Dev Diary #8 - The station in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) - Part VI

Welcome to the eight Dev Diary entry of 'Space Station Designer'. In the previous article, we discussed the process for manufacturing commercial goods in microgravity and selling them on Earth. In this entry, we'll cover the basics of two more revenue-generating mechanics: Modules Leasing, and Commercial Services.

Modules Leasing

As our space stations evolve and get larger, we may find that we may have some spare capacity that we can temporarily lease to external entities so that they can make use of it.

This functionality can be accessed by acquiring the 'Modules Leasing' research technology in the research tree, which has a dependency on 'Expansion in LEO'.

Once the acquisition of 'Modules Leasing' is complete, a new button in the 'Revenue Generation Group' will become available.

Initially, there's only one leasing slot available. Further slots can be unlocked via the 'Modules Leasing Management Center' Earth facility, which we will cover in a future entry.

After selecting a slot, we can choose the modules that we would like to include as part of the leasing contract. Note that only certain modules can be included in a lease (for convenience, unavailable modules are shaded in red). The selection screen also shows us an estimate of the financial rewards based on the number and type of modules selected.

After concluding the selection process, we'll be presented with six potential customers: three Contractors, and three Private Companies. These options feature a range of upfront/end payments, and lengths. Selecting a Contractor will also increase their experience points (XP), whereas selecting a Private Company will grant us a certain number of Public Reputation points depending on their alignment. For example, selecting a Private Company with a 'bad' reputation, such as 'WBC Broadcasting' will grant us a larger financial reward at the expense of a negative public reputation, so choose wisely!

After selecting an option, the main leasing screen will be updated accordingly. In this particular example, our leasing contract with 'Brighton Aerospace Ltd' offers both an upfront and an end payment, and lasts for 10 months. Note that modules won't be available for other uses while the engagement is active.

Commercial Services Engagements

The second revenue-generation mechanism we're going to cover in this entry are Commercial Services. These are services provided by individual modules that feature 'Commercial Services' capabilities, and they can be acquired after researching the 'Commercial Services Base Technology' and its dependencies. Similar to modules leasing, once the acquisition of the 'Commercial Services Base Technology' is complete, a new button will become available as part of the 'Revenue Generation Group'.

In this example from the late stages of the game, we already have three commercial services modules in our LEO station, and all of them are currently available.

If we select the 'Open Space Dock', we're presented with a series of options: three Contractors and three Private Companies. Unlike the modules leasing process, when setting up a Commercial Services engagement we need to assign astronauts to it. There's also a possibility that the engagement can fail, in which case we'll be required to pay a penalty.

After selecting an option (in this example, we've chosen the 'Boston Institute of Nanotechnology'), we are presented with a list of available astronauts so that we can select the ones who will be assigned to this engagement. Note that this module requires four astronauts, and that there's a list of recommended special skills. Selecting a group of astronauts that possesses the recommended special skills will have a significant impact in the chance of delivering a successful engagement.

Once the astronaut selection is complete, we'll be taken back to an updated 'Commercial Services' screen. The 'Open Space Dock' and the selected astronauts will be unavailable throughout the whole duration of the contract which, in this case, is nine months.

Coming Up Next

This blog post covered the main concepts behind 'Modules Leasing' and 'Commercial Services Engagement', which are two more tools in our belt for generating revenue. We'll be discussing more revenue-generating mechanisms in future entries.

We're currently running a closed beta for 'Space Station Designer' (more information here). If you're interested in trying it out, please consider applying and help us shape its future.

See you in the next Dev Diary!

--Ignacio, Mauricio, and Nicolas (Polar Motion)

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