Repost. I haven't seen these threads in a while, so lets combine balance, limpets, and ship computer?
So, first off, optionals are CURRENTLY balanced against modules doing things, and filling them with hull/module/shield boosters. WHAT IF THIS WAS DIFFERENT? I have to say this, to cut down on the number of people telling me how the game is CURRENTLY. This is a what-if of how the game could be CHANGED. We all (well, most of us) know how the game works, NOW. We're talking about WHAT-IF here.
Anyway. So, if weapons and modules were balanced. If only ONE hull/module could be used- the game takes your best hull/module reinforcement and the rest go inactive after the change. Not sure about Guardian Shield Module, really. And shield boosters- really, putting on 8 shield boosters is silly, I have 4 and it's silly. Limit ships to TWO shield boosters. This goes for NPCs as well- so they can't be ridiculously tanky. MAYBE weapons, in general, need to be toned down as well. PC and NPC both. Probably also Thargoids.
So, this frees up optionals. Furthermore, build supercruise assist and docking computer into every ship. You don't have to use them. This frees up more optionals.
Even further, put in a ship computer for those two, and limpets. Perhaps THAT could have a module for expansion slots, and the optionals frees up cargo for limpet space. (Still 100% behind limpet bays as modules instead, with cargo for replacements.) Better limpets, so you don't just carry 100+ all the time because they slam into things at full speed and suicide.
Which means? Well, you could very well leave slots EMPTY. Make the ship a little more nimble, instead of having a tiny ship that is inexplicably tougher and heavier than a ship 10x its size. Or more likely fill them with cargo bays, and collector and fuel limpets could be available by default. More types could be switched out (hey, that sounds like a space legs activity there, switching out chips to program limpets!!)
This also leaves room for optionals with less priority that are more interesting. Guardian Maneuvering of some sort?
Or, slot splitting. Since slot splitting is broken PRIMARILY because if you COULD fill a ship with split class-1 hull reinforcements, it would have more armor than a NPC battleship. Yet- if only the BIGGEST reinforcement counted, this is avoided entirely!! Or, a ship full of class-1 limpets would be lighter and almost entirely better than larger limpets. Unless... drumroll they were built in to the computer!
And it does it all while avoiding ships becoming overpowered. Ships get more toys- multi-role and exploration get a nice nudge. Explorers could even put in a 4-ton cargo rack, empty, and synthesize limpets if they need them, while not wasting tonnage on programming them.
The numbers SHOULD be finessed so the TTKs are largely the same, except for overly short or long TTK. Ganking would be admittedly harder if the best weapons were reined in, but ultra-tanky ships would die in more reasonable amounts of time if they couldn't stack reinforcements. I feel this is good- getting ganked instantly in PVP (or PVE) isn't really fun, and sitting there slugging away at someone who won't die is also not terribly fun.
So, first off, optionals are CURRENTLY balanced against modules doing things, and filling them with hull/module/shield boosters. WHAT IF THIS WAS DIFFERENT? I have to say this, to cut down on the number of people telling me how the game is CURRENTLY. This is a what-if of how the game could be CHANGED. We all (well, most of us) know how the game works, NOW. We're talking about WHAT-IF here.
Anyway. So, if weapons and modules were balanced. If only ONE hull/module could be used- the game takes your best hull/module reinforcement and the rest go inactive after the change. Not sure about Guardian Shield Module, really. And shield boosters- really, putting on 8 shield boosters is silly, I have 4 and it's silly. Limit ships to TWO shield boosters. This goes for NPCs as well- so they can't be ridiculously tanky. MAYBE weapons, in general, need to be toned down as well. PC and NPC both. Probably also Thargoids.
So, this frees up optionals. Furthermore, build supercruise assist and docking computer into every ship. You don't have to use them. This frees up more optionals.
Even further, put in a ship computer for those two, and limpets. Perhaps THAT could have a module for expansion slots, and the optionals frees up cargo for limpet space. (Still 100% behind limpet bays as modules instead, with cargo for replacements.) Better limpets, so you don't just carry 100+ all the time because they slam into things at full speed and suicide.
Which means? Well, you could very well leave slots EMPTY. Make the ship a little more nimble, instead of having a tiny ship that is inexplicably tougher and heavier than a ship 10x its size. Or more likely fill them with cargo bays, and collector and fuel limpets could be available by default. More types could be switched out (hey, that sounds like a space legs activity there, switching out chips to program limpets!!)
This also leaves room for optionals with less priority that are more interesting. Guardian Maneuvering of some sort?
Or, slot splitting. Since slot splitting is broken PRIMARILY because if you COULD fill a ship with split class-1 hull reinforcements, it would have more armor than a NPC battleship. Yet- if only the BIGGEST reinforcement counted, this is avoided entirely!! Or, a ship full of class-1 limpets would be lighter and almost entirely better than larger limpets. Unless... drumroll they were built in to the computer!
And it does it all while avoiding ships becoming overpowered. Ships get more toys- multi-role and exploration get a nice nudge. Explorers could even put in a 4-ton cargo rack, empty, and synthesize limpets if they need them, while not wasting tonnage on programming them.
The numbers SHOULD be finessed so the TTKs are largely the same, except for overly short or long TTK. Ganking would be admittedly harder if the best weapons were reined in, but ultra-tanky ships would die in more reasonable amounts of time if they couldn't stack reinforcements. I feel this is good- getting ganked instantly in PVP (or PVE) isn't really fun, and sitting there slugging away at someone who won't die is also not terribly fun.
