Ship launched cargo transport vessel

[Roope00]

I am a relatively new player who's into trading, so please take my opinion with a grain of salt.

The game lacks ship launched cargo transporting vessels, which would be similar to the ship launched fighters, but for the purpose of transporting small amounts of cargo.
No hardpoints or shields, just cargo space and ability to dock at small landing pads so you can finally start doing cargo runs to small outposts in a Type 9.
Personally, I think this would dramatically improve the trading aspect of the game. You'd think the future would have this, no?

Maybe the ship launched cargo vessel would be something like a hardpoint-less and shieldless Adder with no FSD, and instead with some more cargo space (30 tons?) just to balance things out.

What do you guys think?

 

[VR CMDR Novindus]

Tie this in with multicrew and multiple cargo transport vessels depending on module size, and you have another cooperative gameplay aspect.

Large shipments to smaller outposts delivered this way should also yield greater returns due to the additional logistics requirement and the time and expenses involved.

 

[SlouchMonster]

This sounds like a really good idea. I'd like to see larger vessels doing cargo runs with SLFs (Ship Launched Trader/Transport/Cargo whatever). I can already hear the the 'muh grind' crowd complaining about ferrying cargo between ship and outpost.

It'd be nice if we could get mining SLFs too, and more SRVs, but that's for another thread.

 

[Lestat]

I have to say no. Let break it down. Let say we had a Type 9 with 500 cargo hold. With a sidewinder with the cargo hold of 10. Let say you pick a mission that had 700 cargo for a small station. Which for a Type 6 you can do 7 trips and finish it or less with a Python.

But let break it down with a type 9 with 500 cargo That already takes 2 trips. Then we have the Sidewinder dropping off cargo 10 cargo each. That 50 trips on one trip. and another 20 trips.

So I have to say no.

 

[Roope00]

I have to say no. Let break it down. Let say we had a Type 9 with 500 cargo hold. With a sidewinder with the cargo hold of 10. Let say you pick a mission that had 700 cargo for a small station. Which for a Type 6 you can do 7 trips and finish it or less with a Python.

But let break it down with a type 9 with 500 cargo That already takes 2 trips. Then we have the Sidewinder dropping off cargo 10 cargo each. That 50 trips on one trip. and another 20 trips.

So I have to say no.

I see what you're getting at. But from my point of view, those missions just are not worth it when I can just pick up a few other missions (in the same location or on route) giving me the same payout in half the time when compared to doing a cargo run many times in a smaller ship like the T-6.
And not only that, if you're in a large vessel and you spot a good mission that is limited to medium or small vessels, you can not accept it because your current ship is too big. So if you were to change to a medium ship so you could accept it, the mission list would already refresh by the time you've switched to the appropriate ship for the mission you wanted to do.

 

[BinakAlgo]

I like the idea sounds like fun, and as someone already said, it could add cooperative value to the game.

 

[Skip Rockbounder]

This sounds like a really good idea. I'd like to see larger vessels doing cargo runs with SLFs (Ship Launched Trader/Transport/Cargo whatever). I can already hear the the 'muh grind' crowd complaining about ferrying cargo between ship and outpost.

It'd be nice if we could get mining SLFs too, and more SRVs, but that's for another thread.

I agree and think that's the way ED should go, however many are searching for a shortcut to just about any task in the game and what some see as added gameplay others will see as a grind.

Larger ships could hover near outposts and ferry passengers and cargo back and forth, it could/would make outposts a hive of activity.

 

[Skip Rockbounder]

I have to say no. Let break it down. Let say we had a Type 9 with 500 cargo hold. With a sidewinder with the cargo hold of 10. Let say you pick a mission that had 700 cargo for a small station. Which for a Type 6 you can do 7 trips and finish it or less with a Python.

But let break it down with a type 9 with 500 cargo That already takes 2 trips. Then we have the Sidewinder dropping off cargo 10 cargo each. That 50 trips on one trip. and another 20 trips.

So I have to say no.

I kinda understand, but in no way do I agree, the OP mentioned 30 tons... now that ain't a rule, I see it as an arbitrary figure that could be adjusted up or down, thinking a bit deeper, the player would have to make dozens of trips to the station and back again each time lining up and threading the needle selecting cargo to load then back out to the station... would he/she have to ask for docking permission each time, I reckon that guy in the sidewinder wouldn't take a job like that anyway, after all realistically he/she could make enough for a more suitable ship in next to no time now anyway, so turning up in a sidewinder is pretty stupid isn't it?

