Alright, so this thread's idea would benefit in both areas: RP, and Balance.
At the moment, Gold is worth significantly less than Gold Ore. Niobium is worth less than Niobium Ore. From an RP standpoint, Refined metal should be worth more than natural ore.
Here's what I would like to see: Remove commodities such as Niobium and Gold from NPC bases. Instead, give player bases the ability to build a "Refinery" which would refine ore, for example turning Niobium Ore into Niobium. This process would cost oxygen and fuel for each ore, and would take time. These refined metals would be worth more slightly more than the regular ore, say for example the Copper being worth 12,000 on Planet Denver, higher than the Copper Ore. This would be interesting from an RP standpoint, as well as encourage more interaction between players and use of player bases in mining operations.
