Resource and Colonist transport idea

[Darkfirephoenix]

I really like the game but there are some problems, I hope these ideas can help to fix them.

Underground Person/Resource transport system:
More or less a "subway system" to transport you colonists/resources around the map.
The person transport system would go into Domes and allow easy travel from dome to dome (maybe even make it possible that the colonists can fill their needs/work in other domes than in the ones they live in), the building would take up a full "slice" in the domes

The resource transport system has stations that goe outside the domes and have a integrated universal storage (or you could attach dedicated storage spaces for specific resources) that it tries to balance out. Let's say one station has 60+ food and there are 5 other stations with 10 food each, the system would try to balance that out. Maybe you could also determine which station has a higher priority for certain resources, so you can decide what amount of resources is wanted at that specific depot (let's say 4 machine parts for the extractor farm), which resources it should mainly distribute (like concrete from the extractor farm) and which it would get priority for deliveries (like machine parts TO the extractor farm).

Both systems would require trains of course, those would be provided by a "depot" with 1 train required per station (person or resource). The depot would come with 4 trains once built and can be stocked up to 10 (and more if you have the required research).

These are just my rough ideas, since I'm not good with balancing the cost for each of these things I would let the devs/modders decide how to handle them.

 

[stephen D]

yes! at least give us trains or some kind of fast transport when you need food on the other side of the map and your shuttles can't be bothered. and so my homeless colonists don't wander off into the desert to die.

 

[GrandAdmiralFox]

... I am seriously going crazy because I spouted a similar idea:

