Architect Archive
Thread: Some novel ideeas for recurring revenue and experimentation please read and comment
Page 1 of 1
Neilla
Fri Sep 26, 2003 11:05 pm
#1
Hi all,
First, I have advocated some form of power-up for a long time, and I continue to advocate power-ups as a source of recurring revenue.
However, there have been those who feel (rightly) that this is insufficient, because people want to build structures rather than power-ups. This is certainly something I can understand.
So I've been thinking about some additional ways of improving our long-term revenue stream and supporting experimentation while allowing us to practice our craft in a broadly interesting way. These ideas include some love for all 4 skill lines.
Overhauling Installations
Limiting redeeds for harvesters will anger people if the harvesters simply blow up. However, suppose that, after a certain number of redeeds (or a certain amount of up-time), the harvester needs rebuilding? Say, for example, all the 'minor components' - turbines, fluidic pumps, etc. The game mechanics would work as follows:
1. After a few redeeds, the harvester deed mutates to a 'worn-out harvester' deed.
2. We get a new schematic which has, as components, a 'worn-out harvester deed', plus turbines etc as are necessary to rebuild the harvester. The result of this schematic is a brand new harvester deed.
Installation designers would then have a sustainable business: buying worn out harvesters, refurbishing them, and selling them at a profit. The occasional (and I mean VERY occasional) critical failure will gradually take harvesters out of circulation, requiring the construction of new harvesters.
This could be combined with various ways of making experimentation important, such as making durability determine the number of redeeds and having experimentation affect maintenance costs, power use, and harvesting rate.
Furniture Buffs
How about if furniture gives you buffs in much the same way as listening to an entertainer gives you buffs. Experimentation would then count for something. But, as you use the furniture, it wears out and stops buffing you. The matress on the durn bed just gets too lumpy for you to get a good nights sleep.
All of these need to be stackable with and smaller than the buffs provided by doctors and entertainers.
Beds and comfy chairs would, of course, be obvious targets. The devs could, however, have a bunch of fun with this.
Jacuzzi anyone!!! Buffs health. Might even speed healing of wounds if a medic is involved.
Televisions, stereos: Provide entertainment. Hehe - perhaps entertainers get 'sitcom' schematics which they then have to manufacture. This would be a total hoot!
Exercise Machines: Buff Strength, Endurance.
Again, all of these DO wear out after a while and they ARE sensitive to experimentation.
Temporary Urban-Planner Installations
The urban planner tree is going to allow for the creation of permanent structures. Suppose that a few of these could be made temporary, for use in the field. I'll assume that the devs come to their senses and use Construction for urban planning.
Suppose you could buy a 'temporary shuttle pad' that could be used once and which would allow you to summon a shuttle home. Put it down, buy a ticket, wait for the next shuttle, go home. When the shuttle takes of, the pad goes away. Everyone would love it! Put this one under 'construction' (I assume that a lot of the urban planner stuff would go under this category).
What about a temporary field hospital? Something you can place in otherwise no-build locations and which acts as a full med-center, but which decays after a few hours. This could be very useful for hunting expeditions in distant and dangerous locations.
What about a temporary field-base, which provides a shuttle pad, med center, and recreation room, and which lasts for a day or so. This would make it a lot less tedious to operate in remote areas of Lok and similar frontier planets, spreading out the crowds.
Military Structures
Turrets, defensive structures, etc. Yeah, its been done (AC-2 tacticians), but if it was balanced correctly it would be fine. If the price and effectiveness was set up correctly, these could be a great alternative to CH pets when taking out a difficult target. These would be under housing, and require guns purchased from a weaponsmith. These might be very popular in PvP. These could go under 'buildings.'
Improved Harvesters
What about new harvesters that have their own unique advantages. For example: a compact harvester that has a smaller footprint but is less durable; a disposable harvester that can be sold for 10k credits but can't be redeeded; a high-power harvester that has a harvesting rate of 8 or 9 but wears out very quickly.
Housing
Sorry, but I'm drawing a blank on novel ideas for the 'buildings' line. Maybe someone else will have an idea.
Anyway, lets get creative. We won't get everything, but if we come up with interesting, creative ideas that are fun (like Jacuzzis and TVs) they may surprise us.
