Any point in having "shuttlecraft" available?

[DukeIronHand]

Just spitballing here.
I personally love the concept but...

With the ability of all ships to land on planets would would folks think of a concept like shuttlecraft launched from your ship in orbit?

Essentially it would quite similar to the SRV concept but it flies (obviously) using the same controls as your ship and basically performs the same functions as the SRV in ground operations. Scanning, pick-up, etc...
Basically a flying SRV.

 

[Andovar]

So an SRV without the bumpy ride?

When you said "shuttlecraft" I was thinking more along the lines of a courier shuttle that could be launched from the ship launched fighters bay that could be used by large ships to interact with outposts and bases that don't have large landing pads.

 

[Adhock]

You mean if we operated a Skimmer and the ship never touched down.

I'm all for operating a Skimmer. Not sure how I feel about the ship not touching down.

 

[Frank]

Well.. sometimes I find it hard to put my Asp down on a bumpy surface

 

[ick]

I think a skimmer is a good idea.

Personally, I don't care for resource collection. The spawning of materials needs better calibration. Rare minerals take too long to find in a planet with known quantities.

Also, there aren't enough spawn points for materials.

Perhaps the addition of some kind of materials location events your ship sensors pick up that are similar to "signal sources" or "mission data located" should come up.

 

[Zylark]

Maybe no point to it now - but when we get atmospheric landings it may become necessary. Not all the spaceships look particularly suited for entry into atmosphere. Corvette and Anaconda comes to mind...

 

[DukeIronHand]

The concept could easily be expanded to about anything planet side because the game would see it as a (very) small ship so if you are flying a whale you could leave it in orbit and land in your shuttle to interact with a base. Since to the game it is a ship I would think the possibilities are almost endless.

Flying skimmer's is cool. I was also thinking about a ship like Tom Cruise flew in the movie Oblivion. In my little fantasy here your ship would still need a module bay but instead of a ground SRV you would carry a flying one.

 

[Moonax IRL]

Well.. sometimes I find it hard to put my Asp down on a bumpy surface

Some lad on reddit put up a video of his Asp hovering over a bumpy surface unable to land. He drove up underneath it and boarded his ship. I'm sure a hovering drop or pickup could be implemented by the devs at some stage and the choice would be nice.

 

[Adhock]

...your ship would still need a module bay but instead of a ground SRV you would carry a flying one.

So... a Goliath Skimmer.

 

[DukeIronHand]

So... a Goliath Skimmer.

I would like to see something a little more sexy but if that makes it easier and quicker so be it.

 

[killminster]

Frontier: Elite 2 had the interplanetary shuttle that you could fly. So why not?

I'd see it more of a drone style taxi that would be going between stations and planets rather than any kind of hugely customizable ship. Would be good to see Lifters as well.

 

[Broadsword1986]

When you said "shuttlecraft" I was thinking more along the lines of a courier shuttle that could be launched from the ship launched fighters bay that could be used by large ships to interact with outposts and bases that don't have large landing pads.

My sentitment exactly. if you're ship is to big to land, you can just hoover next to the station an have a little barge or the sorts handle the offloading of supplies.

 

[MassiveD]

Well.. sometimes I find it hard to put my Asp down on a bumpy surface

Thats what.... She said?

I'm prettu sure theres a sexual inuendo hidden in that sentance somewhere

 

[djadjok]

Just spitballing here.
I personally love the concept but...

With the ability of all ships to land on planets would would folks think of a concept like shuttlecraft launched from your ship in orbit?

Essentially it would quite similar to the SRV concept but it flies (obviously) using the same controls as your ship and basically performs the same functions as the SRV in ground operations. Scanning, pick-up, etc...
Basically a flying SRV.

I think this will never be implemented - for landfall planets without atmosphere - as can oversimplify existing surface tasks (not only gathering or canyon-climbing, but also attack - or just sneak in - for planetary bases).
Also, skimmers look a bit out-of-place for me on high-g worlds.

The concept could easily be expanded to about anything planet side because the game would see it as a (very) small ship so if you are flying a whale you could leave it in orbit and land in your shuttle to interact with a base. Since to the game it is a ship I would think the possibilities are almost endless.

And that idea is really very natural. And it was really disappointing when I've understand that we will be granted with "unlandable" fighters without fsd feature.

 

[Alex Brentnall]

Um, I think what you mean is: HOVERBIKE!

And yes I will be totally behind that idea

 

[Mc80]

Um, I think what you mean is: HOVERBIKE!

And yes I will be totally behind that idea

Untill you take a 20mm shot to the chest from that sentry skimmer guarding the base.

As for the big ship - outpost interaction... if its implemented in a sensible way ( a cargo drone module with several drones which costs a ton of money for example) I´d be in for it. You wont be so keen on interacting with said outposts with a shuttle that holds like,2-4 cargo units when you have to unload around 400 tonnes of it.

 

[Goose4291]

I genuinely think FDEV have missed a trick with the ship fighters mechanics.

Small mining support ships and shuttlecraft to allow larger ships to dock with outposts and complete for example, courier missions is a missed opportunity in my eyes. Same goes for unloading cargo if our main ships get any bigger.

I mean in the lore we have interplanetary shuttles and the lifter, so it's not outside the realms of believability.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

I could see some uses for such a craft - interacting with locations without a large enough pad, personalized tourist missions, having something to land on a 5g planet that won't pancake on entry, cruising around your own ship to take pretty pictures, or conduct repairs... there are lots of possibilities.

 

[777Driver]

I could see some uses for such a craft - interacting with locations without a large enough pad, personalized tourist missions, having something to land on a 5g planet that won't pancake on entry, cruising around your own ship to take pretty pictures, or conduct repairs... there are lots of possibilities.

Landing on high G planets (up to 10G) is a non issue for any ships currently in game. Same deal with atmospheres, our ships have an incredibly high amount of thrust available, atmospheric landings won't be an issue with the possible exception of severe weather- although weather should have a negative effect on all ship types large or small.

With all the being said I'd love to have to shuttles for the big ships, was hoping our fighters would have landing capability & at least SRV size cargo bays. I guess there isn't much use for shuttles as far as the devs are concerned, the only use they would have at the moment is shuttle runs to outposts, every other type of station and planetary port has large pads

 

[Ydiss]

I'd like to say that we're eventually going to get all sorts of planetary vehicles in time. SRV is obviously both primarily suited to rocky airless planets and not suitable for many other types.

So yes, I'd like this. I'd like a hover craft type deal that acts like the SRV but can't fly higher than a low altitude (same concept as thrusters on SRV but capable of staying above the surface by default).

Eventually we will need ships for oceans (possibly submarine vessels if underwater becomes a thing). Normal vehicles like cars for tarmac allowing faster surface transport than the SRV. Large tank like vehicles, designed for surface vehicular combat (tougher, slower SRV).

Plenty of stuff still to come I'd have thought.