Cargo Rework

src/design-proposals/cargo_redesign.md

@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+# Cargo Overhaul
+
+| Designers | Implemented | GitHub Links |
+|---|---|---|
+| Joaco545 | :x: No | TBD |
+
+Special thanks to ThatOneMoon, literallyablueberryguy, Sophia Impetus, [Goobie](https://github.com/pirakaplant), Moxie_Is_Moxie, and UristMcWiki. You helped flesh out this idea a ton <3
+
+
+## Overview
+
+Overhauls how cargo works by replacing the ATS with Traders that visit the station over the shift.
+
+## Background
+
+Cargo 2.0’s objective is to remove the “bluespacing” magic of things from normal rounds, making bluespace a more mysterious force that needs to be investigated, leaving it for the station’s purpose of researching it, while making cargo a more intresting role than just selling the station for parts on the ATS.
+The replacement for the game's magic instant teleportation comes in the form of Traders who visit the station, maintaining a more authentic representation of how things would work in real-life space logistics.
+
+Initially inspired by https://static.slugcat.systems/salvage/
+
+## Features to be added
+
+### Traders
+Trader ships will start visiting the station, FTLing to a nearby spot. Each ship will stay for a time before departing.
+While near the station, cargo can contact them to verify the ship's manifest and purchase itmes.
+Traders can be haggled with to get a better deal, or pay extra to gain better favor (Reduce annoyance).
+Traders who are going to the station to make deliveries may also carry mail for the station's workers.
+Traders may advertise different missions that the station can take.
+- Traders may advertise increased prices for certain items they are looking for (bounties). While you can haggle for bounty prices, they run out of patience much sooner.
+- Traders may advertise a Hold mission, where cargo needs to hold onto some crates for a bit while another ship comes to take them later. The "holding price" can be haggled too.
+- Other mission types may be added later.
+
+
+I am looking for names and backgrounds for trader companies. If you want to contribute your own funky idea please do so [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZwMZVA_7eoe2qk0ULY0i9mHI4ZN5agnHebGdVTPx95A)
+
+### Deliveries
+When things are bought through the station's cargo request terminal, a delivery will be generated. After enough time passes, a delivery ship will be sent to the station with both deliveries and mail.
+There are 2 options for deliveries:
+- A NanoTrasen delivery ship that delivers the cargo and then leaves.
+- A Trader that was going that way anyway, so they get paid to do the delivery.
+
+Traders that are going to the station anyway (are not contacted by FTL-Comms) may also carry regular mail deliveries.
+
+
+Once Scrip is added, players could also have access to a Scrip shop and get that delivered to the station. (NT would be acting as the intermediate party, letting their employees use Scrip to buy small, silly things)
+Traitors could also get their things delivered by traders, being smuggled onto the station this way, but after a discussion (https://discord.com/channels/1276640157511979008/1276653734767755294/1465387091998281769), the idea grew enough to become its own design doc for further down the line.
+
+### FTL Antenna
+A large device which, when powered, can be used to scan signals from FTL ships.
+  - Could be required to see space
+
+### FTL Communications Computer
+The FTL-C Computer is a new computer that allows cargo to scan FTL space in search of trader signals.
+If a signal is found, it would allow them to check a trader's manifest and communicate with the trader to call them over.
+Needs to be connected to an FTL Antenna via a networking tool
+
+### External Radio Communications Computer
+The ERC Computer is a new computer that allows cargo to communicate with nearby trader ships, letting them check their manifest, place buy orders, and track any mission they have.
+
+### Haggling
+Traders can be haggled with in order to get better prices for buying or selling. Each trader has a preset price change tolerance and a range of possible patience values. Traders will haggle you back, so the actual value of the offer after haggling will be somewhere in the middle of the original price and your offer.
+All traders have a "final offer" line that they will say when they are out of patience, but they may try to fake you out by using this line when they are still willing to haggle more.
+
+### Annoyance
+Annoying a trader won't have much effect, but annoying many traders will spread the word that this station is not worth the trouble.
+
+### Ship Types
+Flagships - THE Flagship. Has all the luxury for whoever owns it - Only for admemes (Think NT Super-VIP visit, probably has a death squad protecting them)
+
+Traders
+  - Big - Ships with tons of cargo space, they exist for moving freight across the vast distances of space
+  - Intermediate - Most common type of trade ship. Designed to go station to station, trading for goods
+  - Independent/Small - Small ships offering limited things
+
+Mail Carriers - Ships dedicated to moving large amounts of mail through a territory.