First, I have advocated some form of power-up for a long time, and I continue to advocate power-ups as a source of recurring revenue.
However, there have been those who feel (rightly) that this is insufficient, because people want to build structures rather than power-ups. This is certainly something I can understand.
So I've been thinking about some additional ways of improving our long-term revenue stream and supporting experimentation while allowing us to practice our craft in a broadly interesting way. These ideas include some love for all 4 skill lines.
Overhauling Installations
Limiting redeeds for harvesters will anger people if the harvesters simply blow up. However, suppose that, after a certain number of redeeds (or a certain amount of up-time), the harvester needs rebuilding? Say, for example, all the 'minor components' - turbines, fluidic pumps, etc. The game mechanics would work as follows:
1. After a few redeeds, the harvester deed mutates to a 'worn-out harvester' deed.
2. We get a new schematic which has, as components, a 'worn-out harvester deed', plus turbines etc as are necessary to rebuild the harvester. The result of this schematic is a brand new harvester deed.
Installation designers would then have a sustainable business: buying worn out harvesters, refurbishing them, and selling them at a profit. The occasional (and I mean VERY occasional) critical failure will gradually take harvesters out of circulation, requiring the construction of new harvesters.
This could be combined with various ways of making experimentation important, such as making durability determine the number of redeeds and having experimentation affect maintenance costs, power use, and harvesting rate.
Furniture Buffs
How about if furniture gives you buffs in much the same way as listening to an entertainer gives you buffs. Experimentation would then count for something. But, as you use the furniture, it wears out and stops buffing you. The matress on the durn bed just gets too lumpy for you to get a good nights sleep.
All of these need to be stackable with and smaller than the buffs provided by doctors and entertainers.
Beds and comfy chairs would, of course, be obvious targets. The devs could, however, have a bunch of fun with this.
Jacuzzi anyone!!! Buffs health. Might even speed healing of wounds if a medic is involved.
Televisions, stereos: Provide entertainment. Hehe - perhaps entertainers get 'sitcom' schematics which they then have to manufacture. This would be a total hoot!
Exercise Machines: Buff Strength, Endurance.
Again, all of these DO wear out after a while and they ARE sensitive to experimentation.
Temporary Urban-Planner Installations
The urban planner tree is going to allow for the creation of permanent structures. Suppose that a few of these could be made temporary, for use in the field. I'll assume that the devs come to their senses and use Construction for urban planning.
Suppose you could buy a 'temporary shuttle pad' that could be used once and which would allow you to summon a shuttle home. Put it down, buy a ticket, wait for the next shuttle, go home. When the shuttle takes of, the pad goes away. Everyone would love it! Put this one under 'construction' (I assume that a lot of the urban planner stuff would go under this category).
What about a temporary field hospital? Something you can place in otherwise no-build locations and which acts as a full med-center, but which decays after a few hours. This could be very useful for hunting expeditions in distant and dangerous locations.
What about a temporary field-base, which provides a shuttle pad, med center, and recreation room, and which lasts for a day or so. This would make it a lot less tedious to operate in remote areas of Lok and similar frontier planets, spreading out the crowds.
Military Structures
Turrets, defensive structures, etc. Yeah, its been done (AC-2 tacticians), but if it was balanced correctly it would be fine. If the price and effectiveness was set up correctly, these could be a great alternative to CH pets when taking out a difficult target. These would be under housing, and require guns purchased from a weaponsmith. These might be very popular in PvP. These could go under 'buildings.'
Improved Harvesters
What about new harvesters that have their own unique advantages. For example: a compact harvester that has a smaller footprint but is less durable; a disposable harvester that can be sold for 10k credits but can't be redeeded; a high-power harvester that has a harvesting rate of 8 or 9 but wears out very quickly.
Housing
Sorry, but I'm drawing a blank on novel ideas for the 'buildings' line. Maybe someone else will have an idea.
Anyway, lets get creative. We won't get everything, but if we come up with interesting, creative ideas that are fun (like Jacuzzis and TVs) they may surprise us.
Neilla
Fri Sep 26, 2003 11:06 pm
#2
Hi all,
First, I have advocated some form of power-up for a long time, and I continue to advocate power-ups as a source of recurring revenue.
