Imagine a Beluga liner, outfitted to the max to carry VIP passengers in luxury to destinations around the galaxy. Of course, such a ship outfitted for travel isn't exactly a bruiser in combat, and even with SLF would find itself getting the tar whipped out it in a fight...
Suppose said Beluga liner could have an escort beyond a Ship Launched Fighter. Say, in the NPC Passenger lounge, there weren't just missions to ferry passengers in your ship, but Passenger Liner companies looking to pay Commanders big credits to escort their ships to their destinations, rated to Pilot Federation Combat level... Smaller, shorter range trips for newbie Commanders in Cobras and Diamondbacks, with Big Beluga Cruise Lines offering big payouts for maximum protection with a Conda. Of course there would be complications with ship range, and whether or not the escorted liner would exist outside the user's instance or if it would just come along with every jump, maybe pausing every few jumps to get fuel or head to a visitor beacon (to provide interdiction opportunities to defend against)... but wouldn't it be cool if combat pilots had a way to participate in Passenger missions?
Or... NPC's aside, say it was a player CMDR in that luxury Beluga with 40 million in potential credits to be earned, and that CMDR had a friend in a combat-kitted Conda, or maybe a couple of friends in Asps or Diamondbacks that could keep pace, making sure that nothing happened to that Beluga and all those VIPs as they fly a 600 light year loop to various tourist beacons in the bubble, guarding it while it scoops fuel, or puts in to port to pick up Consumer Tech for those whiny VIPS, and making sure they made it to every visitor beacon without hull damage that might make the passengers unhappy?
Actually, you can do that now, have PC CMDRs fly escort for PC Passenger Liners. Except when it comes time to distribute millions of credits in rewards, you're limited to ejecting hundreds of tons of cargo out your cargo hold and making them pick it up if they want to get paid.
Passenger missions, even with the problems they have, provide a good motivation to move about the bubble and make money doing it. NPC escort missions would be a boon to combat pilots bored of circling around RES and CZs, especially for passengers targeted for attack. Get rich escorting Chauncy Uppercrust to the Veil Nebulae, or making sure Admiral Squarejaw makes it to a strategy conference on time in a War Zone for a huge rep gain, and possibly tilting the tide of the war. All kinds of scenarios are possible.
And for humans wanting to help out their friends - even a simple option to split a payout with a wing would make it fun and profitable for Liner owners to team up with combat ships for escort services. The best you can do now is get two similarly outfitted ships with mixed loadouts for passengers and weapons and hope you can get the same missions with your rank and reputations and fly the same path together... But how cool would it be if you could all sign up for the passenger mission together and split the reward, or even if the CMDR who accepted the passenger mission had the option to split the profit with the wing instead?
Either or would add a lot of gameplay, IMO...
Suppose said Beluga liner could have an escort beyond a Ship Launched Fighter. Say, in the NPC Passenger lounge, there weren't just missions to ferry passengers in your ship, but Passenger Liner companies looking to pay Commanders big credits to escort their ships to their destinations, rated to Pilot Federation Combat level... Smaller, shorter range trips for newbie Commanders in Cobras and Diamondbacks, with Big Beluga Cruise Lines offering big payouts for maximum protection with a Conda. Of course there would be complications with ship range, and whether or not the escorted liner would exist outside the user's instance or if it would just come along with every jump, maybe pausing every few jumps to get fuel or head to a visitor beacon (to provide interdiction opportunities to defend against)... but wouldn't it be cool if combat pilots had a way to participate in Passenger missions?
Or... NPC's aside, say it was a player CMDR in that luxury Beluga with 40 million in potential credits to be earned, and that CMDR had a friend in a combat-kitted Conda, or maybe a couple of friends in Asps or Diamondbacks that could keep pace, making sure that nothing happened to that Beluga and all those VIPs as they fly a 600 light year loop to various tourist beacons in the bubble, guarding it while it scoops fuel, or puts in to port to pick up Consumer Tech for those whiny VIPS, and making sure they made it to every visitor beacon without hull damage that might make the passengers unhappy?
Actually, you can do that now, have PC CMDRs fly escort for PC Passenger Liners. Except when it comes time to distribute millions of credits in rewards, you're limited to ejecting hundreds of tons of cargo out your cargo hold and making them pick it up if they want to get paid.
Passenger missions, even with the problems they have, provide a good motivation to move about the bubble and make money doing it. NPC escort missions would be a boon to combat pilots bored of circling around RES and CZs, especially for passengers targeted for attack. Get rich escorting Chauncy Uppercrust to the Veil Nebulae, or making sure Admiral Squarejaw makes it to a strategy conference on time in a War Zone for a huge rep gain, and possibly tilting the tide of the war. All kinds of scenarios are possible.
And for humans wanting to help out their friends - even a simple option to split a payout with a wing would make it fun and profitable for Liner owners to team up with combat ships for escort services. The best you can do now is get two similarly outfitted ships with mixed loadouts for passengers and weapons and hope you can get the same missions with your rank and reputations and fly the same path together... But how cool would it be if you could all sign up for the passenger mission together and split the reward, or even if the CMDR who accepted the passenger mission had the option to split the profit with the wing instead?
Either or would add a lot of gameplay, IMO...
