Economy
Achron economy works so that players start with a combination of units and Resources. These are then used to make more units and extract more resources.
The two basic resource which all of the games factions utilize are extracted from resources boxes found on the map. These resources are finite and the number of RPs used effect the rate of income.
Each race additionally has a growth limitations factor. CESO builds buildings that generate a free but steadily replenishing resource required in almost all unit construction. Vecgir use buildings able to maintain a set amount of units with exceeding the maintenance limit resulting in loss of special abilities. Grekim depend on having enough command centers to effectively control large groups.
Humans and Vecgir use factories to build their units. Human factories serial build and Vecgir factories parallel build. Grekim can use their units to progenerate more units.
Humans have 2 builder units to build their structures. Vecgir have 3 builders but the majority of their buildings are built from adjacent already built buildings. Grekim morph their units into buildings.
In order to progress in the tech tree all 3 factions can research upgrades in their tech building. Vecgir and Grekim need a separate building to enable the construction of aircraft.
Managing the economy over time takes chronoenergy which can become a central factor.
Economic orthogonality
Not all units have the same cost structure. Maxing out the production of one type of unit may still leave capacity to produce another type. The degree of mutual exclusiveness is the similiarity of their cost ratios. If the players economy adds up preciously to the ratio that the player produces no harvested unit goes to waste. If the overall balance is offset some resource is unable to be spent.
A very unbalanced economy is easily balanced by producing a unit that requires preciously the resources produced in excess. For humans Marines and SOPs are good reserve sinks, while the Mech works as a great LC sink.
Harvest rate
Resource processors harvest at this rate:
- 8 LC every 12 seconds
- 8 QP every 15 seconds
Payback time
It takes approximately 120 seconds for a LC RP to harvest resources out of a box to compensate for it's cost
Taking construction time into account the payback is longer and varies:
- CESO: 21 (construction, unpack) + 120 = 141 seconds
- Grekim: 25 (octo, short walk, morph) + 120 = 145 seconds
- Vecgir: 21 (construction, unpack) + 120 = 141 seconds
