It’s all about the Nodes - economy
The Star Citizen universe is made up of literally thousands of nodes that drive the economy. A node is an abstract entity that accepts one or more types of input goods and outputs one or more types of output goods. The most basic nodes are “atomic” entities, meaning that they cannot be subdivided further. These atomic nodes are then combined to make up larger nodes that behave in the same fashion as the atomic nodes – requiring certain inputs and producing certain outputs. When these nodes operate together, they are able to handle some portions of their business in a self-contained fashion, while other needs must be met by external entities whether NPC trade routes, or player-run missions).How a Node is Constructed
Each node is made up of several parts:- Node Inputs Inputs are the types of things that a node requires to operate. If too little of any given need is supplied, the node will lose productivity and alter prices and processing capacity in reaction to the shortage.
- Node Storage
Storage tells how much of each thing a node can have on hand at one
time. If the node’s storage for a particular desired item is full, the
node will stop requesting that item until quantities diminish.
Conversely, if a node’s storage is nearly out of a desired good, then
the node will raise prices and spawn additional missions in an attempt
to rectify the shortage.
Output items also take up storage space until they are sold or transported elsewhere. Again, if there is too much of a produced item on hand, the node will slow down production and reduce prices until demand increases sufficiently. If too little is on hand, prices will increase until production can catch up.
As a node grows, it can buy additional warehouse space to expand storage capacity.
Node Processing Capacity.
A node’s processing capacity is determined by the number of workers in that node, their current happiness, and the quality of processing equipment that is currently installed. As a node grows, it can upgrade existing equipment or add additional space/equipment in order to accommodate more production. - Node Outputs
When a node has the necessary raw materials, it produces output
based upon its production capacity. That output is then stored in the
warehouses until it can be distributed. The equation for node production
will look something like this:
- Production per cycle [P] = the number of units produced per “tick” of the economy
- Worker morale [M] = number of workers / required workers * morale (%)
- Equipment percentage [E] = size of facility * (quality of equipment / max quality)
- Material co-efficient [MC] = minimum percentage available of all required construction units
- P = M * E * MC
Types of Nodes
While there are many different varieties of each node, there are a limited number of general types of nodes. Each has a particular function, and requires varying amounts of the same types of inputs to create categories of outputs. The node types can be found in Table 1.0.People are abstracted into population nodes so that every other node in the game does not have to track the basic needs of its workers in addition to its other inputs. That way, nodes other than population nodes will not need to track anything other than whether they have enough workers to determine their effectiveness on the human side. If a group of settlers arrive on a previously uninhabited planet, a population node is created first.
Every inhabited area will consist of, at the minimum, a single population node, an entertainment node, and a landing node. For outposts and other small colonies, a raw materials node will generally round out the landing zone, perhaps with a reseller for basic supplies. Some planets will have only a single cluster of nodes, while others will have much larger clusters in several different planetary locations.
Taken as whole, a planet can also be looked at as a single macro-node, as it still has a set of resources that it needs, and a set of resources available to trade.
If the people are happy and productive, then nodes will continue to grow, enabling further nodes to be added to take advantage of the additional labor. When that now-thriving colony needs to increase its production – both to satisfy its own needs and to grow trade – perhaps an entrepreneur will decide that a nearby plot of land would be perfect for a new casino to keep those workers happy.
The Production Chain
The simple example above is far short of the actual complexity of the production chain, as the list of nodes indicates. You don’t just turn a lump of ore into a spaceship. Instead, there are many steps and many actors involved in the creation of just a single Aurora.Very large amounts of raw resources must be combined into the necessary basic materials to build the ship’s frame, cockpit, electronics, HUD screens, seats (don’t forget the leather!), and other building blocks. Meanwhile, other manufacturers are building the guns and missiles that will be added to the finished ship.
Manufactured goods are not unlimited. If nearby missile factories suddenly have a shortage of necessary components, escorts who come in from an extended firefight to restock may find missile prices very high – or stocks depleted entirely.
For the biggest, most complex products, production can take a very long time. If it takes Aegis a month to produce an Idris, and there has been a recent run on corvettes, you might find yourself waiting for a while to pick up a shiny new ship from their shipyards.
Keeping Resources Flowing
Heavily-populated systems (as far as nodes are concerned) will often have very consistent needs for resources, as well as having fairly constant exports available. Systems that can meet one another’s needs may set up regular trade lanes, which will cause transport missions to be launched at a regular frequency to deliver needed goods to a constant buyer. If these lanes go through more dangerous space, they may be diverted to take longer routes, or request escorts to accompany the missions.In such a case, players who own larger transports or are interested in escort duty can step in to take over these missions, provided that they are well-known to the corporations or organizations in question.
At any point where expected production levels have not been reached, freely-available trade goods will become more limited. Regularly-established trade routes will be the last to suffer from shortages.
Nodes where buyers have less need and nodes that are farther away from protected space, will request resources on a less frequent basis, and missions of this sort will generally be given to the lowest bidder, although relationships might be established with traders who perform frequent services for the client.
