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I think we sort of decided that resources would work in a similar manner to MC1. One thing I think needs to be finalized is resource pools. Should they be player based, or settlement based? I am of mixed opinions on this, so would like to hear feedback and pros/cons of each, since I need to start adding resources to the engine fairly soon before I can move on.
The more I think of it in my head though, I am starting to envision a new system that is possibly a bit more complicated at first, but I think is more realistic and would add a whole new element to the game - logistics.
My proposal for MC2 is to have the resources literally be tied to no large single pool, but instead just sit there in the building/area they were produced until they are moved. If you build a mine somewhere, you also need a transportation system to bring the ore from the mine to the refinery, or to a warehouse, etc. Each player is responsible for this own supply lines. Suppose you build a department store in Settlement A that sells toys. You also have a factory in Settlement B that produces toys, but it is X miles away and there is a transport cost. Player2 also has a toy factory in Settlement A right across the street from your shop. You can either pay build up your own transportation infrastructure, or you can just source the toys from across the street, in which case money would change hands from Player 1 to 2.
There should be logistics related buildings such as trucking stations or perhaps rail lines. So there wasn't so much micromanaging, a Factory could know what resources it needs, and trucks in the area could automatically move the materials. If a truck is owned by Player 1 and the mine is owned by Player 1 and the factory is owned by Player 1, then it can be a "free shipping" scenario, otherwise you could make money by transporting resources for other players. A player could build his entire financial empire on being a "transport tycoon" and shipping resources for other players.
Warehouses can be tweaked so that the player can decide what resources are stored there. You could say that Warehouse A on this part of town should only store Gold because there is a Mint nearby. And then trucks behind the scenes could figure out the logistics. The player could also manually set their trucking routes if they wanted more control.
If each building had a "Needs" and "Provides" ledger, a lot of the logistics could happen behind the scenes automatically.
Another benefit of each building keeping it's own inventory would help facilitate transactions between players. Suppose Player 1 needs a new Rover, but does not have a vehicle factory, or the materials to build his own. But Player 2 has a Rover Dealership with 6 rovers in stock. You can just buy one of their rovers for Money without even needing the materials or your own factory, and Player 2 gets some nice funds added to their treasury. And perhaps the settlement gets a nice sales tax. Player 2 could tell the dealership building to always keep X numbers of Rovers in stock, and the shipping and logistics engine could take care of the rest. Or he could own the rover factory next door and set up the shipping himself. I don't know!!!
In MC1, again like a dictatorship, the player controls everything related to the economy. You pay the workers, and you also tax them. I am thinking of separating this out. For MC2, I propose that the only resource an actual settlement as an entity can have is Money. Each settlement will have it's own public treasury, and the leader of that settlement decides what funds are used for the public, enacts tax policy, etc. Perhaps a settlement can be democratic where different players are able to run against each other, or perhaps a settlement is a dictatorship and leadership cannot be altered. The settlement will be able to tax both colonists, which are controlled by the engine, or businesses, which are controlled by the player. If there is a business tax in the settlement, it is taken out of profits produced by players. If the settlement wants to build a public structure like a Park, it can contract the work out to a player who has the logistics to build it. The settlement would pay a player to build the police station, but then you would use public settlement money to fund and operate it.
This system also would let a settlement leader implement zoning, as mentioned in this thread. The settlement leader could say "only houses in this area" or "only shops in this area" etc. Roads within a settlement could be the responsibility of the settlement owner, or he could just say "anybody can build necessary roads here."
Anyway, maybe this is all too micro-managy and I should just stick to MC1 mechanics, so I'd like to hear what others think about such a logistics system. I like it better because the game can have even more resources than MC1, but without having a huge resource bar at the top of the screen. And it's more realistic than just having storage buildings everywhere will millions of resources.
bastecklein said:What if at the warehouse level, you could chose what prices you are willing to sell your resources to which player? For example, your warehouse could be setup to be only used by you. Or you could setup your ware house so that other players can utilize it's resources when they need to build something, but for a cost. Or you could say All players pay the default rate for the resources, except your friend Player B, who can use the resources for free. In that way, players could share resources if they wanted to , or not share them.
In terms of multiple servers, why not? Once you build something like a Space Elevator or a Star Gate, it can just open up your trade network to other servers as well. Maybe just something simple as a launch site. You can have certain resources marked as for sale, and when somebody from another server buys them, a truck brings them from the warehouse to the launch site and shoots them off to the other server.
Maybe we are talking a mixture now of diplomacy for other planets to interact with each other, and also finally a real use for starships, and the need to actually setup real trade routes between servers.