3.1 KiB
Ships
This document defines the intended role of ships in the simulation.
Ships are mobile actors that operate across the spatial model in UNIVERSE-MODEL.md under the authority of commanders defined in COMMANDERS.md.
Core Principles
- every active ship should have a commander
- ships operate in explicit movement regimes
- ships execute logistics, combat, construction, scouting, and transport roles
- ship capability depends on hull, modules, and commander intent
Ship Roles
Common roles include:
- mining
- hauling
- construction
- escort
- patrol
- combat
- scouting
- passenger or utility support later
From a simulation point of view, the important distinction is not only hull category but also commander role:
- self-directed industrial ship
- station-assigned ship
- fleet-assigned ship
- faction-directed strategic ship
Movement
Ships should move according to the layered spatial model:
- thrusters inside a
localspace - warp between anchors inside one system
- stargate or FTL for inter-system travel
Ships should not behave as if an entire system is one continuous local dogfighting field.
Command Requirements
A ship without a commander should be severely limited.
At minimum, it should not perform meaningful autonomous loops such as:
- mining cycles
- trade runs
- route planning
- combat patrols
- logistics procurement
Ship commanders should be able to receive work from:
- player direct orders
- a superior commander
- economic opportunities exposed by the market
Some ships should also specialize in worker transport, provided they carry the required human habitat module defined in WORKFORCE.md.
Ship work selection should also obey policy restrictions such as allowed trade partners, regional limits, and station-serving constraints. See POLICIES.md.
Capabilities
Ship capability should depend on:
- hull class
- fitted modules
- cargo and storage compatibility
- propulsion capability
- docking compatibility
- optional warp and FTL capability
Cargo and movement capability should materially affect which market opportunities a ship can accept.
This should eventually include item-class compatibility as described in ITEMS.md.
Those capabilities should primarily come from fitted modules as described in MODULES.md.