Emergent Economies on top of Digital Physics

An economy cannot be created - it is an emergent human behavior that arises in response to a problem statement embedded in the world. It forms only after a society, even as small as a village or tribe, takes shape. This economy is born from the necessity for humans to band together, driven by environmental constraints that stem from the geography of a specific place.

These environments, governed by chemistry and physics, dictate the context of our interactions and thus the economy itself. The economy is a response to these natural forces and should not be designed in the traditional sense. Instead, the environment must be structured in a way that allows the economy to naturally develop.

The Frontier’s economy is shaped by energy costs on natural items, fulfilled by Fuel.

By using energy as the base function, objects with larger mass require more energy to construct and move. There is a trade-off between energy and time. Using more energy quickens the process or makes the process more powerful, saving time.

Taking from another natural law of physics, the arbitration of time and energy on the Frontier is subject to thermodynamics. Players can boost their fuel expenditure to accelerate a process or charge a weapon, while generating Heat through the expenditure of energy.

Each object has a safe heat capacity operating range. While players may exceed this range by overheating the various modules equipped on space ships or Smart Assemblies, consistent overheating can cause damage and require repairs. Skillful management of running hot can result in greater rewards.