A Galaxy Full of Carriers, and Nowhere to Park

[Cmdr Travers]

Anybody who's driven through a large city will know the feeling of it usually being almost impossible to find a parking space.

This is often the way it is with fleet carriers in Elite too, with the more popular, the administration systems and resource-rich systems being so chock full of fleet carriers that it's impossible to jump into them.

Now with squadron carriers we're adding even more to the game and the number of carriers in game could jump by 50% or more.

Will Frontier do something to address this problem do you think, or is it likely that it's just gonna get worse?

 

[vanFace]

Will Frontier do something to address this problem do you think, or is it likely that it's just gonna get worse?

If in doubt, bet on the "worse" option.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

Definitely going to go for the worse option, especially since people already want to make their own one person squadron so they can have 2 carriers.

 

[Rat Catcher]

Worse is subjective, surely?
Most of the time my own carrier is the only one in a system, but I'm not bothered in taking it to engineer systems, CG systems or whatever, so the amount of traffic produced by FCs, and in the future SCs, is highly likely to produce the same result for me.
There are only 400 billion or so systems to park in, I think one or two may still be empty...

 

[Dillon Fallon]

I suppose we do have a work around.

Park next to the star in the nearest system and use SCO.

 

[Felix DiCestria]

A fair number of us are working on our own systems to park them in normally, an event will always attract a lot of carriers so that likely won't change. As for those who still use Shin Dez, I doubt anything will shift them now.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

Worse is subjective, surely?
Most of the time my own carrier is the only one in a system, but I'm not bothered in taking it to engineer systems, CG systems or whatever, so the amount of traffic produced by FCs, and in the future SCs, is highly likely to produce the same result for me.
There are only 400 billion or so systems to park in, I think one or two may still be empty...

To be honest, it's at least partly because of this that I'm building colonies stretching out deep into the black. I don't like the bubble. It's too busy, it's too samey, and it's far too full of idiot NPCs. Much better in my view to base yourself in a part of the galaxy with NSP, black holes and something else to look at and do

 

[Rat Catcher]

Much better in my view to base yourself in a part of the galaxy with NSP, black holes and something else to look at and do

That is the benefit of having a mobile base, anywhere can be called home.
The part of the bubble I have been developing an experimental system is mainly Brown Dwarf systems, very unfashionable...

 

[Dillon Fallon]

That is the benefit of having a mobile base, anywhere can be called home.
The part of the bubble I have been developing an experimental system is mainly Brown Dwarf systems, very unfashionable...

Or even a system which only has a single star, which now it's set up I can make more credits than I've ever made at any point of playing the game.

 

[Ozric]

I just hope we finally get the option to hide them in the System Map too.

I hope Frontier have something up their sleeve, because it's been getting steadily worse since their initial introduction and another mass population explosion is not going to be good for anyone trying to just play the game.

 

[Robert Maynard]

In terms of reducing impact on the System Map, and contact list, it'd be good if Frontier were to allow the Squadron Carrier to be able to act as an optional in-system target for any member's Carriers that travel to the same system (with only the Squadron Carrier being visible to those outside the Squadron if the Carriers had selected the Squadron Carrier as their target when jumping in) - even better if the personal Carriers could instance with the Squadron Carrier.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

I just hope we finally get the option to hide them in the System Map too.

I hope Frontier have something up their sleeve, because it's been getting steadily worse since their initial introduction and another mass population explosion is not going to be good for anyone trying to just play the game.

I'm ok with the system map really, since when there's loads, they get clustered into a single space and I can navigate to my own using bookmarks.

It's just the nav panel that I find awkward. In a busy system I end up using the GalMap because the nav panel is a mess if I have carriers turned on, which because of that I never do. Something that overrides the current filter options to optionally allow all bookmarked objects would be nice.

 

[Oh Seven Commander]

I always park a system away. It's easier and then where I'm restocking isn't obvious to those who would do me harm.

 

[Ydiss]

I don't mind it but would like it if the route plot failure didn't kick you all the way out so you have to repeat the steps to try another spot. Just say "No" and let me try another location, please.

 

[anShpan]

I would (probably) decommission mine having 2 features available:

• Storage for commodities such as TDC. Few tons, not really much.
• 4-5 routes with public "train" FCs (NPCs-operated with reliable schedule). Something like Bubble-Colonia-Sag. A and probably few other popular routes.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

I just hope we finally get the option to hide them in the System Map too.

I like being able to hide carriers in the navigation panel, but that option shouldn't also hide your own carrier.

 

[Cmdr Snuffler]

I just hope we finally get the option to hide them in the System Map too.

I hope Frontier have something up their sleeve, because it's been getting steadily worse since their initial introduction and another mass population explosion is not going to be good for anyone trying to just play the game.

That would be good, however IMO removing them from the system map isn't that much of a QoL issue...but they should look into it non the less.
My issue with FCs are:
1. If I hide FCs in the nav panel then it also hides MY FC. This means I have to enable all FCs to be visible or I have to use the gal map and bookmarks to find my FC in a system.
2. Sick or looking for commodities in game and only being shown FCs that buy/sell them...which is always incorrect as when I get to an FC they have 0 stock, By not allowing me to hide FCs from commodities sell/buy trade list forces me to take off my VR headset, walk across the room, and use 3rd party tools.

I'm sure there others as well, but my brains not fully engaged this morning due to a heavy weekend.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Depends on the system you want, but our home system (in Alliance space) always has plenty of parking spots.

I guess squadron carriers will spend most of their time in home systems or systems being colonized, so i guess for most squadrons this will not be an issue.

Its the personal FCs that run into trouble when everyone dogpiles on specific systems due to CGs or other goings on.

 

[Cmdr Snuffler]

This is often the way it is with fleet carriers in Elite too, with the more popular, the administration systems and resource-rich systems being so chock full of fleet carriers that it's impossible to jump into them.

Now with squadron carriers we're adding even more to the game and the number of carriers in game could jump by 50% or more.

50% you can't randomly pick a number and use it in a discussion.
I agree, there will be lots of squad FCs, but 50+% more than the current number of FCs...I highly doubt it. Time will tell.

Every few weeks I jump back to Kruger 60 (admin system) without any problem.
Also, resource rich sites bang in the center of the bubble are always going to be busy with FC traffic. Why not find one that's not in the center of the bubble. There's loads 200ly away, which are not jammed packed with FCs. Why do you want to visit the most popular?

 

[Cmdr Travers]

50% you can't randomly pick a number and use it in a discussion.
I agree, there will be lots of squad FCs, but 50+% more than the current number of FCs...I highly doubt it. Time will tell.

Every few weeks I jump back to Kruger 60 (admin system) without any problem.
Also, resource rich sites bang in the center of the bubble are always going to be busy with FC traffic. Why not find one that's not in the center of the bubble. There's loads 200ly away, which are not jammed packed with FCs. Why do you want to visit the most popular?

You hardly doubt it? You can't just make an assumption and use it in a discussion

Occasionally I will want to visit a busy system, especially one with one of the Trailblazer carriers in it for buying commodities used for colonisation. The rest of the time though I'm very happy to keep my distance.