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Post by jedal on Apr 9, 2011 17:35:42 GMT -5
It would be fun to unlock some sort of hideout that was just for you. In it, you could deposit goods for storage, and there would be a pool of people to recruit that were inherently more loyal. The "Can you trust them" would never show up. Of course you can, they came from your trusted people on your own hideout. Perhaps the ability to deposit a first mate there which would do something cool. If you deposit the mechanic first mate and make her in charge of your hideout, she does good or cheap repairs there. If you deposit the spy, she raises the rating of your hall for rumors... etc.
I don't know if it would be based on one of the otherwise un-occupied gas giants' moons (which I know don't technically exist), or perhaps just an astroid field that showed up in what is normally a random area of empty space.
I'm thinking of something that would be "discovered" individually for every character after playing it long enough or fulfilling some sort of requirement, as opposed to something like the ships that are unlocked for use at the start of a new game as a reward for a previous character's work.
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Post by Cory Trese on Apr 9, 2011 17:43:33 GMT -5
They're called "Player Bases" and I've been working on them since Feb. They include storage, various ship specials, base upgrades and other new toys.
I hope to release them for Elite players within a few weeks.
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Post by captain nemo on Apr 9, 2011 17:57:41 GMT -5
This sounds quite interesting... Just one more reason to upgrade to the Elite version. come on payday...  |
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Post by Cory Trese on Apr 9, 2011 19:44:23 GMT -5
Hopefully it will help make the game more fun for everyone on the big map.
It will also help differentiate between Stashes and Warehouses, so that Stashes can be more early-game, mission and remote storage. Player bases will be expensive to create, maintain and upgrade.
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Post by madmatt on Apr 21, 2011 12:36:16 GMT -5
Sounds great Cory... A simple request for those fo us who burn through crew like mad...
Let us cache crew here, too?
It makes sense that a "secret hideout" wouldn't attract people to it, so we would have to import them ourselves.
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Post by slayernz on Apr 23, 2011 2:35:13 GMT -5
Crew storage would be very useful, but you wouldn't want crew to be able to wander around without proper supervision. They'd sell you out in a heartbeat to the next star trader. As such, you'd probably need to invest in cryo tubes and a moderately stable power supply to maintain them.
"Your Player Base has 300 cryo tubes, with 148 "volunteer" crew stored. However, during your 126 week absence, there were 3 power cut(s) and 22 crew defrosted without being awakened. It is recommended that you bring a bucket and scoop to remove the liquified remains. Nose-pegs might also help."
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Post by kremmen on Apr 23, 2011 5:43:09 GMT -5
That sort of dystopian set-up is very De Valtos.
Javat captains use their wealth to establish sustainable bio-domes on resource-rich planets, and increase morale by delivering off-world luxuries to the inhabitants.
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Post by slayernz on Apr 24, 2011 18:39:54 GMT -5
I'm Cadarian in nature - so it's all about efficiency. Crew = labor units that I can implement to increase productivity. I've been known to stuff at least one crew member into a torp tube when I ran out of real warheads. They may not damage hull or armor, but if I can accurately target the bridge, it certainly imparts a nice message to the captain. Most star ships don't have wind-screen wipers, and after flying around a bit, you've really got to work to scrape clean the viewing windows. My crew are pretty used to it - in fact, they've established their own pecking order (those at the bottom are "volunteered" first to investigate traps during exploration missions). Those that protest too loudly, get offered the torp tube duty  Maaan ... reading all that back makes me sound so mercenary! On the plus side, I do always have some luxury rations, and those of my crew that survive always get entertainment and spice at the various halls. Plus, they enjoy the plunder and I even share the booty. There is a trust fund set up for those crew members that last more than 5 years. I've even paid out to two crew so far! |
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Post by absimiliard on Apr 25, 2011 8:19:27 GMT -5
<<<snippety of some reasonable suggestions>>> Plus, they enjoy the plunder and I even share the booty. There is a trust fund set up for those crew members that last more than 5 years. I've even paid out to two crew so far! And that, sir, is the sort of wooly-headed liberal thinking that will get you eaten. (when the crew mutinies while you're low on water/fuel in deep, deep, space) -abs |
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Post by oldalchemist on Apr 25, 2011 10:39:44 GMT -5
If you could keep it stocked, why not just put a Spice Hall in your base? It seems to attract crewmen like flies.
The trick would be to get some facilities on the ground that trained crewmen so you wouldn't always be picking green fruit. You'd have to leave a First Mate there and keep a supply of weapons, records, electronics, metals, crystals, and of course food and water...Hell, you really need a few tons of everything. But you'd be able to recruit somewhat trained spacers.
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Post by slayernz on Apr 26, 2011 19:58:15 GMT -5
Ah ... you could even put in a casino in your Spice Hall and start making huge profits on the side. You'd also probably have to hire goons to protect you from the space mafia, but so long as you stop by every now and then to clean out the scum buildup, you should be okay.
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Post by madmatt on Apr 27, 2011 16:31:21 GMT -5
Hmmm...
Successfully stockpile 500 units of each resource on any Independent "Wild" then take a game year to "Build Base" and lose 20 crew to "Staff" it?
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Post by slayernz on Apr 27, 2011 17:25:08 GMT -5
According to what we know of crew remuneration so far, they get some thousanth of a credit for pay (we know this because we can fly for a game year, and so long as we don't purchase anything, our credit level doesn't change. Now if I put on my red crew shirt for one nano-second, I would think to myself. I am being dumped on some quasi-radioactive world to look after one almighty stockpile of wealth (even 500 units of water has a minimal value of around 20,000 credits). I would do one of two things: 1) Attempt to kill all the remaining crew (oops, an ancient alien trap was triggered), then use a smuggled sub-space transmitter (don't ask where I had to sneak that sucker in ... ) to do a negotiation for instant riches. Heck if there really were 500 of each resource, I'd be happy with a mere 200,000, which is a small fraction of the overall value. OR 2) I'd negotiate with some or all of the other crew to secure the cache from other misbegotten crew members who might dare try and backstab us for the wealth. It means I would have a lot less cash (may be only 30-40k credits), but the likelihood that I would be alive would be a teeny bit higher. Nowhere in my crew brain would I think "Hey, my captain is paying me an extra 100 mili-creds per year for this fantastic caretaker role. I will remain as loyal as I can be and make sure nobody takes the 3 - 4 million credits worth of stuff from here. I'll even defend it with my own life!" Oh oh oh ... that brings up another question. IF there are private hideouts ... do you as a captain get to do RAIDS on those hideouts? Ship-to-Ground assault? Now THAT would be a worthwhile activity |
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Post by oldalchemist on Apr 28, 2011 10:08:08 GMT -5
If you're going to leave crew, you'd also need to leave an officer.
"First Mate Turdlip, I'm promoting you to Middle Manager Turdlip."
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Post by Cory Trese on Apr 28, 2011 15:39:25 GMT -5
At this point, leaving an independent operating Crew on Planet at the base seems too far outside the game's story. It is more like a secret base than it is a colony.
Yes, I know we want to make Colonies. I'm working on it ASAP.
1. Star Traders RPG
2. Templar Assault
3. Star Traders: Faction Wars
4. Star Traders RPG II
Unfortunately we are still working around 1.5-ish, so colonies (as found in Faction Wars) is still just a design document.
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