Strip Mining Entire Planets

You know what I've yet to experience in a game? The feeling of being able to completely devastate the ecosystem of an entire planet to satisfy the ever hungry machine of my morally dubious Space Corporation.

The closest analogue would be using the Planet Buster in Spore. But that didn't yield me a planets worth of resources, and it certainly didn't help keep my empire in the black.

So when I hear about the infinite exploration and planet-hopping of Starbound, I feel that not including the ability to bring an entire world to ruin via orbital foundries and mining lasers (Maybe with a workforce of robots as well. The player wouldn't feel like a proper Interstellar CEO without an army of cold, emotionless mining and/or killing machines) would be an opportunity wasted.

Of course, such wanton disregard for the living creatures (sapient or otherwise) on these moneyspheres wouldn't go without repercussions. Sure, you have the opportunity to harvest vast amounts of resources in less time than an on-foot resource gathering mission would require, but the more you do it, perhaps the greater chance you have of garnering the attentions of a person, persons, or THINGS that disagree with such callous destruction of life.

Plus, it'd be neat to go planetside after you finish a stripmining operation and explore the devastation firsthand. Maybe bear witness to the last straggling survivors on their now-doomed world.

C'mon, I can't be the ONLY one who's wanted something like this, right?

 

Maybe space-hippies will oppose you on your quest for vast resources.

 

Yes, space-hippies! I've always wanted to see how well a battle between an amoral space faring industrial machine complex would fare against bearded flesh-men with 6 string acoustic guitars!

 

Since there seem to be plans for an UFO that we can use to large scale alter the environment, I do not think a super miner would be too hard.
But what about the areas where the ores were in? Fills them automatically with dirt, or the world remains like a cheese?
It would also be a late game tech of course.

 

I was thinking more along the lines of... You remember the corruption from Terraria, right? The entire landscape would be scorched and glassed, with huge yawning chasms from the orbital laser drilling station(s) punctuating the environment.

 

Seems more plausible, I basically pictured a button that took all minerals from a planet.

 

Not at all, this sounds wonderfully evil and productive. I've always liked the idea of setting up giant mining operations that destroy the whole ecosystem that you set them up in. Plus it would add to the ability to Role-play with Corporations in game and not just let them be something stuck in the forums.

 

Yes! Let's kick some planet ass!
No, seriously, it would be a lot of fun, but I'd have to be at least endgame to aquire something like this,
if not, it would just be completely overpowered.

Edit: Oh, and it would have to be disabled in multiplayer. I guess you know why...

 

It could remain in multiplayer, it would be hard to build, not something a griefer could do in minutes like dumping lava around, and as for an already built on, maybe you need the keys?

I would use them on Barren planets, unless some biosphere annoys the hell out of me.
(Hallow planet, prepare to meet MY UNICORN DRILL!)

 

First I would like to say..... Brilliant idea, let the reign of tyranny and destruction begin! DEATH TO THE SPACE HIPPIES!
DIIIIIAAAMMMOOOONDS!

YESSSSS YESSS YESSS YESSS... erm ehem anyway I agree with the above statement.

 

So many terraria and Minecraft refrences..

 

It makes for good reference material.

 

Indeed.

BURN PIXIE, BURN!
MEET MY EVICTION SYSTEM!

 

Actually, I believe that the devs said that if a planet was your homeworld, you would need to give people permission to edit it. Also, if this was allowed in multiplayer, there would almost certainly be tools instituted, either by the devs or by the community, to prevent editing/destruction of areas or planets.

 

The problem would not be the homeworld but rather the colonies... (Seriously, who would strip mine their homeworld and make it ugly? Mine is going to be an artwork. )

 

...I would... JERK! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME! HOW COULD YOU?!!!

 

hmm, i have a feeling that especially in multiplayer, this be something that takes a lot of time, though the payoff would be worth it. also the background of that planet should change to something that shows how something is obviously happening....


something like this maybe? (image copyright uhh.... guys who made kid icarus uprising)
maybe a message goes out "playerx has initiated strip mining of planet at coords xx.xx.xx.xx"

this way, any players with a vested interest in that planet can run over and try to shut down the mining control device or something.i could imagine quite a large-scale battle being fought over the survival of that planet.

 

I can tell you are an upstanding, moral human being fully capable of being trusted with the keys to a planetary strip mining operation because you talk in the color of blood, and have a very kind and gentle looking avatar.

Seems to me like everyone is on board with the whole "Raping entire solar systems of their precious minerals and leaving nothing behind except smoking, dead husks" idea, let's hope the devs are too.

 

Nice image!

Of course he is, have you heard of his patented Eviction System? It's truly a work of art! he simply uses that color of text and that avatar to hide his real magnificent identity! Anyone who says otherwise is an idiot, don't you listen to them!

 

I would probably only rape the entire universe of it's precious minerals every few playthroughs... I like exploring worlds as much as decimating them and sucking the life giving minerals and resources from their cold, dead, husks.

Thank you kind sir! Your words have earned you your a place in my slave pens... err I mean my magnificent Lord's estate!