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Self-sufficiency as a faction/empire

#1
Hello!

I am wondering about the possibilities of making a faction self-sufficient (either player controlled or a AI faction). If you control enough systems (and planets) that you have all the resources and Income you need to continue expanding your faction, can you at some point become self-sufficient? With a steady increase of income and production of resources, without the need of trading with other factions/empires.

With other words: Will you ever be able to be completely self-sufficient and not have to rely on other factions, AIs or empires, and what do you have to do to become self-sufficient (how many planets to control etc)?

Kind regards from a lurker :ghost:
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Re: Self-sufficiency as a faction/empire

#3
Yes I understand that. But you need resources to build ships right? And perhaps money, or is that different if you actually own the factories/shipyard?

Because, I want to make an empire that is completely self-sufficient in resources and taxes so that my empire does not have to rely on external powers.

An example: My empire have 10 systems under direct command, with three armadas of ships. Another faction is close and currently controls 5 systems, and a second faction controls 9 systems, while there are 10 other systems with local powers/corporations.

I want to increase my empires borders by creating a fourth fleet and attack the faction with 5 systems. The problem is, that faction have good relation with everyone around me, therefor ending my possibilities of trading with anyone. Happily, I have my own mines/miners (and asteroid fields with resources) and colonies, so that I have practically a never ending supply of resources and taxes.

So is this possible or will I always have to do trading to get enough money/resources etc?
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Re: Self-sufficiency as a faction/empire

#6
Yes, you can, but it will take quite some time :) You'll need your own mining operation, have to own several stations for processing ore, manufacturing ship equipment, and of course, ships themselves (unless you roll them all into one really pricey megastation). Anddd naturally you'll also have to be able to protect all of your assets from factions that get a glimmer in their eye when they see those resource-rich zones you control.

But yes, if you want to play 'turtle-style', it's absolutely possible one you have the resources to do all of the aforementioned. To me, playing turtle-style in the 'wilderness' between civilization cores is a very appealing concept :) Set up your own self-sustained operation while you go out and explore other territories or just fly around and way your ships doing their jobs :D Personally I'd prefer to do so in a nice, chilly ice system :squirrel:
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” ~ Henry Ford
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Re: Self-sufficiency as a faction/empire

#9
Cornflakes_91 wrote:As you mention turtling, how is your stance towards it?

Should fortifications be powerful enough to defend areas from attacks far beyond their "weight" or should mobile forces be at an advantage?

To put in more specific terms, starcraft 1 or supreme commander? :lol:
I should think mobile forces hold somewhat of an advantage. But it's a bit too far out for me to speculate ATM. Credit-for-credit, I believe you will require more cash to turtle than to stay on the move. Part of the reason I think that is the lack of choke points. Now if you isolate every system entry point and surround them with defensive structures, I suppose you might be able to flip it the other way. But that's going to be very expensive to set up and maintain.

Probably the best way to turtle is to have strongly-shielded structures and a lot of mobile patrols, so that incoming threats can be detected and dealt with before they get a chance to do damage to operations.

Again, it's just speculation at this point. But I think setting up a turtle style that has 'advantage' (credit-for-credit) will require even more cash and thought than your garden-variety turtle :P
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” ~ Henry Ford
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Re: Self-sufficiency as a faction/empire

#11
Cornflakes_91 wrote:As an avid turtler this makes me a bit sad, but i guess i'll have to live with that one :lol:
Just get your credits piled high man! I think the best way to go about it might be to start as a roaming fleet, continue building up strength until you've got enough cash and defensive power to set up a turtle and already have a strong fleet that can respond to threats.

You'll figure it out corn! FWIW I'm an avid turtler in RTSs as well. Though for LT, I probably won't play as a large faction very often.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” ~ Henry Ford
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Re: Self-sufficiency as a faction/empire

#13
Cornflakes_91 wrote:'of course.

But i think a station should be able to puch (at least a bit) above its weight, as it has to account for less dynamic forces (or maybe use subspace anchoring to offload some structural stress :mrgreen: ) and would at least be more sturdy for the resources invested.
Stations themselves would, for sure. But consider your resource-gathering units, for example. They can be picked off relatively easily by someone that's trying to damage your operation. Guerilla warfare is basically the reason why I think turtling will take some work. If you want to be really rigorous about it, you'll need a pretty strong patrol on every non-military ship, OR a strong presence that can respond very quickly. This does make the concept of an uberstation more appealing, since you can eliminate some transport work and consolidate the area that you have to protect, but that will cost you both in resources and research to figure out how to build something capable of doing 'everything.'

At the end of the day, it comes down to simple math: turtling in n + 1 dimensions is inherently harder than turtling in n dimensions :P

EDIT: But yes, in terms of raw hull strength, stations have more on a credit-for-credit basis than ships.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” ~ Henry Ford

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