Although a Beta Crash killed my Beta Client for good (Server CMDR Data apparently corrupted in some form after a failed Carrier jump lol ), I think I've seen enough.
For Exploration, the current Carriers simply are a .
- want basic Refueling? You need to rent the Module, Millions per week. Profits from others Refueling via Tariff? Unpossible, needs tens of thousands of CMDRs refueling on your Carrier every week. 100% negative ROI.
- want basic Repairs? You need to rent the Module, Millions per week. Profits from others Repairing via Tariff? Unpossible, needs thousands of CMDRs repairing on your Carrier every week. 100% negative ROI.
- want to take more than your current Ship? You need to rent the Module, Millions per week. 100% negative ROI.
- want to outfit your own Ship(s)? You need to rent the Module, Millions per week. 100% negative ROI.
- want to Rearm? You need to rent the Module, Millions per week. Profits from others Rearming via Tariff? Unpossible, needs ten thousands of CMDRs rearming on your Carrier every week. 100% negative ROI.
- want to get anywhere with that overpriced, leased led brick? Forget it. It'll take many (!) weeks where your current Exploration Ship can easily go within a few days.
- want to have fun with it? How? You can't even precision-park it in specific spots, can't summon it to your precise current position, can't even fly it. Not even change its orientation for a scenic Screenshot. You're just a parked visitor on your rental MegaShip with the privilege of paying and paying and paying and paying... and accessing a bland UI.
- want to make Credits with it exploring? lol ... physically impossible, it isn't just a huge Credit sink, it drills permanent holes into your Credit Balance at a rate of ~50M Cr per week.
So right now, those things are a total and complete NoGo. Even adding UC to this deeply flawed and superficial concept could only do so much in terms of damage control at this point.
Personally, I currently see them as "requires complete re-design, preferably by people aware of the in-game reality and the realistic opportunities this provides".
The concept is about 25% complete at best.
The experience of buying, docking at and outfitting the Carrier? "Anticlimactic" wouldn't do it justice. Boring and annoying as hell would be a fitting description.
Highly undesirable, I wouldn't want to take such a led brick on a Deep Space Exploration tour if the Game
paid me 5 Billion Credits to drag it along and grind to maintain its mobility.
On the pro side of things... well, tons of room for improvements.
Alot of room.