Robert Maynard
Volunteer Moderator
Megaships are basically the answer to end-game content AND player-owned bases
- Thread starter Cosmo
- Start date
And you get a Megaship, and you get a Megaship, and you get a Megaship. No thanks. Sort of takes the oompf away from the idea of them in the first place and I'm not going to join a player group to grind one out.
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Of course it does. People are obsessed with ownership in these sorts of games, same as multiplayer. It's not going to add anything to the game for me personally, just another grind point.
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Of course it does. People are obsessed with ownership in these sorts of games, same as multiplayer. It's not going to add anything to the game for me personally, just another grind point.
This cute dog got 53,000 upvotes!
https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/69x9z3/cuddles_the_hand/
I won't take reddit voting as an example of what FD should and shouldn't do.
For a start, you can have two completely opposing threads on reddit and both of them upvoted equally.
However, its an interesting idea and one i'm quite in favour of.
I agree but in the context of Elite: Dangerous I think end-game means the phase that comes after you are satisfied with your fleet, rank, reputation, etc and have enough cash to do what you want (aka a billionaire).
It's the phase when you start to wonder what to do with all that stuff. At least I am. I try to make little stories for myself but the game doesn't have much to support that. For starters it would be nice to be able to have a player-configurable Signal Source where one could run a self made scenario. If such SSs could be linked to each other they could be building blocks for storytelling. Even better if such stories could be shared with others.
That's an old interview and it was confirmed we'll get executive controlled ships with an update.
It means this is what senior players could do with their millions/billions of credits that now go unused. Expanding play styles which encourage cooperative multiplayer makes the sandbox better and deeper.
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Just on Support's suggestion, adding this from Reddit here:
manipulat0r said:
_AII-iN_ said:
_AII-iN_ said:
manipulat0r said:
_AII-iN_ said:
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It wouldnt need to be a true "megaship"
go the NMS route, have something that looks like the old panther clipper (and maybe a few variants with different designs) basically a brick that just holds hangars. cannot be interdicted or reasonably destroyed, cannot be docked.
by default comes with a ludicrous fuel scoop and say...1 medium 2 small pads.
great heat management, decent FSD drives (20LY?)
spending money allows better FSD maybe up to 30 or 35 LY laden with a large ship
Alternatively allow refuel/rearm/repair by purchasing onboard fabricators (using fuel to actually do these things and taking a few minutes)
And larger/more landing pads.
so if you have a whole fleet docked you wont have space for rearming or repair stations, have to choose between limited hsips with full amenities or many ships with limited amenities
go the NMS route, have something that looks like the old panther clipper (and maybe a few variants with different designs) basically a brick that just holds hangars. cannot be interdicted or reasonably destroyed, cannot be docked.
by default comes with a ludicrous fuel scoop and say...1 medium 2 small pads.
great heat management, decent FSD drives (20LY?)
spending money allows better FSD maybe up to 30 or 35 LY laden with a large ship
Alternatively allow refuel/rearm/repair by purchasing onboard fabricators (using fuel to actually do these things and taking a few minutes)
And larger/more landing pads.
so if you have a whole fleet docked you wont have space for rearming or repair stations, have to choose between limited hsips with full amenities or many ships with limited amenities
Why "mega ships"??
Why not just ask for capital ships? they would be big enough to support other ships like a station, capital ships exist ingame right? I think it would be a better and more natural, if we went from corvette -> frigate -> destroyer -> cruiser -> battleship -> carrier.
Capital ships would probably fly much better than this "mega ship".
I am personally hoping to own a carrier where I can launch eagles out of.
Why not just ask for capital ships? they would be big enough to support other ships like a station, capital ships exist ingame right? I think it would be a better and more natural, if we went from corvette -> frigate -> destroyer -> cruiser -> battleship -> carrier.
Capital ships would probably fly much better than this "mega ship".
I am personally hoping to own a carrier where I can launch eagles out of.
