---
# System prepended metadata

title: TG-Voidcrew design goals
tags: [TG-Voidcrew]

---

# TG-Voidcrew design goals

This is all the designs we want for a TG-rebased Voidcrew. Please get approval from [@Willardstation/Maintainers](https://github.com/orgs/Willardstation/teams/maintainers) if you want to add onto Maintainer thoughts.

If you aren't a Maintainer but still have design choices, you can put it in the Non-Maintainer goals, and if accepted, will be manually moved by a Maintainer.

This allows us to clearly display what we wish to accomplish in this new TG-based codebase. We do not want to limit ourselves to simply being TG with old Voidcrew tacked on, we want to make use of TG to further expand what we want in the game, making the game more interesting in the process, hopefully.

#### Anything not listed here will instead be on our [feature wishlist on Github (click me)](https://github.com/orgs/Willardstation/projects/1/views/1), we don't list everything here because we don't think everything is important to make a hackmd out of.

#### Our Discord server can be [found here (click me)](https://discord.gg/E69UYSfSKT).

# Maintainer Goals

## Ships (John Willard)

### Factions

Not much has changed:
Syndicate, Nanotrasen, and Neutral.
Neutral is 'Kill on Sight' by default, there is no 'opting out' of the main gameplay element.

Conflict and trading is much more entertaining and erratic when both sides can't fully trust the other, and metaprotections ruins that entirely. If you want 100% safe partners, play a Nanotrasen or Syndicate ship, and find fellow Nanotrasen/Syndicate allies.

### The Cargo app

The Cargo app is linked directly to the ship budget of the user's mind. It shows every use of the budget, and can link IDs to the budget, as well as remotely unlink them. This lets the Captain decide who can and can't use the ship's budget.

This might also come with a log of the past uses, like the HoP's bank accounting machine.

### Roundstart equipment

The Captain should always spawn with a tablet that has the Cargo budget management app pre-downloaded.

Guns should be sparse outside of authority figures within Nanotrasen/Syndicate ships, they should be more focused on getting weapons through gameplay instead of being given for free.

The only exception is Syndicates, who are allowed to have a progression-type system that allows them to get Syndicate contraband, preferably in exchange for actual weapons (like an upgrade).

### Ship on Ship interactions

Ships should by-default be able to force any ship to pull over into space, if they both stand on the same tile. The exception is when you're over planets, in which case you instead force them to dock there.

The primary way to interact with other ships is done through Fax machines, with Holopads being possible, but (I wish it wasnt).

It would be nice to have a way for NEU ships to disguise themselves as SYN/NT ships to the respective teams, being Pirate-like behavior to trick crewmembers on these ships into believing they're going to meet allies. **Combat/Conflicts between ships is the main gameplay we aim to create, and should be heavily encouraged.**

## Science (John Willard)

### Techwebs

Techwebs should be separated by ship, while I like the idea of an R&D server holding all research, I do find it unfair how easy it is to deconstruct it and screw over the entire ship's research.

- R&D servers will require a 'r&d server hard disk drive' (printed at the Autolathe) to function (the master system's theft item on TG), which is what actually stores the research. If the machine is deconstructed, that disk will drop, and it is what actually stores the research.
- Destroying the machine that hosts it should still unsync everything.

### Research nodes

1. Stealing research nodes with no consequence to either side is, while fun for the people getting free research, unbalanced and unfair.
2. Stealing should still be possible, it just requires some form of negative effect on the people being stolen from.
3. Selling research nodes, or donating them for those who want to be extra friendly, should still be possible without self-sabotage.

To handle all three points, I propose the following as a solution:
1. Research consoles connect directly to ships (like engines) and will only allow downloading tech nodes if you're part of the ship's crew.
2. Ninja's research node theft functionality will be brought over to everyone, Right-Click an R&D server to steal research points. Maybe 10 seconds = 1000 points? It will drop it as a research paper on the console's tile.

### Point generation

Natural point generation is entirely gutted.
Research points will be gained through several ways:

1. Experiments, doing an experiment will give research points instead of node discounts. Doing experiments also unlock other experiments, rather than researching all the necessary nodes to unlock one that has said experiment. TG's experiments are fine, but they can (and should) be expanded to include map-specific ones. Scanning fish, flora, fauna, or unique items on specific biomes, are much more interesting experiments than scanning 9 uranium toilets.
2. Nanites, this is the replacement for natural point generation. It's very little compared to what it's replacing, and has the risk of sabotage or glitching out, which makes it a more interesting option.
3. Dissections, it should give research points and be upgradable, but it should NOT be as good as it is on Voidcrew (7500 research points for **1** Human experimental dissection, beating every other option by a landslide).
4. Survey Handheld, I thought it was a nice idea but it should be expanded into a machine you turn on to scan the planet. One scan, one research point note. This should also cost a lot of Power to do so.

The goal is not to create an unfun gameplay loop where players feel forced to do chores for research points, but rather as a way to slowly get stronger, while encouraging them to go to different planets, and fight/barter other ships for node and points.

### Researching

I am fine with researching as it is. With the arguments above of removing experiemnts being tied to nodes, I don't see much else that needs changing, though that might just be my bias since I like the science gameplay.

## Cargo (John Willard)

Cargo should be something that has to be built, no ship should come with a console roundstart.

### Budget

The budget should be one per ship, each individual will have their personal IDs connected to this budget. It is shared between everyone and Cargo, so things purchased from Vending machines will affect the crew, and their Cargo.

### Ordering/Shipping

As Cargo can't have their own shuttle for every ship, they will have to build a pad that recieves and delivers their needs, acting like a replacement to the Cargo shuttle.
Servers like NSV already have this type of system implemented, but it will have to be pushed further to fit individual ships. A 3x3 area with iron rod floorings will have to be cleared and marked using something similar to an express console's beacon, and the machine will require linking to a Bank machine to use/recieve money.

### Bank machine

The bank machine will connect to Cargo consoles directly via a Multitool, allowing it to spend money that way. Private orders will have to be gutted to allow this to properly function.
A bank machine makes it possible for money to be stolen by trespassers, allowing conflict to arise between ships that isn't in the goal of murderboning and destroying enemy ships.
This syncing allows tampering and sabotage, an enemy may try to steal their Bank machine's buffer to use the budget on their own Cargo wants. Because of this, it must be possible for the crew to see (like the Ore Silo) all connected Cargo consoles, being able to remove any unauthorized Console. Preferably, it would list GPS coordinates, so they can see who is the culprit.

### Bounties and Money

Civilian bounties are out of the question, money will have to be gained through alternative means. Exploring different stations and selling artifacts first comes to mind, but it's more of a placeholder of something that could be even greater.
Cargo should be 2x the price for Neutral ships (less money, more cost) to encourage them to trade/ally with Nanotrasen and Syndicate ships instead, as they have no secured trade routes.

### Management

The Captain of any given ship should spawn with a tablet that works as a Bank accounting machine to whichever ID is in the tablet. This will allow the Captain to immediately know if one of their crewmates is spending the entire cargo budget. See 'The Cargo App' under Ships.

# Non-Maintainer Goals

###### tags: `TG-Voidcrew`