Please reconsider fleet carriers for solo players.

[CMDR M. Lehman]

The issue there is that FDev can't make Carriers unusable for dedicated single players without also making them similarly unusable for casual, not-very-big groups. Except in maybe a few deliberately-obnoxious ways, such as making it impossible to load more than one ship per player (which would also inconvenience groups too: who wants to be the T9 supply-tanker pilot?), and so forth.

There's no issue at all for carriers being something that a squadron earns.

 

[Robert Maynard]

Except in maybe a few deliberately-obnoxious ways, such as making it impossible to load more than one ship per player (which would also inconvenience groups too: who wants to be the T9 supply-tanker pilot?), and so forth.

One ship per player cannot be enforced - one ship per CMDR, definitely.

If there was such a restriction, one of my altCMDRs would be a tanker driver.

 

[Deleted member 110222]

The issue there is that FDev can't make Carriers unusable for dedicated single players without also making them similarly unusable for casual, not-very-big groups. Except in maybe a few deliberately-obnoxious ways, such as making it impossible to load more than one ship per player (which would also inconvenience groups too: who wants to be the T9 supply-tanker pilot?), and so forth.

It is entirely possible that carrier content is specifically for hardcore guild-gamers. Right now that demographic has nothing in ED.

I do see where you're coming from. The idea of owning a carrier is cool. But sometimes that cool factor is a big part of why that content needs to be used for group content. Otherwise guild-gamers have nothing, and in an online game, they are very important demographic if a dev' wants to keep their game going for an extended time. They are the players who will play daily for years.

 

[Ian Skippy]

I'm going to laugh quite hard if:

1) Carriers are, in fact, made available for those awesome, awesome "squadrons of one".

2) Their maintenance/upgrade/movement cost is prohibitive for any except actual multiplayer squadrons.

My money is pretty much on that scenario, it seems the most likely based on what they said earlier, and it would be very easy to design it that way.

 

[Nadreck]

There's no issue at all for carriers being something that a squadron earns.

But then we're back to that hypothetical "Carrier Scramble" game, a neverending struggle to hang on to your Carrier.

FDev have a choice to make. Should a group of 6 friends, who play ED once every few weeks, have a Carrier to facilitate their "social interaction"? Or are they only for a handful of big high-prestige groups?

If the 6 friends can have and run their little 6-hangar Carrier, then so can a single player (barring cantankerous obstacles). If not, FDev are alienating more of their playerbase and wasting development time.

 

[Flimley]

I remember DB talking about management control ships, as opposed to direct flight. I guess these are those.
I wonder when jumping has completed if they will be completely stationary or some movement available, like you know a bit of station bumping. Hehe

Flimley

 

[Deleted member 110222]

But then we're back to that hypothetical "Carrier Scramble" game, a neverending struggle to hang on to your Carrier.

FDev have a choice to make. Should a group of 6 friends, who play ED once every few weeks, have a Carrier to facilitate their "social interaction"? Or are they only for a handful of big high-prestige groups?

If the 6 friends can have and run their little 6-hangar Carrier, then so can a single player (barring cantankerous obstacles). If not, FDev are alienating more of their playerbase and wasting development time.

How does not having a carrier suddenly break the game for you?

Right now this sounds like you want it "Because it's there."

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Nope, you have just shown that you know nothing about Elite.

"All modes are equal."

Elite was originally a single-player game, every previous version was entirely single-player, and a large chunk of the playerbase just wants to head off into an immersive space-simulation where they don't have to interact with other people.

The day FDev breaks its promises and alienates those people is the day this ceases to be Elite. You want it to be a different game. But there is no indication that FDev do, as numerous statements indicate that squadrons will own (not lease) Carriers, and that Carriers will be upgradable, implying that they are a persistent asset and not something you only get to use once every few weeks or whatever.

If you want to play "Carrier Scramble" or whatever you want to call it, pitch your idea to a developer or get coding. But expecting FDev to alienate a large chunk of the fanbase just to turn ED into the game you want is wishful thinking.

All modes would still be equal. You can be a member of a squadron and be in solo, and have access to a fleet carrier.

If you do not want to talk to other people and don't want to be in a squadron, you can't use a squadron carrier.

 

[Nadreck]

It is entirely possible that carrier content is specifically for hardcore guild-gamers. Right now that demographic has nothing in ED.

I do see where you're coming from. The idea of owning a carrier is cool. But sometimes that cool factor is a big part of why that content needs to be used for group content. Otherwise guild-gamers have nothing, and in an online game, they are very important demographic if a dev' wants to keep their game going for an extended time. They are the players who will play daily for years.

You seem to be assuming Carriers are all pretty much the same. Given that they're supposed to be upgradable, that seems unlikely.

Single players and small groups get little Carriers. Big groups get big Carriers. Other upgrades (in addition to just more pads and hangars) will probably also be available more easily for the bigger groups with deep pockets.

