We’ve been having quite a bit of fun putting together the list of commodities we’ll be releasing in the beta. Some vanilla commodities are on the chopping block but most will remain, albeit after a significant makeover. But we'll also be adding 54 completely new and unique commodities to the game.
Off the bat we’ll be giving each house and a few minor factions an alcoholic beverage befitting of it’s nation which should add grounds for some fun RP opportunities. Waste will be getting a big overhaul with a new line of refuse commodities for the Junkers and corporate factions to get involved in waste disposal. Where things get quite interesting is the range of industrial and technological commodities we have lined up. Here we’ve added a lot of flavour to many corporate factions by giving them exclusive commodities which tie into routes styles that reflect their connotations.
Here’s a short preview of what’s cooking in the kitchen:
Isotopic Hydrogen
Due to its high reactivity, pockets of pure hydrogen are an extremely rare phenomenon. This rarity is more so in the case of hydrogen isotopes. Few examples of sustained isotopic pockets have ever been recorded. But their one commonality is their proximity to a source of continuous and intense radiation.
Chemicals and fuel are heavily under represented in vanilla. Isotopic Hydrogen is just one of eleven commodities we'll be introducing as part of a rejuvinated chemical industry. Firms like Cryer Pharmaceuticals, ALG Waste Disposal, Synth Foods and Samura Industries will all get a generous slice of the pie. But for this commodity in particular, we have more than just an infocard and a pretty face lined up. So watch this space.
Engine Components
Every interstellar vessel in Sirius relies on fusion rockets for propulsion. Instead of drawing power from a ship’s primary reactor, each rocket houses a miniaturised core which vents superheated gas directly through the rocket’s cone. Due to the enormous force exerted by these engines, mounting a whole engine at once can make a ship structurally unstable. Instead they are split into several components and reassembled to encase part of the ship’s chassis. The colour of the vented gas is a peculiar phenomenon and can vary from ship to ship. The material used in the rocket housing, fuel composition and the ship's fuselage are all believed to affect it.
We're all familiar with engine components. This commodity is a staple of the Freelancer economy. So we've kept it and given it a long overdue makeover. In practice it will play a role in a production chain involving several other commodities, allowing plenty of room for just about any corporate faction to get involved.^-
Proxy Rigs
A proxy rig is a ship modification that allows remote access to a ship’s flight computer. Proxy rigs must be manually hardwired into the ship’s infrastructure and effectively override its manual controls. Ageira's original project was investigating means of hands free flight control, but was shut down in its early stages due to fears of its abuse. Regardless, it didn’t take long for the blueprints to find their way into the criminal underworld. The technology has been slowly proliferating but is far from perfect. Many of the flaws native to the legitimate project persist in the cobbled together imitations constructed by the criminal tech-savvy. As a result, most proxied ships end up careering off into space or crashing into the nearest stellar object. Nevertheless, possession of proxy rigs is outright banned by all four house authorities.
Arguably my favourite commodity. Proxy rigs are a new contraband item we'll be introducing as a faction-specific product of the lane hackers. The infocard above is just one piece of a much larger puzzle we've created for players to piece together by seeking out various articles of lore dotted around the mod. Players will unravel the mystery of how the plans were procured and how they are being used just by doing some investigating at the locations they can be sold at.
We're looking forward to unveiling the rest upon launch and we're confident it will create a much more immersive experience for players to engage in.
