non combat ships

Chris · 2013-10-29T07:25:58

It's for some sort of 4X space strategy game (it's not important what kind exactly, things in this topic should fit to several ones). I was thinking about shipyards. Not as buildings that generate any resources or "production" but like in a real word, a place where ships are built. Those shipyards would be a limiter of ships production (you have tons of money and resources but you can't build more ships because you have no free shipyards). So far it's all strightforward. But I was thinking of adding some sort of civilian ships. If you are preparing for war you are producing warships, but if not, your shipyards are not idle but automaticly produce some freighters, currier ships, luxury passenger liners, etc. Those help your empire in an economic way (or other). I mean, I don't want it to be the standard "you build a shipyard and then use it at 100% capacity to produce warships". Now the question, how exactly it should work and what kind of non combat ships there should be? And do you think this idea is worth pursuing? I can see it as a slider warships/civilian. Or some automatic "use up shipyard if you are building a warship and all free shipyards auto produce civilian ships". Or maybe make three categories: warships, freighters, civilian/commercial. I think it would be nice to introduce some "private sector" :) Like, you pay for warships (gives you military power), you pay for freighters (gives you imperial logistics/transport) and you DO NOT pay for civilian/commercial ships since these are bought by citizens and used for trade/pleasure (gives more money form tax + from selling the ships to population and/or increase happiness).

Game Design and Theory Game Design

Started by Acharis October 25, 2013 07:39 PM

10 comments, last by The Moldy Crow 10 years, 5 months ago

mipmap

1,013

October 28, 2013 07:10 PM

Don't forget tugboats and other forms of smaller vessels. These can add a little bonus to your ports in terms of efficiency.
Icebreakers are crucial if you want to travel in icy areas. In fact, there is a lack of heavy ice-breakers around the north-pole that risks to put research to halt (I think the boat Odin was pulled back into military service or something).
Research ships could be important.
Large fishing boats produces yummy fish.
Ship reparation capacity - both for private and for military service. Also, civilian boats should be possible to upgrade with military tech (machine guns, better radars and com-links)

The Moldy Crow

161

October 29, 2013 07:25 AM

Resource gathering/mining would be the obvious system to add, the question you have to figure out is whether these civi ships travel with the military ships. I think you should have them travel together, it would add some cool BSG elements to the combat and you could include ships like:

Food production ship - your military vessels perform better if their crews are well fed. On long expeditionary trips you need to make sure your stores are big enough, or bring a food production ship, which you then need to protect during combat.

Colony ship - optional, you can settle new planets without, but if you bring one along, they get off to a better start.

Recreational ship - well rested crews perform better and work better together. Maybe response time to commands is quicker if you have one of these, think corporate team building exercise ship
If this is destroyed, the negative effect on your fleet is comparatively quicker than the food ship.

Nothing will work. Everything might.

non combat ships

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non combat ships

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