Have Odyssey settlement sizes been reclassified?

[BigTed]

I was looking at what I would class as a 'small' settlement in my left nav panel today and noticed that it's now classified by the game as 'tiny'.

This is one of the settlements that has no + symbols next to it -

So then I thought, well, has everything been reclassified and it seems like the answer to that is yes. The settlements that used to be classed as 'large', the ones that, in construction terms, cost one tier 1 point and delivered two tier 2 points when complete, and are denoted by ++ after their names in the left nav are now classed as 'medium'.

That means that, according to this classification system there are currently no 'large'' settlements in the game.

I can't help thinking that this is maybe making way for new, larger settlements to coincide with the new Operations features?

Hopefully if they're buildable by colonisers they'll cost tier 2 points as I often end up with a surfeit of those.

Or have I always just been getting it wrong?

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

Nav panel has always used that terminology.

 

[PilotB]

Or have I always just been getting it wrong?

The game calls them both but Tiny, Small, Medium is what they're listed as in the journal. I think that was consistent with the UI until colonisation when suddenly they're small, medium and large in the colonisation menu but still the same in the Nav panel. You're not wrong they're just both and despite being raised early it hasn't changed so enjoy.

This also applies to guardian sites btw. They're tiny, small, medium in the game data but we just call them small medium and large because there is no 4th one and not everyone looked at the journals.

In theory they left it open for future settlements and sites. In practice they're not coming.

 

[Rythillian]

I think the + also tell you the size no + means it's tiny, + means it's small, ++ means it's medium for example. The shield is the security level, with empty shield being low, half being medium and full being high sec.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

Yes. As with many things the terminology isn't consistent, in part as a result of things being introduced at different times and in part just because Frontier's Cambridge->English translation is a bit iffy. There are four sizes of hub but only three sizes of settlement, in terms of the in-game models.

Nav panel size indicator	(nothing)	+	++	+++
Nav panel detail descriptor	Tiny	Small	Medium	Large
Colonisation descriptor (Odyssey settlement)	Small Settlement	Medium Settlement	Large Settlement	(no such settlement size)
Colonisation descriptor (hub/Horizons settlement)	Hub*	Hub*	Hub*	Hub*

* I can't remember which of these sizes are available for build, since hubs aren't sorted by their ground size in the first place. It's possible some of them are for NPC systems only.

 

[rootsrat]

Yes. As with many things the terminology isn't consistent, in part as a result of things being introduced at different times and in part just because Frontier's Cambridge->English translation is a bit iffy. There are four sizes of hub but only three sizes of settlement, in terms of the in-game models.

Nav panel size indicator	(nothing)	+	++	+++
Nav panel detail descriptor	Tiny	Small	Medium	Large
Colonisation descriptor (Odyssey settlement)	Small Settlement	Medium Settlement	Large Settlement	(no such settlement size)
Colonisation descriptor (hub/Horizons settlement)	Hub*	Hub*	Hub*	Hub*

* I can't remember which of these sizes are available for build, since hubs aren't sorted by their ground size in the first place. It's possible some of them are for NPC systems only.

OMG thanks for this! o7

 

[idahosurge]

Yes. As with many things the terminology isn't consistent, in part as a result of things being introduced at different times and in part just because Frontier's Cambridge->English translation is a bit iffy. There are four sizes of hub but only three sizes of settlement, in terms of the in-game models.

Nav panel size indicator	(nothing)	+	++	+++
Nav panel detail descriptor	Tiny	Small	Medium	Large
Colonisation descriptor (Odyssey settlement)	Small Settlement	Medium Settlement	Large Settlement	(no such settlement size)
Colonisation descriptor (hub/Horizons settlement)	Hub*	Hub*	Hub*	Hub*

* I can't remember which of these sizes are available for build, since hubs aren't sorted by their ground size in the first place. It's possible some of them are for NPC systems only.

Interesting!

I always thought as this pertains to Odyssey settlements only:

"nothing" was only small landing pad,
"+" was medium landing pad and could also have small landing pads,
"++" was large landing pad and could also have small / medium landing pads.

Since the "+++" settlements are never Odyssey settlements I never pain any attention. Next time I see one I am going to fly down and check it out to see how big they are.

 

[Starsong]

I always thought as this pertains to Odyssey settlements only:

"nothing" was only small landing pad,
"+" was medium landing pad and could also have small landing pads,
"++" was large landing pad and could also have small / medium landing pads.

That's definitely not a guarantee. There's some '+' settlement layouts that only have small pads, and at least one has a large pad.

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

As stated landing pads aren't really related to settlement size. But selecting a settlement in the nav panel should tell you if it has appropriately sized pads for your current ship (it used to be incorrect for a few settlement layouts, not sure if that has been fixed).

 

[PilotB]

With settlements you're rarely going to use the market so it really doesn't matter if it has valid pads or not. They don't enforce any notable exclusion zone so you can just land on the dirt and often have a shorter walk than using the pads.

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

Pads are important if you want to use the services i.e. interstellar factors.

 

[Starsong]

Pads are important if you want to use the services i.e. interstellar factors.