However, there have been those who feel (rightly) that this is insufficient, because people want to build structures rather than power-ups. This is certainly something I can understand.
So I've been thinking about some additional ways of improving our long-term revenue stream and supporting experimentation while allowing us to practice our craft in a broadly interesting way. These ideas include some love for all 4 skill lines.
Overhauling Installations
Limiting redeeds for harvesters will anger people if the harvesters simply blow up. However, suppose that, after a certain number of redeeds (or a certain amount of up-time), the harvester needs rebuilding? Say, for example, all the 'minor components' - turbines, fluidic pumps, etc. The game mechanics would work as follows:
1. After a few redeeds, the harvester deed mutates to a 'worn-out harvester' deed.
2. We get a new schematic which has, as components, a 'worn-out harvester deed', plus turbines etc as are necessary to rebuild the harvester. The result of this schematic is a brand new harvester deed.
Installation designers would then have a sustainable business: buying worn out harvesters, refurbishing them, and selling them at a profit. The occasional (and I mean VERY occasional) critical failure will gradually take harvesters out of circulation, requiring the construction of new harvesters.
This could be combined with various ways of making experimentation important, such as making durability determine the number of redeeds and having experimentation affect maintenance costs, power use, and harvesting rate.
Furniture Buffs
How about if furniture gives you buffs in much the same way as listening to an entertainer gives you buffs. Experimentation would then count for something. But, as you use the furniture, it wears out and stops buffing you. The matress on the durn bed just gets too lumpy for you to get a good nights sleep.
All of these need to be stackable with and smaller than the buffs provided by doctors and entertainers.
Beds and comfy chairs would, of course, be obvious targets. The devs could, however, have a bunch of fun with this.
Jacuzzi anyone!!! Buffs health. Might even speed healing of wounds if a medic is involved.
Televisions, stereos: Provide entertainment. Hehe - perhaps entertainers get 'sitcom' schematics which they then have to manufacture. This would be a total hoot!
Exercise Machines: Buff Strength, Endurance.
Again, all of these DO wear out after a while and they ARE sensitive to experimentation.
Temporary Urban-Planner Installations
The urban planner tree is going to allow for the creation of permanent structures. Suppose that a few of these could be made temporary, for use in the field. I'll assume that the devs come to their senses and use Construction for urban planning.
Suppose you could buy a 'temporary shuttle pad' that could be used once and which would allow you to summon a shuttle home. Put it down, buy a ticket, wait for the next shuttle, go home. When the shuttle takes of, the pad goes away. Everyone would love it! Put this one under 'construction' (I assume that a lot of the urban planner stuff would go under this category).
What about a temporary field hospital? Something you can place in otherwise no-build locations and which acts as a full med-center, but which decays after a few hours. This could be very useful for hunting expeditions in distant and dangerous locations.
What about a temporary field-base, which provides a shuttle pad, med center, and recreation room, and which lasts for a day or so. This would make it a lot less tedious to operate in remote areas of Lok and similar frontier planets, spreading out the crowds.
Military Structures
Turrets, defensive structures, etc. Yeah, its been done (AC-2 tacticians), but if it was balanced correctly it would be fine. If the price and effectiveness was set up correctly, these could be a great alternative to CH pets when taking out a difficult target. These would be under housing, and require guns purchased from a weaponsmith. These might be very popular in PvP. These could go under 'buildings.'
Improved Harvesters
What about new harvesters that have their own unique advantages. For example: a compact harvester that has a smaller footprint but is less durable; a disposable harvester that can be sold for 10k credits but can't be redeeded; a high-power harvester that has a harvesting rate of 8 or 9 but wears out very quickly.
Housing
Sorry, but I'm drawing a blank on novel ideas for the 'buildings' line. Maybe someone else will have an idea.
Anyway, lets get creative. We won't get everything, but if we come up with interesting, creative ideas that are fun (like Jacuzzis and TVs) they may surprise us.
First, I have advocated some form of power-up for a long time, and I continue to advocate power-ups as a source of recurring revenue.
However, there have been those who feel (rightly) that this is insufficient, because people want to build structures rather than power-ups. This is certainly something I can understand.
So I've been thinking about some additional ways of improving our long-term revenue stream and supporting experimentation while allowing us to practice our craft in a broadly interesting way. These ideas include some love for all 4 skill lines.
