From my (very) limited testing since 9.1a dropped, I've felt that the first colony is rather meager for quite some time. Because of the increased build times on industries and the general increase in cost of everything, my overall impulse is to get one sooner so that it's "blooming" by the time I have a decent fleet. However, getting an early colony is an undertaking in not only exploration time but gathering the raw materials to start one.
Enter the Colony Arc.
Like the Red Planet Arc, it would be a series of missions that ultimately net you a colony with minimal up-front costs and a mid-level Administrator. It would require a healthy mix of both exploration and fighting and if you lack in either one of those areas, you'll fail relatively quickly. On top of all this, it is timed. A rival prospector is eyeing the same planet and if you don't get there in time, the rival colonizes the planet and sets up a defense fleet. If you want it at that point, you'll have to get through a station and orbiting fleets.
Mission 1:
I'd imagine it starts off relatively simple, as you haphazardly meet a prospector in a bar who points you toward a freelance administrator on another planet that has information regarding a low-hazard planet (RNG low-hazard planet on the rim, sort of like the Red Planet. At least Class III, often IV.). For a few thousand credits, he'll tell you and you'll get sent to another planet.
Mission 2:
Upon meeting the Administrator, he/she offers to tell you the whereabouts of said planet (just the constellation and primary) if you agree to hire him/her. However, the caveat is that as soon as he/she makes a move on the planet, a rival prospector will know and will begin making his own preparations for colonization. If you don't have enough supplies/crew/materials etc. to actually colonize the planet, you'll get sent to mission 3. If you already have enough supplies, you'll have the option to skip it and go directly to 4. Hiring the Administrator will start a countdown of 30 days(?) before the prospector gets to the planet.
Mission 3 (optional):
The Administrator has a wealthy contact on [insert random world here] that owes him/her a favor. If you meet with this contact, she'll give you a transport filled with crew and a healthy dose of supplies but with the condition that you take down a rival of hers. This mission spawns a named bounty just outside the core worlds that is around the same fleet strength as the player. Taking out the bounty and returning to the contact will reward the player with a Starliner, 800 crew, 150 supplies, and 50 heavy machinery.
Mission 4:
At this point, the player needs to find the planet. The general whereabouts is similar to a bounty where you're given a constellation and primary. If, for whatever reason, the rival prospector beats the player to the planet, another 30 day timer will begin in which the fresh colony is especially vulnerable and can be taken with relative ease after dispatching the rival prospector's fleet. After these 30 days, orbiting fleets will arrive and an enemy station will undergo construction.
-If the player reaches the planet in under 30 days (usually by skipping mission 3), only a small scouting force will be there. Colonization will be relatively easy.
-If the player reaches the planet after 30 days (typical), the prospector's fleet will have arrived. This will be a relatively tough fight, though I envision it being mostly Pirate-type ships. Maybe one or both of the new Atlas/Prometheus 2s are anchoring the fleet.
-If the player reaches the planet after 60 days, they'll face an enemy station in addition to a few large pirate fleets. It will take a much more concerted effort to try to capture/raid the planet after this point. The station will undergo upgrades (battlestation -> star fortress) as time goes on, as well, giving the player impetus to act quickly.
Overall, the goal of the arc is to give the player an opportunity for a relatively early colony with few up-front costs. It will also guide the player toward some good fights, which is ultimately the point of the game. The prospector's fleet should be difficult but not unfair. A player that tries this mission from the get-go will likely not have the fleet size to deal with it. Perhaps the Administrator should resist being hired if the player is under a certain fleet size threshold just so the player doesn't get discouraged fighting a fleet far too big.
Thoughts/concerns/suggestions?
