Government types

[gsagostinho]

Hi all,

I would like to understand better what the government types influence in the game. Of course I have already read http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Powers ... anisations, but that page contains only a simple description of what is being simulated in the game. My question is rather objective: which differences can I expect to see in the game between, let's say, a democratic and a corporate world? How do the 8 types of government differentiate from each other in the game (that is, how different were they programmed and what am I expected to see as an user)? I am a complete beginner and so far the only thing I could notice was that certain worlds (anarchy and feudal) are much more dangerous than others.

Thanks!
Gilberto

PS: This is my first post in this forum, so please let me know if this is the correct sub-forum to post, okay?

[cim]

Welcome to the forums

In the basic game, there are relatively few differences (which, by and large, you've basically spotted as "much more dangerous"):
- the governments are in a line from Corporate to Anarchy
- governments near the Corporate end of the line generate more and better equipped traders, couriers, bounty hunters and police
- governments near the Anarchy end of the line generate more and better equipped pirates, assassins and smugglers
- certain extremely dangerous pirate types are only generated in Anarchy systems
- bounty hunters may raid systems closer to the Anarchy end than their home system
- pirates may raid systems closer to the Corporate end than their home system
- police and bounty hunters will attack Offenders with lower bounties near the Corporate end of the line
- the Corporate end pays higher bounties for captured pirate escape pods
- rock hermits in systems near the Anarchy end are more likely to be covertly or even overtly sympathetic to pirates
- Anarchy and Feudal systems do not have Rich Industrial, Avg Industrial, Rich Agricultural or Mainly Agricultural economies
- Tech Level tends to be better nearer the Corporate end of the line (which affects the ships which police use, among other things), as are various other parameters such as population or productivity which have little or no in-game effect.

There are various expansion packs which add extra distinctions, add additional ships or stations only to certain government types, or modify some of the above rules (e.g. make a couple of high-tech Anarchy systems)

[Smivs]

Hi gsagostinho, and indeed welcome to the Board and the game.
cim summed it up nicely, so all I could add is that the different government types just add a bit of background variety to help get immersed into the whole game Ooniverse. As a spacefarer you don't really deal directly with the planet (or its government) at all. Instead you trade and resupply at the GalCop (Galactic Co-operative of Worlds) station which are much the same wherever you are. However it all feels a bit more 'complete' when you get to think about the people on whatever planet is below, some living comfortable safe lives on a rich corporate world, while others are perhaps suffering in danger or poverty, or under the yoke of a malevolent dictator.
Like so much of the game, the detail that makes it so good is in, and from your own mind.

[gsagostinho]

Hi and thanks for the answers to you both,

@cim great, thanks for the explanation, I think I can visualize it better now

@Smivs

the different government types just add a bit of background variety to help get immersed into the whole game Ooniverse

Indeed this is one of the things that made me fall in love with this game on first sight. It creates a plausible world with so many fantastic possibilities!

Like so much of the game, the detail that makes it so good is in, and from your own mind.

Couldn't agree more.

Thanks again,
Gilberto

[Layne]

Hullo, hullo, and welcome to the forum (or coliseum, if you prefer) gsagostinho!

As cim said, one of the interesting things oxps have done in Oolite is let the player add more distinctive local color to various systems. The oxps Commies, Anarchies, Feudal States, Dictators, Free Trade Zones, and Factions each change the basic systems for those government types (Multi-Government Systems in the case of FTZ and Factions) to add new station designs, new ships, and in some cases new game activities. Sadly a few of these oxps are really dusty and don't work properly in Oolite 1.82. Of course, certainly your own imagination can add lots of little details that no oxp will. I'll also mention there was a project in the works to increase the variety among system economies as well.

(Smivs. That thing you're doing? Bit of vertigo there.)

[gsagostinho]

@Layne hello there! Thanks for your message.

I have already installed a plethora of OXPs, and I will check these you are mentioning!

[Cody]

(Smivs. That thing you're doing? Bit of vertigo there.)

Even more irksome than Thargoid's avatar, is that - but I dislike animated avatars of any sort.

Welcome aboard, gsagostinho - the Random Ship Names OXP is highly recommended (if you don't have it already).

[gsagostinho]

Welcome aboard, gsagostinho - the Random Ship Names OXP is highly recommended.

Thanks! And yes, that was one of the first OXP I got recommended

[Smivs]

(Smivs. That thing you're doing? Bit of vertigo there.)

Hmmm, it's not much fun for me either. It hurts!
I think it was my rapid fall from being omnipresent to becoming a singularity. To re-establish equallibrium I seem to be in a temporary oscillating state now. The good news is I expect to be stable again by tomorrow.
Sorry for the headaches and thread derailment - nothing to see here, move along folks.......

[Wildeblood]

(Smivs. That thing you're doing? Bit of vertigo there.)

Hmmm, it's not much fun for me either. It hurts!
I think it was my rapid fall from being omnipresent to becoming a singularity. To re-establish equallibrium I seem to be in a temporary oscillating state now. The good news is I expect to be stable again by tomorrow.
Sorry for the headaches and thread derailment - nothing to see here, move along folks.......

Perhaps I could cure you with a bit of hypnotherapy. Let me see if I can find that hypno-disk...

[Smivs]

No, it's OK. I'm back to my bad old self. Honest!

[Thargoid]

Even more irksome than Thargoid's avatar, is that - but I dislike animated avatars of any sort.

Well I am supposed to be the evil one...

[Cody]

<chortles> I thought that might summon you!

[Diziet Sma]

G'day gsagostinho, and welcome aboard!

Cim briefly mentioned raiding, but I'd like to elaborate on that a little for you..

Before v1.80, there was very little to distinguish (for instance) one corporate system from another.. a corporate system at one end of the chart was virtually the same as one at the other end of the chart. They tended to be safe to the point of boredom.

I'd like to quote from the v1.80 "What's new" page (which has now been 'retired', but can still be found on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine here) on the oolite.org website.

One of the things we wanted to do with this release was use the variety already in the galaxy maps a bit more. Previously, one Corporate State was much like another - economy had a small effect, but only a small one - but there's so much more potential in the maps. On the ClymAngus maps of chart 5, Xevera, a Tech 15 Rich Industrial Corporate State, is surrounded by five Anarchy systems in jump range, and the label on the chart just says "The Siege Worlds". You can easily see why it got that name.


Previously, though, if you've actually visited Xevera, there's not been anything in-system to distinguish it from any of the other Tech 15 Rich Industrial Corporate States. In 1.80, that's changed - it gets regular raids from the nearby anarchies, and has extremely well-armed Viper Interceptor patrols paid for by the wealthy system government who try to intercept the pirates as soon as they jump in. It's also a favoured base for bounty hunters wanting to turn the tables and carry out strikes on the anarchies, because they can buy lots of equipment, get good repairs, and not have to worry too much about pirates on the way home.

Compare this with Ceesxe in chart 1 - same government, economy and tech level, but rather than being an outpost of Cooperative-friendly stability in a dense pirate hub, it's a border system with only three relatively stable neighbours. Very safe, with maybe the occasional pirate raid from nearby Veis, and not particularly popular with bounty hunters because there's hardly anything to hunt.

So basically, how 'safe' a given system is, to some extent also depends on who its neighbours are...

[gsagostinho]

@Diziet Sma Hi and thanks for the welcome

This kind of dynamic situation that you wrote about is absolutely amazing, I will keep my eyes opened to observe this. I finally made enough money to equip my ship so I feel more secure about leaving the Leesti-Diso trade route.

Take care,
Gilberto