different requirements. For example, a supply run mission requires that you use a ship with docking, so you can transport the cargo. More difficult missions could have a lower percentage of success mattering what ship you have chosen. E.g. if you're doing an assault mission, selecting a ship without shields will have a low percentage of success. If your ship is destroyed while doing a mission, you will need to pay the full cost of that ship to repair that ship.

When you have selected a ship to do a mission, you can then launch that ship to do that mission. While a ship is doing a mission, it won't be available for purchase or download. When a ship returns from a successful mission you will get the rewards from that mission, and have the potential to find rare customizations as well.

What are the competitions?
Competitions include community competitions, as well as the monthly lottery. Buying into the lottery you could win additional credits, a legendary ship, a rare customization, or a special medal.

Will this be mobile / tablet compatible?
Yes we're planning on making it capable of supporting tablet and mobile devices.

What about trolls?
We're working on ways to make the system robust enough to reduce any methods of trolling.

What are some other features you're considering adding later on?
I'm in talks with the devs on some stuff that would open up the opportunity for having a dueling system added.

What are overseers?
Overseers are site moderators tasked with certain duties. They verify ships, follow up on any flagged ships, discipline players who disrupt the peace, maintain competitions etc.

What are rare customizations?
Player characters on the site can be customized with different eye-wear, head-wear, shirts, jackets, and pants. In the future we might add other options but at the moment they're the big five. There are the default items for customizing, there will be unlocked items from completing challenges, and there will be a group of rare or legendary items that appear from time to time. There are certain chances for finding them, through browsing the ships and shipyards, completing missions successfully, and participation in the competitions. These rare and legendary items cannot be acquired in any other way.

What's the trade guild?
I'm still working that out

More questions or do you have an idea for the site?
Submit your ideas, questions etc in this thread.

When will it be launched?
At the moment it's been something I've been working on my own doing, so it is still a work in progress, but we'll keep you informed.

 

[Megacrafter127]

As part of the role-playing experience players will earn credits through selling ships, completing achievements etc.

The problem with that is, that if the total amount of credits is limited by the amount of users, it is likely, that some ships will be too expensive to buy for anyone, or will be so expensive, that persons would accumulate credits for years, just to purchase it.
Here is what I propose: the one, who is selling a ship gains more credits, than the one buying it pays. Even if it is just a single one, it removes any boundries from the amounts of money in the system.

 

[Bench]

The problem with that is, that if the total amount of credits is limited by the amount of users, it is likely, that some ships will be too expensive to buy for anyone, or will be so expensive, that persons would accumulate credits for years, just to purchase it.
Here is what I propose: the one, who is selling a ship gains more credits, than the one buying it pays. Even if it is just a single one, it removes any boundries from the amounts of money in the system.

True, that's been something I've been wrangling with. There's a number of ways to use credits but not as many ways to earn them. Perhaps you accumulate a certain amount of credits per day. like passing GO in Monopoly. Just being active helps you gain credits. Starting off though you'll receive credits, as well as uploading your first ship will also earn you an achievement that will earn you credits.

 

[MrFURB]

So let me get this straight... You're making a Starmade collectible card game where the player's in-game ships become the cards and vice versa? Is it just me or do I see one of the best opportunities in the world to bring Starmade to mobile devices?

It is often said that one of the marks of a truly great and addicting game experience is that you think about it while offline; at work, at school, at dinner. You can't get your mind off of it, and you're itching to get back in. The ability to bring a bit of the experience with you while away from a computer is a huge step towards achieving this.

I think that a properly explored social aspect of your shipyard project could go a very long way towards improving the overall experience. Being able to create and join groups, organize ships into fleets for easier tracking and organization, or even have your own faction represented on the website somehow...

 

[Bench]

So let me get this straight... You're making a Starmade collectible card game where the player's in-game ships become the cards and vice versa? Is it just me or do I see one of the best opportunities in the world to bring Starmade to mobile devices?

Essentially, and yes I am planning on making sure it is mobile-compatible or at least tablet-compatible.

It is often said that one of the marks of a truly great and addicting game experience is that you think about it while offline; at work, at school, at dinner. You can't get your mind off of it, and you're itching to get back in. The ability to bring a bit of the experience with you while away from a computer is a huge step towards achieving this.

I think that a properly explored social aspect of your shipyard project could go a very long way towards improving the overall experience. Being able to create and join groups, organize ships into fleets for easier tracking and organization, or even have your own faction represented on the website somehow...

