Space Strategy Design !!!!

[crims]

Yo - wassup ma pee-paaaaal!<br /><br />Give it up, give it up, give it up, yeeeeeaaaaaah~<br /><br />Alright, that's enough for introductions. Now let's get straight to business.<br /><br /><br />I'm designing a space strategy game (web-based or application, I haven't decided). The activities are what you would expect: explore new planets, build colonies, fight other factions, etc.<br /><br />My problem is that I need information for how space colony might work: economy, industry, politics, culture.<br /><br />I don't care so much about accuracy (unless you're an engineer from NASA or something), I just want a complete working concept.<br /><br />So feel free to throw anything on the table... although I hope this doesn't turn this into Star Trek or Star Wars with lightsabres and stuff like that (although I like the idea of hyper-space).

 

[jmilsom]

What level of complexity are you looking at for your computer game? Have you designed other computer games that are accessible? There is a very old game called Utopia you might like to look at that has the least the economy and industry of a space colony. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Aetius]

I would think of everything in terms of resources, if I were you. Try to imagine what kind of economic benefit the homeworld might derive from other settlements within the solar system.<br /><br />Your colonists could live in large habitat spheres or cylinders in orbit near a gas giant, mining Helium-3 from its atmosphere.<br /><br />They might be based on a world like Mars, supervising mining activities in an asteroid belt.<br /><br />They might be a wandering, tribal society based in an analog of our Kuiper Belt. They could mine the KBOs for their sustenance, and trade their surplus metals in exchange for Helium-3.<br /><br />They might live on a close terrestrial planet like Mercury, and build solar sails. They could use the strong solar flux to launch solar sails (one way) out to the gas giants, exporting heavy industrial equipment and surplus metals. In exchange the gas giant peoples could send comets their way, delivering water to the parched world. Even Mercury still has ice in permanently shadowed polar regions, though.<br /><br />Just some ideas.

 

[crims]

There are two levels to game: galactic and regional.<br /><br />Galactic is controlling fleets, space battles, interplanetary travel, trade, transport, etc.<br /><br />Each planet/world has 5-20 regions. Regional gameplay is like an RTS with units, buildings, resources, etc.<br /><br />Economy is planned, and politics is totalitarian (space communism). Player controls galaxy-spanning empire and has absolute control over the people. Religion and culture is 'engineered' by the state. Like all totalitarian regimes, they like lofty ideals and enjoy making up shortened forms of words.<br /><br />Ideals of this society are "Culture, Technology, Purity, Value, Order". Culture, as in the right behaviour. Technology, as in cybernetics, nanotech, biomachines. Purity, as in race and stock. Value, as in work and usefulness. Order, as in structure and control.<br /><br />Clones will be possible after player researches tech, allowing player to make armies of dispensable soldiers. <br /><br />Stimulants (state-approved drugs) are another tech. State uses these to increase productivity, reduce sleep requirements, and turn workers into *workaholic machines*.<br /><br />There also the possibility of space radiation seeping in, causing mutations in humans and bad harvests. Player has to maintain "purity of the stock" by "sterilizing" mutants, crops, and livestock. So there is possibility people will rebel and he will have to fight colonies for the *greater good* of the empire.<br /><br />Regional economy works this way: mines mine minerals, solar panel arrays generate energy, and "organics" are produced at biodomes. (Organics is a generic resource that include foods and bacteria.) <br /><br />Minerals are used by factories to make "production points", some of which are consumed by "consumer complexes" (consumplexes) to create 'incentive points" to make workers work. Consumplexes are basically shopping malls. Consumplexes also intake food (organics).<br /><br />Incentives are consumed by workers. Workers

 

[crims]

Oh yeah, and the player's galactic empire is called the "Administrative State" (the "Administate"). Ministries of Tech, Military, Purity, etc., are called "Administrative Ministries" ("Administries"). <br />Highest regional party members are "Administrators", but any other member is called "Hierarch". <br />Their socio-economic system is socialism/communism, but they never calls themselves this. Instead, if they ever refer to "the system", they'll call it "technocracy" (like http://www.technocracy.ca or http:/www.technocracy.org).<br /><br />State emblem attached:

 

[crims]

More cultural images:<br />

 

[crims]

...<br />

 

[summoner]

Masters of Orion was one of my favorite games ever. If you could design an updated version of that then I'd buy it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:271px;background-color:#FFF;border:1pxsolid#999"><tr><td colspan="2"><div style="height:35px"><img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/htmlSticker1/language/www/US/MT/Three_Forks.gif" alt="" height="35" width="271" style="border:0px" /></div>

 

[l3p3r]

there is a similar thing to MOO which has been released recently, called Space Empires IV Deluxe.<br /><br />I think you can get it on valve's steam platform <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[spacefire]

I hate commies. You should include an alien race with superior technology that gets to wipe out the human race.<br />Guess which side I would play?<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[nacnud]

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