Let's talk trade (warning, long post)
posted on May 28th, 2007, 1:32 am
Yo board.
The older members may remember that i once put up the idea of bringing trade back into FO. Now that i've had time to think it over and see the direction the team are taking the mod, i thought i'd rekindle the discussion with a refreshed idea. Feel free to add your opinions and stuff to this; the plan is that if we all put our two cents worth in, we'll end up with a fully fleshed out, balanced idea that could go into FO with the minimum of hassle and that most people like.
Anyways, you might want to grab a coffee/tea/beer/other random drink, this is a bit of a long one.
---
So yeah, if trading was put back in, what use could it be other than sending resources to other players? Based on what i've seen/heard of FO and considering canon-based concepts, i would say the best idea would be as an additional source of supplies for your fleet. To keep the game balanced, the actual ammount generated each run would be miniscule (like 2 or 3 supply points for every load), making it hideously slow compared to the "request supplies" command at the starbase.
This would mean trade as a primary source of supplies wouldn't be possible until late into a game, when you could afford to churn out the large numbers of trading ships necessary, and also allows the Dominion to retain it's supply advantage with the Ketracel sythesiser. In short, trading is for the long-term gamers that need an additional influx of supplies to help build up a huge fleet. Shorter, faster-pace games will have no use for it, and FO can be won very easily without even touching a trader (especially important for races like the Borg and Noxter, who don't have trading ability); it's just another option open to people.
Of course, if this idea was implimented, additional concepts could then be added, like bigger trading ships or traders with additional features (such as an armed Klingon trader or a cloakable romulan ship). The hierable mercenaries could be hired from the trading station, with the player using supplies to hire out the ships. Meanwhile, Borg and Noxter players can attack these trading operations to disrupt the enemy (and if it could be made so the proceeds of any cargo on board is transferred to the player when the ship is decomissioned, the Borg could make a tidy profit from assimilating then decomissioning traders).
Additionally, making it so there's a major ammount-per-load reduction when trading between your own bases (or even removing the ability to do so altogether if possible) would help balance; the player would instead be driven to travel to the stations of their allies and/or of NPC factions, which in turn exposes the traders to enemy attack.
Finally, trading could then be used as a centrepoint in missions/assault maps. I always imagined an assault game with two allied players, only one of which can mine resources and only the other can build combat ships, so they have to trade between eachother in order to defeat the enemy, who would be in the meantime trying to destroy the convoys in order to starve the fleet-making player.
Thanks for reading all that.
So yeah, opinions welcome people.
The older members may remember that i once put up the idea of bringing trade back into FO. Now that i've had time to think it over and see the direction the team are taking the mod, i thought i'd rekindle the discussion with a refreshed idea. Feel free to add your opinions and stuff to this; the plan is that if we all put our two cents worth in, we'll end up with a fully fleshed out, balanced idea that could go into FO with the minimum of hassle and that most people like.
Anyways, you might want to grab a coffee/tea/beer/other random drink, this is a bit of a long one.
---
So yeah, if trading was put back in, what use could it be other than sending resources to other players? Based on what i've seen/heard of FO and considering canon-based concepts, i would say the best idea would be as an additional source of supplies for your fleet. To keep the game balanced, the actual ammount generated each run would be miniscule (like 2 or 3 supply points for every load), making it hideously slow compared to the "request supplies" command at the starbase.
This would mean trade as a primary source of supplies wouldn't be possible until late into a game, when you could afford to churn out the large numbers of trading ships necessary, and also allows the Dominion to retain it's supply advantage with the Ketracel sythesiser. In short, trading is for the long-term gamers that need an additional influx of supplies to help build up a huge fleet. Shorter, faster-pace games will have no use for it, and FO can be won very easily without even touching a trader (especially important for races like the Borg and Noxter, who don't have trading ability); it's just another option open to people.
Of course, if this idea was implimented, additional concepts could then be added, like bigger trading ships or traders with additional features (such as an armed Klingon trader or a cloakable romulan ship). The hierable mercenaries could be hired from the trading station, with the player using supplies to hire out the ships. Meanwhile, Borg and Noxter players can attack these trading operations to disrupt the enemy (and if it could be made so the proceeds of any cargo on board is transferred to the player when the ship is decomissioned, the Borg could make a tidy profit from assimilating then decomissioning traders).