I was thinking about fleets and factions. Something like a player could request to create a faction. Once created other players can apply to join that faction. Players could be listed as part of a particular faction, they could choose ships to add to the faction shipyard. While purchasing a ship would still be an interaction with that individual player, adding ships to a faction shipyard would let that player choose if they will allow other players in that faction access to download that ship straight away rather than purchasing them off the player themselves.

There's a favoriting system, I might expand that into fleets, so fleets are essentially a list of favorited ships.

 

[Megacrafter127]

I also have another suggestion:
Allow players to sell ship bundles they upload for an a littlebit lower price.

 

[Reilly Reese]

So just making sure

Are these images from the WIP Site or are they art that has not been implemented yet?

So you download ships by purchasing them?

How will you stop trolls from rampaging around flagging ships making it impossible from downloading anything?

When you send a ship on a mission you say it can not be purchased or downloaded. By who?

Can we get ODST looking armor? I love ODST.

 

[TheBlueThunder]

I want those cards! In my hands! :D
That looks like a really cool website layout Bench or it could be part of an in-game starmade thing too. Anyway looks really cool!

 

[Bench]

I also have another suggestion:
Allow players to sell ship bundles they upload for an a littlebit lower price.

I like the idea of bundles, like if you're selling a UNSC ship you could sell smaller UNSC ships designed to go with it. Or like, if I were to put my Serenity up there, then I could include the shuttles with it too.

So just making sure

Are these images from the WIP Site or are they art that has not been implemented yet?

They're images from the WIP site. I'm still laying out pages but I expect the actual site with all the functionality won't be that far off from what you see here.

So you download ships by purchasing them?

You purchase a ship, it becomes purchased for you, you can then download it to use in your game.

How will you stop trolls from rampaging around flagging ships making it impossible from downloading anything?

Users will need to log in to the site to flag ships. We'll see if a user goes and flags multiple ships, and they'll be required to enter a reason each time anyway. If we find they're trolling, we can ban them off the site and roll back any ships they've flagged. So trolling like that should be fairly controllable. We'll also be implementing automated checking for conditions when a player uploads a ship to catch players trying to upload the same ship twice, or players downloading ships and then trying to sell them again.

When you send a ship on a mission you say it can not be purchased or downloaded. By who?

By anyone. People will be able to see it in your shipyard, but it will be "In-transit" or "On Mission" and they won't be able to purchase it or if they had previously purchased it, won't be able to download it at this time.

Can we get ODST looking armor? I love ODST.

I don't see why not.

I want those cards! In my hands! :D
That looks like a really cool website layout Bench or it could be part of an in-game starmade thing too. Anyway looks really cool!

Thanks :D Perhaps in the future we'll put out a "Most Purchased" or "Most Popular" deck of Starmade Shipyards cards

 

[Orphaniel]

This idea is Glorious.

As the Owner-operator-Shipwright of my own rather Fabulous shipyard this is very exciting! Where do I sign?

 

[Astrocat]

Whoa, this is incredible and quite ambitious! If it works well it could be a game changer and another reason to build good looking ships. I'll definitely be looking forward to any progress you make.

 

[Zeno9141]

I want. Most definitely.

Also, It would be great if I could show my tentacular self in the character. Octopus hat?

 

[Cybertooth]

Nice, this looks like amazing news for the guys who run the shipyard threads
Is this new site likly to incorporate/continue your current youtube showcases?

 

[Krazykat]

It looks amazing Bench! I can't wait!

one question, how are the user inputed ships gonna be verified and will there be a limit on how powerful ships we can upload at certain points?
will the leveling system allow us to upload better handmade ships if there is a limit? how big should we be able to make our fleets?

I understand it's all work in progress but I'm just trying to wrap my head around the scale of this system.

 

[Reilly Reese]

Another question. Say I want people to be able to view my Caldera Empire fleet but not be able to purchase. Can I lock the ship with read only ability?

 

[WolfChild]

Wait. Is this definitely happening, or a concept? Because in the OP, I read it as your "Idea", but the pictures and stuff make it look like it's already quite far in development.

Also, how does the purchasing system work? I'm curious of specifics, such as:

1. A shipyard produces a ship. Is there a limit to how many cards for that ship that can be bought, or will more supply always be able to meet demand?
2. Will there be second-hand trading, or buying off others who have purchased it?
3. Will there be trading?

Last thing: Is there going to be a limit to how many ships a single person is allowed to post?

 

[Saxopi]

Fuuuuuuck, You've outdone your contributions to the community, Bench. I really hope this thing comes to fruition because if there's one thing people want it's interactive stuff like this.

