Deep Space Mining –

Premise -

Scattered throughout space are countless hunks of rock containing resources that can be processed into metal, crystal or even deuterium. Until recently the gravitational fields around these bodies were entirely too unstable to take advantage of them, however, scientists working on fields related to Graviton Technologies has found a way past the hazards. This discovery has opened an entirely new field to Zorg Space.

The basic principle is a ship goes out, magically picks up invisible res and brings it back. Details follow.

The Ships –

Metal Scow, Crystal Scow, Deuterium Scow

Shipyard 4
Combustion 6
DSM Tech level 1, of the appropriate type

Cost
10k metal
10k crystal

Cargo Cap – 30k
Speed - 3000
Fuel – 10

Shield - 25
Attack – 10

The scow is based on a converted large cargo design. In the original models the engines were downsized to increase cargo capacity. The additional costs come from a few extra guns mounted to fight off giant space wyverns and the occasional pirate.

The Scow may act as a transport, but is primarily intended to be used with the new DSM mission.

The Techs –

Combustion 6
Computers 6
Lab 6

DSM Deut, DSM Crystal, DSM Metal
The level denotes the rate at which materials are collected while the ship is out on mission. For convenience of scale income equals that of the same level mine.

Cost is on par with expedition technology. (one part metal, two parts crystal, one part deut)

The Mission –

Simple enough. If you have a scow in the fleet you are allowed to choose one of the three missions: metal, crystal, or deuterium collection. You must pick a destination, just because that’s how ships navigate. On the trip you accrue the resource based on your tech level until that type of scow has achieved its capacity or the mission returns.

It follows all the rules for detection, fuel consumption, etc and would be a great way to EF, SF, FS, or whatever initials you prefer.

The Argument –

Why?

1. Adds something new, but not radical to the game.
2. Gives miners something to play with, but that can be swatted by hunting fleeters.

Well this just gives the lazy miners another easy way to get bigger! This isn’t Builder Bob! It’s a war game!

Yes it is a war game, and this does allow miners to get bigger without attacking anyone. I call this process, fattening up before the slaughter. As with all tools, good players will take full advantage and grow stronger, faster. That’s the point of the game. As a raider, I want the miners nice and big so I get more from them when they make a mistake. It gives them ships that I can catch and recycle. They get new toys, and I get to try to take them away.

Analysis –

At the minimum this will give a little res bump to most players. If used to its max by a player like me, 300k total points give or take, it would give me roughly the overnight production of fourteen level thirteen mines. More than likely I’m not going to split up into that many overnight missions most of the time, so it would be less than that. I don’t see that as overpowered, but is a little bump for some effort.

Someone seriously pushing this would get about three times this amount, which is still less than an active fleeter can bring in. Then again the risk is less. I’m certainly not obsessed with the exact numbers, or even the concept. It’s just something that came to me on my thinking throne and I thought I’d share.

The second generation -

Above is something of a minimum. Taking the mission to outer space (where expeditions go) could double your haul for a chance of getting lost, thus adding to that part of the game. Bigger ships are an option, like elite skows. Maybe with graviton techs it gives a bump to production, making that a tech you keep wanting to improve. There’re lots of nice things for others to build on from here.

Like the concept of mining as far as everything else highly debatable. +1 I guess.

very nice. i like the idea. ill go for it.

Seems balanced enough for me, +1

+1 for me

This has been brough up in another thred so hope it's ok to give it a bump.

Awesome. But using "magically" in a method doesn't really appeal.

Well, this could go into the Expeditions reform.

I won't enter much details, but in the reformed expeditions, player could get to choose what he is up to.
So we could have this option among more.

Zorg wrote:Well, this could go into the Expeditions reform.

I won't enter much details, but in the reformed expeditions, player could get to choose what he is up to.
So we could have this option among more.

yeh that would be great +1.

yeah +1 really like the idea