Split manufacturing into resource production and ship assembly ....

Assembly plants require resources .... hence ship numbers will be limited by resource accumulation ... like money accumulates ....

Require specific resources for specific components.  .... 

In my little cloud of imaginary thought, it sounds reasonable, but programing wise,,, I don't know if it is a good idea or not. 

Well we've heard that there are going to be specific resources in the game to wrest control of.  Endless Space does have specific resource requirements for higher-tech ship components.  If you don't have any of those resources then you still have access to the low-tech components.

Thing is though, I'm not sure that the AI will react well when the human player uses a strategy of resource denial and it then has to build low-tech ships.  I would prefer that they get the resources from an opportunistic third party and try to drive the player off its resources.

I am about to post a article on this along with other topics.

if the black market was represented by pirates in the beginning of the game and disappeared when the pirates are wiped out. Pirates would spawn like everyone else to start the game, just to be clear. Would that be okay, that way there is no long term dependence and the game moves on...if you want.

DARCA

Three things

First I would like to see a black market option. I will say this again you can't have a black market unless you are selling things illegal. Things that are illegal would be different for different factions. I would like to see this on the game. 

Second I like the pirate idea of pirates running the black market. This would also include captured cargo.

Third even though this would not be a black market. I think a market option for selling resources would be nice. I even think I should have an option not to sell this resource, or I want to make a profit off this. If a faction is selling resources their should be a profit for the resources being sold, and the faction buying the resource would have to pay a price. Also a faction should have a choice to cut this off if they want to.

I hadn't considered the black market concept ... thats additional programing and an entire faction design no doubt. 

To me ship building and controlling ship spamming is the main goal.  Buy adding assembly tech to the research tree, ships can only be built at the speed of tech level, not economic wealth.  Wealth would be measured in resources and cash to buy them, but ships can only be produced so fast regardless.   

Also, manufacturing really is a split technology.  Assembly and resource production being split changes the colony management concept.  

Do you go for assembly tech and economy and simply purchase resources... Do you go for resourse production and assembly , then sell your excess ....

It adds a new layer of stradegy.  

Also,  using resource starving is a legit way to attack an enemy,  it is happening today irl. 

Why not have a wonder for a 'commodities exchange'   build the wonder and every civ er. race can buy or sell and the host nation gets an economic boost.  

Hence, ship construction time is based on assembly and ship yard technology ... resource availability is based on factory output ...

To counter the strategy of resource starving,  have generic building materials be available to every planet, where some planets have a higher resource output than others, but basic materials can't be choked completely out crippling ship building.  

Special resources and the planets that contain them would be strategic and therefore something to fight for.   

Excellent,  the Black Market concept could be use for hostile or enemy races and allied or neutral races would be included in the general market ... trade agreements could be forged to lower tariffs, and prices .. ect.