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Author Topic: Blueprint Missions  (Read 10106 times)

borgrel

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Blueprint Missions
« on: December 06, 2018, 09:46:13 AM »

If i understand correctly the blueprint 'packs' are commonly available blueprints and are reproducible, which is why they are available in packs.

Firstly, when a get a faction commission, you should get a free copy of that factions' basic stock blueprints (only the first time you get a commission if this is considered abusable)

And secondly the other common blueprints should be collectable by completing certain bar missions (its fine if they are more involved than the standard missions) but please not in the corner of the universe like red planet.

I am not talking about the rare, individual blueprints you are expected to collect by exploration, just the basic stock
« Last Edit: December 06, 2018, 10:18:36 AM by borgrel »
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Grievous69

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2018, 10:08:23 AM »

Completely agree. It's kinda ridiculous exploring the very edges of the map for an hour and only finding common packs. And having a pack be a reward for comission is actually a really good way to make sure a player is not left to the mercy of rng (even tho they're easy to find).
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Megas

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2018, 10:44:05 AM »

This is why I try to do the unique academic and the technology cache mission early, the one where scientist wants the alpha core as payment (but there is no punishment for keeping the core, yet).  Unfortunately, that is the only mission of its kind.  The Red Planet might have some other blueprints for loot (for two total), but you do that one mainly to unlock the special industry.
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Thaago

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2018, 11:54:15 AM »

The missile pack is even more important as a basic pack. With ships there are many different packs you can get and either low, mid, or high gives you a decent fleet + guns. But the only way of getting decent missiles is finding the one missile blueprint pack.
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Goumindong

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2018, 12:43:54 PM »

It’s my understanding that BPs are supposed to be pretty rare and finding them pretty important.

I am not sure missions which have BP rewards fits this or is ideal for a replay ability ideal.

You see, one of the things that varying BPs do is to change your fleet doctrine based on what you get. This forces you to react to the game and change your play style.

Otherwise it’s too easy to get the same BPs and then just play the same game. And while I love the odyssey I am not sure that every game I want to have the Odyssey be my primary battleship
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Wapno

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2018, 12:58:52 PM »

I've got mixed feelings about this one. I'm afraid that this might make acquiring certain more common blueprints something that's taken for granted. At the moment, finding even the basic BPs is something that's quite satisfying. And then, what's even the point of buying basic ships and weapons from the markets if you can produce them for much lower cost as soon as you plonk down your first colony with Heavy Industry?

I may be wrong, but I believe it's good as is. Common BPs require some work to aquire but are still reasonably common to encounter on exploration trips, rarer ones are very valuable and very satisfying when found, and in the end it does not make acquiring hardware in other ways than production irrelevant.
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Megas

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2018, 12:59:20 PM »

I have no problem with the idea of getting everything I want, even if I need to raid the factions to get the blueprints.  Using the same old best stuff is better than using the same old worst stuff.  At least I feel strong with the good stuff.  Stuck with bad stuff, I feel underpowered.

So far in my second game, I got Conquest and Mjolnir blueprints from the tech cache, so I needed to use Conquest instead of Onslaught or Paragon.  Also, I found few beam PD (aside from Mining Lasers) so I had to use IPDAI and IR Pulse Lasers and... they are very effective, about as much as pre 0.8 skilled IPDAI combo.  Accuracy not as good as beams, but much better stopping power.  Later, I found Paragon, but none of the weapon blueprints I want, so I am stick with Conquest for the moment.  Also found Trident blueprint, so I can do take two of my fighters vs. big ship topic (without Unstable Injector interfering with the results) later if I feel like it.  Probably will stick with Perdition wings though (I found that blueprint too).

Low-tech/midline/high-tech/missile common packs seem a bit less common than pirate/Ludd packs, but more common than individual blueprints.  I like to see the common packs trade places with pirate and Ludd packs.  I am slightly disappointed if I find a duplicate common (or rare individual) pack, but not as annoyed like finding pirate or Ludd pack.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2018, 01:40:25 PM by Megas »
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Baqar79

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2018, 02:17:10 PM »

It doesn't seem quite right to me that factions would give up their precious blueprints as a reward for a commission.  Blueprints require Orbital Works to make use of and if you have one of those, you are likely competing with the faction in question economically.

Disclaimer: I have yet to go through faction commissions myself, so I may get this wrong....

One possible example solution is at a high enough reputation, open up the ability to create a mostly independent, satellite colony of that faction.  With various advantages and disadvantages:

Negatives:
-A percentage of your colony income (eg 20%) is paid to parent faction.
-As your colony is part of a faction, expeditions are now open hostilities with those factions enemies and larger as a result.
-Since the colony is technically an extension of a faction, if relations go south with the parent faction at a later date, they will attempt reclaim your/their colony.  If they are successful, control is automatically handed over to that parent faction and you lose that colony.  To make this quite a bit more challenging, local security forces will stay loyal to parent faction, so it's you and your colony against everything else in the system if you try to declare independence.

