Fractal Softworks Forum

Starsector => Suggestions => Topic started by: Prolbo on February 05, 2020, 06:12:35 AM

Title: Hydroponics. Please?
Post by: Prolbo on February 05, 2020, 06:12:35 AM
Hi, found one annoying flaw with colonies.
Only possibe way to get/make food for colony is to find planet with farmlands, colonise it and biuld farms or export food. Maybe it can be slighty mitigated by artifial farmlands? Like Hydroponics industryes? (it is also possible to maintain hydroponics at space stations). Wich will consume heavy machinery and organics and in return provide food.
Title: Re: Hydroponics. Please?
Post by: Morbo513 on February 05, 2020, 07:08:16 AM
I think this could be somewhat simplified, but like the overall idea. Essentially, the farming industry accounts for Hydroponics should it be a necessity on the planet in question - Less adequate farmland increases/adds demand for a given supply (eg. Heavy Machinery) to compensate for the lack of naturally exploitable resources.
Title: Re: Hydroponics. Please?
Post by: Plantissue on February 05, 2020, 07:59:14 AM
The sector is supposed to be declining but it's hard to see why that would be the case if everybody can easily feed themselves. Perhaps if hydroponics can only ever be used to feed the population of that colony and cannot be exported, but that may also raise questions as to why not when other commodities when just meet the need of the colony can be exported.
Title: Re: Hydroponics. Please?
Post by: bobucles on February 05, 2020, 12:57:45 PM
Already exists. Water planets have a unique aquaculture industry that replaces farming.
Title: Re: Hydroponics. Please?
Post by: Terethall on February 05, 2020, 05:13:01 PM
Quote
aquaculture

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaculture (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaculture)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics)
Title: Re: Hydroponics. Please?
Post by: SCC on February 06, 2020, 01:59:53 AM
Planets, as they are, are already hardly unique already. I would rather not take away something that makes habitable planets particularly desirable, since they are the only kind that you want at least one of. All the rest, anything that gives you ores and volatiles.
Title: Re: Hydroponics. Please?
Post by: Prolbo on February 06, 2020, 04:08:20 AM
Okay, if we want to maintain air of grim dark 40K millennia space, can we just make Hydroponics not so cost efficient? Like, hm... "farmland bonus -2" with significant consumption of machinery and organics and/or funds? Because there is no other reasonable reasons to deny its existence.
Title: Re: Hydroponics. Please?
Post by: Plantissue on February 06, 2020, 06:43:20 AM
There's nothing particularily desirable about farmlands that's different from another colony other than being a commodity you can sell. It's just a resource that is basically on the same level as supplies. It can be imported in like any other commodity and its industry can be disrupted like any other industry.

"Farmland bonus -2" would still mean that you will need imports of food.
Title: Re: Hydroponics. Please?
Post by: Megas on February 06, 2020, 11:59:03 AM
"Farmland bonus -2" would still mean that you will need imports of food.
Nitpick.  Poor farmland is -1, and with IP2, that is enough to meet demand without imports.  If player uses alpha core in this food -2 industry to boost production, on top of IP2, that would make the industry produce enough to meet demand.  (Player with cores to burn could put gamma cores on everything that needs food to reduce demand too, but that is a bit of a pain to do.)
Title: Re: Hydroponics. Please?
Post by: bobucles on February 06, 2020, 12:15:14 PM
The main weakness of hydroponics is that it's not surviving off the natural richness of the land, but is instead dependent on a large scale industrial backbone to create sustainable growing conditions. The industrial costs would be FAR higher than farming, and the benefits may not be worth it.