I haven't been to Jaques in a high-combat ready FdL but that sounds like a lot of fun, especially if I'm not the only one who can do it.
But that's the point. It sounds like fun, but now there is no need. The journey would be close to meaningless. Doing it in a long range ship is trivial compared to the FdL. I'd respect the FdL person, and they would (I assume) have a massive sense of satisfaction, dare I say 'fun', when they shoot their first trader there. Or go in a fast spawn in FdL shoot trader. Just like doing it in Eravate. So, that's the fun killed.
Not sure how flying Robigo/Sothis missions would be changed by being able to transfer a ship - I fly out in a long range ship and then slowboat my mission back, or I just use a long range ship the whole time, again, doesn't affect me if others do this.
Fly back fast, summon mahoooosive ship, stack more missions, profit, fly back fast... no need to balance the speed of the return trip with cargo capacity. Reduces the potential for thought in the game, removes fun.
God, yes, I've done PowerPlay but I wish I hadn't. PowerPlay is an example of really poor game and challenge design that Frontier is becoming very good at finding new and inventive ways to create. Instant ship transfer is a mechanic designed to enable fun and better opportunities.
Of which none are suggested.
I would not be opposed to very small delays on ship transfers, but only because right now I have had times where I have gone "oh, I'm gonna have to transfer this ship in order to put this module on it. . . nevermind" and stopped playing, and this would at least let me go "I guess I'll do it tomorrow" when I go to play elsewhere. Some people have to do this game an hour at a time, and putting arbitrary waits on things doesn't increase fun.
I don't get where the 'stop playing' bit fits in. Everyone keeps saying that, and nobody has very suggested it. You order the ship
carry on playing while it is delivered and then go and meet it when it arrives. if you order it just as you're about to log off, then it will be there waiting for you. Combat zones last days. CGs last days.
It's a game, and for me, all design decisions, every single one, should be based first on whether or not it enables fun or restricts it.
Only, as noted, this restricts it.
If it restricts fun, there has to be a compelling reason (gameplay balance, affecting other players, etc).
Reasons given all over this thread.
Because Frontier refuses to implement anything like a real player economy allowing module or money transfer in game, there's very little reason to ever restrict things for affecting "the galaxy" or the economy or something, because the game is designed to remove player agency and ensure that individuals can have little to no effect on the galaxy. So really only balance reasons matter here.
Which are significant, as set out all over this thread.
So ship transfer is good, great even. Instant enables the most fun, if there has to be some kind of time limit arbitrarily it's something that should be added later, when exploits present themselves, and not right out the gate. Laws and restrictions should be a response to things that have happened, not preemptive, especially when the stakes are so low.
Instant enables the most fun. But the hollowest, worst form of fun that is over in an instant (heh) and serves no purpose to make you feel as if you've gained. It's a hollow, candy-crush sort of fun. We have Arena that does that in spades. For some fun is being able to one-shot noobs, should all pirates be given a one-shot weapon because it's fun? Should we now forget the travel thing altogether because only pew-pew is fun, and fun trumps all? There are types of fun, and bashing the game balance does not make something more fun necessarily.
I'm quoting this so people can read it again, it's that good.
But flawed. So deeply, deeply flawed.
![[VR] Marrs](https://forums-cdn.zaonce.net/data/avatars/m/79/79007.jpg?1634042868){kind=avatar}