# Workforce

This document defines population, workforce, habitats, and commander generation.

Workforce is a station-side resource that connects economy, commanders, logistics, and station efficiency.

See [DATA-MODEL.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/DATA-MODEL.md) for the explicit station-side fields implied by this model.

## Core Principles

- population exists at stations, not only as an abstract total
- each station tracks its own population
- factions still have meaningful aggregate population totals
- habitats are the source of population growth
- workers consume life-support and civilian goods
- workforce determines station efficiency
- commanders are generated from faction population over time

## Population Model

Population should be tracked at two levels:

- per-station population
- per-faction aggregate population

The station level is the primary simulation truth because population lives, grows, and dies at stations.

The faction level is the strategic aggregate used for:

- faction scale
- workforce planning
- commander availability
- demographic growth

## Habitats

Population growth should happen only at stations for now.

Habitat modules are required for population growth.

Habitats allow stations to:

- house workers
- grow population
- sustain future commander generation

Ships do not generate population.

## Worker Needs

Workers consume, per worker:

- food
- water
- consumer goods

These should be understood using the item roles defined in [ITEMS.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/ITEMS.md).

If these needs are not met, workers should die over time.

This should be a gradual attrition model rather than an instant binary failure.

## Workforce Efficiency

A workforce is required for peak station performance.

Each module should have a workforce requirement for `100%` efficiency.

For now:

- workforce scales all modules equally
- there is no special per-module workforce rule

A station can still operate without workers, but only at a baseline level.

Current intended baseline:

- `10%` efficiency at `0%` workforce

This means:

- `0%` workforce satisfaction gives baseline operation
- `100%` workforce satisfaction gives peak operation
- intermediate staffing gives proportional efficiency

## Population Transport

Population can be moved between stations.

This supports strategies such as:

- growing population at a major habitat station
- feeding workers to industrial stations
- staffing newly founded frontier stations
- rebuilding stations after demographic collapse

Population remains a station-side resource, even while being transported.

## Human Transport Requirement

Ships need a habitat module to transport humans.

This keeps population transport distinct from ordinary cargo hauling.

Related note:

- livestock modules also exist as part of the food loop

## Commanders And Population

Commanders are created from a faction's worker base.

The intent is:

- more faction population yields more available commanders over time
- commanders are rare relative to workers

An approximate working rule is acceptable for now.

Example rule:

- for each `1000` faction population, one commander is generated every `1 hour`

The exact formula can change later. The important rule is that commanders are population-backed rather than free.

## Commander Consumption

Commanders are consumed permanently when created and assigned.

They are not temporarily borrowed and returned to a pool.

If a commander dies:

- that commander is gone

This gives commanders real cost and strategic value.

## Founding And Staffing

A newly founded station may begin with:

- zero workers
- construction storage
- no local commander yet

It can still exist and operate at baseline efficiency, but it remains weak until supplied with:

- workers
- support goods
- eventually a station commander

## Failure And Attrition

If a station loses required support resources, population should die over time.

Relevant shortages include:

- food shortage
- water shortage
- consumer goods shortage

This gives logistics failure lasting demographic consequences.

## Ownership And Identity

Station population is the local operational truth.

Faction population is the strategic aggregate.

That distinction is enough for now. It does not require a more complicated ownership doctrine yet.

## Minimum Rules

The following rules should remain true unless deliberately revised:

- population grows only at stations for now
- habitat modules are required for growth
- workers consume food, water and consumer goods
- workforce affects station efficiency
- stations retain a small baseline efficiency at zero workforce
- population can be transported between stations
- transporting humans requires a habitat-capable ship module
- commanders are generated from faction population over time
- commanders are permanently consumed when created
- dead commanders do not return to the pool

## Relationship To Other Documents

- [COMMANDERS.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/COMMANDERS.md)
- [ECONOMY.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/ECONOMY.md)
- [STATIONS.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/STATIONS.md)
- [SHIPS.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/SHIPS.md)
- [ITEMS.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/ITEMS.md)
