Not a new idea but needed now: why not a permanent taxi facility to Colonia?

[CMDR DUANES]

Colonia used to be very useful as a "Permanent Fleet Carrier" to explore central regions and beyond. It is not anymore because of the Fleet Carriers.

Why not a permanent taxi to go there? I know player do it, but I'm talking about an in-game facility. The point would be to keep Colona's relevance, because the way I see it, it has already lost most of it (most, not all) since the fleet-carriers update (there is much less traffic in Colonia that it used to, IMO) as you don't really need to get there, it actually became more of an annoyance to get there as it forces you to divert.

It should be properly designed to come with a real cost: few taxis (maybe once a week), limited slots with a wait-list, obligation to stay onboard for the whole trip so that there would still be a time cost, trip longer that a solo trip so that there would be a trade-off. The bridge is ok, but it dosen't change things much: it is still annoying to get there (it really is a mere jump-and-scoop-frenzy without any exploration vibe) and the benefits became slim.

 

[CMDR Yates]

I think they'd rather encourage players to do it.

FDev like player-driven stuff because their stats (presumably) tell them that "community" and co-operative player-to-player interaction drives usage retention and spending on cosmetics.

 

[CMDR DUANES]

I think they'd rather encourage players to do it.

FDev like player-driven stuff because their stats (presumably) tell them that "community" and co-operative player-to-player interaction drives usage retention and spending on cosmetics.

True.

 

[CMDR Yates]

True.

But yes, in an ideal world, I would like to see an NPC megaship doing the run.

 

[Nadreck]

We don't yet know what Phase 3 of the Colonia Bridge project will do, given that Phase 2 placed all the remaining megaships.

 

[Lugh]

Because it's supposed to be something you work toward getting to? Why even have it exist if you can get there as easily as anywhere else.

 

[Mark Zero]

The bridge is ok, but it dosen't change things much: it is still annoying to get there (it really is a mere jump-and-scoop-frenzy without any exploration vibe) and the benefits became slim.

So, gotta disagree with you on this. As a Commander who doesn't usually do exploration runs because being directionless kills my motivation? The trip between Colonia and the Bubble gave me an opportunity to try out exploration gameplay loops on the way out, while having a clear destination and breaks along the way to stop, repair, take breaks along the run while feeling a sense of progress, and so on.

I think the most they could really do is add an NPC megaship service along the route, which is kinda redundant because there's a player-driven Fleet Carrier service for that already, and a lot of the people in the community want more player-driven functions in the galaxy, rather than less. The stationary megaships in the bridge facilitate Fleet Carriers making the trek more efficiently, which will hopefully encourage more FCs to make the trek back and forth.

Also, hopefully the Colonia Bridge is a sign that FDev might be interested in expanding the size and scope of Colonia. Which I know may ruffle some feathers, but seeing Colonia grow, develop, and become more of a presence in the galaxy would be cool.

 

[avow555]

No harm in a weekly service being established.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

I doubt they'll make Colonia significantly easier to get to than it already is - the Colonia engineers, both Horizons and Odyssey, provide the same blueprints as the bubble ones, but are much easier to unlock if you ignore the effort needed to get here in the first place.

(there is much less traffic in Colonia that it used to, IMO)

It's not as high as it was at its pre-Odyssey peak - though no other in-game activity is either - but it is as high now as it ever was before Fleet Carriers ... and that includes the time that Distant Worlds 2 passed nearby.

Also, hopefully the Colonia Bridge is a sign that FDev might be interested in expanding the size and scope of Colonia. Which I know may ruffle some feathers, but seeing Colonia grow, develop, and become more of a presence in the galaxy would be cool.

Indeed - and players participated in those CGs in very large numbers, too.

I'd prefer Colonia's growth to be in terms of narrative and content of the existing systems, rather than lots of new systems (quite a lot of the ones we already have don't get a lot of traffic) but more development of some sort is definitely likely.