CSC November Update #2
Hi Commanders!
Welcome back to Part #3 on our series of posts covering all things you want to know about CSC. In this post we will be covering a variety of topics that include Crafting, Modules, Blueprints and some new game mechanics / features. Enjoy!
Crafting, Modules & Blueprints
Let’s start from the beginning… In 2008 Satoshi Nakamoto published a paper title Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System… jk ;). Crafting in CSC is based on a T1 — TX tech system. There is no fixed upper limit on the Tech level of any item that can be crafted in CSC. Items greater than Tech level 1 will take more time, resources, and a higher level proficiency to craft. Levels of proficiency are measured by Blueprint XP which is a Commander specific skill attribute.
Blueprint XP is item specific (each item has its own xp progress) and is gained by consuming blueprint pieces, successful crafting attempts and deconstruction of items. Each tech level of an item has a mastery level. T1 mastery level is 100 xp, once you reach mastery you can craft a T1 version of that item consistently. As tech level increases the xp required to reach mastery increases at a increasing rate. For example (NOT FINAL NUMBERS), T2 mastery level might be 1000 xp, assuming you get 1 xp for each success craft and 5 xp for deconstruction it would take 200 consecutive deconstructions of a T2 item to reach mastery level.
Modules and blueprint pieces (T1 — TX) are also seeded in the CSC universe. New modules can be discovered as rare drops in our seed sale (TBA), researched in a facility (see the below section on Crew & facilities), or discovered by exploring core or fringe space. Items that may contain modules or blueprint pieces include but are not limited to crashed ships, secure containers, artifacts of unknown origin, jettisoned containers.
Crafting components are created from refined resources harvested in the CSC universe. Refined resources are gain by mining or harvesting raw resources and refining them into a usable / sell-able version. Those refined resources can then be crafted into components. Components are used for crafting everything in CSC. Components are virtual items and are not a FT or NFT items. However components can always be turned back into its FT form for chain trading or traded as is in our integrated marketplace
In addition to tech levels crafted items can also have variances. These variances are unlocked once you reach mastery level of crafting an items at a specific tech level. At this mastery level you will now be given the option to add a quantity of resources to a crafting recipe. Doing so give you a chance at creating a variance of that tech version. For example, if you add 1200 Trilite shards to the crafting of a Reaper Interceptor, you might unlock a T1a version of that ship that provides a greater base FTL speed. If that crafting event does not produce a variance you still get the standard item but will lose (some or all) of the additional resources included for the variance attempt. Once a variance is unlocked (T1a) you can craft a version of that item at any time by following your exact recipe. These tech level variances of items are procedural generated and correlate to the type of resource included with the crafting attempt. Crafting components included during crafting can also MIX to create compound components during the crafting process. For example you might be able to craft a Reaper Interceptor with more base hull points by including 50 Octavium plates when you craft that item. This creates a T1ba version of the Reaper Interceptor. However if you add 50 Octavium with 100 Gold slips you may then end up with a T1bb Reaper that has a smaller rader profile vs the increased hull points. You did this because you had learned somewhere in the CSC universe that a Octavium Gold Alloys is used in stealth ship construction. Variances can also include upgrades that provide additional module slots or hard points. Once a variance is discovered by a user (or a users research facility) that variance becomes active game wide (unannounced). If anyone else makes the same combination they will craft that variance item, so keep that knowledge safe! One important thing to note, higher tech level versions of an item WON’T have the same variance recipe, these recipes will need researched or discovered again.
Resource Management, Global Activities, Ownership & Limited Automation
The premise of CSC is that the Galactic Federation, the unified governing body of mankind, has approved the wide distribution of FTL technology allowing any citizen of the federation, assuming the have enough coin (or ETH :) as it is the currency of the future), to explore the cosmos and expand the human empire. Commanders in CSC can contribute to this growth by transporting colonists, delivering raw resources and delivering refined goods to expansion points (new station, planet colonies, etc).
Colonist are the a new resource we are introducing to the game, this is a finite resource that is generate from settled world or stations. The is a fixed amount that is generated per day depending on the goods flowing into an established settlement. Once a colonist is acquired they need to be transported to one of the active expansion points. Once the colonist goal is completed at these expansion points, these points become new sources for colonist. For example, in the beginning you might need to haul goods or colonist from Sol to Proxima (8 lightyear round trip). Once Proxima is established it will start generating its own colonist, now you can take those colonist on a shorter trip to Rigel instead of the long haul back to Sol. After 100 trips the station is established and goes online, congrats! However once setup up the work is not over, stations, colonies and other structures need a constant flow of goods to keep them running. Commanders are rewarded for the continuous delivery of goods with Crew and/or Galactic Reputation Currency GRC.
Crew (or workers) is the another new resource we are introducing to the game. Crew are generated by established colonies or stations. They can be earned by completing expansion point deliveries (or can be purchased with GRC). When a expansion point is complete all Commander will get a percentage of the reward pool for their contribution. For example, you provide 10% of the goods needed to establish Proxima Station, Proxima had a pool of 1000 Crew and 10,000 GRC as a reward. You earn 100 Crew and 1,000 GRC for your work. Once established a station / colony will no longer give you Crew directly, instead you will need to provide it with goods for GRC, with GRC you can hire available crew from any crew generating location.
Goods comprise of Water units, Food units, Equipment units and Luxury units. These units are created from established planetary colonies or space manufacturing facilities. These goods can be bought or manufactured by providing the correct facility with specific raw resources that are required. Goods can also be manufactured by a independent (player owned) facility.
So what can I do with Crew & GRC?
Crew have an important function to the CSC universe as they provide limited automation for task, run facilities, and enable a commander to control a small fleet of ships. Crew are consumed when used and will only work for a fixed time, after that the crew return home and you will need to acquire new crew. Crew can run facilities along with any properly equipped ship. Some of these facilities include Research Station (provided with resources and crew this facility can discover blueprint variances over time), Mining Facilities (can be deployed in permitted core space or open fringe space to auto mine resources), Manufacturing Plants (Creates food, water, equipment, luxuries allowing Commanders to create their own supply chain and become independent of GF).
Crew can also be used for AFK (Away From Keyboard) missions, these are GF sponsored missions hat can earn random rewards. These missions will typically require a crewed ship and can also have an element of risk at the chance of a greater reward (Think of this like a more advanced MEA).
The last thing crew is needed for is the establishment of POS, player owned structures. While these will need more than just crew, crew will be the base consumable that will keep these up and running when you are away. POS can be deployed freely in open fringe space, they can support limited armaments for defense and can be a safe docking point for players & guild members. POS are not stations and cannot facilitate trades or provide repairs, but can be expanded with crafting / shipyard modules for independent manufacturing.
Galactic Reputation Currency is a soft currency in the CSC universe. It is locked to a Commander’s account and can only be earned by competing GF quests. The currency is used to hire crew from any established stations or colonies and can be used to purchase specialty reputation based items from the Galactic Federation. These items include permits for Core space deployment of facilities (or POS), jump gate credits for instant travel, skins and more.
Part 3 Conclusion
Well that’s all for this post, below you will find a list of topics I will be covering in future post. Part 4 will be up next week.
Thanks for reading and safe flying Commanders!
Upcoming Topics:
-Scanning
-Docking and Multi-ship play
-Module & Seed Distribution
-Items and Transportation Mechanics
-Farming
-Ships, Fleets, Control and Command Systems
-Clans & Team Play
-Events & Competitions
