Handling Fleet Carriers in 2018 - Fleet Carrier Concept
Some suggestions:
Squadron Size Should be big
A Squadron in aviation is 12 to 24 members (aircrafts). In Elite Dangerous it should be 100 (or more) members. Because many players will be inactive or log on once a week (or month). Some would play at different time-zones. This means less active members online at the same time. So more members compensates for inactive ones.
Much and Deep Customization
The Fleet Carrier should have much customization options. So players can modify it specifically for e.g. mining (extra cargo space), fleet battles (offensive capabilities or a flying-fortress), exploration (long jump range) etc. It could also be a hybrid.
Visible Customization for Unique Carriers
The external carrier customization should be visible. Such as stronger hull, more defensive/offensive weaponry. Allow players to put their Squadron logos, decals etc on the hull. This way every carrier will look different and unique. Internal customization would be hidden, because we can't walk inside yet. This can be displayed via a special menu.
Deep customization is important, because it improves replayability and increases depth of the sandbox. It gives incentives to keep playing for the long-term (months). Personalization makes it feel like the carrier really belongs to the people of a squadron. It's a mobile base, a home away from home.
Huge Size and Imposing
As for the design of the carrier: the size of the Fleet Carrier should be huge, impressive and imposing. As big as the biggest Megaships. For example make it 6 kilometers long. It should be a flagship that makes squadron members proud to own and show.
The basic version could look like the Hiigaran Carrier of Homeworld 2.
[video=youtube;vNUtIvzfNLk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNUtIvzfNLk[/video]
A player should only be able to be a member of one squadron at a time. Otherwise it would be open to too many exploits. Eve Online allows players to be a member of 1 corp per character.
Squadron Size Should be big
A Squadron in aviation is 12 to 24 members (aircrafts). In Elite Dangerous it should be 100 (or more) members. Because many players will be inactive or log on once a week (or month). Some would play at different time-zones. This means less active members online at the same time. So more members compensates for inactive ones.
Much and Deep Customization
The Fleet Carrier should have much customization options. So players can modify it specifically for e.g. mining (extra cargo space), fleet battles (offensive capabilities or a flying-fortress), exploration (long jump range) etc. It could also be a hybrid.
Visible Customization for Unique Carriers
The external carrier customization should be visible. Such as stronger hull, more defensive/offensive weaponry. Allow players to put their Squadron logos, decals etc on the hull. This way every carrier will look different and unique. Internal customization would be hidden, because we can't walk inside yet. This can be displayed via a special menu.
Deep customization is important, because it improves replayability and increases depth of the sandbox. It gives incentives to keep playing for the long-term (months). Personalization makes it feel like the carrier really belongs to the people of a squadron. It's a mobile base, a home away from home.
Huge Size and Imposing
As for the design of the carrier: the size of the Fleet Carrier should be huge, impressive and imposing. As big as the biggest Megaships. For example make it 6 kilometers long. It should be a flagship that makes squadron members proud to own and show.
The basic version could look like the Hiigaran Carrier of Homeworld 2.
[video=youtube;vNUtIvzfNLk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNUtIvzfNLk[/video]
A player should only be able to be a member of one squadron at a time. Otherwise it would be open to too many exploits. Eve Online allows players to be a member of 1 corp per character.
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Wow, what a video. I have so much to say, but i wont say any of it, because you already thought of it.
Good effort on the video, I have concerns that your ideas make (fully upgraded) carriers a one-stop shop.
Groups would their own portable Tesco Express, killing the high street, so to speak. As someone else noted, it looks like a mini station, with far more functionality than even full sized stations or megaships contain.
If someone proposed a Python MK2, which was faster and turned better, 6 utilities, 10 internals, and 60Ly jump range, would I like that? Sure I'd like that, but it feels off, much like this. Just IMO.
Groups would their own portable Tesco Express, killing the high street, so to speak. As someone else noted, it looks like a mini station, with far more functionality than even full sized stations or megaships contain.
If someone proposed a Python MK2, which was faster and turned better, 6 utilities, 10 internals, and 60Ly jump range, would I like that? Sure I'd like that, but it feels off, much like this. Just IMO.
Nice post ! +rep
How did you manage to edit ED Screenshots so they looks exactly like in game :-D ?
I have the feeling Squadron Cruiser will be just for 5 players maximum at the beginning.
We are dreaming big but i'm sure it's not what is coming soon. What you all describre requiere so much development and FDev have always been so slow to develop so few...
How did you manage to edit ED Screenshots so they looks exactly like in game :-D ?
I have the feeling Squadron Cruiser will be just for 5 players maximum at the beginning.
