Welcome to the first SDX2 Dev Blog. In these, we’ll be looking at upcoming updates, behind-the-scenes info, and deep-dives into various topics.

Today, we’re going to be looking at the next item on the SDX2 roadmap - Economy - and what to expect when it goes live.

We’re currently aiming to release this update within the next week or two. As with all timescale estimates this may shift depending on availability of our volunteer team, but we’re excited to get this over the line and into your hands.

Bringing stations to life

Anyone who’s completed the SDX2 intro missions and explored the solar system will have seen some of the many stations scattered across Sol. Right now many of these have limited utility, with only a handful in the belt (Tycho, Pallas, Eros, etc.) acting as hubs for missions.

With the Economy update, almost every station will be opening up for business, offering missions and access to a variety of Stores. These stores will be owned by different organisations, each of which will have different types of items for trade - for example, Anderson-Hyosung buys and sells ore, while Pur’n’Kleen deals in ice and water.

Kwikowski has wares if you have coin

To deliver the experience we envisioned, we’ve built an entirely custom store framework powered by GameCore - our in-house game state management backend. This provides a range of more advanced features over vanilla stores, allowing us to integrate with other core SDX2 systems such as Missions and Nations, and create a much richer ecosystem.

A dynamic economy

Rather than the fixed pricing of vanilla stores, stores in SDX2 use dynamic pricing based off stock levels. Stores with low stock will increase their prices, while stores with a surplus will reduce theirs.

Prices adapt as stock levels change

All trades of common resources (ores, ingots, water, etc.) use dynamic stock-based pricing. If you want to maximise your profit when offloading large quantities of excess resources, you may want to sell across several different stations rather than dumping in one spot.

If someone does bulk sell in one location, opportunists will have the chance to swoop in and buy up the excess stock at reduced costs - while it lasts, as stock levels will gradually return to normal over time.

Different stations will have different base prices for resources, so some locations will make more attractive purchase or sale destinations than others.

Earning trust

Not all trades at stores are available to everyone. Some trade options will be restricted by factors such as the missions you have completed or your reputation rank with the vendor, allowing progression to be rewarded with permanent improvements.

Gaining reputation with certain vendors will unlock the ability to buy small quantities of different tech components each day at a moderate markup. At the launch of the economy update, various Tier 1 (green) tech items will be available for purchase. With the future release of Nations and other milestones on our roadmap these trades will begin to extend into Tier 2 (blue) and beyond.

Some vendors offer tech for trade to those they trust

For launch we’re being intentionally conservative with the quantities of tech we’re making available for purchase. These trades aren’t intended to be the best (or even good) ways to obtain many of these items, but as alternative sources or for anyone who needs a quick resupply.

As the economy and game evolves, we will be re-evaluating limits and prices and adjusting as needed.

Upgrading your industry

One trade that will be of interest to many players is the ability to purchase Processing Components. These will be available for purchase in small quantities at certain stations to players who have earned the trust of Anderson-Hyosung. We’ll also be making them farmable via new repeatable missions unlocked at the same rank.

With these components, players will be able to build their first Advanced Production blocks, providing a step-up from standard refineries and assemblers.

Unlock access to new production blocks via trades and missions

These include:

• Fusion Hardware Fabricator: A unique assembler that offers more efficient fusion fuel production, along with the ability to produce tech such as Advanced Thruster Components, Reactor Shielding, and Reactor Lasers.

• Arc Furnace: A high-power refinery offering faster ore processing and the ability to refine Boron from stone.

• Blast Forge: An advanced assembler providing faster production of common components and the ability to produce Ceramic Plates.

• Water Purifier: An upgradable high-speed ice processing plant for fast water production.

The observant amongst you may notice the absence of the Munitions Plant and the Research Lab from this list. We’re holding these two back for now. The Munitions Plant will be launching alongside the components for higher-tier railguns and torpedoes, and we’ll be revealing the purpose of the Research Lab further along our roadmap - stay tuned.

Introducing the Armouries

With the Economy update, you’ll see three additional organisations opening their doors to the public: Redfield Ballistics, Nariman Dynamics, and Kess-Hashari.

Old names, new faces

These three companies are the system’s foremost arms manufacturers. They deal in weapons-grade ingots, and are willing to supply limited quantities of ammunition to anyone who can pay.

Each armoury has presence at their associated nation’s trade station, outside the hostile space zones of Earth, Mars, and Ceres. For now they don’t have any contracts for you, but that will change as our roadmap progresses.

Establishing foundations

This update is not intended to be the final form of SDX2’s economy, but will establish the foundations for content to come. We’ll be continuing to evolve shops, pricing, trades, and trade routes as we progress through our release roadmap and into the future.

Keep an eye on the #exp-announcements channel for an announcement and patch notes when this update goes live, and stay tuned for news on future updates.

Next stop: Nations.