For emergencies – where deliveries have been disrupted, or some sort of major event has caused a sudden shortage of resources, higher-paying missions will be sent out on a first-come, first-served basis. Similar missions will be generated when a location that is typically self-sustaining with regards to some resources experiences a change in conditions, such as drought, riots, or other events that cause a temporary shift in that area’s ability to provide for its own basic needs.
Whatever route players choose to trade along, there will always be places for traders of any means to make a living throughout the Star Citizen universe.
Making Your Name as an Industry Giant
Even players who start out with the most humble beginnings may eventually grow vast trading empires. Starting with small on-demand cargo runs, players can grow their wealth, acquire larger ships, build their reputations with the biggest corporations, and establish their own trade lanes that span the galaxy.Players and organizations who amass enough wealth can take control of individual production nodes and begin building an industrial empire. The most aggressive entrepreneurs may take over whole sections of a supply chain and begin producing their own goods for sale on the open market – if they can keep the resources flowing. But be warned – some large corporations don’t appreciate competition!
While you are running your mine, refinery, or factory, you will be interested in more than just the raw materials that it needs! If your production node slows down because it doesn’t have enough workers, or their morale is low, you will need to help support the local population node or make sure that there are enough entertainment nodes to keep your workers happy and productive.
What’s in it for me?
The Star Citizen economy is certainly a vast undertaking. In addition to making a massive space combat simulation, we are also building a simulation of the economic universe in which the characters live. We offer players the ability to participate as much (or as little) in the economy as they desire. As new worlds are discovered, colonies are born, and new cities grow on the frontier, each type of player can be a link somewhere in the economic chain.However much your character is driving the economy, the economy is helping to drive your play experience.
Engineering - SHIP COMPONENTS
What makes up a ship?
Here’s a look at some of the hardpoints and equipment that make up the ships of Star Citizen- Hull: Hull is where you can mount additional armor for protection, reduce your mass for better handling or modify your cross-section to limit your signature.
- Power Plant: Power Plants supply the power that the rest of your ship will consume. It’s the foundation on which all other systems function.
- Avionics: If the Power Plant is the heart of your ship, the avionics are the brain. Avionics calculate the advanced math required for the maneuvering thrusters, track and identify targets, and automatically route power and ensure functional life support. It is unique among systems in that it can also be upgraded with additional systems such as ITTS, better turret AI and a myriad of other options.
- Afterburners: Give a significant boost to thrust at the cost of expelling fuel inefficiently.
- Shield Generators: Protect the ship from spaceborne debris and hostile fire. Generators come in multiple sizes, and have varying levels of segmentation (single ‘bubble’, front/back, quadrant, etc.)
- Intake: Allows you to scoop free hydrogen in the vacuum of space or in the extreme upper atmosphere of gas giants to refill your working mass tank.
- Fuel Tank: The fuel tanks deliver mass in the form of hydrogen to the power plant, which in turn delivers energy to supercharge the fuel and expel it at speed. If you run out far from civilized space, you better hope you have Triple A! (Your computer will warn you when you reach ‘bingo fuel’ – the point of no return after which you will not be able to reach a friendly base.)
- Maneuvering Thrusters: Maneuvering thrusters are small thrusters that provide the majority of the pitch, roll and yaw control as well as correcting the ship’s velocity vector to be in the direction it’s pointing (if the IFCS is on). These can either be fixed in place, or have varying methods of articulation to improve control response.
- Main Thrusters: These provide the bulk of the forward thrust of a ship. Like maneuvering thrusters these can also be fixed in place or have thrust vectoring assist with the directional control of the craft. Articulated thrusters require more robust avionics.
- Miscellaneous: Weapon batteries to assist the recharge function of the energy weapons, ammo racks to store more ballistic ammunition, additional cooling systems to purge heat load, devices to hide your cargo, the list goes on and on…
- Class 1 Weapon: Forward-fixed weapons that can mount larger weapon systems.
- Class 2 Weapon: Gimbal-mounted weapons that have limited pivot in a fixed direction. The increased cone of fire comes at the cost of smaller weapon size.
- Class 3 Hardpoint: Class 3 hardpoints can mount a variety of underbelly gear such as missile racks or extra fuel tanks.
- Class 4 Hardpoint: Generally used to mount turrets, some ships can also use these hardpoints for increased cargo space and other ships systems.
Resource Management
Space
We’re not talking about stars here, we’re looking at the space your ship has for upgrades. In this sense, space comes in two flavors. First, the ship must have the appropriate hardpoint for an item, and second that hardpoint must have the capacity for the item. Larger items generally add more mass to the ship than smaller items, and that will impact your performance in certain ways.
