Fractal Softworks Forum
Starsector => General Discussion => Topic started by: LucusLoC on November 26, 2019, 04:18:18 PM
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I was wondering if there were any known plans for changing how interplanetary commerce is going to work in the future.
Currently so long as there is even one planet in the sector that can "export" at a rate to meet the import demand of all planets, then that single planet can meet the demand of the entire sector. So a planet with an export of 8 stuffs can meet the import requirements of every planet with an import requirement of less than 8 stuffs. It would be nice if instead of this being a simple comparative process it became an absolute process, so that export of 8 stuffs could only satisfy up to 8 units (total) of imports, either one planet with a demand of 8, or multiple planets with demands of less than 8 but that add up to 8.
Of course this would probably require other economy overhauls, and eventually it would probably be best to get past these abstract numbers to something along the lines of actual production and consumption rates, but that may be an even longer journey.
Absent any official word on the topic, are there any mods that change how the trade economy works?
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think of the exports as 10^(number of units)
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The economy used to be similar to the way you describe. It got changed to it's current state to accommodate colonies. There is a blog post about it here: https://fractalsoftworks.com/2018/10/05/once-more-with-feeling/
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Too bad, the old way sounds more interesting to me. But then trade mechanics are my favorite aspect of strategy games.
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The old way meant that you needed all your planets to be loaded down with industries. Now, those +3 ultra rich planets have amazing value as you can satisfy sector demand with a tiny colony.
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Most importantly, old and simulationist economy made adding colonies into a balancing act. It could send the entire sector's economy into a downwards spiral. The simpler the rules, the less ways for the dev or the player to screw up. The new economy has the advantage, where you can settle a planet (or three hundred of them) and everything still works just fine.