Sterling MH
Banned
Since there appears to be no way for FD to get around to changing the T7 to a medium pad, making it redundant to the T9 and leaving the Python the premium medium pad trader, I propose that the T7 be slightly changed to become a miner. It then becomes the stepping stone to the T9 and, when that is bought, it remains still 100% useful as the premier mining ship. There ARE some changes needed for this. Mostly it needs at least two medium hardpoints. Either 4 small, 2 medium or 2 small and 4 medium. This allows it to hold all mining equipment and have a spare or two for self defence, if the powerplant can handle it. It also needs to be more manoeverable so that it can sit in a debris field and do at least as good a job as the Python in getting around. If that makes it a little unbalanced, reduce the speed (makes most sense to reduce the boost top speed, the straight line speed is already slower than the Python). The keelback is obsoleted as a miner now, but that still gets to have a fighter bay, so it still has a unique selling point.
With that taken out of the picture, there is now room for a medium pad trader to beat the python at pure trading. I suggest mostly identical to the T7, but the optional internals should be 7,7,6,5,2,1 and it should have one small and one medium hardpoint and maybe only given a class 4 powerplant since this ship cares only generally for self defence. This means it can carry over 300T and still carry a shield, or be better shielded and carry nearly 300t, or massively shielded but be outcarried by the python. With such a limited count of internals it can only really be used AS a trader, so despite being "OP" for carry capacity, its severe restriction to trade only (it can't even be a useful miner except compared to the sidewinder or hauler) means it isn't an OP ship.
The DSS needs to have "Surface Scanner" in blue when you are in range, with the red "Too Fast" if you're going too fast. When it is red if either too fast OR out of range, the only way you can tell youre in range is by reading "Out" written in dark red against a black background and right off in the bottom corner of the screen, as far away from the planet you're heading toward as it is possible to get. THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. If the Scanner text is red out of range and blue when in range, you can tell when you need to stop because of a change of colour, which takes a LOT less attention than reading even clear and obvious text.
When the sidepanel tells you "Mapped No", it's bloody lying, since you may have mapped it but not handed it in. It lies when it says "Mapped Yes" most likely too, since you may not have mapped it but someone else has, and handed that in. NOBODY CARES if it's been mapped by someone else. NO. BODY. All we care about is if we are wasting our time mapping it because we already just did that one. So either that info needs to be somewhere BEFORE you go into the DSS mode and read "100%" or "0%" or the "Mapped" info should have that information clearly available.
With that taken out of the picture, there is now room for a medium pad trader to beat the python at pure trading. I suggest mostly identical to the T7, but the optional internals should be 7,7,6,5,2,1 and it should have one small and one medium hardpoint and maybe only given a class 4 powerplant since this ship cares only generally for self defence. This means it can carry over 300T and still carry a shield, or be better shielded and carry nearly 300t, or massively shielded but be outcarried by the python. With such a limited count of internals it can only really be used AS a trader, so despite being "OP" for carry capacity, its severe restriction to trade only (it can't even be a useful miner except compared to the sidewinder or hauler) means it isn't an OP ship.
The DSS needs to have "Surface Scanner" in blue when you are in range, with the red "Too Fast" if you're going too fast. When it is red if either too fast OR out of range, the only way you can tell youre in range is by reading "Out" written in dark red against a black background and right off in the bottom corner of the screen, as far away from the planet you're heading toward as it is possible to get. THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. If the Scanner text is red out of range and blue when in range, you can tell when you need to stop because of a change of colour, which takes a LOT less attention than reading even clear and obvious text.
When the sidepanel tells you "Mapped No", it's bloody lying, since you may have mapped it but not handed it in. It lies when it says "Mapped Yes" most likely too, since you may not have mapped it but someone else has, and handed that in. NOBODY CARES if it's been mapped by someone else. NO. BODY. All we care about is if we are wasting our time mapping it because we already just did that one. So either that info needs to be somewhere BEFORE you go into the DSS mode and read "100%" or "0%" or the "Mapped" info should have that information clearly available.
