Economy Overhaul (Obsolete)

NOW OBSOLETE:

The release of the Economy 2 update will probably have broken this mod.

My goal with this mod was to make many of the changes I thought that the old economy needed (with the limit of not knowing how to script) and compare it to the changes Keen would make from a game design perspective. I am pleased with how this mod turned out and to see similar changes in the new update.

Hope you enjoyed using this mod and thank you.

WHAT NOW:

This mod is redundant now but I do not wish for the work (especially the grids) to go to waste. I'm not sure yet what I will do, it will probably depend on what the new update is like, one option is making additional content for the new contracts to give more them more variety.

Since making this mod I have learned how to script so ideas I cut like a new salvaged faction type which sells broken ships may be possible now, or as people have suggested making the economy work better with the water mod and water planets.

If you have any opinions on features of this mod you would like in the new economy system or find somthing lacking in the new economy system do leave a comment, I may not respond to all comments but I do read them.

SUMMARY:

This mod overhauls many of the economy features, it comes with new npc trade stations, new cargo ships, pirate drones and damaged repair grids for contracts. It also adds new purchasable store grids for Builders, along with specialised grids for Trader and Miner factions. Contract rewards and reputation gains have been rebalanced, and stores have been reorganised to offer more meaningful quantities of items.

ABOUT THIS MOD:

I started working on this mod a few months before Keen announced their upcoming economy update, I decided to continue development knowing that the mod might not have the longest relevance.

The current economy system is over seven years old and has received a lot of criticism with some players barely interacting with it. I am interested in game design, and this project was an opportunity to explore my own ideas for improving the economy and see how they compare to the changes Keen is making in the upcoming update.

After the economy update, I might incorporate the best parts of this mod into a new mod for the new economy update. Feel free to let me know what you think. Hope this makes the economy a lot more enjoyable while we wait for the new economy update.

Also available on Steam Workshop

FEATURES:

Most of the features of this mod are based on feedback & comments found throughout the community.

Check out the trailer video for a showcase of the mods features.

• More NPC faction names, colours, and icons to reduce repetition across factions.
• Reworked trade stations that look better, are easier to navigate, and feel more alive.

• Trade stations respond to player arrivals and departures, as well as hostile players or grids approaching and leaving.

• Trade stations will launch defence drones against hostile players (in space and on planets), making hostile reputation with NPC factions a bit more meaningful.

• Buy/sell items in stores reorganised to be more faction-specific, consistent, and available in larger quantities, making late-game trading more rewarding.

• Builder faction store grids remade and expanded to modern SE building standards, with a wider variety of early and late game grids.

• Faction-specific store grids for Miner, Trader factions, providing more variety and meaningful purchasing options.

• Store grid images and descriptions updated.
• All contracts are significantly more profitable, with increased credit rewards.
• Reputation gains and losses increased so success and failure feel more impactful.
• Contract durations extended to reduce time pressure.
• Acquisition contracts for expanded range of items and larger quantities.
• 17 New repair contract grids with a range of scales, featuring higher rewards, interactive features and radiation hazards.

• New escort contracts featuring 5 new cargo ships and 16 pirate drones, broadcast warnings for cargo ship departures and damage, and a much harder experience than vanilla.

LATEST UPDATE:

• Fixed blank faction logo bug
• 2 New remade trade outposts.
• Added 10 military faction store grids
• Added 4 pirate faction store grids
• Balances changes to store amounts.

ADDING THIS MOD TO ALREADY EXISTING WORLDS:

It works, you won't get any of the new NPC faction names, icons, or colours, but you should get everything else including new trade stations (old trade outposts and stations will swap for new ones). Servers should be similar but I have not tested this, If anyone adds this to a server I would be interested in know how it goes.

COMPATIBILITY WITH OTHER MODS:

If it does not effect the economy, item or faction files its fine. If a mod effects one of those things it could lead to issues (depending on load order). I know it works with a few of the most popular Modular encounter system mods, Crew enabled, and some item icon changing mods but not all.

DO I NEED DLC:

You don't need any DLC for this mod. You are able to weld up DLC blocks on repair contract grids and purchase store grids that make use of them without owning any DLC.

But if you damage a purchased store grid and lose a DLC block you won't be able to replace that DLC block.

BUGS/ISSUES:

You may not encounter any issues, these are the ones I know can happen. Let me know any bugs or issues you find, but not everything can be fixed.

• NPC factions have black logos (new icons not appearing).

This issue is related to how SE loads/gets image files (such as .dds and .png). Other mods that add store grids experience the same behaviour. In most cases, the issue resolves itself over time or after restarting the game.

As a workaround, you can force the images to load by moving all image files from the mod folders into the main game folders, though this is an extreme measure to take. At the moment, th