Overhauling Installations
Limiting redeeds for harvesters will anger people if the harvesters simply blow up. However, suppose that, after a certain number of redeeds (or a certain amount of up-time), the harvester needs rebuilding? Say, for example, all the 'minor components' - turbines, fluidic pumps, etc. The game mechanics would work as follows:
1. After a few redeeds, the harvester deed mutates to a 'worn-out harvester' deed.
2. We get a new schematic which has, as components, a 'worn-out harvester deed', plus turbines etc as are necessary to rebuild the harvester. The result of this schematic is a brand new harvester deed.
Installation designers would then have a sustainable business: buying worn out harvesters, refurbishing them, and selling them at a profit. The occasional (and I mean VERY occasional) critical failure will gradually take harvesters out of circulation, requiring the construction of new harvesters.
This could be combined with various ways of making experimentation important, such as making durability determine the number of redeeds and having experimentation affect maintenance costs, power use, and harvesting rate.
Furniture Buffs
How about if furniture gives you buffs in much the same way as listening to an entertainer gives you buffs. Experimentation would then count for something. But, as you use the furniture, it wears out and stops buffing you. The matress on the durn bed just gets too lumpy for you to get a good nights sleep.
All of these need to be stackable with and smaller than the buffs provided by doctors and entertainers.
Beds and comfy chairs would, of course, be obvious targets. The devs could, however, have a bunch of fun with this.
Jacuzzi anyone!!! Buffs health. Might even speed healing of wounds if a medic is involved.
Televisions, stereos: Provide entertainment. Hehe - perhaps entertainers get 'sitcom' schematics which they then have to manufacture. This would be a total hoot!
Exercise Machines: Buff Strength, Endurance.
Again, all of these DO wear out after a while and they ARE sensitive to experimentation.
Temporary Urban-Planner Installations
The urban planner tree is going to allow for the creation of permanent structures. Suppose that a few of these could be made temporary, for use in the field. I'll assume that the devs come to their senses and use Construction for urban planning.
Suppose you could buy a 'temporary shuttle pad' that could be used once and which would allow you to summon a shuttle home. Put it down, buy a ticket, wait for the next shuttle, go home. When the shuttle takes of, the pad goes away. Everyone would love it! Put this one under 'construction' (I assume that a lot of the urban planner stuff would go under this category).
What about a temporary field hospital? Something you can place in otherwise no-build locations and which acts as a full med-center, but which decays after a few hours. This could be very useful for hunting expeditions in distant and dangerous locations.
What about a temporary field-base, which provides a shuttle pad, med center, and recreation room, and which lasts for a day or so. This would make it a lot less tedious to operate in remote areas of Lok and similar frontier planets, spreading out the crowds.
Military Structures
Turrets, defensive structures, etc. Yeah, its been done (AC-2 tacticians), but if it was balanced correctly it would be fine. If the price and effectiveness was set up correctly, these could be a great alternative to CH pets when taking out a difficult target. These would be under housing, and require guns purchased from a weaponsmith. These might be very popular in PvP. These could go under 'buildings.'
Improved Harvesters
What about new harvesters that have their own unique advantages. For example: a compact harvester that has a smaller footprint but is less durable; a disposable harvester that can be sold for 10k credits but can't be redeeded; a high-power harvester that has a harvesting rate of 8 or 9 but wears out very quickly.
Housing
Sorry, but I'm drawing a blank on novel ideas for the 'buildings' line. Maybe someone else will have an idea.
Anyway, lets get creative. We won't get everything, but if we come up with interesting, creative ideas that are fun (like Jacuzzis and TVs) they may surprise us.
Scortch
Sat Sep 27, 2003 11:20 am
#3
I like Structure repair kits that players can drop on their structures without hte need of an Architect havign to come around. More of a do it yourself thing.
I like giving players leveling deeds so it's easier for them to place harvesters and the ground returns to normal when harvester is removed.
Powerups I am not too keen on.
Modules you can add to the houses I like.
Aendre
Sat Sep 27, 2003 11:25 am
#4
I like the furniture power-up idea. I would flesh it out even more though, you wouldn't have to look any further than the Sim Online for a model for furniture stat boosts.
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