This panel is presented by Dan Trufin and Thorsten Leimann, two designers from the Frankfurt studio of Cloud Imperium Games. They work on a fundamental Star Citizen system: resource management.
What’s the point ?
Resource management is used to give depth to the universe from Star Citizen and provide gameplay opportunities.
Thus, we can consider that resource management is one of the fundamental bricks of the crewed game, because it is through it that the captains, engineers, mechanics, firefighters and other roles will have to work together to keep the ship functional, even in the middle of a fight. She goes in particular increase the time it takes to destroy a device (time to kill) and encourage players to deactivate or neutralize it instead, and then board.
But it must be understood that this system will not be confined to the only vehicles of the players. It can also be found in their bases, in space stations, in underground facilities, and in cities. Everywhere, it will therefore be possible to interfere with the management of resources or to manipulate them to produce the desired effects. So it will be a means to achieve his goal, including in missions.
It is therefore a system that will be fundamental and omnipresent in the universe.
What is it about ?
Resource management simulates all cables, pipes, tanks, batteries, relays, components and ECUs that produce, transport and consume resources. Breathing air, the energy that powers components, coolants, fuels, and data are all examples of resources that pass through or are stored in a ship.
The player will be able to interact with these elements via software interfaces, such as flight engineer consolesor by opening technical hatches in the walls of vessels or buildings.
The developers break down resource management into 6 pillars:
- energy
- survival functions (temperature, air)
- maintenance (changing components, repairing them, putting on makeshift components, etc.)
- the relays
- access management (according to people or roles)
- gravity
What has already been done?
The developers have developed a working prototype based on a Hammerhead, where the elements are not permanently integrated, but are functional. We find there :
- Activating and deactivating elements
- The definition of consumption priorities for the elements
- The definition of the circulation of energy via the relays
- The ability to remove a relay to disable what’s behind it
- A survival component (life support) that does provide breathable air. It can be controlled directly or remotely to remove the air or put it back, room by room, and thus extinguish fires or suffocate people.
- Gravity modification: low, normal, disabled
This already offers opportunities for sabotage or assassination. For example, you can sabotage a ship by removing the relays that power the shields to make it vulnerable.
What are the next steps ?
Since it’s a colossal system, the developers plan to release it in several iterations. The first should have the following perimeter:
- interactive elements in the ships
- relay gameplay
- maintenance of fuses in relays
- resource management
- the definition of control groups in the multifunction screens
- creating saved configurations
- an interface for flight engineers
- a screen for engineers
