Forums » Suggestions
Expanded Universe / Player Owned Stations
Split this off from an unrelated thread to maybe further discuss and pick incarnates brain
Incarnate:
Thanks, Inc, for your explanation. Can you tell us a bit more about what player owned stations will be like, in comparison to the current static conquerable stations? Will they exist as separate instances (per person) in a single sector, or can players share one station? Seems that you intend that they will be conquerable - what are the ramifications for the original owner?
It'll tie directly into the conquest of territory. No instancing, basically there'll be a "ring" of expanded systems that's added to the galaxy, outside of the current map. These will be player-conquerable, and there will be different benefits and ramifications to taking territory (mainly resource acquisition), and the station will be a necessary adjunct of that. People will be able to build single stations, and then multiple stations, with any given station able to handle resources from a given surrounding area based on size and relative upgraded status, etc.
Players will be able to share stations using the Key system, so I expect both Guilds and other player groups to be conquering territory, as well as individuals. It'll probably be rolled out in stages, maybe with some dynamic areas in the existing universe (greyspace), followed by an expanded galaxy, and then perhaps a very-expanded galaxy (of which the current one is the "core", always the original intent).
Incarnate:
Thanks, Inc, for your explanation. Can you tell us a bit more about what player owned stations will be like, in comparison to the current static conquerable stations? Will they exist as separate instances (per person) in a single sector, or can players share one station? Seems that you intend that they will be conquerable - what are the ramifications for the original owner?
It'll tie directly into the conquest of territory. No instancing, basically there'll be a "ring" of expanded systems that's added to the galaxy, outside of the current map. These will be player-conquerable, and there will be different benefits and ramifications to taking territory (mainly resource acquisition), and the station will be a necessary adjunct of that. People will be able to build single stations, and then multiple stations, with any given station able to handle resources from a given surrounding area based on size and relative upgraded status, etc.
Players will be able to share stations using the Key system, so I expect both Guilds and other player groups to be conquering territory, as well as individuals. It'll probably be rolled out in stages, maybe with some dynamic areas in the existing universe (greyspace), followed by an expanded galaxy, and then perhaps a very-expanded galaxy (of which the current one is the "core", always the original intent).
My first question would be, would player built stations be persistent in the system they are built in (and to follow up, would the system a player conquered to build that station there be persistent) when the player logs off ?
secondly, I would assume that if you have to build it, then it would be also destroyable. If so, it seems unlikely an insurance company would build you a new station where your last one was destroyed. Has that had any brainstorming yet?
Since hearing about this earlier this year I kind of hoped the idea would be to give guilds a way to make a permanent presence in the universe (with caveats and requirements) and to thus have a home where things like a guild bank can be parked (so you have to land there to deposit and withdraw) and the guild can have their own mission list picked from some defined group determined by the type of base etc. Their own bounty board fed by the guild's bank.
Not sure how you would go about regulating items and ships to keep people from circumventing faction specific item controls but that's a problem you'd have to solve for even regular player owned stations.
secondly, I would assume that if you have to build it, then it would be also destroyable. If so, it seems unlikely an insurance company would build you a new station where your last one was destroyed. Has that had any brainstorming yet?
Since hearing about this earlier this year I kind of hoped the idea would be to give guilds a way to make a permanent presence in the universe (with caveats and requirements) and to thus have a home where things like a guild bank can be parked (so you have to land there to deposit and withdraw) and the guild can have their own mission list picked from some defined group determined by the type of base etc. Their own bounty board fed by the guild's bank.
Not sure how you would go about regulating items and ships to keep people from circumventing faction specific item controls but that's a problem you'd have to solve for even regular player owned stations.
Yes, everything will be 100% persistent. We did this for capships with the long-term purpose of using it for stations.
So, basically, you (or your guild, or whomever) will establish their conquered locale in space, and build a station (or, potentially, conquer someone else's). You'll then buy/build automated defenses of various kinds, and perhaps automate some local mineral/resource extraction and trade routes, and then.. log off and hope it goes well. You might opt-in to some kind of notification if you're attacked, with various thresholds to keep it from being overly spammy.
You'd be able to post missions, from your station, asking for goods to be delivered, or goods to be picked up, or whatever, and those missions might be fulfilled by either players or NPCs (this bit is already implemented, but user-posted missions are not. Still, not that hard, relatively).
You could look at it from a high-level, that the "endgame" of Vendetta Online is basically an advanced interpretation of the old game Taipan! from the Apple II, or more recently, something like Port Royale II. You can hire captains to carry goods between your various stations, to optimize their manufacturing of other goods, which can then be exported somewhere else, or used to fund.. something. Your captains may be raided by pirates, your convoys broken, your stations and territory attacked. Or you may just run low on Pentric Ore because you didn't anticipate the demand for Crazy Widgets.
Or you might be entirely warlike and not give a crap about trading and mining beyond the ability to support station defenses and armadas. Or mostly into exploring and prospecting for new territory, far from other players (in the "very expanded universe".. we build our galaxy on procedural sectors and systems for a reason). There'll be a lot of interesting balance required, and I think it'll be fascinating to build, and fun to play. Until inevitably everyone wants to murder me for making some unpopular change. But, that's game design.
So, basically, you (or your guild, or whomever) will establish their conquered locale in space, and build a station (or, potentially, conquer someone else's). You'll then buy/build automated defenses of various kinds, and perhaps automate some local mineral/resource extraction and trade routes, and then.. log off and hope it goes well. You might opt-in to some kind of notification if you're attacked, with various thresholds to keep it from being overly spammy.
You'd be able to post missions, from your station, asking for goods to be delivered, or goods to be picked up, or whatever, and those missions might be fulfilled by either players or NPCs (this bit is already implemented, but user-posted missions are not. Still, not that hard, relatively).
You could look at it from a high-level, that the "endgame" of Vendetta Online is basically an advanced interpretation of the old game Taipan! from the Apple II, or more recently, something like Port Royale II. You can hire captains to carry goods between your various stations, to optimize their manufacturing of other goods, which can then be exported somewhere else, or used to fund.. something. Your captains may be raided by pirates, your convoys broken, your stations and territory attacked. Or you may just run low on Pentric Ore because you didn't anticipate the demand for Crazy Widgets.
Or you might be entirely warlike and not give a crap about trading and mining beyond the ability to support station defenses and armadas. Or mostly into exploring and prospecting for new territory, far from other players (in the "very expanded universe".. we build our galaxy on procedural sectors and systems for a reason). There'll be a lot of interesting balance required, and I think it'll be fascinating to build, and fun to play. Until inevitably everyone wants to murder me for making some unpopular change. But, that's game design.
So will there (eventually) be an Android/iOS app that lets you manage your station remotely? I'm not sure how the mobile versions work exactly, would you be able to log in to your PC-subbed account from a tablet and have the game or similar app notify you when your shit is getting wrecked?
The mobile app is the same thing as the full PC version. It is the game. The only differences are in what types of subscriptions are available, and in the control interface.
would you be able to log in to your PC-subbed account from a tablet and have the game or similar app notify you when your shit is getting wrecked?
Yep.
I log in with my phone all the time using my PC-subbed account to fly my Trident around or manage station keys. Everything is there with a smaller screen, lower frame rate, and worse controls. :)
Yep.
I log in with my phone all the time using my PC-subbed account to fly my Trident around or manage station keys. Everything is there with a smaller screen, lower frame rate, and worse controls. :)