Stations should charge money for services (and give long term goals)

I am glad station managers are running charity here, but it really hurts the gameplay.

Stations provide you with free power, fuel, oxygene, storage, crafting, safety, and fast travel.

The game already gives you very little motivation to build your own infrastructure and bases, as ore distribution and simplified production have compressed all your necessities into a medium-sized ship and the NPC stations. There are no real logistical decisions to make.

Also, money is pretty useless. I can buy things that I can gather or craft anywhere, anytime, in my industrial mining ship, which is not even that big or resource-hungry.

These services at the edge of the universe should be expensive and also limited.

Stations also should have unique buyable items that would motivate the player more to gain money. (buyable small ships?)

Speaking of limited, stations should struggle with fuel and power until a system is more developed, making it harder for the player to just slap a bunch of tanks and batteries onto the ship and go for a coffee while restocking for free.

So, something that could help (but not solve the mentioned issues by itself) would be if stations charged money or other resources for services. Hydrogen, oxygen, and power at a minimum, but I think respawning and healing shouldn't be free either.

This would motivate the player, both in classic (especially classic) and progressive survival, to:

• Gain money and do more contracts than absolutely necessary, or not at all
• Plan a bit more around fuel, power, oxygen
• Feel a little more survival-oriented than currently in the early game
• Respect the stations and station workers a little bit more :)

It would be nice to work for the stations to help them grow, and making them somewhat progressive even in classic survival. Contracts and/or charity resources should improve station services and open new ones.

For station progression you don't need to implement fancy stuff, just stick to existing mechanics.

• Station does not recharge you until you helped them develop a solar station on an asteroid
• Building an Antenna station between two working NPC outposts should increase the trading stock and variety in both
• The more you work for a station, the less expensive services become

Things that help you achieve things in the world via engineering and gives you long term rewards in exchange that worth working towards.

Combining this with the planned sector specific resources would make stations and their development even more interesting - unless you want to build your own infrastructure to support your journeys ;)