I'm excited that singleplayer's time is here! I really like how there are separate maps for the galaxy vs individual star systems. Interacting with factions also sounds very engaging.
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One concern is that placement might be too unimportant for resource storage and trading. Aside from the select few resources that might be used in combat (e.g. Cosmonium/fuel), players could store resources wherever and accelerate time if they're getting bored watching it load and unload. Ideally, I think storage placement would lead to interesting ship designs in the same way weapons, defenses, and engine placement do right now.
An idea (for trading, at least) is that rather than storing resources in an internal storage bay, resources could be bought and sold in individual "cargo containers" with fixed sizes and large exclusion zones . These containers would be placed like ship components.
For example, I might buy a 2x8 container of phlebotinum with a very long exclusion zone, requiring me to place it on the outside of my ship (like real life cargo containers - space to be loaded and unloaded). Or I could buy a 4x6 container of antimatter that consumes power, requiring crew to supply it with batteries (or else you get a nasty antimatter explosion).
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I think this would lead to a lot of interesting interactions. Giving cargo containers large exclusion zones forces them to compete with weapons/engines/shields for surface area, so designers would need to think more creatively when building ships. Do you put guns on the outside or cover it with cargo containers? Is there enough room to fit shields behind the cargo? Should you put cargo on one ship and guns on an escort to get more surface area?
Because cargo would exposed on the outside of a ship, enemies could destroy the cargo containers and loot the contents without having to annihilating the whole ship. Ships under attack by pirates might want to jettison their heavy cargo containers and flee, rather than fight to the death.
Carrying resources in discrete containers rather than fluid storage bays also (IMO) makes it easier for different types of cargo to behave differently. One type of cargo container might be really, really heavy, while another one might spoil and get less valuable over time (indicated by the color of the container, maybe). Yet another type of cargo container might consume a resource, like the antimatter example.
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That being said, I have no idea how this would work with normal resource storage or mining. The idea is built around buying and selling cargo in discrete containers, instead of being mined or salvaged piecemeal - and obviously you wouldn't blow up an asteroid and get a whole shipping container of metal.