Part 3 of the mega post:
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Passengers are also significantly different from regular cargoes:
Passengers are carried in accommodations, more or less permanent structures in a ship’s or Shuttle’s hold (any ship or Shuttle with at least one passenger “container” is more appropriately called a Passenger Liner). The accommodations are either part of the initial configuration for the Liner or are refit into the hold.
Passengers self-manage where they want to go, i.e., any given group of passengers actually wants to go to any number of planets. The fare that they pay is based in part on how likely they feel that they will eventually be able to get to their ultimate destination. When a Liner arrives at a Spaceport/Station to take on passengers, the Tycoon can determine on a slider within the Route whether they would prefer to take passengers willing to pay “full price” (because the Liner is going somewhere they want to go; this could mean longer layovers or fewer passengers) or to take passengers willing to board right away at a “discount price” (because the Liner is going on a sub-optimal path for the passenger). (Or should that decision be set at the Spaceport/Station?)
Passengers are actually willing to pay for distance traveled, unlike most cargoes, with the major caveat that it is distance from planet to planet, not for the route the Liner takes, that matters. Time in transit is also important, with some differences based on the type of passenger.
Accommodations are split into three categories: Coach, Luxury, and Sleeper. Coach has basic room, board, and entertainment for the passengers, resulting in median fares and capacity available. Luxury passengers demand more extensive rooms, food, and in-transit entertainment, leading to reduced capacity but near proportional fare hikes. Sleeper passengers are loaded into hypersleep beds, which eliminate the needs for in-transit requirements and allow for the highest passenger density, but for very low fares. Luxury passengers are most interested in popular destinations (this might mean established planets or those that are experiencing tourism surges) and quick travel, Sleepers have much lower time demands, with Coach somewhere in between.
Cargoes could include:
- Fauna – any live creatures being moved from one location to another (different from Livestock being sent to a Factory for slaughter)
- Food – any number of foodstuffs, whether animal or plant in source, preserved for transport
- Fuel – this could include bulk solid fuels and liquefied gasses
- Goods – basic consumer goods, usable to meet quality-of-life needs
- Industrial – technological equipment used to make planets livable and productive
- Mail – this is a combination of physical packages needing to be moved and electronic information that cannot be sent (at a reasonable price) via subspace transmission (should this type of cargo also have a movement profile similar to passengers?)
- Metals – any refined metals to be used in industrial applications
- Ore – unprocessed materials that had been imbedded in rock or soil
- Passengers – explained above
- Valuables – any materials with a high value-to-mass/volume ratio, which require significant protection
- Vehicles – whole or components of conveyances and their parts
Tycoons get paid whenever a consignment or passenger reaches a delivery point. For cargoes, this is when the load arrives at the destination settlement on the planet, while passengers pay when they disembark, which can be at their intended destination or at a layover point. If a cargo has to move through local authority Shuttles, either at the beginning or end of its run, the Tycoon pays for those services as they complete. Other services (e.g., Jump Gate toll) are paid for when the Tycoon uses them. (Depending on the rating for the Tycoon at a planet, Spaceport, or Space Station, a Tycoon may pay a hefty premium (when the Tycoon’s service is poor) or a slight premium (when it is good).)For example:
- A load of Metals is being picked up from a smelting facility on a planet in System A. A Route is set that will take the Freighter to System B, one of the allowed destinations for the consignment. The Tycoon does not have any of his own Shuttles or Slips at the pick-up or drop-off points, and will land at the Spaceport in System A and dock at the Space Station in System B. The Freighter is FTL-capable, so there’s no need to use a Jump Gate (assuming one was available).
- LA Shuttles move cargo from settlement to Spaceport in advance of the Freighter’s arrival – Tycoon pays fee on consignment arriving at Spaceport.
- Freighter lands at Spaceport in a public Slip, after waiting in the queue – Tycoon pays fee on take-off from Spaceport.
- Freighter achieves orbit, transits to system outskirts, jumps to System B, and travels to high orbit around destination planet.
- Freighter docks with Space Station in a public Slip, after waiting in the queue – Tycoon pays fee after decoupling from Space Station.
- LA Shuttles move cargo from Space Station to Spaceport and then to the destination settlement – Tycoon gets payment from supplier and pays fee for Shuttles on consignment arriving at settlement.
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Again, a tremendous amount to digest, but I needed to get it out sometime before it killed me. I am not a programmer, so I have no idea if what I'm asking for here is a viable way to make a game like this. Comment, suggest, etc. And thanks!