Player bases

[FluffyFreak]

This has come up again but I had the idea so I'd better make a note of it quickly:

<FluffyFreak> since we're discussing pie in the sky ideas
<FluffyFreak> you'd have to build a base, it'd work a bit like a city, you'd put down a landing pad...
<FluffyFreak> ...then bring in other modules which would be built around it (like city buildings are)...
<FluffyFreak> everytime you dock you'd get the comms menu but one for your base with different screens depending on modules you've added
<clausimu> FluffyFreak: that would be fantastic!
* FluffyFreak is starting to think he's built a cross to carry...
<clausimu> but is that even doable with the current way the universe/bases are done procedurally?
<FluffyFreak> so lets think a bit more, modules would be mining, manufacture, repair, trade?
<clausimu> If each one is a single module - you would need a huge ship to transport them.
<FluffyFreak> clausimu yes I think so though some stuff might need data adding like custom systems would need to have your base dynamically added to it etc
<ecraven> i can just comment on eve online economy.. it is hard to manufacture things cheaper than they are on the market, unless you go for scale
<FluffyFreak> clausimu two words: "flat pack" ;)
<clausimu> :)
<MeanSurray> FluffyFreak: Don't forget power generation for the base.

Now how could this work, well we'd have to store the "base" somewhere, possibly and addition to the custom systems? Or a parallel type too it that handles saved/loaded customisations... probably the latter.
You'd add the players base, and what modules it had to this "system extension" and when the game went to build a system it would build it from the generated/custom system as usual, then add the bases at the end.
This would then need adding to the save game but at this point it's just some extra data about location, what modules are available and possibly what stock/inventory is there, can other ships dock? Could that be saved too?

The player would place down the base with a landing pad, then leave to get more modules, you'd need a few basic ones just get it doing anything, then you'd add mining, refinement and manufacturing modules to allow you to collect things. This seems more realistic than just dropping a mining machine on a planet.

I suppose then you could have upgrades to each module to improve performance or expand repertoire of abilities.

Anyway each new module added would appear physically around the pad much like the city stuff does.

... discuss, I guess :)

[bszlrd]

Some quick and dirty sketches I made for a low-tech base a while ago, which might be an approach for player bases from visual standpoint:

[impaktor]

What's the purpose of a player base? The universe is full of bases.

E.g. a hangar, for a second ship? To me, that would be the initial step. Your own hangar.

[FluffyFreak]

Possiblities!

• Mining, you add a mining module and it stuff magically turns up that you can sell.
• Repair & Refuel, cheap repair and refuel place, module magically makes hydrogen from atmosphere and or mining machine stuff.
• Trade, you get a cut of any trading done for the stuff that's been mined.
• "Farming", (enclosed, like a dome) adds to the stuff that can be traded.

Noz you are always one step ahead of the game!
If you model up a single ship landing pad like you've drawn there (rough, just a plain white texture only) then there's probably enough there to be getting started with.

[bszlrd]

[Catty]

I really like the look of those bases, honestly. It would actually be really cool if most of the random little towns looked like that.

[kennworl]

Bases huh? This is starting to sound like x3 with your own factories. So how would you go about defending them? When you're away, you could get raided. Defence systems? Could they act like factories, producing missiles or tradable goods? Are we talking about just planetside or orbital?

Maybe as a scriptable first step, you could own companies based at existing ports, and they can produce goods that you can trade, but you need supply consumables to balance it out.

[impaktor]

Wouldn't these bases 3D-assets be a pretty good test bed for procedural generation of cities? As in building larger structures out of (these) modules? If anyone were to want to go into such code.

As for what to use the bases for, I think it's really going off in a tangent. Not that I wouldn't want those features, it's just way way down on my list.