Well if it were 30, that would be 90%ish of ships. If you want 1000 ships to be a lot of ships, you'll have to wait.
And, yes, more ships, fine. But there's no need to say "We need/want an X with Imperial markings, because there's no X in the Imperial manifest!". Beluga, far as I can tell, and the Orca, aren't Imperial. And it's not good enough to say "We want more ships", because there has to be a niche for it or it is duplicated. Especially if you're going to demand it must be there to give a different style to the version of the ship already doing it.
TBH, Viper4 and Cobra4 are a waste I think. They don't differentiate enough to be its own niche, but they differ too much to be as good as the base "earlier model" version.
What niches aren't there yet?
Interceptor?
Top-tier hauler trade specialist (Python Clipper), because the T9 is now outclassed by a multirole.
Spyplane. E.g. two generators so one can be shut down to reduce heat signature whilst keeping systems operable?
Science lab. Dunno if anyone would want or use it, mind.
Cab. At the mo, the sidewinder or hauler are use to leap back to another ship and sold there. Maybe a purpose build cab would be used instead.
Repair tug. E.g. fuel rats+.
Specialist miner. This rather needs better mining play.
But compare it to things that are needed to make the game nice for the ships we currently have.
More exploring gameplay.
More mining gameplay.
C&P
More pirate gameplay.
If, for example, you were to say that a bespoke cobra3 price explorer as the first upgrade for someone who wants to run an archaeologist RP earlier than an AspX, there's a niche.
But saying you want a better looking AspX than the AspX is very much nothing. You can pick another ship with 6 internal bays and can be fitted up to 25 ly range and be golden. More and further is better, but the issue here is the ugliness of the ships able to do more or go further. This is sorted by just not having range envy.
First off, I'm not "demanding" anything.. who am I to make demands? If I wanted to make demands I'd invest a few million dollars in Frontier Developments so that my voice actually meant something.
Beluga and Orca (and perhaps some day Dolphin and Narwhal) are not Imperials ships - they're Saud Kruger ships.
I happen to like the Viper IV - it was the first ship I was able to actually get some of my early missions done in, and it was/still is a very good ship for Bounty Hunting and CZ battles. It's a bit more rugged than the Viper III, and certainly better looking (appearance being a very subjective area) than the Cobras. I don't have the option to buy the Cobra IV's because I came too late to the party.
About your niches...
Interceptor - what is an interceptor, exactly? A small, fast ship. Of these, there are many.
Top-tier hauler trade specialist - Aside from the Panther Clipper (which is what I think you meant) being a potentially planned release much like the Dolphin, I'd like to clarify by what you mean the Type-9 is outclassed by multi-role ships.
Sripped and fully converted the Anaconda:
https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/ana...----06050505040404-03030301.Iw18ZVA=.Aw18ZVA=. holds 468 tons
The Type-9 out-hauls it at 532 tons
Only the Cutter and Corvette manage more tonnage at 792 and 616 tons respectively - both of these are rank-locked and considerably more expensive.
I'm not sure that qualifies as "outperforms". The Corvette is technically a "superheavy fighter" and the Cutter is classified as "Superheavy Multipurpose".
Spyplane - If there were something to actually spy on, this niche might exist.
Science Lab - This sounds like a module, not a ship.
Cab - Got them - add a Passenger Cabin to any ship. No need to shuttle yourself in a disposable ship these days, we have ship transfer.
Repair Tug - Not the same as a Refueling craft - which is any ship with a spare fuel tank and limpets (aka Fuel Rats). We have AFMU for module repair. We don't have a means to field repair hulls at this time. Perhaps with the advent of "legs" we may be able to make some repairs to our hulls, no ship required.
Specialist Miner - This actually does fall into the realm of a real niche, with a real need, according to quite a few people who spend their time mining asteroids. We have ships dedicated to combat, dedicated to exploration, dedicated to passenger hauling, and dedicated to freight hauling. We have nothing dedicated to mining. Sounds like a good reason for a letter to Lakon.
But I do not at all disagree either - we do need a lot of gameplay systems to improve what we do already have AS WELL.
But there are many, many people who play not based on stats and numbers, min/maxing everything they can to build their fun. Plenty of people play based on looks.
I happen to like the look of Gutamaya ships and Saud Kruger ships. I find more Core Dynamics ships to be ugly misshapen masses, and Lakon makes flying boxes.
But let's look at the fleet I own:
Sidewinder - Came into the game with it, no reason to get rid of it.
Viper III - it was one of the ships I got a paintjob for buying the Commander pack.
Viper IV - The first "serious" ship I ever bought. Used initially for bounty hunting, still a good ship for blowing up other ships.
Cobra III - I shoved a vehicle bay in it and use to to harvest resources. It's currently parked in a station near a planet where I routinely return for materials I use frequently.
Eagle - Aside for still waiting for my chrome paintjob, it's fun to fly a few meters over the surface of planets with Enhanced Thrusters.
Asp Explorer - When I need to get Way Over There in a hurry and want to take some rare cargo with me to sell.
Diamondback Scout - Gets me from here to there even faster, carries less, but has scanned quite a few systems.
Diamondback Explorer - at 44 Ly per jump it gets me Way Over There really fast, carries nothing but me, and then I can transfer another ship to where I am.
Keelback - My first "truck". I hauled a lot of freight in it, and still keep it around. It's been repurposed now, and is lots of fun for base raiding - Figher and SRV bays.
Federal Dropship - My dedicated mining ship, because it really doesn't seem good for anything else - except maybe holding open a very large door.
Federal Assault Ship - Wing support for combat missions or res bounty hunting.
Python - For doing anything, pinnacle of multi-role.
Fer de Lance - Assassination missions.
Hauler - Like my Cobra, it sits in a hanger near a planet I routine prowl for materials.
Adder - First ship I used for freight missions. Retrofitted as a fuel craft when I'm helping new people get started.
Imperial Eagle - For just going as fast as I can. No real purpose except screwing around for fun.
Imperial Courier - Fast passenger transport.
Imperial Clipper - Passengers and light cargo in style.
Orca - It's a passenger ship, so it hauls passengers. Has paid for itself twice already.
Type-7 - Bought it by accident, best high-speed freighter for mid-sized cargo hauling.
Type-9 - It's a flying warehouse.
Of all of these, the Orca is my favorite - the handling, the sound, the feel of it - it's no pushover, but it's no combat ship either. My python does the majority of my mission running, and my Type-9 does most of my freighter work - I really don't do much in the line of Exploration because there really isn't that much to do, and really don't like the look of the Diamondbacks - they look like bugs and the Asp looks like a pancake and sounds like flatulence. I love the speed and maneuverability of the iEagle along with the styling of the forward swept wings. The iCourier also handles very nicely, and prior to passengers I used it for bounty hunting. I love the Clipper, though I refer to them as "Cheerleaders", but it's a large craft and thus limited as to where it can land. I've only 1/6th the cost of a fully outfitted Cutter, and don't have the rank for it yet, but I have no doubt I'll enjoy flying it as well.
But looks are not "nothing" - and I'm sure there are plenty who will attest to that. We may not see our ships often, but we know what they look like.
