Any thought to the end game? Besides money what is the player trying to accomplish in the game? And it being a trading based game your economy system is going to have to be pretty solid. Like the idea of perishable goods and other events to diminish your ships cargo value. In most top-down games you have a combat based element to the game is this going to be in their as well?

I think about various types of reputation, gained through combat, trade and missions. Higher reputation may open doors leading to new technologies, quests and even government contracts.

As for economics - luckily I know someone who would be able to help me with this 🙂

I think about real-time combat system - starship combat is a very important element of the game and can not imagine it could space trading game without it I don't know if engine could be done similar to that of Transcendence (I mean the armor divided into sections, not one HP bar like in EV series).

edit: I think about sandbox game, without any real end.

How about going small and detailed by keeping the game in one solar system it could be in our own or a made up one. There could be plenty of space stations, moon bases and asteroids bases to visit so there would be shortage of place to go.

Also if the game is 2D how about having the planet rotate around the sun, moons around planets ect. The planet could have there own gravity fields where ship or items can be place in orbit.

I must think about it - it's intriguing idea 😀

However I wonder if in such case the game could be so detailed as in the case of multiple star systems (and how not to overload the operating system when all elements are loaded into memory at the same time)

About realistic (or semi-realistic) orbiting system - I fear that creating such a complicated physical model would be very difficult

Don’t know anything about programming myself but I always assumed that the modern space trading games use that pause when you jump into a new system to load in the star systems objects Rather than loading it all in memory at once.

Yes I know, but I like your idea of single star system 🙂

The only problem is that I don't know how to give game a depth, how to avoid long, boring journeys between stations and moons.

What kind of stations can be included:

➡ Mines

➡ Research facilities

➡ Planetary trading posts

➡ Prison stations?

➡ "Black market" (often on backwater stations)

➡ Remains of some mysterious, alien civilization?

➡ Moon habitats (various types)

➡ Orbital habitats (as above)

➡ Military outposts

➡ Shipyards

Any other ideas?

Besides, I'm wondering how to make any division or zones of influence of various factions or groups.

Yes, events will be necessary. Thanks 🙂

Currently I must made some documentation to contain all what I want to contain in game - it will take a while. Unfortunately I'm afraid that next step will be create of game engine by myself, which probably will kill my enthusiasm (I HATE math) 🙁

I think about using the Construct - it's simple, but powerful tool (although it's highly recommended to wait until version 1.0 comes out). I forgot everything what I know about C++ 😀

RNG scares me - I want to put thing into a star system in random order. On the other hand I learn Construct only for two days and I know that it may take up at least half a year, if not more.

EDIT: Here are some pictures of planets that I intend to use in the game (free stock images):

Unfortunately I don't know anybody who can make good starships sprites and I'm afraid that photoshop skill is too low 🙁

Looks like you have all the station types covered there.

If you are staying in one solar system then maybe keep the factions groups small maybe just 4 based on the old Elite types of democracies communism and independents with the pirates on the outskirts of the system. Each of them could control one or more planets with the odd station in each others territories apart from the pirates.

If you limit the amount of fuel and oxygen each ship can carry then you give the player a reason to trade so they can upgrade the ship to get out to the further planets in the system.

Fuel limitation is an good idea - I like it. I remember my problems with fuel when I started playing Transcendence 😀

I know that is the main reason I have been slow into starting some type of game design because my graphic ability is lacking in a huge way 🙂 But if you are creating lets say a one sector game then maybe start with the level layout and start working features in slowly.

I think I'll try to make some graphics with Photoshop / illustrator, but if I fail it just change the whole concept layout (much simpler, geometric graphics, outlines and silhouette only etc).

Maybe a miracle will happen and some graphics just pop out from nowhere, but honestly I would prefer to find someone who could help me with the game engine

EDIT:

I think that instead of ultra - realistic I'll do rather simplified graphics, inspired by Battleships Forever - at the moment it's the only graphics type that I can make. It's still better than nothing 🙂

Sorry for double post, but here are the first ships that I have created:

They don't look good, but I am unable to create better gfx 😀

I would not worry too much about the graphics at this early stage.