• Basic Rail: Basically a starter transportation option that has -overall- low maintenance costs for it's abilities. Build a train depot (which houses a small number of trains) and a number of stations (which are a combination of freight and passenger stations) -with some field maintenance stations for longer runs- to have fast travel between domes and depots. Laying down track takes two hexes instead of one (i.e. a double track if you want to use Railroad Tycoon lingo), so space required to ensure that you can have trains run around can be problematic. The trains use Fuel to operate and each station and depot will have a fuel supply requirement. Each train depot will have three trains with a minimum of 2 locos -with longer-run locos looking more like dual-unit models like the EMD F-7 locomotive while at first you only see something akin to the EMD FP7 locomotive- and 3 cars each with a maximum of 2 locos and 9 cars each before upgrades, but you can increase the number of trains by paying resources -metal, spare parts, and electronics- to build them. Depots are vital given that trains can only be maintained in said depots or field maintenance stations. Once you've gotten your fuel infrastructure up and upgraded it's capabilities, this is probably the most efficient cargo and colonist mover in the game per fuel drum. Can be balanced via depots and stations needing prefabs to construct at first and the mentioned fuel cost. Upgrades include enhanced mobility, better transport cars (i.e. more resources and colonists being transported), upping the maximum of cars on a train, more effective maintenance cycles, better fuel economy, and decreased cost. Basic Rail can use tunnels as standard.
• Monorail: An advanced and more space-efficient transportation option that generally costs a bit more than Basic Rail. High speed, low drag, low resource and colonist capacity are the defining characteristics of this option. Like the Basic Rail, it relies on a system of stations, depots, and field maintenance stations to operate properly. Like the shuttles and basic trains, they need to be maintained. The reason that monorails are considered space-efficient is that there is an upgrade to have pipes be underslung of a monorail, which makes it far easier to simply have a simple(er) network of pipes with the added bonus of having a cable running under the monorail. A monorail train has a minimum size of two locos -with engines with an extended fuel tank used for those on longer trips- and 4 cars with a maximum size before upgrades of two locos and 12 cars... and the cars carry a quarter that the Basic Rail cars can haul. Monorail fuel efficiency is greater than a basic rail but on a resource cost basis it's not as efficient as a basic rail. Upgrades consist of not only of the aforementioned upgrades that the Basic Rail has but also abilities like 'underslung life-support pipe' and the ability to use tunnels.
• Maglev: The 'endgame' transportation option and perhaps the most costly in terms of resources to build and maintain it. Instead of using fuel to power the trains, the Maglev network consumes immense amounts of energy. The upside to all that cost? Well, it moves colonists and resources like no one's business due to their speed and shear cargo capacity. Since the Maglev requires energy to function, you can use this to replace cable expansions later in the game. A Maglev train has a minimum size of two control cars and 2 cars with a maximum size before upgrades of two control cars and 6 cars. While Maglevs don't have a fuel-efficiency co-efficient to take into account, they do pig out on your energy grid. Upgrades include better energy efficiency and any non-fuel based upgrades from the aforementioned options.
• Cable Car: A walking-ranged -i.e. between the domes of a dome cluster- transportation option that you can get close to the beginning of the game. Now this option is designed to use a spire slot with arcologies and other 'dome poking' spires having the ability to become a station with some research. It is only useful for food and colonist transportation within a very short range of the dome it is built in. These tend to be one or two car affairs at most and can get easily damaged in high winds. These cars effectively turn a cluster of domes into a larger dome. Cable cars are slow however, and are probably the slowest and cheapest option available. Upgrades consist of making any dome-poking spire (arcologies being the biggest example) into a possible station and enhanced durability.
• Astro-Shuttle: Basically the current shuttle system but split into two parts: Passenger and Cargo shuttles. The shuttles are a high-speed option that has very minimal construct footprint compared to the other options and are comparatively cheap to build and maintain. Problem is that their bays have a large startup cost, eat through electronics like a pig, and require a large constant supply of fuel to function, thus having effectively a maximum range. Passenger Shuttles can take 8 people starting out and quickly go to their destination while cargo shuttles can take 30 units of a resource to any depot on the map, making them extremely useful for general purpose work. Upgrades increased mobility, increased fuel efficiency, a shuttle bay's shuttle capacity, and faster shuttle construction.
• Dome Walkways: A more general purpose option for a dome cluster that also allows energy and life support to be shared between domes. Cheap(ish) to construct and maintain, they can transform a cluster of domes into one larger dome. Problem is that they always have airlocks, decrease the comfort of the linked domes a little, consume a little oxygen and energy, and can be easily destroyed by meteors. Upgrades mostly pertain to the durability of the walkways and making them easier to construct.
• Subway Network: This an 'in-dome' option for colonist transport. Like the name it connects the dome to your colony's subway network. The size of the station is the same as a living quarters however, so this might make it bad for basic domes where every slice counts. They consume a lot of electricity as well and have a steep mechanical parts maintenance cost. Upgrades focus on energy efficiency and reducing maintenance costs.

These are probably the best that I can come up with. Also, it might be prudent to call the game's 'field resource depots' instead of simply depots, allowing a more resource-intensive high-capacity resource depots to be constructed.

 

[stephen D]

this is probably going to be DLC

 

[GrandAdmiralFox]

this is probably going to be DLC

More likely the basic framework would be a part of a major patch, the particulars would probably be cheap DLC.

 

[Bronzewing]

Not sure we need that many different transport techs, But I'd certainly like a rail system, ever read Desolation Road? I think fusion fired steam locos on Mars would be a great addition!

 

[TheDarkMaster]

this is probably going to be DLC

I think this would be one of the worst moves they could make. I think a proper transportation system is critical to making the later parts of the game playable.

 

[GrandAdmiralFox]

Not sure we need that many different transport techs, But I'd certainly like a rail system, ever read Desolation Road? I think fusion fired steam locos on Mars would be a great addition!

Well, two of them are only useful between domes at a very close range and given the situation you'll need various options due to various constraints. Basic rail is the cheapest of the large-scale systems that barely costs anything while giving a large RoI while Maglev is expensive in all accounts but is able to get that RoI rather quickly. Also, fusion-powered locos is Battletech's stick. We don't want to get Catalyst to be a bit antsy because Harmony Gold decided to be sue happy again.