 

[Robert Maynard]

I remember DB talking about management control ships, as opposed to direct flight. I guess these are those.
I wonder when jumping has completed if they will be completely stationary or some movement available, like you know a bit of station bumping. Hehe

Flimley

I expect that Carriers will jump from normal space to normal space, i.e. no flight controls and no supercruise - not sure how that will permit them to be placed anywhere other than the entry point in a system -- but that might be a specific limitation to stop them jamming up popular places.

 

[Deleted member 110222]

You seem to be assuming Carriers are all pretty much the same. Given that they're supposed to be upgradable, that seems unlikely.

Single players and small groups get little Carriers. Big groups get big Carriers. Other upgrades (in addition to just more pads and hangars) will probably also be available more easily for the bigger groups with deep pockets.

I mean... We've only actually seen one carrier in actual footage, and it looks like it's big.

I'd argue you are actually the one making baseless assumptions.

 

[Nadreck]

How does not having a carrier suddenly break the game for you?

Right now this sounds like you want it "Because it's there."

It wouldn't "break the game", it's just a waste of effort.

Analogy: a new ship is released, the "Nemesis". As part of a marketing strategy, only CMDR's with a name starting with N can buy one. Hey, cool, I can have one! How does not having a Nemesis break the game for you?

It doesn't, but why should FDev waste time and effort to design a new ship (and paintjobs, kits etc) that is restricted to an handful of players?

 

[PavelKCZ]

Just one question. I am almost purely a Solo player. But, where exactly is the fun/game with Fleet Carrier for solo ?
I understand that if this feature will be implemented, I probably will be able to buy a really expensive "something", put couple of my ships inside this "something" and do exactly what ? Travel somewhere else ? But why ? In bubble, I can use my fast ship for travel to destination and after that, I can use ship transport and have my combat ship shipped to me.
Outside the Bubble ? There is just exploration stuff, so the exploration ship is enough. There are no unknown aliens out there (for combat ship), there are mining possibilities (but there is no place where you can sell the stuff you mined) and I am almost sure that there are no trading opportunities (no low level aliens to whom you can sell cheap stuff like mirrors, glass beads etc.)

Did I missed something ?

 

[Deleted member 110222]

It wouldn't "break the game", it's just a waste of effort.

Analogy: a new ship is released, the "Nemesis". As part of a marketing strategy, only CMDR's with a name starting with N can buy one. Hey, cool, I can have one! How does not having a Nemesis break the game for you?

It doesn't, but why should FDev waste time and effort to design a new ship (and paintjobs, kits etc) that is restricted to an handful of players?

Because that's exactly how a lot of stupidly successful online games keep people playing.

I'm talking games with players in the 7-figures.

 

[CMDR M. Lehman]

But then we're back to that hypothetical "Carrier Scramble" game, a neverending struggle to hang on to your Carrier.

FDev have a choice to make. Should a group of 6 friends, who play ED once every few weeks, have a Carrier to facilitate their "social interaction"? Or are they only for a handful of big high-prestige groups?

If the 6 friends can have and run their little 6-hangar Carrier, then so can a single player (barring cantankerous obstacles). If not, FDev are alienating more of their playerbase and wasting development time.

There's a Spanish proverb that I believe applies to all aspects of life, including this topic:

God said: "Take what you want, and pay for it."

If a group of friends or a solo player decide that it's worth the cost to pay for and maintain a fleet carrier, they will. If not, they won't.

Simple as that.

 

[Old Duck]

So out of curiosity, if Bill Gates wanted to buy a huge cargo ship to haul all his fishing boats around in, is there anything stopping him? I'm not aware of a law that says, "It doesn't matter how much money you have, only companies with 100+ employees can own a cargo ship."

 

[Wargfoot]

I read somewhere that the fuel for the carriers would be Sidewinder debris collected around noob starter areas.

 

[Wargfoot]

So out of curiosity, if Bill Gates wanted to buy a huge cargo ship to haul all his fishing boats around in, is there anything stopping him? I'm not aware of a law that says, "It doesn't matter how much money you have, only companies with 100+ employees can own a cargo ship."

Bill Gates isn't allowed to own a tank, air craft carrier, or nuclear missile.
At least I don't think he can own those things.

 

[PavelKCZ]

I can only imagine that Fleer Carrier for solo can be handy if there will be some basic chages to the core of the game. For example that you will be able to load your exploration ship, combat ship, mining ship, trading ship etc. fly something like 10.000 lys away and use it as a base. After that you can do mining, trasport the materials to Carrier (Mother ship) and use your trading ship/ships to deliver materials to some market via NPC pilot.

But this is so complicated and I bet that FD will never implement this...

 

[Yodebe]

Just one question. I am almost purely a Solo player. But, where exactly is the fun/game with Fleet Carrier for solo ?

Well, I always play in open, but generally alone, heavy on the role-play, and I have 9 holome characters, with a ship each, like a space biker-gang.
They would LOVE a fleet carrier