Rethinking limpets (again)

[babelfisch]

Make limpets great again.

1. Get rid of all the different limpet controllers and merge them into one.
2. The size of the controller determines how many limpets you can carry.
3. Limpets become reusable, when they dock with your ship they are refueled and repaired.
4. Limpets get a hull buff. The only way to lose them is if they get shot or you ram them deliberately.
5. Limpet functionality needs to be determined, either via context or firegroups.
6. You can directly control limpets as drones via multicrew.

This would make them more like the SLF or SRV. It simplifies the system, adds more gameplay, opens new avenues and it would finally make sense.

 

[Friedenreich Xante]

3. Limpets become reusable, when they dock with your ship they are refueled and repaired.

Yeah, stop to space waste!

Would all be a fine addition to the suggestions sub-forums

I don't see the use in controlling the limpets myself, though. And the hull buff is not needed either. But if any of this is done, the price of the limpets needs a huge buff too! They currently cost what they are, a one-way shaver.

 

[Ceekay]

For mining the refinery size could determine the number of reusable prospector/collector limpets carried, that alone would make small ships viable as miners

 

[babelfisch]

Yeah, stop to space waste!

Would all be a fine addition to the suggestions sub-forums

I don't see the use in controlling the limpets myself, though. And the hull buff is not needed either. But if any of this is done, the price of the limpets needs a huge buff too! They currently cost what they are, a one-way shaver.

Currently they don't need a hull buff because you carry 64 limpets and it doesn't matter if one gets destroyed. If you can only carry 1-6 their suicidal behaviour could get very problematic and frustrating. Limpets should just stop dying all the time, it's silly.

 

[Rat Catcher]

I entriely approve of each point in the suggestion, great idea

 

[babelfisch]

For mining the refinery size could determine the number of reusable prospector/collector limpets carried, that alone would make small ships viable as miners

I wouldn't like that because it fractures the system again. It would be good for mining, but what about all the other limpet types?
Small ships would already become viable as miners with the suggestion in OP because they no longer need two controllers but just one.

 

[Robert Maynard]

If limpet synthesis remains then limpet hulls might not need to be buffed too much - losing them should still be a consequence.

 

[Requiem Mortis]

But if limpets use the same type of fuel as SRV's which you can only get when docked, or synthesize then it's going to be problematic to refuel them.

 

[babelfisch]

If limpet synthesis remains then limpet hulls might not need to be buffed too much - losing them should still be a consequence.

True, but only if you are doing something wrong, like going 200 m/s and making sharp turns during collection.
Currently you can sit idle and limpets will kill themselves because they crash into asteroids and stuff. They are idiots.

 

[babelfisch]

But if limpets use the same type of fuel as SRV's which you can only get when docked, or synthesize then it's going to be problematic to refuel them.

SRV fuel already is space magic. Just let limpets use a different type of space magic.
That said, I wouldn't be against using the same system as the SRV as long as it doesn't become too much grind.

 

[galahad2069]

I'm not much of a trader/miner, so can someone explain why limpets need to use cargo space? What's the point? How does this design decision result it a better gameplay than simply treating them as "ammunition" to the (preferably universal) limpet controller?

 

[babelfisch]

I'm not much of a trader/miner, so can someone explain why limpets need to use cargo space? What's the point? How does this design decision result it a better gameplay than simply treating them as "ammunition" to the (preferably universal) limpet controller?

I guess it's for immersion. Limpets aren't big, but they aren't as small as MC rounds either...

PS
Judging from this screenshot it appears like they are roughly the size of a cargo canister:

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/elite-dangerous/images/7/71/Elite-Dangerous-Limpet-Canister-by-Janne-Paulsen.png/revision/latest?cb=20180724191945

 

[znôrt]

1. Get rid of all the different limpet controllers and merge them into one.
2. The size of the controller determines how many limpets you can carry.
3. Limpets become reusable, when they dock with your ship they are refueled and repaired.

nice concept.

5. Limpet functionality needs to be determined, either via context or firegroups.

obviously, but i shudder just imagining how frontier would implement this.

Limpets should just stop dying all the time, it's silly.

erm ... git gud?

6. You can directly control limpets as drones via multicrew.

sounds like the typical outrageous requirement in any demand to be dropped in the course of negotiation

 

[Craith]

I had similar ideas than what you suggest.

I was always hoping that a universal limpet controller worked like a hangar - you get a number of slots (determined by the size of controller), that you can buy specific task programmes for. A size 3 allows 2 different limpets (or 2 of the same), a size 5 allows 3, size 7 4.

These limpet storage should work like the SLFs, with bigger controllers having more in reserve; and no fuel limit (e.g. the limit is high enough to never come up in game, so just ignore it).

You'd still have to plan which controllers you'd take with you, and having more than one controller might make sense for some builds.

 

[CMDR X]

Good ideas.
I would be happy if we could re-synthesize our leftover limpets into mats.
I am positive the technology exist. Despise destroying them after docking.
X.

 

[Kissamies]

The biggest problem is needing a controller for each type of limpets. Except for collector limpets sometimes, it is too costly to carry a controller "just in case" because of that. An universal controller that does all, or at least an ability to load several limpet programs in a single controller, is a must. Not needing cargo space and having the controller module itself act as magazine for limpets would be an improvement too, but less necessary one. The other stuff is not so important. I'd love to see a special limpet interface instead of putting them in fire groups, but can't expect too much with FDev and interfaces.

 

[Bigmaec]

I like it...

 

[znôrt]

I'm not much of a trader/miner, so can someone explain why limpets need to use cargo space? What's the point? How does this design decision result it a better gameplay than simply treating them as "ammunition" to the (preferably universal) limpet controller?

no idea, really. the game is so inconsistent around fungibles (fuel, ammo, slf, srv plus immaterial materials and then some synthesis) that i can't see a reasonable balancing or game mechanic criteria behind this. i guess it's just so, it works and seemed a good idea at that time. i don't think it's bad either, i'm not bothered by them being cargo. i just would like it more if they were not disposable, thus fewer numbers needed, thus more relevant. poor things.

i do like that limpets are specialized, though. the same device can't deliver fuel, repair a canopy, probe a rock and mop up the floor. that's gamey and doesn't make much sense. ideally a universal limpet controller could have a reduced quantity of any kind of limpet but you still would have to decide which at the docking station, and assign them to fire groups.

 

[babelfisch]

i do like that limpets are specialized, though. the same device can't deliver fuel, repair a canopy, probe a rock and mop up the floor. that's gamey and doesn't make much sense. ideally a universal limpet controller could have a reduced quantity of any kind of limpet but you still would have to decide which at the docking station, and assign them to fire groups.

That's how it already is though. A limpet can do everything and the shape, form or capabilities don't change just because you are using a different controller. Limpets always remain the same. The controller just tells it to grab a container or drill a hole. My mobile would probably be better suited to control a limpet than the nonsense we have in game. Probably not via Bluetooth though...

 

[Jmanis]

1. Get rid of all the different limpet controllers and merge them into one.

See #5

2. The size of the controller determines how many limpets you can carry.

Provided there's still an option to carry more, I'm down with that.

3. Limpets become reusable, when they dock with your ship they are refueled and repaired.
4. Limpets get a hull buff. The only way to lose them is if they get shot or you ram them deliberately.

No real input on these.

5. Limpet functionality needs to be determined, either via context or firegroups.

That might be tricky to determine the context difference between repair, refuel and hatchbreak.

6. You can directly control limpets as drones via multicrew.

I'd rather not, because I'm already juggling quite a few things while using hatchbreakers. Needing to control them manually would be a right PITA.