Hello everyone!
Last time i saw alot of messages regarding manufacturing and prototyping.
There is some obvious disadvantages in manufacturing system:
1) Money movement.
This server have two main sources of money income: plasma and missions. Where this money spends?
Hunters spending this money for modules and missiles (and for prototypes, in theory).
Manufacturers spending his money to miners for ore, to prototypers for prototypes.
Prototypers spending his money for kernels and ores.
Miners are on top of his money chain. They will rapidly get t4 equipment, they will safely mine on alpha. As result, miners got money for raw ores and materials.
As result, we have constant flow of money from hunters to miners. How it could be regulated, i dont know yet.
2) Mass production
Mass production is well balanced: devs just need to know what type of equipment should be accessible to the players, and he need just to make it from alpha materials. Theoretically, we have balance here, but this balance is not acceptable for a lot of players.
3) Prototyping
At the moment prototyping is a great obstacle. If you want to research knowledge base, you need to work hard. Knowledge base researching so long so corporations prototyper could drop his account. Obviously, this is not a best thing what could happen. This is not good when corporations forced to make one account with knowledge base.
Summary: there is a lot of risks in research system: trust, huge amount of work etc.
The problem is that finishing KB is a goal now, not a process.
I would like to propose a solution:
1) Speedup research in 20-50 times:
You taking kernel to the research lab. In this lab analysers will analyse the technology in this kernel, and they will tell you how many kernels you need to research all tech what related to this kernel.
2) Use kernels in prototyping
Assuming, you know about existing of certain tech, you gathering data what is inside of kernels. You need to extract this info from gathered kernels, to use it. How? Decoders will make a roll:
For example:
t1 - is level 0 of tech
t2 light - is level 1
t3 light - is level 2
t4 light - is level 3
t2 medium - is level 4
t3 medium - is level 5
t4 medium - is level 6
As result, you will need to extract a data from kernels for each desired tech level with certain decoder. this will make usefull all levels of decoders. This process could be called "targeted decoding".
After data was extracted from kernels, you will be able to create a prototype or CT. You can do it in two ways:
a) You can create a prototype from certain number of kernels and materials
b) you can create a CT of prototype from huge numbers of kernels.
Also, game will need to have three extensions: basic, advanced and expert research. This skill will reduce numbers of kernels what needs for prototypes/CT of prototypes. Also it will be good to tie research to factory level.
What we will have in result?
1) All players will rapidly research desirable tech.
2) Prototypes will be collective achievement, and solo achievement as well.
3) If prototyper will left a corp, this would be not tragic.
4) All kernels (all levels and types) will be required for research and for manufacturing.
This is raw idea. You can add whatever you want to this system: for example to make EW equipment you should combine some colors of kernels etc.
