(Things in italics are especially open for comment)
The tech database basically represents what sort of things a faction can do with its resources - most construction will involve giving complex instructions from the database to semi-smart machines who then build stuff really quickly. Because of this, attacking a rival factions central database is a really smart idea. However, it is very hard to totally destroy the tech permanently since the society is -really- good at rebuilding stuff from fragments (being serial scavenger / archaeologists). Instead attacking the tech database is a really sneaky way to disrupt a rival's expansion plans; the rival either needs to buy the tech from someone else immediately or else wait until they can rebuild it - which can take some time. New techs will become available, either from the "research community" on Main Planet (which will be available for purchase either openly or exclusively - exclusive purchase should probably be very expensive) or from the looting of archaeotech caches around the system. "Actual" research by the factions will probably be beyond the time scope of the game (and looting is more cost-effective).
'Research' (or expenditure) of some form required to put 'discovered tech' to use. (ie that from archaeotech ruins). As for building infrastructure and so on, I imagine that this can get done pretty quickly through use of templates uploaded to psuedo-intelligent machines who do the work of construction. (limited build capacity?) Terraforming is currently under questionj, but probably outside of game scope.
"Instant" Communication through some "tech " between groups in the game - also allows "instant" instructions to be sent to probes/colonies and their parent factions...
Also allows for a newsfeed (distrubition of 'other' news), and for people to screw with the newsfeed...
Intelligence officer/diplomat (combined?)
Needs thought
Instant Travel inside solar system (via supa fast ships NAFAL engines). Delayed travel outside system? or require the 'research' of faster/bigger ships to get out there? (allowing people to choose between "tactical" exploitation of "choice spots" at long range vs. broad exploitation at near range).
(aside: will we ever leave the system?)
(I don't think so. Won't they have enough to do? Maybe just FTL probes for VP? - John)
Stargates?
(I hope not ;) Again, perhaps some form of VP-earning archaeotech. - John)
1 month minimum. Maybe higher? At least 12 turns if not much more, but limited by time..
Gathered from "market" on Main Planet at the begining till factions start collecting it form other locations more cheaply.
Trade routes (of some form, probably automatic) required for resources gathered from outside the main planet? (would allow piracy..., but may also be more of a GM headache)
Allow the purchasing of "mining rights" (buying units of terrain" by paying a fee to the Main Planet Colonial Authority). Replace "ouposts" with this? Planets, Moons, Large Asteriods, and Artificial Stations will all have a number of hexes assigned to them each(near, sunward far, edgeward far?), which will detail whats there, the limits of what can be built there, and what "special stuff" will be there.
The main planet will not have hexes.
There will be the central system, and ? outer systems?
Maybe, probably GM controlled.
Always available at the Planetary Exchange (in return for materials (and artifacts?)). A general resource, but normally not one that can build things independent of a source of Materials.
A limited amount available at the Planetary Exchange at the start of the game. A general resource for building. There may be several different kinds of Materials, with different availability (e.g. mineral, biological, radioactive)? Are all sources limited amounts, in the same way that the Planetary Exchange is? Can 'old' built objects be broken down for their materials?
Not available at the Planetary Exchange, not tradeable, not directly buyable (though can be created with use of money via appropriate Matrix Actions). Implicitly created and spent. Created by such things as not having war (maybe one point per turn?), building "good" improvements, Matrix Actions, etc.
(Should "Media Campaign" be a standard action (involving spending money), rather than something that requires Matrix Actions?)
Consumed by doing "bad" things, starting war, some buildings (e.g. nuclear refineries next to colonies), failed (or faked failed) espionage, calling in favours.
High popularity allows random good events etc. (Does this make popularity too powerful? Depends on the frequency and "goodness".) Low popularity should initially mean that it costs more to expand the workforce or build a colony, first dibs at bids for territory goes to the most popular bidder (in the event of a tie); could lead to things like military revolts.
Spent on things like quelling revolts.
(aside: mind control lasers affect popularity :) )
A building capacity unit, restricts amount of things that can be built each turn. Maybe some buildings that increase it. Renews at the start of each turn. Can't accumulate. (Can it be bought from the Planetary Exchange? Can it be bought from other groups? Maybe it's cheaper to build all stuff, including capacity, off Homeworld (no unions, less regulation), but you can only build a certain number of buildings per colony...)
In order to prevent a team getting screwed over by random events, have a 'luck' scale. Each good event pulls them in the 'good luck' direction, and each bad event pulls them in the 'bad luck' direction. The further away from the centre point, the more modifiers occur. If a team is down the 'good luck' end, then they have a penalty against them. Every turn a random team is picked (so that all the teams will be run through before the same team is picked again on average) and an event happens to them that kicks them a bit in the direction of 0 (i.e. a good or bad event).
(aside: these random events could be related to the plot if any)
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