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Just like mega ships, take a look at The Indra in HR 1185.
I would be glad to pilot around a megaship like that. But since they are MEGA, they should not only cost money. I mean, when the Indra was built, there was a CG to collect the reqiured materials.
So if you want to 'buy' a mega-ship, you should get a mission to collect thousands of tons of materials (metals, machinery, even micro-materials), *and* pay all your credits as well. Probably with the help of your friends.
It would be a huge work for FDev, probably a new major release, but I would totally buy it.
<- This guy is crazy about any and all mothership ideas.
After all, Homeworld will always be the best mothership game ever made. Just saying.
In all seriousness, what you're describing is indeed an end-game credit sink grind that would be very awesome IF (and you do mention this) it supports gameplay with other players and/or NPCs. I'm also a massive nomad-gameplay fan. The idea I could use this ship to provide a way-station for other players in deep space and earn credits from them refueling, repairing, arming, whatever...is awesome.
First problem is the sheer complexity of such a system. You're literally dropping Eve Online citadels...with engines...into Elite Dangerous. Awesome idea. Incredibly difficult to implement and build. We're talking winter expansion of 2020.
Second Problem is access - if everyone can get a capital, nobody will dock at normal stations or use them for content. If you render the access too difficult you burn out a LOT of players grinding just to own it, then realizing they hate credit grinding and quitting. It's similar to power-creep when describing buffs and nerfs in other games, but relates instead to content access.
Ultimately, this really needs to be a clan-run ship. It would 'technically' be owned by the clan owner(s). There's an entire PvP element that has to be discussed too. The minute you make these enormous credit sinks into destructible assets...you just implemented Eve Online's best and worst feature: if it's gone, it is REALLY gone. Ship insurance in ED renders the game totally different from that hardcore environment. You'd have to make replacing such a vessel a fraction of its cost or very quickly nobody will want one (and quit when they lose it).
Unless it DOESN'T cost that much...then PvP is far less an issue, but you're back to the access issue potentially of everybody owns a capital.
Great, great idea - really - but honestly the features aren't the issue. The cost of replacement (if it can even be destroyed) and how it fits into the overall mold of the game are most important. Player (or clan) owned stations face the same problem. Building them where they are constant credit sinks without use by others would be a good solution if clan focused. But if you're wanting a "THIS IS MINE" approach...well, it gets complicated.
After all, Homeworld will always be the best mothership game ever made. Just saying.
In all seriousness, what you're describing is indeed an end-game credit sink grind that would be very awesome IF (and you do mention this) it supports gameplay with other players and/or NPCs. I'm also a massive nomad-gameplay fan. The idea I could use this ship to provide a way-station for other players in deep space and earn credits from them refueling, repairing, arming, whatever...is awesome.
First problem is the sheer complexity of such a system. You're literally dropping Eve Online citadels...with engines...into Elite Dangerous. Awesome idea. Incredibly difficult to implement and build. We're talking winter expansion of 2020.
Second Problem is access - if everyone can get a capital, nobody will dock at normal stations or use them for content. If you render the access too difficult you burn out a LOT of players grinding just to own it, then realizing they hate credit grinding and quitting. It's similar to power-creep when describing buffs and nerfs in other games, but relates instead to content access.
Ultimately, this really needs to be a clan-run ship. It would 'technically' be owned by the clan owner(s). There's an entire PvP element that has to be discussed too. The minute you make these enormous credit sinks into destructible assets...you just implemented Eve Online's best and worst feature: if it's gone, it is REALLY gone. Ship insurance in ED renders the game totally different from that hardcore environment. You'd have to make replacing such a vessel a fraction of its cost or very quickly nobody will want one (and quit when they lose it).
Unless it DOESN'T cost that much...then PvP is far less an issue, but you're back to the access issue potentially of everybody owns a capital.
