Epic release 3E - faction war

Economics:
I don't think we can get an X style economy to work. The problem is script speed. In X, when a station runs low on something, it looks for the lowest cost seller of that item. Transport cost must be figured in, which requires a calculation of distance between the purchasing station and every other station. X only has a few stations. EoC has 2000 in just 20 systems. If the cluster was larger - say going forward with a more Elite sized space - there could be an easy 200 systems and 20,000 stations.

In Epic the purpose of the economic system is to automatically create trade routes and pricing based on where stations are constructed (and, oddly enough, have stations built where trade routes and pricing are good). The Economy will be a slowly changing landscape (if I can find an efficient way to code it).

The economy should give you a first hand view of the price effects of war - of piracy - of nation boundries. And give you the chance to make a profit on these (while seeing the damage they do).

Right now, I don't know when these pieces will be done. Focusing on just getting the AI to offer player missions and then getting the player user interface done. Then finishing off the tools that let ship graveyards and other missions get put into the game. After all of that, then economics and new traffic scripts. Much to do.

News Format
Eh? I don't remember any news in EoC? Jwk: could you post an example?

-Gtrout

Thanks for the fast answer.
You already did a nice job. Keep up the good work.

Warning Spoliers

Taken from one of the emails late game

Johnston,

It seems that we have finally run up against the true power of our corporate opponents: their control of the media. Here are a few headlines from the Network newsfeeds that we have received recently -

TERRORISTS BRING NEUTRONIUM PRODUCTION TO A STANDSTILL - Unrest continues to plague several systems in the Badlands cluster with the start of a new wave of unprovoked attacks on corporate facilities. These attacks, mainly targeted at a number of the largest neutronium production sites, are believed to be the work of a small criminal band also responsible for the increase in pirate activity in the cluster. Production at the plants has temporarily ceased, and Maas Corporation, operators of the mines, has announced that if these attacks are allowed to continue there could be a significant rise in the price of neutronium, affecting the cost of star ship operation throughout known space.

CORPORATIONS TAKE THE BRUNT OF TERROR CAMPAIGN WHILE POLICE DO NOTHING - The recent terror campaigns conducted against corporate facilities are believed to be the responsibility of the infamous 'Marauder' gangs who have plagued the Badlands cluster recently. Millions of credits of damage has been done to numerous corporate manufacturing facilities, forcing many corporations to temporarily withdraw their presence in the cluster. Law enforcement agencies in the cluster are reported to be incapable or unwilling to deal with the situation, and in some instances reports of police collaboration with these Marauders have been received, leading to calls for intervention by Naval forces to clean up this cluster now known as the sewer of known space.

BADLANDS PIRATES HIJACK JUMP ACCELERATOR In an attack shocking in its brutality and speed, groups of pirates from the Badlands cluster have seized the Earthside terminus of the cluster's jump accelerator, situated in the Fomalhaut cluster. Angry representatives in the Gagarin Senate have called for swift and decisive action by the alliance Navy to re-take the accelerator and free the innocent citizens of the Badlands Cluster now cut off from the rest of civilisation.

THIS MADNESS MUST BE STOPPED NOW! - The recent tide of Marauder activity that has spilled out of the Badlands Cluster into Fomalhaut with the capture of the system's jump accelerator has drawn attention to the weakness of both the Alliance assembly and the high command of the Navy. Both seem hesitant to take any action against the rising tide of anarchy that has brought terror to the ordinary citizens of the Badlands, and cost several key corporations billions in damages and lost revenue. When will the powers that be wake up and realise that they are here to protect the ordinary citizens of the Alliance? How many must die before the Navy takes steps to bring these thugs to justice?

---

Clearly the media lackeys of the corporations are pulling out all the stops to depict our actions in the most negative terms. Although this rubbish does not have any effect on anyone directly involved in the conflict, it worries me that public opinion in the core systems may swing central government to commit Naval forces on the side of the corporates. We must tread carefully.

Speak to you soon,

Franklyn Hoffer

Jwk...comander of =HEMP HUNGRY MONKEY=
www.i-war2.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=310

Thank you! I had totally forgotten about that one. Hmmm. Perhaps it would be better to bunch up the mails into a single long message for any one day.

-Gtrout

Or multipul messages, each one from a different broad casting service.

would need their own 'email' section in the base screen. And should all be labeled and organised by Date(in the game, not in the 'real' world).

SO now we need to work out what time its set in. Well...it should be around the same time as IW2. A little bit earlier because anything as big as the entire Badlands being cut off and not to mention the loss of the Gagarian Cluster would affect the whole human race and would .'. affect the plot.
so its 'just before' IW2. Crap. What is the date at the start of iw2? I know how to find out 8D. Just before you find 'lucreicers Hoard' and you have to 'calulate' where the loot is hiden. it has a 'defult' setting for the Date which you then change to get the co-ordinates. i think it is reasonable enough to assume that that date is the same year as the IW2 story is set. I dont have a save-game of that. anyone know how to find it out?

Jwk...comander of =HEMP HUNGRY MONKEY=
www.i-war2.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=310

Easier way. Check the encyclopedia - Cal was incarcerated 2372 CE, escaped 15 years later giving EoC a data of 2387 CE.