Structures

Below is the list of features that have been currently decided on for the Colony Simulation.

Building Types

The Colony Simulation will use a set of Building types for which the different Buildings that can be built in game can be categorized. Each of the Building types has special attributes which make them unique. Aside, each Building will also have a unique look and feel, allowing for aesthetically pleasing choices for the user. The basic Building attributes which all Buildings share are the following:

• Name – A unique name for each building

• Model / Texture Names– Names for the 3D graphics and textures which will be associated.

• Required Workers – The workers required for the Building to run properly. These workers are classes as Unskilled Workers, Skilled Workers, and Scientists.

• Costs – The cost in Resources to build the Building.

• Upkeep – The amount of Resources the Building consumes per turn.

• Passive Storage – A storage that all Buildings possess for shuffling resources between other Buildings, using the Tube system.

• Upgrade Info – The information about the costs to Upgrade the Building to the next tier or level

All upgrades to Buildings should be such that they increased the extra attributes each possesses, increasing their efficiency and potential, as well as making them more aesthetically pleasing or flamboyant, matching the nature of the Building.

Note About the Building Look: The Buildings as we are calling them should look like pods of some sort. The Colony is a collections of pods that are connected by tubes, floating around in space. Hence, each Building, based on their own aesthetic specifications, should look pod like.

Entertainment Building Type

The Entertainment Building Type offers Buildings which are specialized in raising the Happiness of the Colony’s population. These buildings are meant to look aesthetically pleasing and fun, like futuristic arcades, parks, and the like. These should look flashy or very distinguished, looking like futuristic Las Vegas styles buildings for digital entertainment or well preserved, restful, and contained natural wonders for more natural entertainment. The extra attributes of this type are:

• Happiness Modifier – This is a numeric modifier which augments the Happiness of the Colony based on a certain amount.

Gatherer Building Type

The Gatherer Building Type offers Buildings which are specialized in gathering specific Resources, allowing the player to build more Buildings, fulfill upkeep requirements, and enhance their Colony. These Buildings take advantage of robot mining units which affect the speed and amount that can be gathered at any given time, at any given Gatherer. In order to gather, the Building must first be attached to an Asteroid. These Buildings should look very constrained, very mechanical like, as they are used to drill into Asteroids for raw Resources. The extra attributes of this type are:

• List of Gatherable Resources – This is the list of resources that the Gatherer can gather at any given time.

• Number of Units and Tools – This is the list of mining units and tools that the Gatherer has. Each Gatherer will have a maximum number of them and will start with a minimum number.

Industrial Building Type

The Industrial Building Type offers Buildings which are specialized in developing new units or tools for many of the other Buildings in the Colony. These Buildings are meant to look very mechanical as well, looking more towards the assembly and production end of the spectrum for aesthetic qualities. The extra attributes of this type are:

• List of Artifacts – This is a list of Artifacts that the Building can create. These can be either units or tools that are used by other Buildings within the Colony.

Refiner Building Type

The Refiner Building Type offers Buildings which are specialized in taking the raw Resources from Gatherer Buildings and processing it, sending it along to Storage Building to be stored. These Buildings are futuristic foundries, emitting light and other attributes similar to foundries, but each being unique for the Resources it handles. At this time, it is being considered that these may also end up being coupled as the Storage Buildings as well. Extra attributes of this type are:

• List of Refinable Resources – A list of resources that this Building can refine.

• Storage – If this Building is made the Storage Building as well, then it will have the list of Resources it can store and the maximum amount that can be stored. This may be coupled with Refinable Resources then.

• Number of Units and Tools – The Number of Units and Tools available to the Refiner, which affect the speed and amount of Resources that can be refined.

Residential Building Type

The Residential Building Type offers Buildings which are specialized as housing for the inhabitants of the Colony. These Buildings offer various qualities of housing and different amounts of housing for the population. These Buildings should look like self contained pods which have various windows and residential qualities, similar to futuristic houses and apartment Buildings. Extra attributes of this type are:

• Recommended / Maximum Populations – A number of the recommended population and maximum population a Building can hold. If the number of the of residents increases passed the recommended number, the Happiness of the residents will decrease.

• Quality of Housing – This is an overall quality of housing attribute, which affects the Happiness of the residents. The higher the number, the happier the residents will be.

Science Building Type

The Science Building Type offers Buildings which are specialized in research Technologies for the Colony. These Technologies globally affect the Buildings and population of the Colony, modifying various attributes of various Buildings, increasing the prosperity of the Colony. These Buildings should look like futuristic universities or research facilities. Examples could include Research Domes, Research Satellites, etc. Extra attributes of this type are:

• List of Research Technologies – This is a list of all the Technologies that this Building can be used to research. More technologies can become available to research as new Technologies are learned.

Storage Building Type

The Storage Building Type offers Buildings which are specialized to store the Resources of the Colony. These Building should look very functional, looking like pods, spheres, or boxes which are very self contained, as they are meant to store resources. Currently, the function these Buildings provide may end up being shifted to the Refiner Building. Extra attributes of this type are:

• List of Storable Resources – This is a list of the resources and the maximum value that can be stored for each of them.