Positives:
-Access to faction specific ship blueprint packs and a few common ones (eg Hegemony would give XIV ship blueprints, Hegemony Auxiliary, and Low-tech).
-Reduced costs of buildings; your parent faction will help you get off the ground.
-More profitable exports to that parent factions colonies.
-No Tariffs to pay (and perhaps a discount on purchasing ships) when trading at that factions colonies.
-Be able to request the parent factions aid in defeating an expedition.

In saying all of this, I do like the idea of having special quest missions that have guaranteed blueprint rewards.  These mission blueprints would not be obtainable elsewhere by salvaging, so you need to complete that mission (or mission chain) in order to get access to that blueprint.
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SCC

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2018, 02:42:26 PM »

It doesn't seem quite right to me that factions would give up their precious blueprints as a reward for a commission.  Blueprints require Orbital Works to make use of and if you have one of those, you are likely competing with the faction in question economically.
One possible example solution is at a high enough reputation, open up the ability to create a mostly independent, satellite colony of that faction.  With various advantages and disadvantages:
In future (maybe as close as 0.9.1), factions you have commission with won't attack you anymore. Presumably on the basis that nobody else but me can gain more power, except if it serves me. About becoming a sort of vassal of another action, I think that this should be always available, but with better conditions the better your standing with that faction is.

Baqar79

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #9 on: December 06, 2018, 03:49:14 PM »

In future (maybe as close as 0.9.1), factions you have commission with won't attack you anymore. Presumably on the basis that nobody else but me can gain more power, except if it serves me. About becoming a sort of vassal of another action, I think that this should be always available, but with better conditions the better your standing with that faction is.

Maybe it is getting too close to being a 4x game (eg Stellaris) if faction colonies can grow and expand.  I do like that faction colonies have a bit of a story to them (even if I don't know much of the Lore of the game) and perhaps it would not be ideal if factions themselves could all grow to size 10 colonies and capture other enemy colonies; it could also be rather difficult for player to keep their colony defended against an expedition that comes from such a large colony....although perhaps it could be balanced and made to work in some other way.

It may work better as you suggested if you could become a type of faction vassal from the start, with progressively better rewards as your standing improves with them.

On another note, since the time scale seems rather short for natural growth rate, it appears most of the population growth is likely from emigration.  It might be interesting to have mechanics around the difficulties around growing beyond a certain size as you attempt to make your colony more attractive to encourage immigration.
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TrashMan

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #10 on: December 07, 2018, 02:45:11 AM »

One possible example solution is at a high enough reputation, open up the ability to create a mostly independent, satellite colony of that faction.  With various advantages and disadvantages:
*SNIPPED*

Yes. All of the YES.


Quote
On another note, since the time scale seems rather short for natural growth rate, it appears most of the population growth is likely from emigration.  It might be interesting to have mechanics around the difficulties around growing beyond a certain size as you attempt to make your colony more attractive to encourage immigration.

While we're at it, immigration should reduce stability.
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Megas

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #11 on: December 07, 2018, 05:32:07 AM »

While we're at it, immigration should reduce stability.
That is what Free Port is for.  You do not care who comes in as long as you get your max growth and drug money.  The problem is it is possible to stack high stability to more than offset the penalty and ignore the downsides.

What could help limit income is have factions outright declare war on you like other factions (instead of constantly sending invasion war fleets to harass you).  Loss of accessibility will take a bite out of income.
« Last Edit: December 07, 2018, 05:33:43 AM by Megas »
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Techhead

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #12 on: December 07, 2018, 09:33:14 AM »

It doesn't seem quite right to me that factions would give up their precious blueprints as a reward for a commission.  Blueprints require Orbital Works to make use of and if you have one of those, you are likely competing with the faction in question economically.
A tangent thought... perhaps the possibility of having your commissioning faction shipping their not-crappy hulls to your colonies? In other words, removing some of that quality penalty and throwing a bit of their tech into the mix. (Assuming they can meet your colony's demand.)
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intrinsic_parity

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #13 on: December 07, 2018, 05:47:33 PM »

What if having a commission made you the governor of faction planet so you had access to the ship production facilities on that planet, but were also responsible for the protection of that planet.
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Baqar79

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Re: Blueprint Missions
« Reply #14 on: December 07, 2018, 06:04:14 PM »

What if having a commission made you the governor of faction planet so you had access to the ship production facilities on that planet, but were also responsible for the protection of that planet.

This is a really awesome idea!

In addition, this implies also that you could end up becoming the head of a faction; no need to build your own faction, just work your way up the ladder until get full control of the faction yourself....there are so many possibilities; internal politics that must be dealt with to get closer to your goal (eg if you are working up the Hegemony hierarchy, perhaps some back-room deals with the Tri-Tachyon to make ascension a little easier, or having to prove your competency in dealing with that factions problems, which is also a good place to learn about the lore of certain planets and systems of that faction).
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