Sandbox factory brainstorm

[Prophet]

NOTE: This topic refers to the planned sandbox mod, not vanilla transcendence.

In a attempt to make stations more dynamic, I've made a station that will produce items from other items, turning uranium ore into uranium fuel rods for example.
The technical details:
The 'recipes' are held in static data on the station in nested lists

Code: Select all

'(
    '(;; recipe 1
        '(
            ;; production items       number produced
            '(&itUraniumRods;               4)
        )
        '(
            ;; consumption items       number consumed
            '(&itUraniumOre;                5)
        )
    )

This will produce 4 uranium rods and consume 5 uranium ore. The structure also allows for more complex recipes, like multiple inputs and outputs like this:

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'(;; recipe 2
    '(
        '(&itRedNebulaBeer;             1)
        '(&itEuropanIceVodka;           1)
    )
    '(
        '(&itGradeAGrains;              3)
        '(&itWaterIce;                  10)
    )
)

This will use 10 tons of water ice and 3 Grade A grains to produce 1 red Nebula beer and 1 Europan Ice Vodka.

Finally, an event inspects the recipes and it's inventory and completes the appropriate actions:

Code: Select all

;; don't run if the player is docked
(if (not (objIsDockedAt gPlayerShip gSource))
    (block ((recipeList (objGetStaticData gSource "Produce")))
        ;; go through all the recipes in static data for this station
        (enum recipeList thisRecipe 
            (block (hasAllConsItms (prodList (item thisRecipe 0)) (consList (item thisRecipe 1)))
                ;; check if we have all the necessary items for this recipe
                (setq hasAllConsItms True)
                (enum consList thisItem (block Nil
                    (if (not (objHasItem gSource (itmCreate (item thisItem 0) (item thisItem 1))))
                        (setq hasAllConsItms Nil)
                    )
                ))
                ;; if we have all the items, produce the recipe items and remove the consumption items
                (if hasAllConsItms (block Nil
                    (enum prodList thisItem (objAddItem gSource (itmCreate (item thisItem 0) (item thisItem 1))))
                    (enum consList thisItem (objRemoveItem gSource (itmCreate (item thisItem 0) (item thisItem 1))))
                ))
            )
        )
    )
)

The station will be set up to check it's inventory and call freighters to deliver items it is running low on and take away overstocked production items.

This provides opportunities for the player to attack the supply freighters, disrupting the flow of raw materials and increasing the price on the station as the stock dwindles. Alternatively, the player can deliver raw materials, wait for the production to increase and buy the finished products in bulk at a discount.


What other kinds of stations would be interesting to see?
What kinds of recipes would you like to see?
What new items would be required?

[Aury]

This would be most obvious for the factories, doing commodities as they do now, or fuel, as in your example.

I would think you would get some more fuel rods out of the ore-refinement however.

Some random idea I had:

Refineries:
Ore -> Fuel
Ore -> Metal
Factories:
Commodies -> Commodities
Metal -> Equipment (EI, NAMI, other companies which don't have manufacturing plants)
Manufacturing Plants: (Company specific; Rassiermesser, Makayev)
Metal -> Equipment

Then it would be nice to see freighters moving the goods around from a source, to the production points, and finally to a place to sell it at; the player can buy & sell anywhere in this chain; likely the full chain would not exist in a single system (generally the retailers, when present), and at that stage the freighters would likely exit the system.

Initial production points would include:
Mines (Ore)
Agri station (Commodities)
Ice farm (Commodities)

Tempus labs would likely require some sorts of inputs as well... Then sell it to 'retailers', them being the normal BM stations.

[Betelgeuse]

hmm it would be nice to see this happen with non player ships also. You could even help protect some miners so they can bring their product to refineries and protect the trade ships that come from those so you can buy supplies. This could be less economical for the player. (minimal profit or goods that require a contract to trade)

[digdug]

it would be cool to tinker with the Korolov shipping and make the freighters actually transport cargo between stations

[Song]

Another idea is to add Hexagene and/or mining explosives into the game as commodities that can be used in that way.

[Aury]

... Mining explosives... In before atarlost >.>

[Song]

... Mining explosives... In before atarlost >.>

I've been wanting explosives to haul around since RC5, actually.

[Atarlost]

As I've said elsewhere. Explosives are great for mining in gravity wells, especially in atmospheres where lasers aren't so effective, but in space they kick rocks around inconveniently and possibly dangerously. If you have mining laser technology they're obsolete for space mining.

The only things it's remotely economical to mine dirtside when asteroid mining is available are metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, and you don't want to blow those up because they're most valuable in large sheets or blocks.


edit: That's not to say hexagene shouldn't be a commodity. What I'd do is classify certain materials as controlled. Like military they'd get confiscated by customs without a permit. Getting a controlled substances permit would require a clean record (no piracy accusations) and maybe a deposit or waiting period that would be reduced by korolov rank. If you're caught selling controlled substances to certain places (similar mechanic to being caught trading slaves) you lose your license and face a stiff fine. Possibly you'd lose military rank as well. Militia rank would let you take controlled substances to a tinker.

Controlled substances would include fusion triggers, hexagene, IR seeker heads, maybe a few other such things. A controlled substances license would open up more trade routes and a new set of fleet supply missions in which you'd transport supplies without escort instead of escorting an aurochs.