Please reconsider fleet carriers for solo players.

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

That's what I thought. Unless Fdev do a complete change in how they want things to be, I will.be surprised if Squadron Fleet carriers have shipyards, and if they do I can see them being very limited, maybe 1 or 2 stored ships per commander.

If solo players are going to need multiple accounts to make a carrier in the first place the need for a shipyard isn't strictly necessary.

Its going to come down to the balancing tug of war between: technical limitations on the servers vs how many people frontier want to positively influence with a new feature (new toys == happy players more ship skins, missing out creates sadness and disappointment, thats the only point to developing ANY feature) vs minimum squadron number.

This sort of thing is right up frontiers alley, so i bet they're having a blast coming up with....

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

If solo players are going to need multiple accounts to make a carrier in the first place the need for a shipyard isn't strictly necessary.

Its going to come down to the balancing tug of war between: technical limitations on the servers vs how many people frontier want to positively influence with a new feature (new toys == happy players more ship skins, missing out creates sadness and disappointment, thats the only point to developing ANY feature) vs minimum squadron number.

This sort of thing is right up frontiers alley, so i bet they're having a blast coming up with....

Surely that depends on the amount of multiple accounts. If its 10, 15 or 20 commanders needed to get a squadron carreir, I can see that creating a lot of headaches to achieve from a single player, and expensive too. Then you need to figure in that resource gathering for fuel would be likely balanced around the 10, 15 or 20 commanders needed, a sole commander regardless of the alts as they can only fly one at a time I can see there being more issues. So lets say its 20 commanders, 20 accounts, Deluxe versions are currently £40, what thats about £800 just to get a fleet carrier. Even when its on offer say £10 for the deluxe version, that is still gonna be £200 for 20 commanders, £100 for 10. For consoles, anything over 5 accounts becomes problematic.

Good luck is all I can say. If you want to spend that money, go for it.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

i could dig a mini carrier that can carry 4-5 ships for solo players 2 large pads 2 meds and 1 small. but thats just me

I think that is still too big. 2-3 medium/small ships I would be happy with.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

Surely that depends on the amount of multiple accounts. If its 10, 15 or 20 commanders needed to get a squadron carreir, I can see that creating a lot of headaches to achieve from a single player, and expensive too. Then you need to figure in that resource gathering for fuel would be likely balanced around the 10, 15 or 20 commanders needed, a sole commander regardless of the alts as they can only fly one at a time I can see there being more issues. So lets say its 20 commanders, 20 accounts, Deluxe versions are currently £40, what thats about £800 just to get a fleet carrier. Even when its on offer say £10 for the deluxe version, that is still gonna be £200 for 20 commanders, £100 for 10. For consoles, anything over 5 accounts becomes problematic.

Good luck is all I can say. If you want to spend that money, go for it.

Yeah, well that's exactly the dare. Next time you play, go have a browse though the squadrons and note the average squadron size.

I know we're a little superfan in here sometimes, but to my measure even a squadron size of 5 is going to be excluding the majority.. of people who even bother to make squadrons in the first place.

We don't know frontiers intention yet, but they're going to be receiving a whole different kind of feedback if the number is.. even close to the low end of what you suggest.

My opinion course.

 

[zimms]

That's a good point. Since it looks like FC will be the only real new content not aimed at new players this year, it would not be a good idea to exclude the majority of players.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Yeah, well that's exactly the dare. Next time you play, go have a browse though the squadrons and note the average squadron size.

Well, maybe it will give incentive for people to group together and make larger squadrons.

I know we're a little superfan in here sometimes, but to my measure even a squadron size of 5 is going to be excluding the majority.. of people who even bother to make squadrons in the first place.

As I said, join up together. There currently is no reason to have a squadron of one. They are pointless.

We don't know frontiers intention yet, but they're going to be receiving a whole different kind of feedback if the number is.. even close to the low end of what you suggest.

My opinion course.

Perhaps. But as these and squadrons are there for group play, I think these people that want something that is designed around group play, should you know, maybe group up with some like minded commanders.

Just a suggestion.

 

[zimms]

@Max Factor
Keep in mind Elite doesn't really know what it wants to be. In part it is an MMO, but on the other hand is has a dedicated Solo mode that's just as viable, according to Frontier.

I guess there's quite a lot of commanders out there who mainly play in Solo. If there's no content for them for the whole year I guess they aren't exactly.... what's the word, excited?

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

As I said, join up together. There currently is no reason to have a squadron of one. They are pointless.

Maybe more pointless in general. I've recently done this (for me and my alts), and the uses i can see have nothing to do with group play:

• Its the only way to flag a role play association with a minor faction. If you like playing pretend with the stations in elite, this is the closest you're going to get to marking in game that association. Im currently on a mission because of this.
• You can share bookmarks with squadron members (okay, this is a multiplayer feature).

Im not sure squadrons do anything else. I couldn't find anything in the ui... shrugs

 

[Juniper]

The 'solution' to all these perceived woes is to just pick up E: D whenever it's on sale anywhere, which it is regularly, between now and then.

You can buy the Commander Deluxe Edition on Humble right now for £10.79 for instance (but it's a pain to activate if you already have a Steam copy, and requires FD intervention).

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

@Max Factor
Keep in mind Elite doesn't really know what it wants to be. In part it is an MMO, but on the other hand is has a dedicated Solo mode that's just as viable, according to Frontier.

