Improving the 'new world' experience

I would like to possibly start a discussion on a few things relating to starting a new world in SE and perhaps how the game is 'played' to a degree.

One of the big things I've noticed is that 'SE technology' advancement tends to happen in bursts relating to either updates/various individuals innovation with learning how to work with the game's in-game programmin/blocks. Because of this burst/leapfrog nature I've seen alot of promising ideas/mechanics get lost behind as simple thought experiments or one off custom builds.

I'd like to suggest that as a community we setup a bit of a 'standards' body for improving blueprint quality, accelerating build design time/functionality & providing keen with a solid foundation for basing their dev roadmap on how we use the game.

Even if we continue the faction/"corporation" approach how some of the groups of builds have arisen in would be good, but trying to find common ground would be best as we all improve together when we have the tools/foundations to do so.

Thinking like the oldschool RTS player I was in a former gamer lifetime, I think some standardized functionality is key and needed and could really turn some of the grind in SP around as well make it more fun / less punishing to play also in multiplayer as well.

I think we need to come up with some modular designs that are both independently functional but can also 'plug-n-play' together to create either SP projections for building or creative builds rapidly and without needing R&D constantly. Scripting has come a long way and we are experiencing a silver-age so to speak of functionality, I think if the building community can advance it's blueprint repository and needs, the scripters will be more then up to the challenge to assist with automation. For so long we were desperate for access to functionality and now we have the necessary tools (albeit basic and limited in some respects but access all the same) to induce real automation and 'robotic' engineering.

Some things I think we need to begin creating in standardized / possibly-minimalist but definitely low-cost-high-function blueprints and builds to advance this games potential:

• Bases = I think with planets we need to spend a bit more time looking at the various landscapes and coming up with a set of varied bases for different terrains, ie, cliffside bases, mountain top facilities, valley suspension bases, subterranean bases etc. The idea would be to keep the simple, practical yet extensible for additions. (I loved the modular space station set, despite how massive stations become when you build with it)

• Orbital launchers = I have seen various surface-to-space vehicles, landers, shuttles, and missiles but not a whole lot of payload/cargo delivering functionality. I think automating most of the process and have it be a launcher/printer system this would be great which would tie into my next point. https://www.reddit.com/r/spaceengineers/comments/3yodoa/venturing_into_the_unknown_unmanned_satellite/ this was a great example of what we need.

• Actual satellites = I've seen a few people build orbiting satellites, i remember the initial exploration satellites that would seek out the randomly generated ships and stations and asteroids. I think a few simple-yet-functional blueprints for comm network sats, spy sats (stationary / orbiting camera sats), asteroid finders/beacons, and "first contact probes" (satellites that just find structures/builds in space similar to my above exploratino sat note). Combat sats could be made initially as well but agian the idea is low-cost high function

• Planetary Probes = similar to above, w4stedspace had a great unfolding (i'm gonna say now we have to avoid rotors as much as possible until Keen fixes their plague) satellite for launching towards planet and having it arrive and unfurl. I would very much so think that fire-and-forget planetary exploration satellites would be a great addition and a useful tactical piece in any Space Engineers belt.

• Orbital transport = We need to automate and standardize the transfer of materials & Personnel from surface to space and vice versa so we don't have to re-invent the wheel every time/be actually the one hauling stuff out of atmo. scripts would need to be involved to have the shuttles go constantly between planet landing pad to space resource center automatically https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npD0BWJkAvM

• Point-to-Point transport (Both Space-only & Surface-only with both personnel & cargo versions) = Similar to orbital transport 'air taxis' would be advantageous and reduce the need to fly from base to base on a planet or in an asteroid field and would let the player focus on perhaps managing their extended drone network or various other tasks. It could also be used on servers for 'new spawn' buildings letting admins move players to specific places without players needing to know the coordinates

• Surface & Space Drone factories = printers/ factories/ fabricators that can produce cockpit-less auto/semi-autonomous drones of specific purpose are necessary for players so that they can build a fabricator and set it making say mining drones or air defense drones while they focus on getting cyberhound defenses up before nightfall would definitely be a step in the right direction.

• High-function standardized drones = for a while i've seen people making drones that can remember their last position go mine and then return. I think we need to all band together and come up with a system for having drones that can both move between ship to ship or ship to station but also be automatically launched to mine and return to their host ship/recalled when necessary. little bit of a big ask, but the pieces have been laid so many times in so many different ways already that we definitely have the capabilities. Mining, Defense, Exploration, & Repair (if it's possible to code a repair drone at this point, that one might be tricky) I think are the most necessary ones off the top of my head.

• Capital ship compact modules = I think creating 'drop-in' functional-yet-generic hangar bays, compact/simplified fighter & drone printers, fighter launch tubes, seeker missile tubes, mine laying bays, satellite launchers/builders, and escape pod bays (everyone likes to build a escape pod but noones mastered the automated launching/building of them in a compact masterful way) could really up the level of roleplay, capital ship battles we have and again perhaps push the devs to providing a little help in the areas that are weak points now.

Thats it for now, I welcome your comments and ideas. Not expecting anything overnight or everyone to band together instantly but I think if those of us who have desires for more automated/modular pieces and are willing to start building together/getting the ball rolling we could get it to take off.

Cheers!