Power and Heat Load
Power Plants are the beating heart of the ship. Without power the ship (and likely the pilot) is dead in space. Power is at a premium, and pilots will find that they never seem to have enough to go around. With this in mind, will you opt to use your available power to install a more powerful weapon, or will you use it to power a larger set of thrusters?Consuming power also generates heat that must be dispersed from a ship—much like a modern high-performance PC. If the ship can’t cool itself, it begins to damage its components. Wise pilots will install more cooling than the minimum provided by the hull to handle unforeseen heat spikes like those that might occur in battle or because of damaged components.
Signature
All ships generate an electromagnetic signature and reflect electromagnetic waves focused in their direction. These signatures are used by the avionics system to identify and track targets within its operational range. Power hungry ships will generate a much stronger EM signature while ships with minimal consumption may slip by unnoticed. Large ships reflect more radar waves back to active scanning units by virtue of their cross-sections. These signatures are also used by guided weapons to lock and navigate to their target. Signature is the primary concern for players wishing to maximize their stealth or avoid missile lock.Mass
Mass is an important factor in determining the speed and maneuverability of your ship. As your mass goes up, your ability to rapidly change direction goes down. This stat is of primary concern for pilots who wish to maximize their speed and maneuverability.
CPU
Running the components of the ship requires advanced circuitry and highly specialized software, all of which are grouped together under the ship’s avionics system. These ‘packages’ offer more robust target identification, increased radar range, ITTS, and many other functions. In addition, other ship systems require data resources for proper operation. Examples include operation of the gimbal-mounted class 2 weapons and the AI systems for unmanned turrets.Durability
How resilient a part is to damage will be of prime importance to pilots who expect to operate in hostile conditions. A high-output power plant is useless if it stops working with only minimal wear, or succumbs to the first laser bolt that finds its way through the shields to the hull.
Cost and Availability
Every part in the game has a cost in credits that must be paid to purchase it, but just having the money isn’t enough. Not all parts are available everywhere, and even the locations that normally sell certain items can be out of stock if the supply chain to the factory has been disrupted. Players will need to travel far and wide to locate all the parts they wish to install.Performance Tuning
Tinkering with your ship is of huge interest to many people. We see this in the real world: there are huge communities around PC overclocking and in hobbyist automotive tuning on the weekends. People just like knowing that they’ve squeezed every last drop of performance out of their gear. We know you’ll want to push your ship to the limit (or maybe just baaaarely past it) so we are including systems to let you try. Parts are manufactured within tolerances, and while every part that rolls off the line will function precisely to its rated value, its true capability can be discovered by players willing to risk the consequences of failure. Pushing hardware past its rated specifications can have disastrous results though, and even successfully tuned parts will likely be more power hungry and generate a larger signature!What you’re doing is “overclocking” your weapons and modules, just like dedicated PC enthusiasts do to their CPUs! When Intel builds a chip it often (but not always!) has the capacity for a higher clock speed… and people who want to push their rigs to the limit will manually tweak their CPUs higher and higher. Those tolerances aren’t known, though: sometimes a laser might get a 10% boost… rarer a 20% boost… and other times you might cause your overclocked gun to just generate excessive heat… or even damage itself! We anticipate some players will make a living overclocking upgrades and selling them to others at a premium… it’s our equivalent of an MMO crafting system without the artificial “leveling” mechanic taking you out of the game.
Item Quality
Just like there are a myriad of .45 handgun producers in the real world, there are many companies that produce equivalent items in the Star Citizen universe. Not all gear is created equal, however. Some manufacturers are known for mass producing cheap gear for pilots on a budget, or for arms dealers supplying localized conflicts. As a rule, cheap gear is generally less efficient, less durable and prone to overheating, but has the advantage of being extremely inexpensive and highly available. The better manufacturers produce more efficient and reliable gear at a premium, with the best components being reserved for UEE Citizens and Military… or aboard yet to be discovered alien derelicts at the fringes of the galaxy!Some players can just pick up a laser and start shooting while others will spend days on a quest for the PERFECT laser for how they want to work their ship. Let’s say you’re interested in turning your Hornet into a stealth ship. You’re going to buy the lowest-emission modules wherever possible: thinner shields that don’t have such an energy signature, lasers that do less damage but generate less heat… thrusters that don’t accelerate as quickly but better keep you hidden. And then you can go to increasing extremes that involve more and more gameplay: maybe you hear that a company on Terra has a low-emission laser that does more damage that you need to hunt down… or a pirate group on Spider has illegally hacked shields that add a little protection without giving out a higher signature! You’ll travel the galaxy building the perfect ship rather than sitting in one hangar to put it together.
Testing Your Equipment
An important part of this system is that it’s not a rote recipe system; you don’t find the specifications for the perfect laser and work at it until you’re there. As with overclocking a PC or tuning a car there’s always an element of chance – the tweak may fail and leave you with a module in need of repair… and you don’t want to find that out when you’re nose to nose with a pack of pirates! To counteract this, we plan to add an optional suite of testing/burn-in equipment to your hangars, and some extra goodies in your avionics to track performance. Spending a little time and a few credits to run your newly overclocked shields or your maxed out cannons on the ground could end up saving your skin later on in space!
