5.2 KiB
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 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.
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 at0%workforce
This means:
0%workforce satisfaction gives baseline operation100%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
1000faction population, one commander is generated every1 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