We are dreaming big but i'm sure it's not what is coming soon. What you all describre requiere so much development and FDev have always been so slow to develop so few...
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You mean Squadron Carrier. Most of his examples uses assets that are already in-game.
Frontier doesn't need to design the interior of the ship so they can do more of the other stuff. By comparison the other space sim that shall not be named, has fully detailed interiors of capital ships. So I'm sure Frontier can do the ship exterior, make squadrons work (guild system) and deep customization.
Five players is nothing for a group. Most would be inactive, rarely online or at different timezones. A squadron must be a lot bigger to function properly and sustain itself for months. At least 100 members imo.
A fully operational squadron needs a lot of back-up members who can fill-in to do tasks and roles while others are sleeping, working, away etc.
For example of the 100 members maybe only 10 would be fully engaged and contributing to the squadron. The rest would be online occasionally. Rarely would all 100 be online at the same time. Only a fraction are active core members who keep the Squadron alive.
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While it's true we don't know exactly how it will work, since we know the mechanics of the game how would it be possible to exploit it if you are in multiple squadrons? Especially as you will still only be able to dock in one place and would need to fly somewhere to go someplace else. It's not eve, the game mechanics are nothing like eve so curious to hear some ideas
If there was a sort of combined bank/storage place, and someone then robs it, then multiple squadron membership wont prevent it. Good, considered and well executed leadership will.
As for emergency jumping away. It is more than possible to find the carrier again in double quick time, especially if you choose to go after a squadron that streams, has a web site or is on social media(i.e most of them), or even if you have one of the squadron members on your friends list. No need to follow the wake, follow the members.
So emergency jumps are only delaying the inevitable re-attack complete with (probably) likely repair/rebuy costs. Just rinse and repeat until target squadron or individual is out of money.
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While it's true we don't know exactly how it will work, since we know the mechanics of the game how would it be possible to exploit it if you are in multiple squadrons? Especially as you will still only be able to dock in one place and would need to fly somewhere to go someplace else. It's not eve, the game mechanics are nothing like eve so curious to hear some ideas
If there was a sort of combined bank/storage place, and someone then robs it, then multiple squadron membership wont prevent it. Good, considered and well executed leadership will.
A player could spy for another squadron or sabotage. The player would be more suspicious if they're in multiple squadrons.
They can do that without being a member of multiple squadrons. Indeed, infiltration has more chance of success the less people are involved, Look at what happend in eve and that doesn’t have multiple squadron membership
It's harder to spy if you're an outsider. Spies infiltrate organizations. People who joined, left multiple squadrons in a short time are more suspicious.
Yes Eve has only one corp per character.
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Robert Maynard
Volunteer Moderator
I've wondered how Frontier are thinking of handling a Squadron's funding of a Carrier - if there's a Squadron "bank account" and it can be withdrawn from then that would introduce credit transfer between players - it could be deposit only, however - or maybe one could only withdraw as much as one had deposited.
Not sure that the materials / data storage free-for-all (combined with a mobile Engineer) would be consistent with Frontier's rather apparent stance that players have to earn / gather their own blueprint ingredients.
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I'd fallen off my chair by this point.
Some good ideas. Some I'm less sure about. To my mind this was just going to be a way to FDEV to cater for some of the people that that are under the illusion they actually own systems and stations and want to impose all sorts of rules and things as if this is EvE, as opposed the the reality, which is that they are doing missions for another NPC faction they happened to name and made a logo for. And I don't think that is too bad an idea. I've said before I think that it would be nice for player factions to get a basic cookie cutter outpost that is locked to their faction but never the system controlling asset, so they always had a base to start from, no matter what happens. I'm not sure how I feel about the upgrades idea, or the big missions. I can see a lot of merit in them.
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OP, nice job on the video. Well done and good ideas.
Some thoughts....
On the Fleet Carrier jumping out if severely damaged, when I'm in my PVP ship fitted for PVP, I usually have a jump range of 1ly.
So if the fleet carrier jumped out and there were no other stations in the system, I'd be screwed. I guess I could self destruct to get back to my last docked location.
I'm part of a really big player group, 500 or so signed up. Not sure how many are really active, but there are a lot of us. I wonder how squadrons/fleet carriers will scale to player group size.
If a fleet carrier is something that a group of 10 can support, would my group be able to have 50 of them? (not that i think that is a good idea). I could see us wanting to have a couple, but will be interesting to see how it works. And if we will be forced to do something like creating multiple squadrons, even though we are one big group.
Some thoughts....
On the Fleet Carrier jumping out if severely damaged, when I'm in my PVP ship fitted for PVP, I usually have a jump range of 1ly.
