Doing colonization solo is a testament that we need cutter/type 9 alternatives with 1k+ cargo capacity and more improvement

[Washinout]

Lets be honest, no one would say no to a 2k+ cargo ship but lets start with 1k.
There are other things. When we are taking cargo from carrier I shouldn't hold the button for 10 mins to take it, you already have a system where when you press it a second or two it speeds up but for some reason its not a case in carriers.
Another thing I was thinking about is we could use a tier based carrier upgrade system.
Take your carrier to a carrier vendor system, pay a price and upgrade the carrier to the next tier which gives it more capacity (and maybe more stuff like better jump range etc)
Also carrier specializations that gives actual benefits which also costs money and maybe even the way the carrier looks. Like a trade focused carrier with improved capacity, or an exploration focused with better jump range

 

[Ameeleean2]

Even 2k cargo would not be good enough. I have claimed new system and started with biggest station and I have doubts if I will be able to complete it in time even with carrier working as temporary warehouse.
I just miss ability to trade using carrier cargo hold instead of ship I'm in right now. Imagine jumping carrier to system, then flying with courier ship to target station, selecting option "use carrier cargo space for trading (warning, extra transportation fee will be added to maintenance cost and carrier will not be able to jump until cargo transfer is completed)" then just buying those ~20k of steel, waiting for a hour or so then jumping to my construction site and doing the same thing to deliver goods. Transportation fee and time can be calculated simply in relation to distance and maximum landing pad size available at target station.
Another solution would be adding FC service which would simply handle freight exchange between carrier and market where carrier owner ship is docked right now as long as it is in the same system.

 

[vicwarrior]

This is a bandaid fix over the larger problem that colonisation is a boring haulfest, followed by more hauling, hours of hauling more, then some more.

This will result in future hauling GCs/colonisation balances just being balanced with the new cargo meta ship in mind, therefore returning to the original problem.

What we really need is for colonisation to be more than a boring haulfest and to add mechanics to either bypass part of the hauling or replace it with more varied activities, kind of like rep grind can be done "meta" with courier mission stacking, or pp2 "meta" being mining, but there still being plenty of option to contribute casually or trought different activities, thereby allowing players to engage with different systems without burning themselves out.

 

[tomalus]

The gameplay loop of hauling for minimal profit is just boring. Even if youre doing it in a group,the architect gets his toy built,the other players get nothing. In an mmo when people raid in groups of 10,20,etc everyone gets loot from doing the content for weeks. This system needs a drastic change. Ive already seen plenty of abandoned systems.

 

[Robert Maynard]

Colonisation is not a raid - it's an expansion of the play area for every player, in terms of new populated systems.

It's also an activity driven by individual players, with other players assisting if they wish to (or not as the case may be).

 

[aRJay]

Lets be honest, no one would say no to a 2k+ cargo ship but lets start with 1k.

Even for the 1k ship some would because things like CG targets and mission totals would get adjusted to match the capacity increase in cargo ships putting the activity further out of reach of some players.

There are other things. When we are taking cargo from carrier I shouldn't hold the button for 10 mins to take it, you already have a system where when you press it a second or two it speeds up but for some reason its not a case in carriers.

Actually it does work that way in carriers in the commodities market it is just inventory transfer from the carrier to the ship that is painfully slow and needs some QOL adding.

Another thing I was thinking about is we could use a tier based carrier upgrade system.
Take your carrier to a carrier vendor system, pay a price and upgrade the carrier to the next tier which gives it more capacity (and maybe more stuff like better jump range etc)
Also carrier specializations that gives actual benefits which also costs money and maybe even the way the carrier looks. Like a trade focused carrier with improved capacity, or an exploration focused with better jump range

Maybe after something is done to stabilise jump times, because there is no point making carriers more useful if that encourages people to use them more causing a lack of time slots for jumps.

 

[Greasetrap42]

Everything is scalable. So if we get a bigger ship, then the amount of stuff that needs to be hauled simply increases. To achieve whatever balance or gaming threshold the developers want to have.

Its like playing a game where your sword does more damage as you increase levels. But the increased level enemy health also increases, so it balances out.

And ships are so cheep in ED that a "bigger ship" is not be the equivalent to a player leveling up as they go up levels in other games. So it simply creates an instant change in task requirements across the game. Or a much easier-faster-dumbed-down game.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Panther Clipper when?

 

[Bigmaec]

Panther Clipper when?

NAO!

 

[Agony_Aunt]

NAO!

I'm sure its coming this year. If it doesn't, I'll eat a sock!

 

[aRJay]

The recipe search begins.

 

[AngryAntz]

I'm sure its coming this year. If it doesn't, I'll eat a sock!

I have a sock for you.... It even has additional flavouring.

 

[gbjbaanb]

This is a bandaid fix over the larger problem that colonisation is a boring haulfest, followed by more hauling, hours of hauling more, then some more.

This will result in future hauling GCs/colonisation balances just being balanced with the new cargo meta ship in mind, therefore returning to the original problem.

What we really need is for colonisation to be more than a boring haulfest and to add mechanics to either bypass part of the hauling or replace it with more varied activities, kind of like rep grind can be done "meta" with courier mission stacking, or pp2 "meta" being mining, but there still being plenty of option to contribute casually or trought different activities, thereby allowing players to engage with different systems without burning themselves out.

Truee. The whole concept should be changed to focus more of minor factions doing the expansion, with players helping decide which sectors the faction will choose, building rep via missions and then cargo trading with them to complete the expansion mission. Players should be able to build outposts and platforms in sectors owned by factions the player is allied with. So the whole colonisation thing becomes something more along the lines of powerplay 2 (ie this is happening and you can join in) instead of a player-focussed. Then, many players can contribute to expansion without have to dedicate to it.

As for bigger ships, fleet carriers are a thing, but why not variations on them - like a cargo bulk carrier. Expand fleet carriers to multiple types for different roles that can then start to incorporate in other mission types, such as rescue megaships that can then provide mission activities for natural disaster events.