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Author Topic: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach  (Read 1823 times)

Voracioush

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New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« on: October 10, 2021, 08:18:20 PM »

Below are a couple of issues I'm proposing a solution for:
1. Tech mining industry isn't widely used, an industry slot is valuable, and the rewards aren't great.
2. To use tech mining you need to found a colony, build a spaceport, and potentially defend it.
3. There isn't much incentive for expanding outside of 1-2 systems that have the resources you need or founding colonies far away from the core due to the accessibility penalty.

Potential Solution:

An outpost option is added in addition to "colonize" option for planets with ruins.  This option requires $100k, 100 personnel, 200 supplies, 50 machinery to setup. 

It sets up a an "outpost" with essentially the same GUI as a colony which costs around $1000 per month (dependent upon ruin type, and hazard rating) to sustain, has a "landing pad" instead of a spaceport, and only has the tech mining building on it.  Tech mining can also be built on regular colonies but is no longer an industry.

This will let players essentially build outposts around the sector and expand.  You can dock your ship at the colony but you cannot outfit your ship differently than you would normally in space (without a penalty).  The outpost has no tradeable goods except for that which the tech mining industry creates which you can pick up.  You can also store a limited amount of items on the planet so you can use it as a jumping off point while exploring. 

For $75,000 you can create a spaceport (for outfitting, getting crew), and for $150,000 you can create a waystation.  All other buildings are not offered.  You can also upgrade it later to a regular colony by adding 1000 personnel, 100 supplies, and 100 machinery.

These tech outposts do not count as a colonized planet, are not attacked by factions or pirates.  Potentially a radiant event with a low chance may have a sabotage, mining accident, rogue AI event, etc and your outpost blows up/evacuates.  The chance is lowered or removed with the spaceport/waystation.

Other faction's tech outposts can also potentially be found and raided/destroyed.  For Nex, an outpost can be colonized with no penalty as long as there are no other planets in that system that are colonized/claimed by a faction.

Thoughts? 

« Last Edit: October 10, 2021, 08:30:35 PM by Voracioush »
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LinWasTaken

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2021, 02:37:55 AM »

I don't know if Alex changed it in 9.5 from what it was in 9.1a but from my experiance i would rush tech-mining as soon as i'm able too and after the bulk of the ruins were explored (aka you start getting very little from them) i just replace it with a different industry.

Voracioush

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2021, 06:37:44 AM »

If you have ruins in your system you found yeah you might build a tech mining industry once you have a money making industry, heavy industry and a command setup (which takes a while) which are needed to not lose your colony. 

But 99% of the rest of the ruins in the sector on planets are never mined because its just not worth the effort.  But if you could make outposts which would help with exploration, and mine at the same time I think it would make expansion more fun and give you more access to finding cores, industry items, and blueprints.
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Yunru

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #3 on: October 14, 2021, 04:01:12 AM »

My problem with tech mining is normally the results are... Kinda crap.
So fuel and supplies? Woopa.

I'd much rather get nothing some months, with that "production" rolling over until a rare item drops.

SonnaBanana

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #4 on: October 14, 2021, 04:13:19 AM »

My problem with tech mining is normally the results are... Kinda crap.
So fuel and supplies? Woopa.

I'd much rather get nothing some months, with that "production" rolling over until a rare item drops.
Pretty much, if a player could afford Tech Mining then they can afford supplies and fuel easily.
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SafariJohn

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #5 on: October 14, 2021, 02:31:38 PM »

I think tech mining is an area that could be greatly expanded with player interactions. Dial back the initial player-salvage haul, make Tech Mining a structure, let it supply a little supplies and metals to the colony, and add quests that send you off to ruins to get the good loot that was taken out of the initial salvage.
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Vind

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2021, 04:47:27 AM »

I am all for it but additional work for a single feature is unlikely to happen. Currently tech-mining is a hobby - unless item rolls is very good. Too much time wasted for travel alone to setup something which can be simply not profitable even on best ruin type. If ruin site is good for population growth then you have additional problem of growing colony size and pirate raids.
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JUDGE! slowpersun

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2021, 12:15:30 PM »

Still hoping Alex just goes with the idea to have tech mining (or an upgrade to it) instead generate quests to go explore other planets with ruins (or space stations, asteroids, maybe a cloud city on a gas giant)...

