This is a blog. Words go here. Usually mine.

 

Greetings Offworld CEOs! Work continues on Offworld, but we don’t have anything to show off just yet. However, with the recent launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, this seemed a good time to touch on an idea that’s core to Offworld Trading Company: the privatization of space back here on Earth.

It’d be pretty difficult to have an open, competitive market on Mars if we didn’t have companies there to do the competing. While we’re still a fair ways off from the Martian Markets we know and love, many steps have already been taken to get us closer to that goal.

The road to privatization began well before you may think, at least in the USA. It was back in 1962 that the first was step was taken, with the Communications Satellite Act (as you may expect, this essentially started setting the rules for commercial satellite use). Even so, it was still two more decades - in 1984 - before companies could consider launching these satellites themselves. Since that time, private companies have slowly but surely come to play a vital role in space operations, with the red tape of regulation gradually being peeled away. This eventually culminated in the passage of the SPACE Act. This update to US law allows US citizens to "engage in the commercial exploration and exploitation of 'space resources.'” This may sound familiar to some of our space capitalists.

Many companies are now looking to lead the charge in spaceflight. Some are seeking to establish tourism in space, allowing short trips to space if you have the cash to spare. Others want to begin mining the vast resources available elsewhere in the solar system. And perhaps the most ambitious groups are already looking to begin colonization of Mars, planning to permanently settle on the red planet within the next 20 years.

We’ll take a closer look at these companies and their goals in the coming weeks. To bring things back Offworld, we’re looking to get a small patch out in the next few weeks with some minor bug fixes. This will clear the way for us to focus on a more substantial patch later this spring, bringing some long-awaited changes to OTC.


Comments
on Mar 15, 2018

I'm glad to hear that work is continuing apace on Offworld Trading Company and I too am excited about SpaceX and Blue Origin's efforts at reducing the cost of access to space. I can't wait to see what new additions and DLC are in the pipeline for OTC, but I just want to remind you to consider the two things I recently suggested in the 'General' OTC Forum. They would make the game into just the form I would need to give it a 10/10:

 

Colony Button Click-to-Jump and Shipment Path Jumping:

https://forums.offworldgame.com/487955/page/1/#3706941

Buyout Button Enhancement:

https://forums.offworldgame.com/488017/buyout-button-question-and-suggestion

 

Hope I'm not being overly zelous, but I feel they are really good ideas for the dev team at Mohawk.