Dinkledash

In order to make the game more interesting, I think that major components should consist of subcomponents. For example, one of the basic components now would be a power component. Presumably at higher tech and fabrication skill levels, a power component would produce higher output, be smaller and more durable than older designs. I think it would be more fun if a powerplant consisted of subcomponents which could be researched and designed independently and could be assembled into a resellable product. Say you want to make fusion plants. A fusion plant would have a combustion chamber, a magnetic containment bottle, a laser array, a fuel injector and depending on whether it is meant to produce electricity or be used to power a fusion rocket, it would have a dynamo or a thruster. Each of these components could have its own independent properties, methods, interfaces and tech/skill tree, which could make the job building, maintaining and repairing damage to fusion plants an interesting and challenging role for a player to specialize in.

In order to make the game more interesting, I think that major components should consist of subcomponents. For example, one of the basic components now would be a power component. Presumably at higher tech and fabrication skill levels, a power component would produce higher output, be smaller and more durable than older designs. I think it would be more fun if a powerplant consisted of subcomponents which could be researched and designed independently and could be assembled into a resellable product. Say you want to make fusion plants. A fusion plant would have a combustion chamber, a magnetic containment bottle, a laser array, a fuel injector and depending on whether it is meant to produce electricity or be used to power a fusion rocket, it would have a dynamo or a thruster. Each of these components could have its own independent properties, methods, interfaces and tech/skill tree, which could make the job building, maintaining and repairing damage to fusion plants an interesting and challenging role for a player to specialize in.

It would be best if we were able to engineer components out of subcomponents each of which have particular properties, methods and interfaces. For example, a rocket engine could consist of a fuel tank, fuel pumps, high pressure piping, fuel injectors, a combustion chamber, an afterburner assembly, a nozzle and control actuators. Without each of these sub components, you can't build an engine. But if you developed a superior fuel injector, you'd have a superior rocket engine, perhaps one which is more fuel efficient, while a superior nozzle could improve manuverability, a superior combustion chamber could improve acceleration, superior tanks and pumps could increase the pressure at which you store fuel and that increases range, and superior piping could reduce weight. That way you'd have more than the Mark 1, Mark 2 and Mark 3 engines. You could have a company that makes rocket engines that are lightweight and high maneuverability for combat craft while another company makes engines that are fuel efficient and reliable for long haul cargo ships. The new Zykos-V fighter is equipped with a Motokrafwerks F-300 rocket motor with the highest vector-thrust capability of any commercially available engine! Subcomponents for major components could greatly enhance the individuality of the designs produced by players. It wouldn't be the coolest looking starship is the best, it would be deeper than that.

Since each functional element is a component, there should probably be a relationship between components and elements on the monitors that will display the properties of the individual components. Say your starship has 12 power components, you'd want to be able to display maximum output, current output, damage, efficiency and fuel consumption as gauges on a dashboard. The engineer would have to have a way of reacting to these gauges, for example tuning the fuel injectors for better efficiency at different speeds, making repairs, transferring fuel between tanks, etc. We have to consider what the appropriate properties and methods are for each type of component as it gets defined in the game. Higher tech levels, skills and the use of rare elements and materials would allow for components that have superior efficiency, are lighter, smaller, and more durable. I think much of the work in Alpha will focus on components, their properties, methods and interfaces.

I didn't see any brony clans and I can't believe with 6000 backers we don't have several hundred weirdos who are into watching a cartoon for little girls and fanboying about it. "But this isn't a fantasy game!" OK so the goal of the Lunar Republic will be to create a recreational planet called Equestria where tech-saturated galactic citizens can go to unwind, chillax and advencation with miniature, pastel colored pony constructs. Or possibly biologicals if the universe will let us. All tech will be hidden underground and above will be a replica of a hugely popular 21st century media franchise. Administrative and defense installations will be established on the Equestrian moon and if it becomes necessary for us to use this as a base for galactic conquest in the name of justice and liberty, so be it! Praise Luna!