Mining

[alex-moon]

Now we can go searching the asteroid belt for asteroids. The question is: why? We need to give the player something to find on the asteroids. Specifically, the point of the game is to mine.

Questions: what is this like? First thoughts: mineables should be crystalline solids (not dissimilar to the asteroids themselves) which are a different colour or texture to the asteroid surface. These should be divided into a number of resources:

• hydrogen ice
• iron and/or nickel
• anything else?

You select and right-click the crystalline solid on the asteroid surface and boom, it's added to your supply (and, obviously, removed from the asteroid surface).

[alex-moon]

What do you build? First, a platform. Then, a water electrolyser, to make hydrogen and oxygen. The electrolyser is made of silicon, which you can get from s type asteroids.

So then where does metal come into play? Maybe you need some in everything you build. What about nickel and cobalt? Cobalt is used in batteries. Hydrogen is burnt to provide energy.

Graphite is a common material used in space. Graphite is made of carbon, which you can get from c type asteroids.

Silicon, carbon, metal (iron and nickel). C type most common (80%), then S type (12%) then M type (8%). So the resources should be needed in proportion.

But then what do you use hydrogen and oxygen for?

[alex-moon]

Can have fun with materials btw. Silica is just quartz, it's see-through and shiny. Metal is shiny. Carbon is just coal. Ice is also see-through and shiny.