Starbase Contracts
The first element of this is the ability for a starbase to open contracts with the various offices and services we have in the Exiles Universe. You start off with 2 free contract slots, these are used automatically when you deployed your Starbase for a Commercial Store and a CSTS. The Commercial store whilst taking up a slot is not actually a timed slot and will never expire.
You can choose to remove the C.S.T.S IF you so choose? But it has a 720 day contract and again this was part of your deployment process.
Contracts with Starbases are expensive, you'd expect them to be so as they will generate you income over time far out stripping the normal settlement versions. Income is closely linked to your Starbases daily footfall (read docking / visitors) both NPC and player. We use these figures + a few more to work out a daily average for income. This will be stamped and used for the nightly income vs outgoings billings that will take place starting Tomorrow Night.
97 Offices / Services
Just like settlements, you will need a free contract slot and enough funds in your Starbase bank account to pay for it. The list will open up and complete its offerings of 97 offices by the time your Starbase reaches level 10. Most of the deployed starbases have reached 8 and 9, so the list will be pretty diverse already.
Contracts How many?
You will have received +1 contract for each level your starbase makes. You were issued 2 contracts at deployment, so for instance if your starbase is level 8 you will have 10 contracts. At level 9 you will receive another. I will be adding in a future update (from another activity) that will allow you to increase these slightly and yes there will be a CAP. (To be decided).
Access Starbase Contracts
I've had a little jig-around and moved ones of the screens inside another, giving me more room to expand as we go. The footer icon second from the end 'Trade & Commerce' now takes you to a three section option. The top one is the Contracts screen, the second takes you to the old Starbase Trade & Commerce screen. (growing pains required this and allowed me to plan a little more ahead).
Settlement Log
This update brings with it the addition of a Log. I know we have been adding certain activities to the Guild logs and also directly to Captain logs if you own a starbase, but I have now activated the 'Starbase Log'. This can be found under the current build of the 'starbase Settings' page inside 'Starbase Operations'.
Like all the other logs in CE it has a drop-down that will grow over time as we add more logged entries. For now, it will begin to track contracts, financial transfers, loadout activity and finance activities. Please note: apart from the deployment dates, it will currently be empty. But any action listed above will now be tracked in here (as well as the Guild and personal logs as before). At a certain point, I will set it to auto prune anything over 3 months old, but for now it will retain data until I set that function up.
This log is mostly there as an overview for the guilds, so they can track who has been doing what with the access they have to the Starbase. Finances, deployments and contracts should be tightly controlled, but that's up to you guys.
Office / Service Income
First off, I have NOT YET activate the billing stage ticker. It's running but not taking or adding funds whilst I monitor its outputs. So you won't see anything or be billed or earn any incomes till I turn it on tomorrow. Then close to midnight it will run and add up all the incomes and then deduct the Starbase outgoings. +/- the funds will then be taken / added via your starbase account.
This will lead to two entries into the Starbase Log. One will state the incomes, the other the outgoings. As I said above, this is NOT currently active and will go active tomorrow night.
Your starbase earns XP as it receives visitors who dock there. This is an NPC generated form of traffic. Starbases are Waaaaay too expensive to rely on Captain foot fall and docking's. The income from stores is based heavily on visitors inside that 24-hour period. This then takes into account your Starbase Tax and works out an income for each store. These will be tracked and when I've figured out how to display it will be displayed, so you can see who’s earning you money.
Some stores may not earn you anything, as their services may not be something that would earn you a taxable % of the stores' income. Some like Cargo offices will pay out based on cargoes delivered etc. So don't expect to create a spreadsheet and nail it down to an exact science. You should cover the rather expensive contract costs over the period of the contract, and you SHOULD make a profit over time. The greater level your Starbase the more footfall / docking the more you will earn.
Over time as we bring Tourism and trade online these will also have a % value affecting the income along with starbase 'Quality Of Life'.
Hopefully you READ all of this and have time to sit and digest...
Have Fun
Coops