Additionally, making it so there's a major ammount-per-load reduction when trading between your own bases (or even removing the ability to do so altogether if possible) would help balance; the player would instead be driven to travel to the stations of their allies and/or of NPC factions, which in turn exposes the traders to enemy attack.
Finally, trading could then be used as a centrepoint in missions/assault maps. I always imagined an assault game with two allied players, only one of which can mine resources and only the other can build combat ships, so they have to trade between eachother in order to defeat the enemy, who would be in the meantime trying to destroy the convoys in order to starve the fleet-making player.
Thanks for reading all that.
So yeah, opinions welcome people.
posted on May 28th, 2007, 9:09 am
H, some very interesting ideas 
We already thought about changing the supply routes so that a small frighter comes in every time you order supplies, but that would be difficult, for example a player sitting in the middle of the map would then have to wait longer for its supplies as a player on the border.. on the other hand the ships could "warp in" in a fixed distance.. but then they could end up on the other side of an asteroid field.. i think we will find a solution for that after v3
about trading: we have some ideas about Non Player Race Trading for v4, where neutral stations will be features you can interact without without "owning" them. You could think of a ferengi tradepost or mercenary bars here the idea to include supplies in this is interesting i will note that one down 
We already thought about changing the supply routes so that a small frighter comes in every time you order supplies, but that would be difficult, for example a player sitting in the middle of the map would then have to wait longer for its supplies as a player on the border.. on the other hand the ships could "warp in" in a fixed distance.. but then they could end up on the other side of an asteroid field.. i think we will find a solution for that after v3
about trading: we have some ideas about Non Player Race Trading for v4, where neutral stations will be features you can interact without without "owning" them. You could think of a ferengi tradepost or mercenary bars here
the idea to include supplies in this is interesting i will note that one down 
posted on May 29th, 2007, 2:49 am
Last edited by Fullphaser on May 30th, 2007, 7:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
posted on May 30th, 2007, 5:27 pm
posted on May 30th, 2007, 7:03 pm
posted on May 30th, 2007, 7:25 pm
Last edited by TheOldMan on May 30th, 2007, 7:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Latinum wouldn't be that bad - as long as you simply have it and as long as there are no nebulas to mine it from. 
The more supplies you order, the more latinum you have to pay for. So let's say, there's an option where you can set a certain ammount of Latinum as payment for supplies. As your crew spends its money on the supplies you'd get Latinum and by that an economic circle.
The more supplies you can offer, the more crew will be available to you. If you run out of supplies you won't be able to recrew or to do whatever crew is needed for.
At least a system like that would make far more sense than the stock-A2 Latinum-trade and crew-system. (I can't imagine an officer giving an order to sell Dilithium in order to get more money.)
Following that suggestion you would be limited by supplies and not by crew in the first instance. In my opinion it would be an interesting and somehow realistic alternative.
The more supplies you order, the more latinum you have to pay for. So let's say, there's an option where you can set a certain ammount of Latinum as payment for supplies. As your crew spends its money on the supplies you'd get Latinum and by that an economic circle.
The more supplies you can offer, the more crew will be available to you. If you run out of supplies you won't be able to recrew or to do whatever crew is needed for.
At least a system like that would make far more sense than the stock-A2 Latinum-trade and crew-system. (I can't imagine an officer giving an order to sell Dilithium in order to get more money.)
Following that suggestion you would be limited by supplies and not by crew in the first instance. In my opinion it would be an interesting and somehow realistic alternative.
posted on May 30th, 2007, 7:31 pm
giant gold clouds that are apperantly very commmon in space.
how...perposterous
I like the idea of bringing trading back in but I want crew and borg first. so i can assimilate!!!!!
how...perposterous
I like the idea of bringing trading back in but I want crew and borg first. so i can assimilate!!!!!
posted on May 30th, 2007, 7:34 pm
:guns:
Assimilate this!
I do think that lots of things can really wait. V3 will be still great work without some of the ideas discussed here. (What about a patch? Maybe V3.5 then?
)
Assimilate this!
I do think that lots of things can really wait. V3 will be still great work without some of the ideas discussed here. (What about a patch? Maybe V3.5 then?
)posted on May 30th, 2007, 7:36 pm
just wait for v4
patches will oly fix bugs
patches will oly fix bugs
posted on May 30th, 2007, 9:50 pm
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests