The first question that needs to be answered here is what a planet is good for in terms of the core gameplay (which probably can be boiled down into trade, production and pewpewpew). Presumably, a whole planet would be a dandy thing to have for resource extraction and industry. With the resource extraction probably being related to the planet type.
High population probably translates into faster extraction/production rates, while requiring a higher amount of supplies.
The choices probably won't end up being between communism, democracy and dictatorship, but more as a balance between self-sufficiency, import and export. Because let's face it, the core gameplay doesn't give a flying sloop's quarterdeck on whether you're Emperor Ming, the Dalai Lama or the President of the Federation. It's all about the credits and the ships and the NPCs that fly them.
Of course you can go on constructing a set of parameters that have absolutely jack to do with the actual core gameplay, but I think it's a better approach to consider how to implement both into a working whole, instead of trying to cram Diplomacy (which sucks, btw. Junta is the only way to fly, as far as political games go ) into what is basically Freelancer on Steroids.
Even 4X-games don't usually bother with internal politics - you're the effing god-emperor, your word is law, your will shall be done - pretty much the only way to get shit done on a stellar scale, really, else you'd spend the first 20 turns of the game discussing the option of building a colony ship and getting the press to warm up to the idea. It's more like: "Yeah, right. Aboard the ship you go, drones, all glory to the Overlord, be fruitful and multiply, and start building battlecruisers ASAP you lazy farts."
The only slider here is between "Let's tax the peasants to death and risk rebellion, we're short on dough!" and "Taxes, schmaxes, I want my people to be happy and breed like rabbits!". If the game is luxurious, there might also be the choice between gangraping the planet with bucket-wheel excavators or keeping the ecology pristine.
You shouldn't need to fiddle with the things just for the sake of having fiddly planetary bits inplemented. Personally, I'd be okay with "Yeah, here, have this planet, go have a ball, and send me 5% of the earnings. Toodles, I'm off...". How the thing is governed really is of no concern to me, it's the results that count. Public healthcare debates don't quite fit on my busy schedule of blowing things up, taking their cargo and exploring the universe. I still recognize the benefits of passive income, planetary real estate and rare planetary resources, however. But for the mind-numbingly boring parts, there's automation and AI support. Nobody wants to suffer through planetary public healthcare debates.
-Hardenberg
Post
Wed Oct 15, 2014 12:00 pm
#76
Re: Managing Planetary Government
Hardenberg was my name
And Terra was my nation
Deep space is my dwelling place
The stars my destination
And Terra was my nation
Deep space is my dwelling place
The stars my destination