Great, great idea - really - but honestly the features aren't the issue. The cost of replacement (if it can even be destroyed) and how it fits into the overall mold of the game are most important. Player (or clan) owned stations face the same problem. Building them where they are constant credit sinks without use by others would be a good solution if clan focused. But if you're wanting a "THIS IS MINE" approach...well, it gets complicated.
Whats wrong with everyone owning a capital ship? the galaxy is a very big place.
besides I really doubt everyone would want to use them even if they were available for purchase, I would imagine they would have a more advanced form of crew function than what we have now, for big ships like cruiser you may even require crew to fill the position of chef engineer, chef medical officer, and chef security officer etc.. you would need to pay more money for your ship to run more efficiently.
Ship upkeep would be enough to balance capital ships, besides can you imagine the insurance cost for rebuy if it is every destroyed? you have to spend more money to hire a new crew aswell.
besides I really doubt everyone would want to use them even if they were available for purchase, I would imagine they would have a more advanced form of crew function than what we have now, for big ships like cruiser you may even require crew to fill the position of chef engineer, chef medical officer, and chef security officer etc.. you would need to pay more money for your ship to run more efficiently.
Ship upkeep would be enough to balance capital ships, besides can you imagine the insurance cost for rebuy if it is every destroyed? you have to spend more money to hire a new crew aswell.
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My guess is they'll cost more than just credits. Considering the Q1 overhaul to mining it isn't hard to connect the dots and see that they will probably require mined materials. In addition to that I suspect they will require materials and possibly data. They will probably also require some sort of resource for upkeep too.
I think that for not extending the grind-house that they will be tiered in jump distance and services. Starting at 700M going up to 100B. Or maybe be even cheaper if being in they Navy since that would be the only benefit. It's funny to add end game content but completely nerf missions, passengers, bounties, and ranking.
Interesting idea for Elite ranked out players.However I would like to think back to a game called "Hardwar" for the pc it was a space sim of sorts your ships where like moths and for power you had to fly or dock with light sources around the place, anyway in that game you could buy apartment or room for your ship, trade it in for better property.
I feel with the many types of space stations, spaceports, and asteroid ports we could have the ability to purchase garage space based on ship size of course and within this garage space the ability to store cargo that we want to keep handy for engineers etc, this would also go a long way to pushing forward our space legs in the future, I'm not talking apartment block space launch, space bog etc, just our own space yard with some of our stores items in there, think how cool it would be to use the camera suite to not only look at our ship but "ships" all docked together I know huge right!
it's an idea.
I feel with the many types of space stations, spaceports, and asteroid ports we could have the ability to purchase garage space based on ship size of course and within this garage space the ability to store cargo that we want to keep handy for engineers etc, this would also go a long way to pushing forward our space legs in the future, I'm not talking apartment block space launch, space bog etc, just our own space yard with some of our stores items in there, think how cool it would be to use the camera suite to not only look at our ship but "ships" all docked together I know huge right!
it's an idea.1 billion is way to low - a Cutter only costs a billion!
So how much larger, more complex, and more materials, goes into a (small) megaship... They should probably be 100 billion minimum, or more realistically 1000 billion+ if you think about how class scaling works: class 9 power plant is 0.5 billion, class 10 is 1.6 billion, class 11 is 5 billion etc.
It will certainly be interesting to see how accessible they are to players.
Not sure megaships count as "end game" though, unless they get gameplay content added which is not accessible to non-squadrons. They'll just be a convince thing and "guild hall".
So how much larger, more complex, and more materials, goes into a (small) megaship... They should probably be 100 billion minimum, or more realistically 1000 billion+ if you think about how class scaling works: class 9 power plant is 0.5 billion, class 10 is 1.6 billion, class 11 is 5 billion etc.
It will certainly be interesting to see how accessible they are to players.
Not sure megaships count as "end game" though, unless they get gameplay content added which is not accessible to non-squadrons. They'll just be a convince thing and "guild hall".