Expansion, farming, food and AI.

[Pacific_Jim]

I think we can all agree that encouraging players to hold planets and territory is basically a good thing, and that most of us would like to see a use for planets beyond strip mining. I think the most straightforward way to go about this is farming. The only issue here is what would we actually farm for? Fuel is a an option, but that's a debate I don't really want to get into here, so that leaves manufacturing items and food. I think growing some manufacturing items would be a good thing (ie paint components), but ultimately if we don't get anything out of it that we wouldn't get from asteroid mining it becomes a little pointless. This means that food is probably the best choice for a farmable item, now I don't know about you, but "food meters" and the like aren't very exciting to be, so I have another idea of how food can be implemented.

I would suggest that in each farm we have a block called a food distributor, which is either connected to the actual blocks of "farmland". Having more blocks of farmland being connected to a distributor would increase a faction stat similar to faction points which would determine your maximum NPC amount for the faction. Losing the farmland would cause NPCs to quit as you can't feed them.

For this system to work it would require NPC functionality to expand. I would propose keeping the Bobby AI as an option, but keep the functionality more or less limited to what it is now. This would mean that if you want to fly around in a group you would need NPCs, likewise if you want smarter turrets or re-dockable drones, or extra miners for resource gathering. Other things you could do to expand on it would be to give factions the ability to allocate large amounts of these points to for automatic patrols for you controlled space or emergency response .

This would mean that if you would to expand properly as a faction you will need to control planets, and gives you either motivation for capturing intact (already cultivated farmland, no work required) or destroying (remove a lump of a factions available work force) depending on the situation.

 

[friendofvampires]

I like the idea, though whats to prevent someone from having just one massive farm on their homebase?
if the size requirement is large enough to negate that, then its likely to be too cumbersome for the average player, if its restricted to "X amount of farm per place" that might provide a clunky, though serviceable idea. anyone have a better idea?

 

[starhaiden]

pirates are more likely to invade planets with farms

 

[Pacific_Jim]

I like the idea, though whats to prevent someone from having just one massive farm on their homebase?
if the size requirement is large enough to negate that, then its likely to be too cumbersome for the average player, if its restricted to "X amount of farm per place" that might provide a clunky, though serviceable idea. anyone have a better idea?

Yeah, size cap per farm on entity is the only way this would work unfortunately.

I think having the option to rent NPCs might be handy as well, pay them upfront and get a set time of service. Though for newer players and people getting set up bobby's would be the option until they get a farm up and running.

 

[Valiant70]

For a specific gamemode (survival), I had an idea for a food meter that wouldn't be so bland. It would be a combination of food and nutrition in one bar.

• 0% (empty bar) is extremely debilitating and eventually fatal. (I think it should take quite a while to die.)
• Less than 20% debuffs max health, speed, etc. 20-80% is normal.
• 80-100% grants a buff depending on the type of food consumed.

Synthetic, replicated foods are easy to produce but only fill the bar to 50%. Fresh foods fill it to 100% granting a buff for a good while, and processed foods fill it to 80%, granting a buff only briefly. Physical activity could increase the rate food is burned.

Again, this would be used in a specific game mode geared toward the survival play style. Sandbox would remain as is with no food requirements (only buffs). Buffs for both game modes could include things like movement speed, jump height (as if it weren't high enough already :P) a very slight aim assist (just a few pixels worth) simulating enhanced reflexes, increased maximum health, and regenerating health.

This system of buffs could be extended to the NPCs discussed in the OP to make things even more interesting. Specific NPCs could be instructed to prefer specific types of food that are suitable to their roles, and the default food could be set faction-wide or for a specific ship/base/installment.

Thus, the system I described would exist in both survival and sandbox, with the difference being that it only affects player avatars in survival.

 

[alterintel]

I really like Valiant70's Idea for food. I also like the idea of a planet's population being tied to factions some how. Maybe planets could be the key to faction wars?

 

[Pacific_Jim]

Different types of food (and buffs) I would definitely be for. Populating planets properly I'm unsure about, that amount of AI running at once is a lot of lag waiting to happen. But yeah, controlling planets needs to be made essential to factions, providing targets for warfare and giving people a reason not to just hole up in their invincible homebase.