What do you want to bet we'll have a mining SLF as one of the ships?
Mining SLF?
- Thread starter Quantis Trap
- Start date
I would bet against that.
Primarily because a Ship Launched Fighter would not mine, and if it did it would not be a SLF. It would literally be a SLM, and also such a thing serves next to no purpose what-so-ever.
That would be amazing, limpets could work well in conjunction with a mining slf.
I wouldn't bet either way, Frontier in the past have seemed highly interested in the idea of a mining SLF. If not i'd expect some kind of controllable limpet or something with the new mining updates, unless we are using catapults to position explosives on fault lines and such.
Semantics and all, since you stressed it so much let me indulge a second and explain why you are incorrect:
You are correct that the defined term by the developers is ship launched fighter, its written right there in the outfitting text. If a dedicated "mining SLF" came out the name for it has not yet been defined so for the purposes of describing it using SLF as a term is the best since it references something that currently exists and explains how it would differ. SLM means nothing to anyone except you who just made it up and could confuse people. I know that acronym on it's own would mean nothing to me without context.
The OP could have described it as "smaller mining ship that comes out of the same hangar the SLF do" but it's a bit of a mouthful and a mining SLF makes it clearly and easily understandable what they mean.
Ok finally to the functionality have you ever heard of the thing called multicrew? Yeah, not really amazing at present or highly used but it exists.
Even with the current mining system I can imagine having a crew of 3 on a ship being highly effective. Currently it's better to wing mine as the only benefit to multicrew is popping prospectors at a 360 degree angle whilst the pilot can fly/mine. Or fighter protection.
With a mining SLF you could have 2 of those buzzing around breaking rocks apart, one pilot flying the mothership and collector limpets and the last one handling prospectors. Highly efficient, means the mother-ship doesn't have to move as far or turn as much and can more or less cruise through the res in a straight line as the crew mine around the ship.
With the new mining system we have scanners, we have surface ablation, we have charges to plant accurately in order to detonate the asteroid apart and probably more we don't know of yet. All of those would be easier/better with a small, manoeuvrable and fast ship instead of a T9/Conda/Corvette (which a lot of miners use). Also it makes wing mining less beneficial as I can already foresee explosion mishaps. Being in expendable fighters rather than a wing of 4 expensive mining ships is probably going to be a good thing. Obviously nothing confirmed until the stream but the logic is there.
Is this where I link a Dream On video?
I'll believe it when I see it...
I'll believe it when I see it...
It still wouldn't be an SLF, for the very reasons we both know it wouldn't be. You've already acknowledge that SLF is an acronym for Ship Launched Fighter. Your refusal to accept that a miner and a fighter are functionally different or just not wanting to give the new launchable a new acronym doesn't make me incorrect. Mining Assist Shuttles work better for you? MAS hangars? An MAS is not an SLF in function so it would benefit from having a different name to distinguish it from it's combat counterpart. They would be very different creatures.
I'm not saying they couldn't exist, I was really just playing when someone suggested a "fighter" should "mine". Though if they did exist they'd be less useful than a limpet that automatically gathers what a ship blasts off those rocks. It might be fun to fly through asteroid fields with a nimble machine and collect bits of things, but a limpet is still better at it.
Anyone expecting that a NPCs in a SLF will be any use in mining should watch NPCs mine for a while.
Will that be from Aerosmith or the HBO sitcom?
A ship launched miner would be great, having multiple roles in multicrew:
1) extra mining laser
2) mining charge dispenser
3) manned prospector limpet
4) manned collector limpet (magnetic external cargo rack)
The SLM could also double as a ship launched explorer:
-pulse scanner
-wave scanner
-datalink scanner for interacting with data points at planetary outposts and megaships
-cargo hatch (for materials only)
Also SLFs should be able to dock at medium pad stations to accept and turn in cargo-less missions.
1) extra mining laser
2) mining charge dispenser
3) manned prospector limpet
4) manned collector limpet (magnetic external cargo rack)
The SLM could also double as a ship launched explorer:
-pulse scanner
-wave scanner
-datalink scanner for interacting with data points at planetary outposts and megaships
-cargo hatch (for materials only)
Also SLFs should be able to dock at medium pad stations to accept and turn in cargo-less missions.
The naming:
No it wouldn't but for the purposes of describing something it makes sense and is a good use of the phrase even if it's technically wrong when you boil it down. Not sure why it's such a big deal for you.
Alright time for hypothetical:
Personally I'm really looking forward to the Green Shift and hope they include it in this update.
Of course by that you know exactly what I'm talking about with that right?
I'm talking about a variant on space phenomena like the lightning shown in teaser pics.
But by your reasoning it's not "lightning" so I shouldn't use that word and instead should just confuse everyone by spitting my own invention out.
But by your reasoning it's not "lightning" so I shouldn't use that word and instead should just confuse everyone by spitting my own invention out.
The mechanics:
I wouldn't imagine a fighter replacing limpets, no refinery, limited cargo space. That makes zero sense and I'm not suggesting that at all.
I would imagine a fighter with a few mining lasers removing the need for the mothership turning, facing, approaching and mining each rock in turn.
I suggested this a while back and would love to see it occur. A SLF/M would be amazing for multicrew mining where one ship can go around scouting for worthy rocks quickly.
If we could get a mining SLF as well as "SLF" (shuttle, actually) with small cargo bay for collecting cargo or transferring it to outposts that are too small for our behemoths -- it would have been wonderful. However I'd rather bet we are not going to get all those yummies in the next update
The main thing that makes me skeptical about this would be that it'd require new NPC/ship AI, either flying the mining-fighter (which I'd want to do myself) or flying the mothership to collect ore.
With limpets, however, that probably wouldn't be a huge problem.
As long as the AI was smart enough to hang around and allow limpets to do their job rather than constantly following the fighter, it shouldn't be a big problem.
It'd be nice if the AI could launch new limpets if required but it wouldn't be critical.
It could just be up to you, in the fighter, to pay attention to how many limpets were in use and then command the AI to launch more if required.
Who needs AI? Fly up to asteroid, generate a cloud of fragments, get into SLF and go prospecting while the limpets are collecting. This way you could use fewer collector limpets but maintain income rate and have fun flying the SLF.
I see it as a thing that could be done, certainly not one that has been done in secret. But multi-crew is a bit of a red-headed step child. Frontier’s stance of “if you use it, we’ll develop it” paired with the communal “if you develop it, we might use it” three-wayed by the long list of instancing and matching issues it has had, well... I won’t be surprised if it goes the way of CQC.
Sheesh! The guy is justing using the term SLF to imply the class/size/type of ship that would be used for mining. Don't take him to court over it!
As for us having SLFs that can mine (SLMs), it all comes down to what the new mechanics lend themselves too. ie: If there's specific areas of asteroids that can be shot for some purpose/outcome/higher yield, a much more nimble SLF (SLM) would be perfect for that.
Miners fight asteroids! Why are you such a rockist? Asteroid lives matter!