Or missions, since the entire board will be for the owning faction it can be helpful for BGS manipulation. Or Cartographics if it's a HighTech settlement and the owning faction doesn't have a station. I find settlements to be pretty decent tools for faction stuff sometimes.

 

[PilotB]

Or missions

The on foot missions are still available since they're in terminals. I'd honestly forgotten if they could give ship missions. There are reasons to dock but I expect the majority of people are just landing at settlements to shoot something and they don't care about the landing pads.

 

[Carbon Slide]

The on foot missions are still available since they're in terminals. I'd honestly forgotten if they could give ship missions. There are reasons to dock but I expect the majority of people are just landing at settlements to shoot something and they don't care about the landing pads.

Those that do settlement raids frequently, most likely enjoy landing pads (I do) because they give you 'auto parking' (with auto docking module), but I'll take any size since I use a Cobra V to shuttle me in for the raids.

 

[PilotB]

hose that do settlement raids frequently, most likely enjoy landing pads (I do) because they give you 'auto parking'

There's always APEX if you want auto parking. They're convenient to have but for most uses not required. I just highlighted it in the case of newer players who didn't consider that the whole planet is a manual landing pad. Finish the task and next time add you can avoid taking missions to that settlement since for other uses you can see from orbit if the place has pads before you bother approaching.

 

[Carbon Slide]

There's always APEX if you want auto parking. They're convenient to have but for most uses not required. I just highlighted it in the case of newer players who didn't consider that the whole planet is a manual landing pad. Finish the task and next time add you can avoid taking missions to that settlement since for other uses you can see from orbit if the place has pads before you bother approaching.

If I do raids, I do a bunch of them at a time. Leaving the surface after a raid, just entering SC 2-3 sec and then landing at the same settlement to raid it again (that short SC trip will reset the settlement to have all its population and goods/data back). Might be cheesy gameplay for some, but that's the fastest/efficient way.
The apex taxi drivers so far refused to perform in a similar fashion, even if offered a few 10k credits as a tip

 

[PilotB]

If I do raids, I do a bunch of them at a time. Leaving the surface after a raid, just entering SC 2-3 sec and then landing at the same settlement to raid it again

Then you're going to be in the minority since they make it hard to take multiple missions at the same settlement. It can be done if you know tricks but I expect if you know tricks you also have enough experience to handle the landing pads. It still doesn't really matter if you're experienced enough to stack then you can probably park your ship danger close and go to town on the settlement anyway. The shields will handle it fine if you're half competent at removing enemies. The only issue with not having a pad is you can't recall directly into the settlement if you dismiss the ship.

 

[Carbon Slide]

Then you're going to be in the minority since they make it hard to take multiple missions at the same settlement. It can be done if you know tricks but I expect if you know tricks you also have enough experience to handle the landing pads. It still doesn't really matter if you're experienced enough to stack then you can probably park your ship danger close and go to town on the settlement anyway. The shields will handle it fine if you're half competent at removing enemies. The only issue with not having a pad is you can't recall directly into the settlement if you dismiss the ship.

No Missions, I'll choose an appropriate anarchy settlement and just raid it, kill everyone and take the goodies which are interesting. As mentioned the SC trips in-between raids will reset the settlement. It wont be hostile when you land until you engage in hostilities again (after landing). I leave the parked ship (no sending it away/recall), but installed prismatic shields just in case some settlement inhabitant goes shooting at my ship (with a pea shooter).

 

[Ezren]

No Missions, I'll choose an appropriate anarchy settlement and just raid it, kill everyone and take the goodies which are interesting. As mentioned the SC trips in-between raids will reset the settlement. It wont be hostile when you land until you engage in hostilities again (after landing). I leave the parked ship (no sending it away/recall), but installed prismatic shields just in case some settlement inhabitant goes shooting at my ship (with a pea shooter).

I also try to put 4 pips to SYS before landing, just in case things go sideways and they decide to take it out on my ship (they always do). This man was caught stealing metal coils, quick, shoot at his car in the parking lot.

 

[Carbon Slide]

I also try to put 4 pips to SYS before landing, just in case things go sideways and they decide to take it out on my ship (they always do). This man was caught stealing metal coils, quick, shoot at his car in the parking lot.

Yeah me too and 3 shield boosters engineered to heavy, prismatic shield engineered reinforced (+fast charge experimental). I tried an engineered Bi-Weave fast recharge + 4 shield booster resistance augmented (or similar) but from my experience the resistance augmented boosters (hardly) do anything versus handheld weapons. I haven’t lost a ship with the Bi-Weave but it doesn’t seem as good in comparison for the ground stuff as the prismatic. (lost a few ships when the cobra was tuned for max jump range using a low grade shield)

The parked ship actually doesn’t get attacked that often and it’s almost always technicians, very seldom the guards. Wouldn’t be a problem if the warning (“ship under attack”) be working correctly, most of the time I don’t get any warning and I notice after returning from the raid that someone is happily shooting at my ship. Loosing the ship and paying for the insurance isn’t what I mind, it’s calling an apex shuttle and then having to pick up my ship - better to drop shields and use two frag grenades for suicide when that happens.

Seem to have solved it with the better shields, that Cobra V sole usage is raids & ground missions, jump range is good enough since I keep the carrier close by anyhow.