Forums » General

Space Stations

May 20, 2012 Woodlander link
I really like the idea that players have the option to eventually build cap ships and own space stations but I'm curious; is it one of VO's intentions to also let players/guilds have the option to build their own space stations too (maybe having the option to decide such things as location, how big, purpose etc.), all be it some time in the future?
May 20, 2012 TheRedSpy link
My understanding is that the first major step to player built stations will be modifications to allow multiple stations per sector. Once that occurs then I don't see why we wouldn't have missions to manufacture stations and allow you to place them in certain locations.

Be advised however, based on the current flow of content you should not expect something like this to occur for another 3-4 years at best. Although this would create incredible gameplay, it's just not going to happen for a long long time unless things pick up dramatically at guild software.
May 20, 2012 Woodlander link
Music to my ears!

Even if its five or so years down the road before multiple stations per sector are implemented it will be well worth the wait.

And eventually having player/guild built stations would definitely bring incredible gameplay, of that I have no doubt. The icing on the cake if you will.

I'd better start formulating a plan so cunning, you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel!
May 21, 2012 yodaofborg link
allow multiple stations per sector

The engine already supports this. We had sectors with two stations in them before we had this universe.
May 21, 2012 incarnate link
The engine already supports this. We had sectors with two stations in them before we had this universe.

Actually, it became un-supported for awhile after retail launch, due to some assumptions in the way new features were implemented. Then I did a lot of hand-waving about long-term goals and now that code has been re-factored to support multiple stations per sector again.

Also, while it's true that these things aren't coming overnight.. if it takes us like 4 years to support player-owned stations, I'll probably gnaw my limb off. I sure hope it isn't that long. In terms of implementation complexity, it isn't that far away. But first we need to fix a lot of the "broken" in stuff like the key system and crafting and whatnot, before giving people a new reason to be upset about how unwieldy those things are.
May 21, 2012 TheRedSpy link
I think most people citing those kind of time frames are referring to the faction redux which was supposedly promised years and years ago and the same for fully functional PC capital ships.

Needless to say from everyone I've talked to about it privately it seems people generally play the game for the aspects that it has now (the PvP) rather than anything else. The rest of the gameplay really only stretches so far.

The primary reason I'm still around is the meta-political verse is kind of fascinating and it's a nice little sandbox for social experiments.. oh and I'm learning lua.

On the long term, Player owned-capital ships and player owned stations are where I see this game really delivering amazing gameplay. Consider what we've managed to do with the conquerable station content (in its current state albeit that really needs to be revised) the potential for wide-scale guild conflict and player diplomacy is huge and that's the kind of content that really gets people excited.
Jul 14, 2012 iii link
Wait a minute, people can won stations now?
Jul 14, 2012 Pizzasgood link
Yeah, since like two years ago.

Necromancers never keep up with the times, always living in the past :P
Jul 14, 2012 CrazySpence link
Damn it has been over 2 years hasn't it. 2 years ago Itani pa and Itan used to have fun fighting serco pa and one over bractus before the great war.

Anyways since you guys have bandwagon'd almost every platform available now I expect features!!
Jul 15, 2012 Phaserlight link
How about the iPad and the iPhone?

Some of the cap ship component descriptions mention stations, so I wouldn't be surprised if player-constructed stations come into play at some point.
Jul 15, 2012 Alloh link
Buildable stations results in destructable stations... cool!

Guild-owned Assets seems the natural way to go, simply not properly implemented on Key system yet. That is no way guild-exclusive content, but a guild should be an entity as a player, able to own stations, ships, credits, able to trade and declare friends or foes on other players and Guilds. Inc?

One quick and dirty way to do capship building would be entirely manual. Mission requires the items, gives a TAG, then a Dev contacts player asking for location, type, etc. and manually add it overnight. The workload for this is really small, there aren't so many guilds able to own a trident now, fewer will gather all resources to create one. That could even be tied to demanding the guild to create a subscribed account, and station existence be tied to keeping it paid on schedule.

Does that change gameplay? Not at all, just become another station labeled to its owner guild.

Next, every player-built station should be at least conquerable, preferably destructable...
Jul 15, 2012 Pizzasgood link
They would have ported to those by now Phaser, if Apple wasn't so... Apple.