Career Management
2007-08-27
Career management is a key concept in the future of the mod.
Many existing documents outlines differents career paths and capabilities for each. The following schema try to organized all careers in a visual manner.
On reviewing design documentation, I found that many documents were around the introduction and management of the career concept (at various stages and time).
Is it possible to organize the career extension module like a tree-view like structure (as seen in many games). The player' progression should open progressively to new loadout/expension and technologies (dépending of the career chosen).
Organizing careers should enable the team to implement progressively each careers paths independently of others careers. So this mean smaller, more manageable chunks and progressive releases.
Each career has its own sets of technologies, new Ships types, loadouts and operations (operations that leads to specific missions for the player).
At certain point in the progression path, a player will need to take critical decisions that will deeply affect his future. At certain point in time he can change from a given career to another. Not all careers has that "reorientation" Option. Anyway, to reorient from a criminal-oriented career - the only option will be the identity erase feature 
Provided only at healthcare facilities (there is a risk to die from the operation (depending of the amount of enemies you cumulated ;-))
You will see also that some treads are pretty straight forward. But the government career is only achievable as a second stage career (after a successful one in a primary career in Social&Community tread. This mean that a player will need to keep a high profile favourable standing and "run for a govmt position) The diplomat career should be the stepping stone that opens to higher echelon positions. As a governor, you control police/navy so this is great power to achieve (which should not be that easy )
A navy officer cannot fills for Diplomat career. (or maybe ? - remember that navy officer gain control of a cruiser in its career path...)
Each paths holds specificities over the evolution of the world. Agriculture favors population growth, etc. R&D stations, once built, gives some technical advantages-loadouts to the player (green boxes) and stations of given size gives access to new ships types - depicted as yellow boxes. This will be great for all ship designers that wish to contribute (including even a fully functional biobomber for the agricultural player).
Others ideas as food for thoughts under a "civilian" career could be eligious stations - can trigger some kind of play-balance answer like a Jihad or a specific Fatwah\Excommunication against a too powerful player... thus generating rebels in controled systems, and provides a full spectrum of action inside the already predefined set of generic ops. or force a player to hide and change identities :-D
Naval Academy - through recruitment can provide new forces to a navy officer
Research centers - The key to gain advanced technologies and to upgrade ships Beware - advanced new technologies can be hacked and 0w3d more easily 
Medical facilities - Healthcare costs is outragous and in a distant future this is less than likely to change Also, facing impossible odds of a Uber Player, Medical facilities can defend themself by launching Bio-terrorism attacks, wide spread epidemias that cripple Uber fleets and their supporting systems/planets. Also, don,t mess with doctors, they can switch internal organs, create obligation to dock to a medical facility every x weeks to get treatment (or facing dead, or more amusing - loose reflexes on flight/fight habilities eheh !! Also if proper ratio on healtcare per unit of population is not sufficient. Deseases may spread out more easily...
Maintenance and Naval yard facilities - In the military for each fighter there is about 6-8 personel dedicated to supply and maintenance. Victory is possible through carefully followed monthly inspections and preventive maintenance PLUS ships could cumulate damage (heat more easily when damaged, etc.) repair must then take place somewhere. And everybody knows that dealers' inspections\repair are very costly...
Trading - Reuse of Torn Star concept (conceptual handle)
Shelters - good sources of informations and infections...
habitats - Population is the main parameter to calculate incomes so habitats are vital to be kept fully occupied and to protect them accordingly.
Entertainment - Population without entertainment have low morale. Low morale generates frustration, frustration anger then rebellion... Gotcha
Agricultural stations - Population are feeding upon these stations. If there is not enough agricultural station, trading routes must be put in place to insure proper supply (trough Commercial Ops)
Terraforming Station - The Nec Plus Ultra in agfricultural station. This takes planets and over a looooong period of time increase net population of a system\planet. Thus increasing income... which requires more agriculture stuff...
Food for thoughts (Duncan can you check/validate the previous elements and insure the respect of Middle States Historical context and coherence of the assembly) ?