Developers should research 'fusion and smelting' to allow a... FLHook? command to turn harvested ores at some energy/credit/other +cargo cost into another kind of cargo.
(ex.: I mine Helium, right? *presses enter, chatbox comes up*:
/fuse Helium # (req. an even number)
Some preset cost of credits and the specified cargo(es) is taken, and you get the scientific/logical result... for this, Beryllium, at a 1/2 Helium rate... the 2 protons per Helium fused = 4 protons, Beryllium)
FLHook would detect if your ship type is of an industrial relation...
Mining ship, Barge, Smelter, Other (could be added)
And give you cost reductions for using these commands in a ship designed for it.
Fused/Smelted/otherwise Manufactured cargoes will sell on bases (logically by what those bases are in place for)
for significantly more than raw materials.
You could also process processed materials for smaller quantities of even more complex objects worth even more on logical bases.
Who supports THIS idea?
--Mining ship(s) teaming with a smelter(s) and a transport and people protecting them from attack, to make refined goods to sell?
