Mining Outposts - A concept to expand upon

[omega_nexus]

The mining outside of your colonized worlds seems to be solely realized by orbitals stations at this moment. Despite me being very skeptical about the realism of such an operation: its the mechanic of a sci-fi game, sure.

But to let a potentially interesting part of gameplay unused is a pity: What about mining outposts on the surface, which trigger exciting events, impossible from orbit? e.g. an alien artifact transforming the miners into cruel murderous zombies (A case for Mercedes Romero)?
If you couple this mechanic with the "wildweststyle"-migration mechanic @SamuraiLordofWii described in another thread, you could deal with enclaves of outcasts and fortuneseekers, who might develop their own settlements and colonies on planets you reserved for mining if you don't counter them accordingly.

This was just an idea which came to me yesterday and I am thrilled to read your suggestions and critic about it.

 

[Oscot]

Well there's got to be a balance. Crappy unexploitable death worlds are meant to be crappy unexploitable death worlds. You shouldn't be able to harvest from them with any efficiency.

Although the converse is, to take the Blorg as an example: it seems somehow wrong that the gas giant around which Blorg revolves should not be able to get some sort of better development than the shittiest outpost world on the edge of your empire. Where are my H3 gas scoops? My orbital magnetic dynamos? My hideous engines of interstellar war hidden beneath the clouds, ready to spring out on the foul invader when Holy Friendly Blorg itself is threatened?

So I'm not obsessed that there should be surface operations, but I think there should be some sort of gradation of what you can do to uninhabited/uninhabitable planets. Possibly tied to the economic development of the rest of the system, so you can't go spamming 'em in every backwater you have.

 

[Trithemius]

Well there's got to be a balance. Crappy unexploitable death worlds are meant to be crappy unexploitable death worlds. You shouldn't be able to harvest from them with any efficiency.

Although the converse is, to take the Blorg as an example: it seems somehow wrong that the gas giant around which Blorg revolves should not be able to get some sort of better development than the shittiest outpost world on the edge of your empire. Where are my H3 gas scoops? My orbital magnetic dynamos? My hideous engines of interstellar war hidden beneath the clouds, ready to spring out on the foul invader when Holy Friendly Blorg itself is threatened?

So I'm not obsessed that there should be surface operations, but I think there should be some sort of gradation of what you can do to uninhabited/uninhabitable planets. Possibly tied to the economic development of the rest of the system, so you can't go spamming 'em in every backwater you have.

Progressive investment levels or something?

You know: things for the Capitalist Pops to build up?

 

[HighGain]

When possible, I like to use new ideas to build on the existing game mechanics rather than change them outright... keeps it simpler for players and devs... and may increase the chances of being implemented.

What about combining the existing mechanic of orbital mining stations with surface mines, camps, and triggers. The orbital stations serve certain purposes in the game and arguably can be justified as the HQ, processing center, and trade port for planetary mining operations. In turn, a future update could incorporate new icons on the planet tiles that represent the existence of mining camps / facilities on the surface that support / feed the orbital station... creating the potential for these mining camps to trigger events as you suggested. I mean, why should colonists get all the fun. However, care would need to be taken that these mining camp icons are not confused with the existence of a colony or full POPs... but could be done.

Just my thoughts.

 

[chopak]

I always assumed that Mining Outposts are just represented by orbiting station but are in fact a group of mining settements on the planet itself. Station in orbit is just management and docks for transport ships.

 

[Yenzen]

I always assumed that Mining Outposts are just represented by orbiting station but are in fact a group of mining settements on the planet itself. Station in orbit is just management and docks for transport ships.

I agree, this is somewhat supported by the fact that your orbital station, as I understand it, becomes a tile if you settle the planet.

Orbital stations represent orbital stations for gas giants, for rocky planets it's a mixture of on-planet mines extracting the most valuable/accessible mineral deposits and orbital stations as a docking area. The mines won't have nearly the same output as if hundreds of thousands/millions lived on the planet, though.