Keeping sectors active - if players aren't in them: give players the option

[LordHavoc]

A deployable beacon, that can be bought. Once deployed is indestructable, and tells the server to keep that sector active.

 

Both Single/Multiplayer: Only one beacon can be carried at any one time, you have to deploy before you can get another beacon

 

Single player: Beacons are at the same price throughout

 

Multiplayer: For each player & for each beacon deployed the price increases (doubles, or some other ramped scale).

This could act as a limiter so servers don't get overloaded having to process active sectors.

 

Players could then pop them down in sectors of interest or commerce. Where there are trade hubs and NPC factories/mines

[koonschi]

I think this is more of a system parameter, not a gameplay parameter. It should be in the server config and/or the game options.

 

But I basically agree and I'm working on giving you the option. Bugfixes have the highest priority though right now.

[Adonis]

Personally I think having system nodes running in the background should be of the utmost priority since it makes player stations and station processes like trading relatively pointless unless you just go afk for hours in a system and limits your ability to explore the rest of the galaxy. Unless there is a ramp up on the scale of raids or respawn of asteroids in a system. Because otherwise the only viable active gameplay is to act like a nomad and take advantage of short term trade routes and resource depots as you pillage everything in your wake.

 

Theoretical example to solve some of the basic issues I've seen, to allow players to control or fight over territory, would be a galaxy wide tick cycle for stations to update resources creating a mock economic simulation adding and detracting resources to station pools as they would for each in an active system node, but as a background process. (including resource depot recovery)

 

Not sure how heavy that would be on the system you have designed though, so maybe the better alternative is a variable to track ticks away from a system and update each system as a player is loading onto the grid.