200 lines
5.8 KiB
Markdown
200 lines
5.8 KiB
Markdown
# Policies
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This document defines policy rules for trade, docking, construction access, territorial behavior, and operational restrictions.
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Policies are how commanders turn general strategy into concrete permissions and limits.
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They sit between diplomacy, economy, space control, and ship behavior.
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## Design Goals
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The policy model should support:
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- policy-based market access
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- policy-based docking and service access
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- regional or system-limited ship behavior
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- construction rights at valuable locations
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- faction differentiation without changing core mechanics
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## Core Principles
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- policy should constrain behavior without replacing command AI
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- access should be explicit rather than assumed
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- policy can restrict market participation even when market data is visible
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- policy should operate at multiple levels
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- ships and stations should obey policy limits when selecting work
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## Policy Levels
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Policies should exist at multiple levels:
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- faction policy
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- station policy
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- ship or commander behavior policy
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Higher-level policy sets the default.
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Lower-level policy may narrow or specialize it.
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Examples:
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- a faction allows trade with neutrals
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- one station is faction-only
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- one ship is restricted to a single system
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## Trade Access Policy
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Trade access determines who may participate in a station's market.
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Possible policies include:
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- open trade
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- faction-only trade
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- friendly-only trade
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- whitelist-based trade later
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- blacklist-based trade later
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Important distinction:
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- market information may be visible
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- actual participation may still be restricted by policy
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This preserves your rule that station market intent is generally open knowledge while still allowing trade control.
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## Docking Policy
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Docking access should also be policy-controlled.
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Possible policies include:
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- open docking
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- faction-only docking
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- friendly-only docking
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- emergency-only docking later
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- denied docking for hostile factions
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Docking policy matters because no trade or transfer can happen without actual local access.
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## Construction Policy
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Construction rights should be policy-relevant at the faction and system level.
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This does not override the hard structural rule from [SPACES.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/SPACES.md):
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- one structure per Lagrange point
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But it does help define who is permitted or tolerated to claim and build in a given system.
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Examples:
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- a faction allows allies to build in its system
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- a faction contests all foreign construction
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- piracy or warfare makes claims vulnerable regardless of nominal policy
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## Operational Range Policy
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Ships should be able to operate under geographic or territorial restrictions.
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Examples:
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- stay in local system
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- stay in assigned region
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- stay near assigned station
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- use only faction-controlled stations
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- avoid hostile territory
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These restrictions should be expressible as policy and behavior, not only as one-off hardcoded AI.
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## Behavior Restrictions
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Policy should be able to constrain ship work selection.
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Examples:
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- a trader may only serve faction stations
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- a miner may only sell within one system
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- a hauler may ignore low-profit trades outside an assigned region
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- a station-serving ship may prioritize one station's needs even when broader market opportunities exist
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This is how the simulation gets meaningful local identities and doctrines.
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## Market Visibility vs Market Access
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These should remain separate concepts.
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Baseline design:
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- station market intent is generally visible
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- actual buying, selling, docking, or transfer may still be restricted by policy
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This is important because intelligence and permission are not the same thing.
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## Policy And Commanders
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Policies should be authored or maintained by commanders.
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Recommended responsibility split:
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- faction commander sets broad access and territorial doctrine
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- station commander sets station-specific access and market policy
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- ship commander applies local behavioral restrictions when choosing work
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This keeps policy tied to decision-making rather than existing as disconnected static data.
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## Policy And Diplomacy
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Policy should eventually connect to faction relationships.
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Examples:
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- friendly factions may trade and dock
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- neutral factions may trade but not build
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- hostile factions may be denied docking and targeted in local-space
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The exact diplomacy system can evolve later, but policy should be ready to consume those relationship states.
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## Policy And Claims
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Claim objects at Lagrange points are visible and contestable.
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Policy influences:
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- who may place claims without triggering hostility
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- who is tolerated in a system
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- who may receive peaceful access to build
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But policy should not make claims magically invulnerable.
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Claims remain physically contestable objects.
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## Minimum Rules
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The following rules should remain true unless deliberately revised:
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- trade access is policy-based
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- docking access is policy-based
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- behavior range restrictions are policy-capable
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- market visibility and market access are separate
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- station and faction commanders should be able to define access rules
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- policy constrains work selection without replacing command logic
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## Relationship To Other Documents
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- [COMMANDERS.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/COMMANDERS.md)
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- commanders define and apply policy
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- [ECONOMY.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/ECONOMY.md)
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- policy constrains trade participation
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- [SPACES.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/SPACES.md)
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- policy interacts with claims, systems, and local access
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- [STATIONS.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/STATIONS.md)
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- station commanders apply local market and docking policy
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- [SHIPS.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/SHIPS.md)
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- ship behavior should obey operational restrictions
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- [COMBAT.md](/home/jbourdon/repos/space-game/docs/COMBAT.md)
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- policy interacts with hostility, defense, and contested access
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