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Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); In-development patch notes for Starsector 0.98a (2/8/25)

Author Topic: Orbital solar array maintenance cost  (Read 657 times)

nathan67003

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Orbital solar array maintenance cost
« on: October 09, 2023, 05:50:42 AM »

I remember, Alex, that you've said that orbital arrays are cost-free for now. So here's my (very unoriginal) idea for a maintenance cost: metal.

It would work like the fusion lamp, but with metals as required commodity instead of volatiles; this could be worked out in-universe as micrometeorites, solar flux etc. doing one hell of a number on immense, ultralight metal constructs hanging around in space entirely unprotected. As supply becomes insufficient, the market condition would increase hazard back to about half-way of what it would be without it. Metal is also (relatively?) easy to get a hold of in sufficient quantities provided you have a catalytic core (unlike transplutonics). Possible reasoning the hazard wouldn't go past 50% of what's offset: the more holes there are in a thing, the less stuff can hit it.

The only issue I can see arising here is that some core worlds markets may get an increased hazard if there's no pre-existing market capable of supplying 10 metals, which could have knock-on effects throughout the sector's base economy.
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I have some ideas but can't sprite worth a damn and the ideas imply really involved stuff which I've no clue how to even tackle.