 

[Bench]

This idea is Glorious.

As the Owner-operator-Shipwright of my own rather Fabulous shipyard this is very exciting! Where do I sign?

Just keep an eye on this thread, i'll update it with progress.

I want. Most definitely.

Also, It would be great if I could show my tentacular self in the character. Octopus hat?

Octopus Hat, why not

Nice, this looks like amazing news for the guys who run the shipyard threads
Is this new site likly to incorporate/continue your current youtube showcases?

I'll continue my showcase videos, they may just become less regular during development.

It looks amazing Bench! I can't wait!

one question, how are the user inputed ships gonna be verified and will there be a limit on how powerful ships we can upload at certain points?
will the leveling system allow us to upload better handmade ships if there is a limit? how big should we be able to make our fleets?

I understand it's all work in progress but I'm just trying to wrap my head around the scale of this system.

That's like 3 questions, lol.
- The site will have overseers who will be able to download any normal or flagged ship to verify stats and to follow-up on issues. If the stats they see in-game match the stats input they can verify it, otherwise they can amend stats and then verify.
- There's no plans to put limits in regarding ship sizes etc at this point, however as the leveling system is still being worked out this may change.
- the leveling system is still under development. Leveling up will unlock certain customizations, additional missions, and titles for your character.
- If fleets are going to work like a favorite list, fleets in theory could be as big as you want them to be. But we won't be enforcing fleets to only include your own ships. If you want to put together your "Best of Star Trek Ships" Fleet using ships that have been uploaded by the community, go right ahead. Fleets will probably be able to be made Private or Public, private fleets could be like your own collection of ships you'd like to work towards purchasing, while a public fleet you could link to your friends.

Another question. Say I want people to be able to view my Caldera Empire fleet but not be able to purchase. Can I lock the ship with read only ability?

You will be able to opt any ship to being able to be purchased or not. If you wanted to just use the shipyard site purely as a place to show off your ships and use them for missions, without selling any, you could totally do that.

Wait. Is this definitely happening, or a concept? Because in the OP, I read it as your "Idea", but the pictures and stuff make it look like it's already quite far in development.

Also, how does the purchasing system work? I'm curious of specifics, such as:

1. A shipyard produces a ship. Is there a limit to how many cards for that ship that can be bought, or will more supply always be able to meet demand?
2. Will there be second-hand trading, or buying off others who have purchased it?
3. Will there be trading?

Last thing: Is there going to be a limit to how many ships a single person is allowed to post?

It's something I'm slowly building, but it's tough as I'm only volunteering my time outside of work hours to work on it, and I'm doing it all solo, lol.

As a player you own a shipyard, you can then add a ship to that shipyard and make it available to be purchased. Another player who is browsing ships can then click on your ship's card and it will take them to that ship's page. From there they could purchase your ship, in which case that ship card gets added to their purchases (reading that i'm inclined to call it a "deck") and they can download the ship sment file to then import into their Starmade game and use through the in-game catalog.

1. That's an interesting idea, like an exclusive batch. Perhaps I'll add in an exclusive card for the first three purchases of any ship. Gold, Silver, Bronze or something. But beyond that I hadn't planned on capping downloads on any ship.
2. Essentially players had bought the right to download that ship, I hadn't considered trading or buying off others like second-hand. Matters if you guys want this to be more trading card collect the ships? With dueling a possibility down the track it might be an interesting idea to consider adding.

Is there going to be a limit to how many ships a single person is allowed to post? Umm. That will be dependent on my discussions with the guys at the registry, as the system for uploading ships is still being worked out. Ideally no, but as I'm building this without a budget I might not have the infrastructure, we'll have to see if what I have currently will do the job.

 

[NuclearFun]

That is a really great project, i would love to see it come alive!
And it looks as it has gotten pretty far already.

 

[Sven_The_Slayer]

While a cool sounding concept, I see it as being detrimental when we already have a system of free information in place.

As somebody who likes to offer my ships freely and doesn't like the idea of a metagame that breeds elitism I really can't support this idea. I already find it a hassle when browsing the community content section and I want to download a ship that is only posted on a third party site. It would be incredibly inconvenient and disparaging to find a nice ship on the forums only to find out it is linked to "Starmade Shipyards" and I would have to "buy" it. It would be disadvantageous for anybody wanting to use the system to post the ships on the starmade dock as those ships are available freely and they won't make "money". I already feel there is too much "secret" and "exclusive" designs, while I understand it in context to faction wars I really don't want to see having to buy and trade added to it.