Being able to shop for parts for stored ships would be a nice convenience, even if we have to shell out extra credits to have the parts shipped and installed remotely.
Here's a request, not for a feature, but for a partial removal of one: Stop spinning us 180 degrees when taking off from an exterior landing pad. While spinning us around makes perfect sense inside a coriolis with only one entry/exit, doing so on an exterior pad is a waste of everyone's time, since not only are we VTOLing into empty space, but we likely had to spin around 180 degrees ANYWAY due to often coming at the station from the "wrong" direction. It basically means that no matter which way you approach an outpost, you are spinning a full 360, either from your supercruise approach (to ensure you're facing the right way) or when you leave (because the pad spins no matter what you do or don't do.) It's just stupid. Exterior pads, used specifically to VTOL in open space, should barely have facing requirements at all, much less have an obligatory turnaround for each and every ship. No one would complain if this was fixed...
furthermore, given how specific that facing is, I want to know the name of the genius who arranged most of these orbital stations. All too often I see a station where I must fly over and around a solid wall sticking up out of nowhere to approach my pad from the right direction--and I'm then directly facing that wall when I takeoff. . WHO would layout a station like that on purpose? It makes zero sense from a mechanical OR immersive standpoint.
Now, for an actual request: I want different means of enhancing our cargo collection powers. Limpets are clunky and take up the precious cargo space we're trying to use. Give us a magnetic cargo scoop that starts to pull stuff in when we're close enough. I'll pay more, I'll take the extra power draw and weight, just MAKE IT HAPPEN. Call it a vacuum scoop or something (so the ferrous mineral crowd doesn't cry UNREALISTIC!) Won't be as automated as limpets, still requires some interaction, but doesn't waste cargo space, require a controller, or expire. Fair trade.
Next up, adjust fuel scoops to give us less fuel standing still and more fuel while moving. The first time I circled a sun scooping fuel I was like "this is cool. I just have to manage my orbit and keep my speed steady and this is awesome!" Then I discovered I could just park at a stable spot and scoop...I was sad. Give us alternate types of scoops so fuel scooping is an ACTIVITY instead of just a pit stop. Alternatively, just reduce the fuel gained at lower temperatures so we have to get closer and risk more heat; the bigger scoops should ramp up collection drastically at closer ranges, not let us sit further and further away from all the risk while still getting tons of fuel. Make it FUN and DANGEROUS (coughcoughgame'snamesakecoughcough.)
Also, why can't we sell our fuel? It's clearly a commodity on the market, yet we can't sell what we scoop. Wouldn't have to be incredibly lucrative, but I'm just wondering why it's not even an option. We can even refuel other ships, but...apparently the fuel we buy or scoop just...isn't good enough? I don't get why this isn't a feature.
Ship kits. I like the extra spoilers and wings and all that jazz, but I'm wondering why they're cosmetics when things like that should CLEARLY affect the performance of our ship. Adding a few extra tons of wings, fins, etc. would have a physical effect on the maneuverability (and likely the durability) of our ship. Would be interesting to see actual physical modifications on our ship that can adjust our ships' flight characteristics, rather than relegating all the stat stuff to the invisible internals...