 

[Lestat]

I kinda understand, but in no way do I agree, the OP mentioned 30 tons... now that ain't a rule, I see it as an arbitrary figure that could be adjusted up or down, thinking a bit deeper, the player would have to make dozens of trips to the station and back again each time lining up and threading the needle selecting cargo to load then back out to the station... would he/she have to ask for docking permission each time, I reckon that guy in the sidewinder wouldn't take a job like that anyway, after all realistically he/she could make enough for a more suitable ship in next to no time now anyway, so turning up in a sidewinder is pretty stupid isn't it?

Well the first part with mentioned 30 tons. I looking at the largest ship that can fit in a Large ship which is a Sidewinder. Even if they took out the Frame Shift Drive of the Sidewinder and replaced it with 4 cargo It give the user at the most 16 slots. That 2x Size 1 Compartments
3x Size 2 Compartments.

It best for players to start using common sense when they accept missions. Have a Python if you are doing a Small station. Or you are going to be dealing with a lot of Docking and undocking both Ship as well as Station if this idea was ever added.

 

[VR CMDR Novindus]

I have to say no. Let break it down. Let say we had a Type 9 with 500 cargo hold. With a sidewinder with the cargo hold of 10. Let say you pick a mission that had 700 cargo for a small station. Which for a Type 6 you can do 7 trips and finish it or less with a Python.

But let break it down with a type 9 with 500 cargo That already takes 2 trips. Then we have the Sidewinder dropping off cargo 10 cargo each. That 50 trips on one trip. and another 20 trips.

So I have to say no.

Let's look at a scenario of how it could work.

Assume we've outfitted a Type 9 as linked below (sorry don't know how to insert an image from imgur):

https://imgur.com/a/DQsFsQQ

That's 500t cargo capacity in total, with a free size 8 slot that I've currently got a Fighter Hangar in as a placeholder for the Cargo Vessel Hangar.
Consider that the size 8 slot is capable of holding an 8A Prismatic Shield Generator weighing in at 320t.
If we were to aim for a Cargo Vessel with a 100t capacity for the size 8 slot, that would leave 220t for the ship hull and internals plus fuel.

To put that in perspective, a stripped down Type 6 with 100t of cargo space can weigh as little as 266t fully laden, which is well under the 320t upper limit, and that's without engineering.

However, it would be fair to assume that a specifically geared ship launched cargo vessel would have a lighter hull and core internals, so a size 8 slot could potentially hold a cargo vessel capable of moving well over 100t, with that scaling down as you drop in slot sizes.

All in all, quite doable.

 

[Captain Thea Kreutzer]

It seems like a good idea but itd be a bit hard to give a reason to why the ship launched hauler can hold more then a sidewinder.

 

[Le-Betz]

I'd rather like to see a ship launched mining craft.

 

[Captain Thea Kreutzer]

I'd rather like to see a ship launched mining craft.

thatd be fun lol

 

[Le-Betz]

thatd be fun lol

And useful, too, considering all that extensive mining equipment.

 

[VR CMDR Novindus]

It seems like a good idea but itd be a bit hard to give a reason to why the ship launched hauler can hold more then a sidewinder.

See my post just above your one.

 

[Captain Thea Kreutzer]

See my post just above your one.

Yea but how would you fit it inside the type 9? A ship like the Type 6 would be like half the Type 9

 

[VR CMDR Novindus]

Yea but how would you fit it inside the type 9? A ship like the Type 6 would be like half the Type 9

Well, at least by a cubic meter size comparison, the Type 9 can fit around 22 Type 6 ships (according to measurements on the fandom wiki).
So both the weight and size requirements seem to be more than manageable for a Type 9.

But very likely the ship launched cargo vessels will be scaled down built-for-purpose models with the minimum size and components to complete their single task.

 

[dm06]

No, because Type-10 full of cargo is such heavy that it is able to drag outpost from it's position.

 

[Captain Thea Kreutzer]

Well, at least by a cubic meter size comparison, the Type 9 can fit around 22 Type 6 ships (according to measurements on the fandom wiki).
So both the weight and size requirements seem to be more than manageable for a Type 9.

But very likely the ship launched cargo vessels will be scaled down built-for-purpose models with the minimum size and components to complete their single task.

Right but if its scaled down that goes back to my original question.

 

[VR CMDR Novindus]

Right but if its scaled down that goes back to my original question.

I meant scaled down as in the minimum hull size and weight, and the minimum core internals size and weight to be able to transport 100t of cargo between ship and outpost.
That would mean a ship considerably smaller and lighter than a Type 6 that could still hold 100t of cargo and easily fit inside a hangar of slot size 8.