GAME SUGGESTION: Defending your own AI hauler with your combat vessel

[Paul Shroom]

It would be fun defending your hauler driven by an AI pilot with you next to it in a combat vessel.
There could be 4 players in a wing with 4 combat vessel and 4 AI hauler?

 

[Twelvefield]

Seeing as right now you can slave your friendship drive to your wing, and seeing as the AI can fly wing to a human, I don't see any reason why this can't be a thing in the game. Just set the docking computer by remote. Although there's a good chance that C-3PO will have a hiccup and crash your Type-6 into the side of the mailslot.

 

[Robert Maynard]

It would be fun defending your hauler driven by an AI pilot with you next to it in a combat vessel.
There could be 4 players in a wing with 4 combat vessel and 4 AI hauler?

It seems that Frontier's vision for the game is "one pilot, one ship" rather than a form of executive control, so I don't expect that we will be protecting drone traders (that we would directly profit from). On the other hand, I hope that the NPC wingmen proposal in the DDF is implemented to allow us to hire NPC protection for trade runs.

 

[Derath]

This actually sounds like a blast, it'd be great fun flying your spare ship and escorting it

 

[scorpyon]

I rly like this idea!
Though as mentioned you are more likely to fly trader with an NPC escort. M
That said i am not sure the current AI will be good enough to protect you.

 

[Taylor]

It seems that Frontier's vision for the game is "one pilot, one ship" rather than a form of executive control, so I don't expect that we will be protecting drone traders (that we would directly profit from). On the other hand, I hope that the NPC wingmen proposal in the DDF is implemented to allow us to hire NPC protection for trade runs.

You may well be right on FD's vision of 'one pilot, one ship' but how does a Player flying combat-escort alongside a hired AI hauler break that vision any more than a Player operated hauler flying with a hired AI escort?

Seems to me that they are two sides of the same coin.

Personally, I like the idea of flexibility of game play.

 

[Robert Maynard]

You may well be right on FD's vision of 'one pilot, one ship' but how does a Player flying combat-escort alongside a hired AI hauler break that vision any more than a Player operated hauler flying with a hired AI escort?

Seems to me that they are two sides of the same coin.

Personally, I like the idea of flexibility of game play.

If the hauler is a pure NPC hauler, i.e. not expected to carry what the player says with profits going to the player, fair enough - I would expect that escort missions will come.

I would be very surprised if drone traders were introduced for players to make money directly from.

 

[RailBalco]

It seems that Frontier's vision for the game is "one pilot, one ship" rather than a form of executive control, so I don't expect that we will be protecting drone traders (that we would directly profit from).

How about more people in one ship? I know FD said they want walking around the ship, in bigger ships there are multiple seats and I believe it can lead to very interesting moments not only in combat, but exploring can be more efficient and funnier if there are two pilots in one bigger ship with small ship inside.
Tl;dr there are mentions of walking around ship, but i didnt see any mention of more people controlling one ship at a time

 

[Robert Maynard]

How about more people in one ship? I know FD said they want walking around the ship, in bigger ships there are multiple seats and I believe it can lead to very interesting moments not only in combat, but exploring can be more efficient and funnier if there are two pilots in one bigger ship with small ship inside.
Tl;dr there are mentions of walking around ship, but i didnt see any mention of more people controlling one ship at a time

There is something on multi-player ships, somewhere.... (not sure where).

However, the need for extra P2P connections probably means that multi-player ships will reduce maximum instance sizes correspondingly.

 

[Loskene]

It seems that Frontier's vision for the game is "one pilot, one ship" rather than a form of executive control, so I don't expect that we will be protecting drone traders (that we would directly profit from). On the other hand, I hope that the NPC wingmen proposal in the DDF is implemented to allow us to hire NPC protection for trade runs.

Still, there's no reason one of those NPCs you hire can't fly one of your other ships if it's in the same starport. I wouldn't mind going hunting in my clipper with my bepainted Cobra watching my 6. Obviously with the added risk of having to pay out insurance on both ships. To balance out the risk I'd want some way to give basic orders to my NPC wingman too. Attack my target, defend me, flee as fast as our friendship can carry us, etc.