Please reconsider fleet carriers for solo players.

[dxm55]

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?

That is the problem right there isn't it?
Everybody wants to own their own carrier. LOL.
Even though it requires a team of players to actually operate one.

So hilarious. Everybody wants to be the Indian Chief.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

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

Possibly.

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

Probably

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

I believe fleet carriers are coming this December so 2019. I'm thinking there will be another two updates in 2020 before the big one at the end of next year. I'm sure there will be stuff for solo players. I really don't mind there being some dedicated multiplayer mechanics, the game needs them to be honest, as long as the more solo orientated stuff doesn't go.

 

[Nadreck]

Well, it's likely that Carriers will either be available in a variety of sizes, or expandable from a fairly basic model (we've been told that they will be upgradable). There's no reason to assume that the only Carrier available to a single player will be capable of carrying hundreds of ships and will be so enormous that it requires hundreds of hours to refuel.

A 10,000t fuel tank would be equivalent in mass to around 5 fully laden Cutters. I'd guess that would be enough for a smallish Carrier to go quite a long way, and filling it from scooped hydrogen would take 20 trips, assuming a T9 with 500t fuel capacity and an 8a scoop.

 

[Nadreck]

Also, we know from ED lore that a "Carrier" (Jacques Station) could carry enough fuel to go from the Bubble to Colonia in a single jump (and its intended destination was Beagle Point).

If fuel can be bulk-loaded at a megaship dock, this provides an alternative to refuelling out in the black. Just jump out with enough fuel to jump back again!

 

[Ralph Vargr]

Well, it's likely that Carriers will either be available in a variety of sizes, or expandable from a fairly basic model (we've been told that they will be upgradable). There's no reason to assume that the only Carrier available to a single player will be capable of carrying hundreds of ships and will be so enormous that it requires hundreds of hours to refuel.

A 10,000t fuel tank would be equivalent in mass to around 5 fully laden Cutters. I'd guess that would be enough for a smallish Carrier to go quite a long way, and filling it from scooped hydrogen would take 20 trips, assuming a T9 with 500t fuel capacity and an 8a scoop.

Shades of High Guard...

 

[zimms]

[...] I'm thinking there will be another two updates in 2020 before the big one at the end of next year. I'm sure there will be stuff for solo players.[...]

Two bold predictions.

I'm still waiting for the new Scenarios(TM) Frontier mention every time they talk about Interstellar Initiatives.

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

I would really like to see data about what percentage of the players belong to a squad with more that 3 people.

I expect that it's a high percentage, but that's because there's absolutely no reason NOT to create a squadron of 1, even if you never plan on inviting anyone else. That doesn't make it a good measure of who NEEDS a fleet carrier.

It would be like basing the usage of multicrew off the number of people with a Holo-Me.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Well, it's likely that Carriers will either be available in a variety of sizes, or expandable from a fairly basic model (we've been told that they will be upgradable). There's no reason to assume that the only Carrier available to a single player will be capable of carrying hundreds of ships and will be so enormous that it requires hundreds of hours to refuel.

I doubt there will any carrier available to a single person unless they circumvent the requirements and I don't think they will be in lots of different sizes. I expect maybe a few different versions which are upgradeable in some way.

A 10,000t fuel tank would be equivalent in mass to around 5 fully laden Cutters. I'd guess that would be enough for a smallish Carrier to go quite a long way, and filling it from scooped hydrogen would take 20 trips, assuming a T9 with 500t fuel capacity and an 8a scoop.

I expect a similar jump range to the gnosis, which is 500ly.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Also, we know from ED lore that a "Carrier" (Jacques Station) could carry enough fuel to go from the Bubble to Colonia in a single jump (and its intended destination was Beagle Point).

If fuel can be bulk-loaded at a megaship dock, this provides an alternative to refuelling out in the black. Just jump out with enough fuel to jump back again!

Jaques is a space station, not a fleet carrier. A fleet carrier is much smaller. I think you are asking for too much. What a lot of you seem to want is a whole expansions worth of work in a smallish update.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Two bold predictions.

Not really. They have said updates every three to four months. After December that will leave two until the next big expansion.

I'm still waiting for the new Scenarios(TM) Frontier mention every time they talk about Interstellar Initiatives.

I don't remember them mentioning new scenarios, but perhaps they will be coming in the next update in september. I am reasonably confident there will be more in the next update then ARX and the new in-ship starter stuff.

 

[zimms]

I'm lazy and only looked for one example. From the Enclave overview thread:

What are Interstellar Initiatives?

Interstellar Initiative are a series of in-game events and narratives that utilise our existing in-game systems, such as Community Goals and Scenarios, to provide narratives that, with the influence of Commanders, can have lasting effects on the galaxy!

 

[Ralph Vargr]

I expect that it's a high percentage, but that's because there's absolutely no reason NOT to create a squadron of 1, even if you never plan on inviting anyone else. That doesn't make it a good measure of who NEEDS a fleet carrier.

It would be like basing the usage of multicrew off the number of people with a Holo-Me.

Germane to this, I have just started playing this season for squadrons, and in two days I went from 3500th place or so, to around two thousand.

That's an advance of 1500 places in the rankings, for a one player squadron, in less than two days. This, of course, is only my mission running, the odd pirate encounter, and a scan of two systems.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

I'm lazy and only looked for one example. From the Enclave overview thread:

So no new scenarios then. Just the existing ones.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Germane to this, ...,

I deny each and any affiiliation to any such allegation. We had no part in it!

 

[Jack Schitt]

I will laugh my spuds off if these things appear in the game, have all of the ship-carrying and outfitting features players are asking for, are available to individual players, can jump 500ly in a single go, and can only do so on Thursday mornings.

 

[Ralph Vargr]

Now ranked 1600 or so in trade. No way am I going to break 1000, without continuous play.

I suspect that everyone has fallen on a steep distribution curve in squadron membership. There must be lots of single-player squadrons.

 

[CMDR Big Mike]

This is one I doubt. If FDev wanted us to be able to move our own personal fleets around all the other moveable megaships would have a shipyard and so would the Gnosis.

I think it is important to note that the Gnosis is a research vessel and not a dedicated carrier like the fleet carrier will be. I doubt they will function the same. Also by your argument the fleet carrier should have a market and economy, which I am assuming will not be the case.

They have different missions and will likely have different services available

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

I think it is important to note that the Gnosis is a research vessel and not a dedicated carrier like the fleet carrier will be. I doubt they will function the same. Also by your argument the fleet carrier should have a market and economy, which I am assuming will not be the case.

They have different missions and will likely have different services available

I am not talking just about the gnosis, but every moveable megaship. And also my arguement is that if FDev was okay with us moving out own personal fleets around, they would already allow it.

It's got nothing do with economy, markets and so on.

I also doubt that fleet carriers will act the same as moveable megaships, but I suspect there will be some similarities.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

I am not talking just about the gnosis, but every moveable megaship. And also my arguement is that if FDev was okay with us moving out own personal fleets around, they would already allow it.

It's got nothing do with economy, markets and so on.

I also doubt that fleet carriers will act the same as moveable megaships, but I suspect there will be some similarities.

MRCDM

Mostly Recycled Code, Different Model.

 

[Nadreck]

All the other moveable megaships are community assets, and we are invited aboard as the captain's guests.

That will not apply to squadron-owned Carriers. It should be entirely up to the squadron leader to decide how many ships each CMDR can bring onboard.

There is no in-game authority who can tell me not to put more ships on MY Carrier.