Although with current tech mining, I guess you're supposed to not build it until you get an alpha core to min/max initial output.
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JaronK

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2021, 02:44:00 PM »

Honestly, I'd like Tech Mining to either be a structure, not an industry, or not be even that.  If you get a planet with ruins, it should just automatically give you some extra wealth and the occasional cool blueprint or weapon, or even sometimes a ship (often d-modded) in storage there.
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Jaghaimo

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2021, 11:40:21 PM »

Making tech mining a structure is one csv edit away (starsector-core\data\campaign\industries.csv).

Replace this:
Code
techmining,Tech-Mining,30,45,,2,,,"techmining, industry, industrial",,graphics/icons/industry/techmining.png,com.fs.starfarer.api.impl.campaign.econ.impl.TechMining,"Techmining is the motley art of recovering valuable artifacts from Domain ruins. Requires special tools to deal with unique hazards and expert judgement to know where to look for a good haul of baubles. The oldest techminers are a strange lot, clutching luck-charms and refusing to work without their rituals.",400,MEDIUM

With this:
Code
techmining,Tech-Mining,30,45,,2,,,"techmining, structure, industrial",,graphics/icons/industry/techmining.png,com.fs.starfarer.api.impl.campaign.econ.impl.TechMining,"Techmining is the motley art of recovering valuable artifacts from Domain ruins. Requires special tools to deal with unique hazards and expert judgement to know where to look for a good haul of baubles. The oldest techminers are a strange lot, clutching luck-charms and refusing to work without their rituals.",400,MEDIUM
« Last Edit: October 19, 2021, 12:55:19 PM by Jaghaimo »
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Drazan

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2021, 11:53:11 PM »

Tech mining definitely needs an overhaul. I would be happy to see something like these outposts in the game.
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Voracioush

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2021, 07:18:24 AM »

Making tech mining a structure is one csv edit away (starsector-core\data\campaign\industries.csv).

Replace this:
Code
techmining,Tech-Mining,30,45,,2,,,"techmining, industry, industrial",,graphics/icons/industry/techmining.png,com.fs.starfarer.api.impl.campaign.econ.impl.TechMining,"Techmining is the motley art of recovering valuable artifacts from Domain ruins. Requires special tools to deal with unique hazards and expert judgement to know where to look for a good haul of baubles. The oldest techminers are a strange lot, clutching luck-charms and refusing to work without their rituals.",400,MEDIUM

With this:
Code
techmining,Tech-Mining,30,45,,2,,,"techmining, structure, industrial",,graphics/icons/industry/techmining.png,com.fs.starfarer.api.impl.campaign.econ.impl.TechMining,"Techmining is the motley art of recovering valuable artifacts from Domain ruins. Requires special tools to deal with unique hazards and expert judgement to know where to look for a good haul of baubles. The oldest techminers are a strange lot, clutching luck-charms and refusing to work without their rituals.",400,MEDIUM

Wow that's awesome thanks! 

I still would like the idea to use tech mining to make remote outposts for exploration.
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Melrabo

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Re: New Tech Mining / Outpost Approach
« Reply #12 on: October 26, 2021, 08:01:52 AM »

The idea of slowly increasing rewards is nice and makes sense. The deeper the scouts dig, the more valuable stuff they find.
Also, some really good tech rewards can be hinted at (We found nothing yet, but we got hints about the location of an interesting cache. Give us a few cycles more to get enough intel to find it and dig it).

But it's pretty unimportant, really.
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