Fleet Carriers - a few questions for those that love to speculate

[[PS4 Pro - PC] earthtone99]

I've been overall uninterested in Fleet Carriers, mainly because I prefer a very minimalist fleet of a few small and medium ships, at least until we get an NPC crew that we can manage. Even then, I never really saw the need to own a fleet carrier myself. But recently I came across a screenshot taken from a system I bookmarked early in my gameplay, my "retirement" system with a very nice ELW in a lovely region of space about 5KLY from the bubble. This gives me a potential reason to own a fleet carrier. If I could park a fleet carrier in this system and basically have it operate like a small outpost, allowing me to operate in this sector of space, perhaps mining and exploring the surrounding region, creating my own personal "Colonia", well that's pretty compelling to me. Coupled with the potential of base-building, I could see setting up a "home away from home" outside the Bubble, my fleet carrier being the next best thing to a personal station / outpost.

This makes me wonder how things like stellar cartography and commodity market will work on a fleet carrier, if at all. It doesn't actually make that much sense if you think about it, so maybe Fleet Carriers will act as mass storage instead, allowing me to store thousands of tons of processed ores and / or cartographic data, to be later sold back in the Bubble? Then we have to wonder how this will affect BGS..

Also, can we eventually own more than one Fleet Carrier, or perhaps have more than one "module" to allow a single fleet carrier support both mining and exploration? Again, I'm thinking about how to utilize them to "colonize" my own private system in a deep, undiscovered sector of the galaxy.

So in a way, the FC is a bit like the Covenant, minus the associated horror.

I like the idea of leaving the bubble, then setting up your own mini bubble somewhere.

I have different intentions if I can afford an FC, I plan on going to explore the far reaches of the Milky Way and having as many tools to assist as I can possibly take. Having an FC could reduce the inherent exploration risks.

 

[Layne Vakarian]

I've been overall uninterested in Fleet Carriers, mainly because I prefer a very minimalist fleet of a few small and medium ships, at least until we get an NPC crew that we can manage. Even then, I never really saw the need to own a fleet carrier myself. But recently I came across a screenshot taken from a system I bookmarked early in my gameplay, my "retirement" system with a very nice ELW in a lovely region of space about 5KLY from the bubble. This gives me a potential reason to own a fleet carrier. If I could park a fleet carrier in this system and basically have it operate like a small outpost, allowing me to operate in this sector of space, perhaps mining and exploring the surrounding region, creating my own personal "Colonia", well that's pretty compelling to me. Coupled with the potential of base-building, I could see setting up a "home away from home" outside the Bubble, my fleet carrier being the next best thing to a personal station / outpost.

This makes me wonder how things like stellar cartography and commodity market will work on a fleet carrier, if at all. It doesn't actually make that much sense if you think about it, so maybe Fleet Carriers will act as mass storage instead, allowing me to store thousands of tons of processed ores and / or cartographic data, to be later sold back in the Bubble? Then we have to wonder how this will affect BGS..

Also, can we eventually own more than one Fleet Carrier, or perhaps have more than one "module" to allow a single fleet carrier support both mining and exploration? Again, I'm thinking about how to utilize them to "colonize" my own private system in a deep, undiscovered sector of the galaxy.

The beauty of this is that you get to play around to your hearts content way out in the black beyond and yet thanks to the jump range of the carrier, zap back to humanity the first sign of anything interesting turning up. If there ever was an end-game, it'd be mine too.

I don't see why players shouldn't have access to an entire suite of support ships although maybe not at precisely the same time (because reasons). A typical US carrier group isn't one ship and a barge after all, and you know, it's only money...

 

[Northpin]

A single carrier per account.
No idea how the support vessel will fit it, but both the exploration one and the mining one seem to be quite big.
It also seems they will dictate the module loadout of the Carrier.

 

[Nadreck]

IIRC, you'll only be able to have one Carrier per CMDR. However, I haven't seen anything that would rule out multiple support ships per Carrier.

 

[Old Duck]

I actually prefer the one carrier, multiple support ship model. I have a very humble fleet, so I won't be able to fill one carrier, let alone many. As for jump range, it would take me 10 jumps to get from the bubble to my "private island" system, and it sounds like refueling these things won't be trivial. I think I'd prefer a commodity market of some sort with NPC trader ships taking my cargo back to the bubble and selling it, kinda like ship transfer but for cargo.

But this is all speculation right now. At least I actually have an idea of how to utilize something that was hitherto of no interest to me.

 

[M00ka]

I am still confused about this whole 'Support Ship' and 'Operations' bits. One the one hand FD showed what we think are separate ships when talking about exploration, mercenary, bounty hunting etc. Yet in their big reveal, these seem to be a separate module that goes between the command module and the hangar module:

I still can't quite accept that if you buy a fleet carrier, you get an equally as large ship to follow you around so to me the concept of the interchangeable module as per the picture above seems more likely.

Anyone care to speculate on whether these things are modules or separate ships?

 

[MadDogMurdock]

As a bare minimum, the specialization should likely determine the type of equipment sold in Outfitting.
Beyond that, it might add extra Station Services, e.g. UC for Exploration, Commodities Market for Trading.

I’m honestly not expecting much more than that but then you’d have to wonder why the thing has been delayed so long.
Surely must be more to it than that?

 

[M00ka]

As a bare minimum, the specialization should likely determine the type of equipment sold in Outfitting.
Beyond that, it might add extra Station Services, e.g. UC for Exploration, Commodities Market for Trading.

I’m honestly not expecting much more than that but then you’d have to wonder why the thing has been delayed so long.
Surely must be more to it than that?

