Advanced systems

[TehWardy]

So one thing that might work well for larger conflicts is the concept of a support vessel.

Such vessels might be equipped with modules for things like shield emitters (to aid in shield repairs / regen for other ships) and perhaps repair drones (to fix hull damage to other ships).

We have interdiction we could also add something that perhaps hacked ships computers to cause faults on your enemy systems and support vessels could be equipped with both the defensive form of this (to prevent such attacks with perhaps a wifi net or something?) and the offensive form (a tricked up hacking system).

I would also like to see the way computers are thought of change in ED ...

So why would I have a docking computer fill a slot in my modules, is that not just software on the onboard computer I already have?
Could we make the onboard computer behave a bit like our real computers and allow us to "install modules" on it.

Upgrading the onboard computer would then allow more modules to be installed, some ideas for modules might be ...

• Trading.
• Hacking / "warfare".
• Drone Control (to be used in conjunction with a drone bay module in the ship fitting).
• Docking.
• Remote Control (perhaps to allow me to tell my ship to do things when I'm not flying it, like move to a location).

I love the idea of that last point, being able to perhaps fly in a mining ship and have a transporter follow me and collect things I mine could make mining easier.
More so if I can tell that ship to deploy drones to collect the stuff I mine.

Of course there's always the risk that my remote controlled ship is then in need of being defended too, so the ship I am in may need a more advanced Remote Control module in the computer to allow me to control a couple of escort sidewinders?

Upgrading software / modules could make the remote ships better at their automated tasks.


The main objective here:
Take a mundane task like solo mining and add some element of interest to it by letting me control my own little mini wing of my own ships.
It also adds a risk that I could lose more money should I be attacked.

I'd like to see all the mundane stuff be automatic in some form allowing me as a player time to focus on the more interesting aspects of the game, like combat or building economies.

 

[Szymanski]

Yes! More modules for the onboard computer would be amazing!
The only sort of issue on your last point would probably be determining how smart the remote control AI would be. Maintaining the balance of stupid AI vs. godlike AI would be a key development in my opinion.

 

[TehWardy]

Yeh the idea is not to make a replacement for the player but open up the option for a less front line ship and more wing support.
Drones could potentially be restricted to doing just say repair work and cargo collection rather than combat?

Also I read somewhere on here that drones were planned for doing things like picking up cargo but using one would be a one time thing it then gets "used up" ... seems wasteful and oddly unrealistic ... who would design such a tool?

 

[DocLooshkin]

... who would design such a tool?

I've read a number of comments elsewhere that suggest proper AIs are banned in the ED universe, due to previous robot rebellions. Someone legally obliged not to create drones that last long enough to get funny ideas might well build drones like these. I agree that one-shot-and-it's-gone seems a little sharp, though.

 

[TehWardy]

I've read a number of comments elsewhere that suggest proper AIs are banned in the ED universe, due to previous robot rebellions. Someone legally obliged not to create drones that last long enough to get funny ideas might well build drones like these. I agree that one-shot-and-it's-gone seems a little sharp, though.

I could understand something like ... giving drones a limited small fuel tank or a need to be hooked up to your ship computer permanently in order to be controlled but losing the drone altogether seems like it could result in a high cost over long periods of time.
I purely speculating of course.