Starship Corporation

Mostly ideas related to the possible corporate element of the game.
Some might add to much complexity to an already complex game and some might be more suited for future expansions of the game.

1) Reputation: a unknown shipyard in the remote Dagobah system would probably not be the first choice when the empire commissions their new destroyers.

Satisfying customers rises reputation, the larger/more complex the project is and the better the ship rates the larger increase in reputation.

More advanced commissions could be gained with a better reputation
Good reputation/standing with a NPC Corp/Guild could give access to better module or better prices on rare raw materials.

Spacefarers guild=Better FTL Drive , Mercenary guild = Better Weapon modules , ...

2) R&D:
Have a possibility to Tweak modules (less power consumption , less need for service...?
or development of new modules.

To get a competitive edge the player could explore space anomalies, old planetary ruins of lost civilizations or space wrecks in hopes of finding some researchable data.

3) Manufacturing:
If mining is to be a part of the game then manufacturing should be to.

While the standard “of the shelf” parts are easy to find at the galactic marketplace
the more complex researched stuff needs rare materials and more advanced manufacturing.

rare earth minerals & nitrogen = superconductor
silica & byrelium = ceramics
…
superconductor & ceramics & … = Mon Calamari shield emitter


4) Shipyards: Building a Death star would not be practical on a planetary shipyard
Larger shipyards for larger hulls/Modules...
small planetery shipyard, large planetery shipyard, small orbital shipyard ...

5) Proficiency
After having built a large amount of a hull or ship type should bonuses be gained?
-5% on power consumption, ...
This could have the effect of having players try to improve older models instead of just trying to get to the endgame "The mighty Star Destroyer"

Some additional thoughts.
Should the game be a journey from a just until recently land hover construction firm to a galactic mega corporation? Or will everyone large corporation from the start.

very nice ideas!
I definitely want to create a "ebay-style" reputation system for the online game - very important.
The game´s story will start with the player taking over the leadership of a run-down corporation (like apple in the early 90s), with facilities ready for use, few assets left and in need for new ideas...

I love the idea of an eBay "seller's page" to serve as a nifty guide and an opportunity for humour!
"Ship was different colour to request, did not survive asteroid impact on 1st outing, and was manned entirely by bobcats. 2/10 would not buy again."

Having some 'big player' guilds (I'm thinking the Spacer's Guild / CHOAM from the Dune universe, in terms of scale, influence, and nastiness) that the player needs to keep on the good side of would be fun.

An idea that occurs to me: In Empire: Total War, you can select the ministers in your government. They have different traits, which are randomly generated, that can improve or reduce their effectiveness. The twist is that they can change over time, and quite unexpectedly - for instance, your treasurer might be an absolute fiscal wizard, which is great until he suddenly develops a taste for embezzlement. Would a similar system be cool for a board of directors? Just to make it a bit more "Starship Corporation" and a bit less "Starship Sole Proprietor"

Nice idea about the board of directors!
Could be a way to access your different Departments (Sales, Research ,etc…) with bonuses if you have a competent Department Head. In the beginning one would probably start with a bunch of drunk embezzlers without much good between them.
=)