Where has it been mentioned that these Carriers will have Outfitting, a Market or anything else other than the ability to rearm, repair and refuel?

 

[Layne Vakarian]

Anyone care to speculate on whether these things are modules or separate ships?

"The mere thought hadn't even begun to speculate about the merest possibility of crossing my mind."
Douglas Adams

Well he would know.
The dreamer in me, would like to think actual support ships.
The practical idiot says modules.

I hate the practical idiot.

 

[[VR] Goooost]

I’ve always thought this occurs at stations and outposts:

Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6blks7vfZog


So could partially work on a carrier if there is enough internal space

That would make a huge amount of sense and I've suggested before that when you dock at a station you should see a few random levels of ships as you descend.

 

[CMDR Yates]

The issue I have with them being persistent to everyone, that at certain systems you could have thousands of fleet carriers in the area. Not too sure how that will work in the Nav panel.

Could be a case of: they're persistent (ish) but they DON'T appear on the nav panel unless you're invited (individually or by wing/squadron). What if they were "cloaked" by default, but you could "find" them without invitation by following another Commander's low wake?

Still, some Commanders would probably want their FC to be advertised and available to everyone. How could FD allow this (for mobile expedition base camps, etc.) while avoid certain systems overflowing with them, in a lore-friendly way.

They might just kibosh the whole "public access" option altogether, but another possibility is: you're only allowed to set your FC as "public" while in an uninhabited anarchy system. Inhabited jurisdictions strictly manage navigation and trade in their systems and simply don't allow Fleet Carriers to promote themselves as unlicenced outposts in their space.

And even in uninhabited systems, there could be some Pilots Federation directive that controls how many can announce as public at one time.

In any case, yeah, there will probably be a bunch of rules and limitations around this stuff.

 

[Layne Vakarian]

Where has it been mentioned that these Carriers will have Outfitting, a Market or anything else other than the ability to rearm, repair and refuel?

"Commanders can choose a number of loadouts for their carrier, governing services..."
From the graphic you posted.

 

[MadDogMurdock]

Where has it been mentioned that these Carriers will have Outfitting, a Market or anything else other than the ability to rearm, repair and refuel?

It hasn’t, I’m speculating.
What else could the specialization be other than a variation on Station Services offered?

Actually, your own picture does pretty much say exactly that.

Governing services, and ship/module availability.

Shipyard and Ship Transfer confirmed.

 

[TheSisko]

I will not speculate any more on Fleet Carriers. I will not speculate any more on Fleet Carriers. I will not speculate any more on Fleet Carriers. I.....screw it.

I don't think we will be getting any mass storage for FCs. Frontier have never done this, not even for Engineers V1.0 which required commodities, plus mass storage would potentially screw up the BGS and herald the apocalypse. Or something.

I think each carrier type will offer a service. So, for Trading, perhaps all trading data within 40Ly. For exploration, you could sell your data there. Mining FCs could perhaps have their own refinery on board. That would only save you 16 tons of cargo space but .

Dunno about you Commanders, but I'm tired of speculating. Speculating means were talking about something which was announced in October 2017 and we still can't use yet. So, I'll get my coat and you lot have fun .

 

[M00ka]

"Commanders can choose a number of loadouts for their carrier, governing services..."
From the graphic you posted.

Okay so there will be an Outfitter available. Who pays for all the modules you hold in stock waiting to be sold? Same with a Commodities market, who makes the profit on sale, who has to pay to stock the shelves so to speak? Hmm could be useful, get a few T-9's full of Void Opals and you should be able to bankrupt a players by just selling the VO's at his carrier

 

[Good Whiskey]

For the sake of countering some of the speculation in this thread, I'd just like to remind everyone that this post was a thing.

Also, why does no one ever talk about the support ships? Is it because other than the label "mercenary", we have no clue what this thing does?

 

[Layne Vakarian]

Okay so there will be an Outfitter available. Who pays for all the modules you hold in stock waiting to be sold? Same with a Commodities market, who makes the profit on sale, who has to pay to stock the shelves so to speak? Hmm could be useful, get a few T-9's full of Void Opals and you should be able to bankrupt a players by just selling the VO's at his carrier

Aaaand now you know why it's taking so long...

Actually it's all very simple see, Trucking Intergalactic Pty (a wholly owned subsidiary of Pact Holdings Llc) has won the contract to run the Carrier Replenishment Services as proxy for the nearest suitable station(s), free, gratis and 20% of the take.

 

[CMDR Yates]

Also, why does no one ever talk about the support ships? Is it because other than the label "mercenary", we have no clue what this thing does?

I was under the impression that owning one just adds an associated range of services to your Fleet Carrier (Mercenary -- maybe a range of combat modules in outfitting, mercenary contacts for selling bounties, Exploration -- Universal Cartographics, etc.) and it otherwise just sits there alongside your FC. But I can't remember where I heard that or if it was a reliable source.

 

[Rat Catcher]

Where has it been mentioned that these Carriers will have Outfitting, a Market or anything else other than the ability to rearm, repair and refuel?

M00ka - read the picture you posted... mentions modules
Modules to me suggests outfitting, although I'm happy to be corrected

 

[Lightspeed]

For the sake of countering some of the speculation in this thread, I'd just like to remind everyone that this post was a thing.

Also, why does no one ever talk about the support ships? Is it because other than the label "mercenary", we have no clue what this thing does?

Good reminder.

As far as I am aware, we know nothing about the support ships, how they are flown, where they go to be fuelled (if at all), what they do, if they too are persistent with the fleet carriers when we log off ...... nothing .... except there's at least three types.