I posted this idea earlier, but then the forums crashed and it was lost in binary oblivion. So, I'll post it again.
The basic idea of the game is to construct a space station, manage it's personnel and trade with other space stations, traders, miners or empires.
First construction:
It consists of two parts:
the outer hull, to which various utility items (such as weapons, sensors, shields, docking clamps, etc.) can be attached. All is done in full 3D.
The inner hull, which is used to construct the various rooms and pipelines (power grid, computer network, sewer system, climate control, crawl spaces, etc.). Again, this is done in full 3D, but instead of a free space navigation, there is a square based navigation, based on the shape of the outer hull.
Management:
The player should be in control of its rules and be able to decide policy and how the justice system works. This includes penalties and the actual trial. On top of that the player should be able to impose tariffs, labor hours and whatnot. On top of that players can decide to hire staff, each of which have their own ideas and lives.
Diplomacy:
As the space station drifts in a universe, the player should be able to maintain diplomatic relations and host diplomatic conferences if he so desires. Each party the player deals with has its own ideas of the player, based on behavior of the player and space station of the player.
Trade:
The player should be able to form contracts with other space stations for trade, but also with traders who attend the space station.
NPC ships follow the same (interior/exterior) rules as space stations, but cannot be controlled (but they can be manipulated into various actions) and be of varying value to the player. So, when the space station is attacked, it can suffer the same specialized damage as the space station.
Basically this is like sim city in space with added complications (like having to deal INTENSIVELY with neighbors which may or may not like you based on the choices you make).
Thoughts?