So if the fleet carrier jumped out and there were no other stations in the system, I'd be screwed. I guess I could self destruct to get back to my last docked location.
I'm part of a really big player group, 500 or so signed up. Not sure how many are really active, but there are a lot of us. I wonder how squadrons/fleet carriers will scale to player group size.
If a fleet carrier is something that a group of 10 can support, would my group be able to have 50 of them? (not that i think that is a good idea). I could see us wanting to have a couple, but will be interesting to see how it works. And if we will be forced to do something like creating multiple squadrons, even though we are one big group.
I really hope that Frontier don't impose minimum number of players for a Carrier. If a solo player can fund/maintain one then let them. It wont impact the play of anyone else or group. I doubt it will be a capital ship with guns. Just an unarmed base of operations. Personally I would love the idea of packing everything I own aboard one and just head off into the black to explore all the new "phenomenon" coming in 2018. Using the carrier as a base of operations from each new sector being explored. I don't think I would ever return to the bubble in that case.
This is terribly awful and I am appalled as Elite is not Eve and this is against my religion or something! Multiplayer in my mutiplayer game? WAGHHH.
Seriously though watched your vid which was superbly done by the way and was very impressed with care of creation and thought that went into it. I like your ideas alot, especially around the 'reuse existing assets so maybe we have a chance of this happening' but I fear it wont - would be nice though. Also does seem to going a bit Eve there (said as an ED and ex avid Eve player so I dont necessarily see that as a bad thing tbh).
Nicely done
Seriously though watched your vid which was superbly done by the way and was very impressed with care of creation and thought that went into it. I like your ideas alot, especially around the 'reuse existing assets so maybe we have a chance of this happening' but I fear it wont - would be nice though. Also does seem to going a bit Eve there
(said as an ED and ex avid Eve player so I dont necessarily see that as a bad thing tbh). Nicely done
While it's true we don't know exactly how it will work, since we know the mechanics of the game how would it be possible to exploit it if you are in multiple squadrons? Especially as you will still only be able to dock in one place and would need to fly somewhere to go someplace else. It's not eve, the game mechanics are nothing like eve so curious to hear some ideas
If there was a sort of combined bank/storage place, and someone then robs it, then multiple squadron membership wont prevent it. Good, considered and well executed leadership will.
As for emergency jumping away. It is more than possible to find the carrier again in double quick time, especially if you choose to go after a squadron that streams, has a web site or is on social media(i.e most of them), or even if you have one of the squadron members on your friends list. No need to follow the wake, follow the members.
So emergency jumps are only delaying the inevitable re-attack complete with (probably) likely repair/rebuy costs. Just rinse and repeat until target squadron or individual is out of money.
Emergency jumps should be just that an emergency. If a group streams they should not disclose all, there should be a risk connected to it.
If the carrier takes too much damage it should jump away, before jump it release a disrupted and a carrier can only hold one at anytime. When used materials must be used to craft a new one. Where it jumps too should be to a safe place, like a ship repair station or close to a big station, however it should be something that can be changed in game.
Credits and materials from the Squadron bank (guild bank) could be limited to spend on Squadron-related stuff only. So a player can't use it for personal things. I prefer that authorized members can use it freely to spend on whatever they want like other MMOs. An Access Log would keep track of every withdrawal/deposit.
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I'm still seeing this more as a "rental" type thing - whatever makes up a squadron - probably 4 wings, someone will be designated as Squadron Leader, and that person will get to fit the bill to "rent" a carrier, a megaship type structure, pick a destination from a menu, and it will jump the sqaud to that location - and that would be about the end of it.
It's likely they would not be owned by any player, merely instructed by one.
Time will tell though, a lot of it, but this is one hype train I wouldn't board for free.
It's likely they would not be owned by any player, merely instructed by one.
Time will tell though, a lot of it, but this is one hype train I wouldn't board for free.
I love all this, the modules etc sound good, therefore no two fleet carriers are the same.
Do we have enough players logged on at a single time per platform. yes people are on all hours of the day, uk , USA and others around the world.
Is it time to open cross play with pc and Xbox. I know ps4 won't due to Sony not allowing it. the original reasons fdev said was update timings. Well that's all in sync now.
I have friends in real life on Xbox, I'm on pc. to get fleet members up in size I think we need this.
Do we have enough players logged on at a single time per platform. yes people are on all hours of the day, uk , USA and others around the world.
Is it time to open cross play with pc and Xbox. I know ps4 won't due to Sony not allowing it. the original reasons fdev said was update timings. Well that's all in sync now.
I have friends in real life on Xbox, I'm on pc. to get fleet members up in size I think we need this.