+  - In between Intermediate and Small, designed for "last light year" (last mile) delivery
+
+
+- After consulting with the lore people, I was told it would not be common for the competition to sell stuff directly, so new companies will need to be created. Eg, CarpPro, a company that sells fishing products; MorningStar Dynamics, a company that resells mercenary gear
+  - After even more consultation with the lore people, it has been determined that traders under Sol Gov could be a thing (as in registered under Sol Gov)
+
+### Item market value fluctuations
+This is a system intended to add more variety by making prices slightly fluctuate throughout a round, while also preventing the station from only selling one thing.
+At the start of each round, item prices are randomly set higher or lower than usual. This randomness shifts the meta of what items are most profitable to sell each round.
+Include demand and supply dynamics
+- Selling a lot of one thing would impact its market value, lowering it. This is intended to stop the selling of one item the whole round (SMES farm type nerf)
+- Buying a lot of one thing would impact its market value, increasing it.
+- A random event could trigger that makes an item to be demanded by the market (raises prices), or the inverse, which makes the item be oversupplied/not wanted by the market (lowers prices).
+
+
+## Game Design Rationale
+
+The proposal aims to remove the magic teleportation of things/spawning out of thin air to make a more authentic game, while also making the world feel bigger and more alive with the inclusion and regular interaction with different trading companies.
+
+This also introduces some round variation, as each trader will buy and sell different things. Maybe you can get a discounted artifact from some local archaeologist, or sell a used artifact to a research company just passing by!
+
+
+## Roundflow & Player interaction
+
+The first random traders will start showing up soon after the round starts
+
+Having to wait for all their batched orders to arrive will be a slowing factor for cargo, but it will also introduce variations into the rounds as each trader will be different than the last (With a big enough trader ship pool).
+
+Cargo is expected to buy things needed by the station from the traders, plus things that they plan to sell to the highest bidder.
+As different companies have different needs, they need to recognize who will buy things over the market price (bounties) to generate the most profit possible.
+
+As a way to de-incentivize certain behaviours, an "annoyance counter" will be added, representing how annoyed traders are at the station's cargo department.
+
+The game director can call up random events mid-round that affect the item market, making things more or less expensive for the station. Many market events could have their own flavor text; this would give players a way to RP things happening outside the station (eg, news about a refinery fire) and make the world feel lived in outside the station itself.
+
+## Administrative & Server Rule Impact (if applicable)
+
+Cargo SOP will need to be amended to take into account the time it takes for Traders to appear after things are bought on the cargo console.
+
+
+## Technical Considerations
+
+### Trader Ships
+- Each trader ship will start with a random timer designating how long they will stay near the station.
+  - A hard ship cap can be enforced by not having any more trade ships on the FTL-C, and not allowing cargo to buy things until the current delivery ship is cleared
+
+- A trader will have a list of things they sell. That is their manifest.
+  - A hidden manifest can be implemented for antags to use. They usually contain contraband items.
+    - This feature is mostly for other people to build on (eg, Urist's Fence support antag on his thief rework proposal, or the Interdyne Chemist to get some "special" restocks).
+
+- Each trader will come with a list of missions the station can partake in.
+  - For now, they will be heavily weighted towards Bounties, until enough mission types can be added to make it more interesting.
+  - Some missions will need to be completed before the trader leaves, while others will have different triggers for completion.
+
+
+### Delivery ships
+- Unlike traders, delivery ships won't have anything to offer but what has been asked for.
+
+- They will arrive, announce themselves, and leave as soon as the ship is clear of any people and deliveries.
+  - They will get annoyed if they are left waiting for too long
+
+
+### Mapping Trader Ships
+- Different styles for each corporation
+  - A corporation could have a fleet of smaller and larger ships.
+    - This depends on corporation size and lore (Megacorp (NT), Big (Cybersun/Gorlex), Medium (Animal rights consortium), Small (random independent traders))
+    - Each corporation should have its own set of decals to make each ship theirs (eg, big NT logo, or red highlights for syndicate)
+
+  - Ships could share shape (ship model), but with different paint jobs.
+  - Smaller traders could have more cozy ships, or repurposed vessels? (eg, Big Ore Trader using a standard ship vs Local Salvaging Crew having a scrappy salvage vessel).
