Passive Income Mod Idea: Export Link for Wholesale Selling at Outposts

[GoooosE87]

User Story:
As a Starfield player who enjoys the complexity of building advanced factories and managing resources, I find the process of manually picking up and selling produce to vendors cumbersome and time-consuming. I want a streamlined way to sell goods in bulk directly from my outposts, enhancing the immersive experience of running a futuristic trade network.

Concept Overview:
Currently, in Starfield, players can create advanced outposts and factories but must manually transport and sell their goods to vendors to make a profit. This breaks the immersion and detracts from the overall experience of managing a high-tech trading empire. My proposed solution leverages the existing Cargo Link mechanic to introduce a new feature: the Export Link.

Key Features of the Export Link Mod:

1. Export Link Landing Pad:

   • Similar to the Cargo Link, the Export Link would be a landing pad that facilitates the arrival and departure of trade ships.
   • Ships would come to your outpost to collect goods for sale, mimicking real-world wholesale trading.

2. Terminal Interface:

   • The Export Link would include a terminal where players can manage their sales.
   • Players can select resources or produce available at their outpost for sale through this terminal.
   • The interface would display current inventory levels, allowing for easy selection of items to be sold.

3. Ship Design:

   • Incoming and outgoing ships for the Export Link could have unique designs to differentiate them from standard Cargo Link ships.
   • These could be randomized or designed as specialized cargo freighters, adding variety and a unique visual aspect to the mod.

4. Bulk Order Pricing:

   • Goods sold through the Export Link would be considered bulk orders, sold at 50% of the standard vendor price.
   • This discount reflects the wholesale nature of the transactions, providing a margin for the retailers and encouraging large-scale production and trade.

Implementation Details:

• The mod could utilize existing Cargo Link mechanics as a foundation, modifying them to support the export functionality.
• Integration with the game’s inventory system to track available resources and manage sales through the terminal.
• Visual and functional enhancements for the landing pad and ships to distinguish them from standard Cargo Links.

Conclusion:
This mod would significantly enhance the trading and resource management aspects of Starfield, offering players a more immersive and efficient way to profit from their outposts. By automating the sales process and introducing bulk trading, players can focus on expanding their operations and exploring the universe.

Call to Action:
If you're a modder interested in bringing this idea to life or if you have suggestions on how to improve this concept, please share your thoughts! Let’s collaborate to make the trading experience in Starfield more engaging and rewarding.

Thank you for considering this mod idea. I look forward to your feedback and hope we can create something amazing together!

GoosE
Starfield Enthusiast and UX Designer

[FALCmods4all]

Definitely a missing link in the outpost system.

There could also be more variation and fluctuation in both buy and sell prices between systems. Perhaps even prices influenced by local quest events similar to bounty missions but for trade route disruption. Requiring either some sort of escort/increased freighter defenses or player intervention against offending fleet or outpost.

Similarly, outposts with larger stashes of goods to be shipped out could be more likely targets for pirate attacks. 

[HeyYou]

On 5/29/2024 at 6:07 PM, FALCmods4all said:

Definitely a missing link in the outpost system.

There could also be more variation and fluctuation in both buy and sell prices between systems. Perhaps even prices influenced by local quest events similar to bounty missions but for trade route disruption. Requiring either some sort of escort/increased freighter defenses or player intervention against offending fleet or outpost.

Similarly, outposts with larger stashes of goods to be shipped out could be more likely targets for pirate attacks. 

I see some REALLY good ideas there..... Beth has NEVER had a dynamic economy..... Probably be a fair bit of  work to add one, even for modders. (even WITH the CK...)

I would love to see "Escort Missions" on the mission board. Those were fun in privateer. (and various other games in the wing commander universe.) Of course, Privateer also HAD the dynamic economy..... a game released in 1996...... (I think it was actually Privateer 2...)

Outpost attacks would become tedious though, just like they do in Fallout 4. Once you pass a certain threshold, you spend more time defending/repairing settlements, than you do anything else. Maybe being able to hire ecliptic mercenaries to defend your outposts. Or introducing another faction entirely.

[FALCmods4all]

On 5/31/2024 at 6:26 AM, HeyYou said:

I see some REALLY good ideas there..... Beth has NEVER had a dynamic economy..... Probably be a fair bit of  work to add one, even for modders. (even WITH the CK...)

I would love to see "Escort Missions" on the mission board. Those were fun in privateer. (and various other games in the wing commander universe.) Of course, Privateer also HAD the dynamic economy..... a game released in 1996...... (I think it was actually Privateer 2...)

Outpost attacks would become tedious though, just like they do in Fallout 4. Once you pass a certain threshold, you spend more time defending/repairing settlements, than you do anything else. Maybe being able to hire ecliptic mercenaries to defend your outposts. Or introducing another faction entirely.

Yes, the somehow nobody can repair a broken turret except the player is tedious.

Maybe rather just needing to train people and keep components stocked. Also, being able to set other ships in the player fleet to check on a declining outpost and offer whatever aid.

So unless supply lines have a weak bottleneck they shouldn’t fail completely, just slow down.

But, maybe just to mix things up, if on very bad terms with spacers, CF, etc maybe some rare takeovers, hostage situations. Might be interesting to have to build bases with secret entrances and stealth in mind in order to minimize hostage deaths, or otherwise just be prepared to negotiate.

I guess the main things with outpost defense are either playing up the tower defense mechanics or having surprising interactions with attackers. I think kenshi does a good job with this. Faction jurisdictions and odd characters to deal with. Why people want to get in your house and what might get them to leave is just as interesting as making them leave. One really great kenshi mechanic is the ability to show mercy, giving defeated enemies medical attention, and with mods, gradually converting enemies into allies.

I do like having to decide whether to just save hassle and work with spacers or over engineer outposts for security.

A bit more variety of creature attack causes would be good, too. Some reacting to noise, others to smells, some to movement. If a creature likes scrap metal maybe launching scrap could lower the need to repair structures. Or perhaps fully scanned creatures allow pheromone production that can lower aggression. Domestication as a defense strategy.

I guess last little outpost tweak I keep thinking about are diseases or parasites. If one isn’t cautious crew might go nuts or explode with spores or other gruesome hazards, giving incentives to do proper survey scans and build proper precautions.