I guess there's quite a lot of commanders out there who mainly play in Solo. If there's no content for them for the whole year I guess they aren't exactly.... what's the word, excited?

You can be in a squadron and still work towards the same goals no matter what mode you are in.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Maybe more pointless in general. I've recently done this (for me and my alts), and the uses i can see have nothing to do with group play:

• Its the only way to flag a role play association with a minor faction. If you like playing pretend with the stations in elite, this is the closest you're going to get to marking in game that association. Im currently on a mission because of this.
• You can share bookmarks with squadron members (okay, this is a multiplayer feature).

Im not sure squadrons do anything else. I couldn't find anything in the ui... shrugs

They can communicate goals to all the members. But if you are the sole member I really can't see that as being useful unless you have a serious short term memory problem.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

They can communicate goals to all the members. But if you are the sole member I really can't see that as being useful unless you have a serious short term memory problem.

Do you mean the message of the day? Well you could use it for that I guess. Yes I set mine. Its just chat and invite / kick roles apart from that...

There's definitely no squadron missions.. I think people who wanted squadrons made a suggestion for that when the feature was released but it got not at this timed.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Do you mean the message of the day? Well you could use it for that I guess. Yes I set mine. Its just chat and invite / kick roles apart from that...

Pretty sure the message of the day is there for that purpose. That is what the squadron that I am a member of does (not that I can help as I am 60,000 ly away). I can't think of any other uses for it.

There's definitely no squadron missions.. I think people who wanted squadrons made a suggestion for that when the feature was released but it got not at this timed.

We may get them with Fleet Carriers. But we won't know until after september. Good fun speculating though. Hopefully FDev looked at the feedback that was there when they were first announced and has acted on some of them.

 

[Nadreck]

As previously mentioned, joining someone else's squadron doesn't get YOU a Carrier. At best, you can hitch a ride on someone else's (unless you are one of the very few who get to be the leader of a popular squadron).

But I think FDev are storing up a problem for the future, unless something changes. You currently can't be a member of more than one squadron, and once a squadron has declared its allegiance (to a superpower, a PP power, and/or a minor faction), this can never be changed. So if a squadron is set up to advance the Purple Pangolins of Procyon or whatever, and gets a Carrier, that is what the Carrier is for. And this will NEVER change. At present, you can at least disband a squadron and start agein, but in future this will mean losing the Carrier.

So, just how much of a fan of the Purple Pangolins are you? Enough to commit yourself to building their Carrier and then supporting them indefinitely? When enough people get a bit tired of relentlessly supporting the Purple Pangolins and decide to move on to other causes... then what?

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

As previously mentioned, joining someone else's squadron doesn't get YOU a Carrier. At best, you can hitch a ride on someone else's (unless you are one of the very few who get to be the leader of a popular squadron).

People that join squadrons are people that want to work together for a common cause. You don't join a squadron to just hitch a ride on the fleet carrier.

But I think FDev are storing up a problem for the future, unless something changes. You currently can't be a member of more than one squadron, and once a squadron has declared its allegiance (to a superpower, a PP power, and/or a minor faction), this can never be changed. So if a squadron is set up to advance the Purple Pangolins of Procyon or whatever, and gets a Carrier, that is what the Carrier is for. And this will NEVER change. At present, you can at least disband a squadron and start agein, but in future this will mean losing the Carrier.

As the carrier is associated to the squadron not the commander, that seems to be perfectly fair. I don't see any issues there.

So, just how much of a fan of the Purple Pangolins are you? Enough to commit yourself to building their Carrier and then supporting them indefinitely? When enough people get a bit tired of relentlessly supporting the Purple Pangolins and decide to move on to other causes... then what?

You leave and join another squadron if you so wish. New people will be recruited to replace you and it becomes a revolving door, if your squadron is active enough that is.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

The 'solution' to all these perceived woes is to just pick up E: D whenever it's on sale anywhere, which it is regularly, between now and then.

You can buy the Commander Deluxe Edition on Humble right now for £10.79 for instance (but it's a pain to activate if you already have a Steam copy, and requires FD intervention).

You're evil. See i want kcd and if you jump though hoops you can get a bunch of store credit on the humble store to nerf the price even more... hmmmm.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

The 'solution' to all these perceived woes is to just pick up E: D whenever it's on sale anywhere, which it is regularly, between now and then.

You can buy the Commander Deluxe Edition on Humble right now for £10.79 for instance (but it's a pain to activate if you already have a Steam copy, and requires FD intervention).

So if you need 10 commanders to get a fleet carrier thats over a £100. If you need 20 commanders that is over £200. Seems a tad expensive just to get a fleet carrier which will probably give a single person very little utility.

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

So if you need 10 commanders to get a fleet carrier thats over a £100. If you need 20 commanders that is over £200. Seems a tad expensive just to get a fleet carrier which will probably give a single person very little utility.

Especially when it's likely to take them hundreds of hours to gather enough fuel to jump.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Especially when it's likely to take them hundreds of hours to gather enough fuel to jump.

There is that possibility as well.

We know these are for squadrons, squadrons are there to promote group play and for people to play together, people need to expect fleet carriers to be based around group play, not a single person.

 

[Juniper]

Yeah, so, if you are going to try and do it you're either dedicated, foolhardy, rich, or all of the above.

Maybe that particular content just isn't meant for you as a solo player. That's another possibility.

Providing that's not all they intend to add in 2020, I don't see the problem.