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Re: Quick Issue: Colony Ships Population Source and Consumption

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 8:13 am
by Krikkitone
Simplest is the elimination of 'population' except as a fluff number.

Replace it with Development/Infrastructure.
That can be "built" into the colony ship in the normal sense.

Re: Quick Issue: Colony Ships Population Source and Consumption

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:00 pm
by Bigjoe5
Aussie Mick wrote:Just take the colonists in proportion to the (population-1)/(max. population +1-population). That way most of the colonists come from large close to full colonies.
eleazar wrote:Or in the circumstance that there's only one other colony with a population of one (assuming colony ship have a population of 1), you probably don't want to wipe out the previous colony.
I also don't think it's worth the player's time to worry about where his population is coming from.

Re: Quick Issue: Colony Ships Population Source and Consumption

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:51 pm
by eleazar
Krikkitone wrote:Simplest is the elimination of 'population' except as a fluff number.

Replace it with Development/Infrastructure.
That can be "built" into the colony ship in the normal sense.
We already have "Infrastructure". While it's not inconceivable that population could be rolled up with infrastructure, we'd loose some interesting possibilities if these two concepts weren't distinct.

* Smart Weapons that kill civilians without destroying infrastructure. A cool late-game weapon. It would be a huge advantage to be able to conquer a planet without needed to rebuild the infrastructure.

* Humane weapons that destroy infrastructure and buildings while leaving citizens alive. (this is less compelling than "smart weapons."

* Abandoned colonies: I.e. you have development, but no people-- a boost for starting your colony

* Slow Evacuations/Repatriations: Ideally you should be able to remove the citizenry of a planets to allow a new species to settle without loosing the development of a planet.

Re: Quick Issue: Colony Ships Population Source and Consumption

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:19 pm
by Krikkitone
eleazar wrote:"population" v. infrastructure possibilities.
All those can be modeled by a distinction between Infrastructure and Resource meters.
Infrastructure=generic slow improving economic capability
Resource Meters=resource specific more rapidly improving economic capability

There is no need for population unless there is migration
If there is migration, then there is no need to worry about where a colony ship gets its population.