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< 2 Interface | Index | 4 Buildings > 3 ObjectsObjects are a core part of Battle Mines. Many actions in the game requires their consumption, and their availability will affect both immediate tactics and long-term strategy. They are separated into 3 different 5-object groups: Base materials (1st column), refined materials (2nd column), and items (3rd column).
The objects you possess at any given time are conveniently summarized in your inventory. Objects take up space, and your capacity to hold on to objects will prove a major concern. Most objects can be traded with other players, indeed this is the primary method of obtaining different resources. Sell what you have plenty of to get what you need. See the Trade section for details. Objects will appear in conjunction with many game concepts. For example, the type of object a player is able to mine from his land is called that land's base material. Mine buildings can be built from steel or aluminum, hence aluminum mines and steel mines. For faster reading, all objects have a capitalized abbreviation equivalent to their meaning. These are listed in the following sections. Base materials are also associated with a particular colour, which aids recognition on the map. Every object except the palantir has an equivalent bonus object, visit Bonus Objects to learn more. See Appendix A for detailed information on individual objects. 3.1 Object CategoriesObjects are divided into three categories: Base materials, refined materials, and items. Objects from the first two categories can be called materials or resources. Objects from a lower category are generally worth less than those from a higher category, though this will depend on supply and demand. Many objects in the same category will have roughly equivalent values, with the same caveat applying. These categories are important not only to visualize hierarchy of worth, they also impact game mechanics in such areas as overflow and black market trade.3.1.1 Base MaterialsBase materials are what players mine out of the ground. For most purposes, base materials can be used in place of their corresponding refined material, at a ratio of four bases to one refined. The exception to this rule is coal, which cannot be used instead of diamond. See Refined Materials for more information.
3.1.2 Refined MaterialsRefined materials can be created out of base materials using the refinery building. This process is called refining, see the Refining section for more details. Refined materials are the main units of cost for most anything that can be built or purchased.
Except for diamond, base materials can be used in place of refined materials when considering cost. The ratio of worth is four base materials to one refined material. When paying for something, you will spend base and refined materials according to material priority policy setting. (See Material Priority.) The biggest exception to this rule is tech research, which requires exactly the stated cost and can accept no replacements. If the cost cannot be made up in base or refined materials alone, a combination of both will be used. A partial factor of four will never be accepted, base materials will always be consumed in a ratio of four per unit cost only. This table summarizes the base materials that can be used in substitute for refined materials.
For example, consider this table of common building costs, and the exhaustively possible methods of payment. A plus symbol (+) conjoins multiple cost requirements.
Note that although coal cannot replace diamond in purchasing, diamonds are still refined out of coal. See the section on Refining for more details. 3.1.3 ItemsItems are created out of materials in a factory building, except for food which is created in a greenhouse or grown automatically. The process of creating items is called manufacturing, see the Manufacturing section for more details. Like other purchases, both base and refined materials can be spent to create items (in the usual 4:1 ratio).Palantirs are special objects which do not follow normal object rules, though they are manufactured in factories and do take up inventory space. See the Palantirs section for more information.
3.2 SpaceSpace, roughly speaking, is the amount of space you have to hold on to objects. It's important because when the weather turns foul, unprotected objects in your inventory will be washed away. Also, letting your space drop into the red will add to corruption.Space is determined by adding up all available storage space, and subtracting the number of objects in your inventory.
See the Overflow section for details on what happens during rainy or stormy weather if space is negative. 3.3 Object Value OrderIn most cases, the value of an object is relative to how much a player and his neighbours desire it, the laws of supply and demand. Very occasionally, a static order must be observed to resolve relative questions of worth. One example of this is in Ramul's selections trading at the black market.The default value order for objects follows, from least to most: Palantirs are not considered in object value order, they function quite differently and are not exposed to arbitrary categorization. < 2 Interface | Index | 4 Buildings > |
