A possible solution for Offworld Rushing

from Stardock Forums

Why not have offworld prices rise over time? Start at low values (randomly distributed with a mean close to market prices on day one) which rise with a gentle exponential increase over time. I'd like to see the average offworld prices begin to become viable somewhere around day 7-8 and quickly rise to dominate thereafter, but a simple tweak of an exponent can adjust game length and/or adjust for the number of players.

Benefits:

  • Increase the viability of other mid game strategies (hacker, engineering, pleasure, patents)
  • A moderate exponential rise in prices would end 'won' games quicker than fixed prices
  • Limit the ability for debt diving to win while ignoring the rest of the economy
  • It models the realistic exponential growth of demand for scarce resources on Earth
11,891 views 2 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

For those who don't know what i mean by a gently rising exponential: Assume starting food value was $60 and starting glass value was $80. A random normal generator sets starting offworld to $62 for food and $75 for glass.       

Gentle Growth (Longer Game) Exponent base: 1.3      
  Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10
Food $62 $81 $105 $136 $177 $230 $299 $389 $506 $657
Glass $75 $98 $127 $165 $214 $278 $362 $471 $612 $795
                     
Moderate Growth (Medium Game) Exponent base: 1.35      
  Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10
Food $62 $84 $113 $153 $206 $278 $375 $507 $684 $923
Glass $75 $101 $137 $185 $249 $336 $454 $613 $827 $1,117
                     
Aggressive Growth (Shorter Game) Exponent base: 1.4      
  Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10
Food $62 $87 $122 $170 $238 $333 $467 $654 $915 $1,281
Glass $75 $105 $147 $206 $288 $403 $565 $791 $1,107 $1,550
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

This could work. The only thing is that it mandates using offworlds at a certain point. Price would also only ever rise offworld, which I still find bothersome. It will also mess with the game length. The exponential growth should tie in line with the desired game length, but im not sure offhand how long 30 minutes is in game days. By market prices, do you mean onworld? If so only glass/electronics would always be the end game resource as they start highest.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion