Yesterday I started the building of 12 high level marines to adapt my ships to the new reality of the COM missions. I required about 250000 metal and gaz to do it. And it is only 12 manufacturing bays. I have about 100 active manufacturing bays right now.
This is to say that with the number of active players actually in the universe, I beilive we are not numerous enough to satisfy my needs only in metal and gaz (not to mention all our needs). I also buy diamonds and uranium by the 1000's to be converted as fuel so my ships can do COM missions for a few weeks without comming back to earth. In my opinion, I do not beilive the proposed economic system would work. Let start with a market for exanging modules and ships and we will see how it work then we can think of how to expand it.
Your Correct, the current player base under a real supply and demand economy couldnt easily fill YOUR CURRENT requirements.... but, that just means that under a supply and demand economy you wouldnt have been able to advance so rapidly. I should also like to point out that under the current system your style of play, is THE ONLY viable option if you want to stay competitive in terms of power. Explorers, Miners, Pirates, PvP's, Freighters, Traders all have no chance of keeping up with some one focusing exclusivly on COM signals. It essentially turns the game into 'I WIN'* for them.
However if there was a supply and demand economy, then those doing the mining, or trading would have been on the down stream recieving end of a lot of COM Signal hunters income, and would be a lot closer in power to them, thus better able to fullfill the resource needs... That is why introducing a supply and demand economy would require a reset, because the demand and the ability to supply it are now so far out of sync the game would spasm horribly if it was introduced.
Unfortunatly the game seems to have a Multiple Personality Disorder. It taunts players with mining, manufacture, exploration, station building, trading etc... but then Nerfs them all in favour of COM signal hunting as the only option to actually play the game competitively which you have to do because the game is also PvP. My point is if thats all the game is meant to be, then why bother with all the other stuff in the first place? Get rid of it and focus on making a really great space bassed 'NPC pirate hunting' game.... However, I think that would waste a lot of the effort that has allready gone into those aspects, and its probably not what EMI had in mind with the game either.
So the upshot is that without a reset the only way to make those other carriers viable is with the introduction of storyline or alternative missions for them that offer a similar level of risk/reward over time, that the current COM signals give.. mining contract quests, exploration quests, etc...
But i cant help think how much richer the game play would be if players had to interact, had to work together, had multiple equally rewarding carrier paths etc...
There will be a story to everything that happens, for example Earth may have an event like a short supply of X mineral / gas. Then it will buy at premium prices for a while, mobilizing the miners.
Also new outposts my appear, selling cheaper minerals / gases mined on the surface, they may even take some parts of the economy from Earth meaning that to get that X mineral, you need to travel to that X star / planet that is mining it for Sol. Bringing it to Earth may also fetch a nice price while you're at it, as Earth will buy but not sell that.
All that makes for interesting news and twists, as things happen and everyone can take advantage of that to find profit opportunities. New stations / shipyards may appear as SOL Corp tries to colonize further, and events will unfold, even a war with an alien civilization could happen
That all sounds nice Emi. unfortunately, however, I suspect that basic implimentations of these will not offer similar levels of risk/reward over time as the COM signals do, simply because the way that COM signals get more and more rewarding bassed on your ship power levels.... a similar mechanic would need to be introduced... mining missions that get more and more rewarding bassed on you ability to mine. Freight missions that get better bassed on your ability to carry cargo..... if you do introduce these please keep that in mind and if i might make the suggestion actually run a few simulations....
There is also the issue of the massive power differences between those that have chosen to COM hunt and those that have tried their hands at something else... the COM hunters will be able to switch to those new missions if they like and be already significantly better at them than none COM Hunters.... but even so at least having alternatives to COM hunting would be good....
* watch kids, they love this game, especially while the struggle to learn that virtually all games are actually more fun if everyone has more or less equal chances to win.