+
+- Use a modified ATS spawning and sell zones in a hidden compartment to hide the spawning of crates and selling of bounties. Usage of conveyors and airtight flaps is encouraged.
+  - Spawn zones modified to have a buy queue (Kills "not enough space" error message).
+    - Spawns crates from the queue in an interval to simulate cargo being moved on the back of the ship.
+  - Sell areas modified to instantly sell any crates placed on them.
+
+### FTL Antenna
+- A large device that needs to be powered and connected to the FTL-C Computer with a networking tool
+  - (Optional) When a connection is started, power usage increases
+    - (Optional) The power usage could depend on how high the signal gain is
+
+
+### FTL-Commnications Computer
+- Requires the FTL Antenna to be connected via a networking tool to function (Look at how artifact scanners work).
+
+- Minigame that lets you tune the antenna's FTL comms to find traders that are "warping" (not spawned) near the station.
+  - Adjust Azimuth and Elevation, read radio gain, and adjust again till you hit a trader with a high enough gain to connect.
+
+- When tuned lets you see the cargo manifest of a ship and also allows you to call it to the station for trade.
+  - Emmaging enables looking at the hidden manifest of ships that have it.
+
+
+### External Radio Communications Computer
+2 Tabs:
+- Ship Manifests Tab:
+  - Allows you to see the manifests of nearby ships and place orders on them.
+    - Emmaging enables looking at the hidden manifest of ships that have it.
+    - You can haggle the price of the order. Bigger orders can get a bigger discount.
+      - Being too unreasonable (haggling too far or too many attempts) will annoy the trader, who may refuse to complete the order and leave as soon as they can.
+
+  - Will allow you to see the remaining time before they warp away.
+  - Will allow you to dismiss the trader early, freeing up a spot for another trader to come (soft trader limit).
+
+- Missions Tab:
+  - Let's you track active bounties on the different ships.
+  - Let's you track other missions (like hold orders).
+
+
+### Haggling
+- Each trader has 2 values:
+  - Price Change Tolerance: How much they are willing to go over or under the price for selling and buying, respectively.
+  - Patience: How many attempts the player gets before getting annoyed and rejecting the haggle outright.
+
+- Traders haggling back will take a value between the original price and your offer.
+  - Exception: The offer is in their favor (you sell cheap or buy high).
+
+
+### Annoyance
+- Annoyance is a counter that increases when players act in ways that are not good for the traders, and decreases when favorable deals are struck with the traders.
+  - The starting annoyance value will be set on the mean annoyance of the traders that visited the station during the shift. This will be akin to the station "gaining a bad reputation".
+
+- When the annoyance counter is high enough, traders will stop allowing haggling.
+  - If the annoyance counter keeps increasing, they will stop visiting the station if they don't have a purpose. This includes refusing to come over when contacted, and stop allowing trade altogether.
+    - It is a QM's job not allow this to happen.
+
+- Each trader has their own annoyance threshold. This is done to make sure that the station is not suddenly cut off from trade.
+
+- Annoyance triggers:
+  - If a player is on a trading ship, the ship will not FTL away. If you leave traders waiting to leave for a long time, they will get annoyed.
+  - Failed haggling attempts will annoy traders.
+  - Failing missions (may also incur a fine).
+  - Damage to trader ships will ANNOY traders a lot.
+    - This includes hacking doors.
+    - If damage is serious enough, they may hightail it. Any players remaining on board will be removed from the round as their body has left with the trader ship.
+      - (To determine later) Display a message on the common channel about them leaving? Play some claxon to indicate the ship is emergency warping away soon?
+
+### Item market value fluctuations
+- Add an item market console that would have a list of items that can be sold. When an item is clicked, relevant information is shown.
+  - Take inspiration from Sec’s Wanted computer and add a category dropdown and search functionality.
+  - Add a bar graph with historic prices when an item is clicked?
+
+- Each item on the market should have a "mass" that makes it more or less easy to move its price from the station exporint/importing it
+  - Events outside the station can still easily impact the market (say "a refinery-planet fire makes plastic costs soar by 15%", or "a shipping lane disaster makes ships coming from outside NT territory delayed, making certain product prices go up temporarily")
+  - Basic resources should not be easy to move by the station selling them
+  - Some items should not be able to be moved (eg, lottery crate)
+    - Define mass = 0 to not allow items to be moved on the market
+
+### Removals
+- Remove the ATS.
+- Remove the Mail Teleporter.
+- Remove the bounties computer.