On Thu, 13 Jun 2013, Onno Meyer wrote:
Johannes replied to me:
That was under the assumption, that the surveys don't automatically result
in claims, but that prospectors only sell their data. In that case all the
actions of Z, with the exception of stealing the data would be legal.
So prospector X makes a survey, but the fact alone doesn't give them a
claim, and then miner Z indepdendently selects the asteroid for mining
without a prior survey, no foul play involved?
If that is a rational risk-reward decision for Z, why would there be
prospectors in the setting at all? Or is Z an irrational actor?
I could imagine that it would be highly speculative behaviour of Z.
Usually it is more rational to avoid gambling, but some people do it never
the less. And for some of them it pays off at least for a while.
There is however an other problem in that setup. Either prospectors have
to sell data on duds as expensivly as on motherloads, or miners will know
what general the prospectors will sell them by how they try to sell it.
It still works for propectors in the employ of a miner though. In that
case prospectors might be watched by the competition, who try to fanthom
if it is a valuable asereoid by how close they get and how long they stay
ect. And there could be feints.
If a survey automatically results in a claim, you need rules what the
minimum requirements for a survey are. A mining company might get the
idea, that they make fast inexact surveys at a distance to get claims on
many astereoids and then later send a ship to make a real survey, to pick,
which of their asteroids they actually should mine.
Landing and raising a flag? Sample analysis to some standard? A
sample-return mission? But does that count if the sample is still
on the long way home?
Something like that. Most likely rules come in iterations, as someone
minmaxes the system, and then an other rule is made to prevent exactly
that. If the pcs are prospectors, a rule change might happen, while they
are on mission, and they have to improvise some equipment to keep working
under the new rules.
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