Newcomer / Intro Fleet Carrier Thoughts

hawknerd

hawknerd
I have been looking into fleet carriers and I am thinking I want one when they come out in June.
But it occurs to me that this may not be a good idea.
One downside is that I will have to grind a lot to get the cash before the Borann adjustment to LTD mining.
But what other things are relevant which I havent thought of yet?
I would be interested to hear members thoughts on me getting one.
 

sinisalo

sinisalo
You kinda look like Walter White there. Add a goatee and you've got it I reckon.

I don't have any advice for whether YOU should get a carrier, but I won't be. If they had been designed, well completely differently, I might have.

I expect a couple of the commanders in our PG will have them and I can experience them and use them. But I have no need for one.

If you could outline what you plan to do with it, what your reasons might be, it would be easier to say if that's a good idea or not. In the end it's only money.
 

Para Handy

Para Handy
I think the main drawback even after grinding out the billions needed to buy and equip one is going to be the maintenance and upkeep. So far this is looking like a complete nightmare and as far as I can see the "management game" that underlies the "Planet" series of games is being introduced to Elite big-time.

I for one will wait until the actual update comes online to see whether F D can mangle the current concept into something that is interesting for non-spreadsheet nerds. I have already withdrawn from the deep-space network project as I think the upkeep grind will ruin my enjoyment of Elite.

Minor point - this is the newcomer's forum and I hope this thread develops into something which gives new players an idea of what can eventually be done but doesn't encourage blind adherence to grinding credits and so missing the fun of the game's variety and becoming burned-out.
 

sinisalo

sinisalo
Para Handy said:
Minor point - this is the newcomer's forum and I hope this thread develops into something which gives new players an idea of what can eventually be done but doesn't encourage blind adherence to grinding credits and so missing the fun of the game's variety and becoming burned-out.
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Quoted for truth. Well said Para.

It says something about the state of Elite when 5 billion credit fleet carriers are being bandied about in the noobs forum, and it doesn't even register with me. I've gone progression-blind.
 

avow555

avow555
If you have the patience to grind out around 7 Billion before the patch arrives then why not.
I think if you can envision a use for your personal game then they may be fun.

For myself they aren't what I had hoped for and despite having the credits will not be getting one.
 

sinisalo

sinisalo
Hawknerd said:
Who is Walter White?
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Say my name. Heisenberg.

Not a fan of Breaking Bad then?

I'd say getting a carrier because you want one isn't a great reason, but like I said it's only money. But if you have a clear purpose or even better, a need!, then yeah why not?

As it stands though it's not something you can sell and recoup your investment if you decide later to move on from it like you can with any other ship.
 

aRJay

aRJay
I plan to get one to try in this months beta, I have enough credits if I sell almost all my ships, after that I will decide whether they interest me enough to get one if they do I will put a little more effort into earning credits but I will not be getting one this June no matter what. Besides in a year or so all the early adopters will have worked out the do's and don'ts of running one in the various rolls making them a much more straightforward proposition.
 

wetwire

wetwire
None of the current fleet carrier services add or enhance existing game loops. At best they add a upkeep feature to task you can already accomplish without a carrier.
If the carrier is a stepping stone to new content later we will have to wait and see. But as it stands now carriers are similar in respect to co-op and wing missions. What they bring to the table is another method of accomplishing the same task you could do prior with a bit more annoying work involved.
 

Tyres O'Flaherty

Tyres O'Flaherty
I personally won't get one either. Even after the latest adjustments, I:

1) Still can't afford one
2) Hate grinding so will never be able to afford the UC
3) Won't ever think about getting one unless they ditch the UC completely.

Purely my opinion, mind. The other thing was I couldn't even beta test one as I've never been anywhere near 5bnCR in the black.

PS. My typing on this phone is atrocious. Apologies for crap spelling and grammar in my latest posts!
 
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metatheurgist

metatheurgist
I doubt they are planning on introducing management style gameplay to ED. The upkeep is plainly there to remove excess FCs. The idea that it's possible to make money from an FC is preposterous. There are no reasons for anyone excepted dedicated squad members deliberately trying to fund an FC to use it's services.
 

sinisalo

sinisalo
When they were announced and I envisioned them, I saw a ship capable of carrying fleets, not just the owner, but his friends too. I saw it as a clubhouse in a sense. A home for a group of friends to maintain, and defend. A sense of group ownership which promotes the clubhouse vibe. Like the neighborhood pub, if that pub was under attack from time to time :)

Instead I see it now as a jump-capable station, which is how Colonia got started, so there's that. But as wetwire noted, I fail to see the purpose beyond simply having one. I don't see the advantage over just using stations. I guess if you want to take it out deep, that's one reason. But that's gotta be the exception rather than the rule. For me, it's a non-starter in it's current form.

If instead it was actually a fleet carrier, with a one-time buy in and far less carry-over requirements (upkeep, additional services, fuel for example) I would probably be thinking of buying one.
 

wetwire

wetwire
The best analogy i can think of regarding fleet carriers is like owning a non profit company.
The services you provide are all at cost to the owner. Any "profit" is by donation.

Fleet carriers can provide refuel, rearm, and repair and charge a "donation" fee or premium but it will always be in excess to NPC stations that offer the same service.
- The convenience of the service is the visitors primary concern
Trading goods on the carrier market will be at a minimal profit, if any. When compared to what you can do in a normal ship trading, the difference is measured in time to accomplish the same profits. Example. you could spend time mining material and metals that NPC stations do not sell, and offer them up on your carrier. You will gain half profit in this manner but cut out your delivery time. Is the loss of 50% worth the time to deliver? not likely.
Shipyard is a buy and sell at cost, Any profits are by "donation" like before with refuel, rearm, repair. -Again a convenience service
Exploration data sold is at a 24% loss, or 12.5% to the owner. Selling data also falls in the convenience category.
 
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hawknerd

hawknerd
I had hoped that having one would be a revenue generator and would generally contribute to my credits and therefore overall wealth. But it seems that it is just a cost and not a revenue stream at all? Surely this is wrong? I dont like the thought of grinding just to pay for the cost of an FC.
 

wetwire

wetwire
Hawknerd said:
I had hoped that having one would be a revenue generator and would generally contribute to my credits and therefore overall wealth. But it seems that it is just a cost and not a revenue stream at all? Surely this is wrong?
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Not according to all the number crunching i have done. i wanted the same. a means of obtaining more credits then my current ships can do.
But every idea i could come up with ended in the same issues. The profit generation ability of a carrier do not exceed what can be accomplished in a standard ship, and in most cases was more problematic to accomplish with a carrier.
 

GroG79

G
If carriers would generate a profit without actively using them. Then the number of parked FCs would be Huge.. (Huge I tell ya)
 

wetwire

wetwire
GroG79 said:
If carriers would generate a profit without actively using them. Then the number of parked FCs would be Huge.. (Huge I tell ya)
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I agree. I suspect that is where myself and @Hawknerd differ. I was not looking for an automatic credit production but instead a tool that could aid you in obtaining more credits. Similar to how a Type 9 can help you get more credits then a Type 6. An upgrade in revenue doing the same game loops.
 
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