Colonies

(this feature is exprimental)

Introduction

Some objects (currently starbases/ports/docks, planets and astroids) may now change empire ownership, initiated by players, during a universe game. This feature is simulated by using XSW standard economic properties and a new economic trade routine to calculate empire domination on the objects.

In effect players may now help their empires to conquer strategic positions and build larger clusters of "friendly" planets and bases - or they may try to stop the other empires from doing the same.

How it works

Any ship will now have one new product:

Colonists

Each controllable object will have one new product for each empire:

Colony TGI
Colony PKU
Colony WFG
Colony CMC

If you sell colonists from your ship to some enemy object, they will be added to your empires colony on that object, and the server will then check if your empire now have the largest colony on the object. If so, your empire dominates the population and will take controll over the object. The server will then change the empire property on the object so it is saved with the universe..

When changing empire domination this way the following will happen:

• The empire tax rate will be lowered to friendly (10%).
• A short notice will be written in the event log.
• The player will take ownership of the object, and may examine it.
• On the next map plot (each hour) the color of the object will change to the empire color.
• The number of objects controlled by the player will be used in the score calculation.

Notes

You can only trade colonist with your own empire colony, trading with the any other colony will not work.

The homeplanet is special, it will only have its own empire's colony, so it is not possible for other empires to take it. It will also sell colonists to a very low price, as this is the birthplace for all empire colonists.

The Galor Ship Class may be used as a colony ship, as it may carry uptil 100 colonists. The other ships may only carry 10 colonists.