You probably didn't even realise that they were broken but, having owned one for almost 48 hours, I'm here to tell you what needs changing.
First, let's talk about SLF pilots.
Why don't I just hire an SLF pilot prior to a combat mission and then fire their butt immediately afterwards?
Well, there's two reasons.
Firstly, on an objective level, the newbie SLF pilots suck.
I hire one, train them up and they become more useful than the "rentals" so they're worth keeping.
Secondly, more subjectively, video game players develop something of a sentimental bond with useful NPC characters.
Emmalina and I have been through a lot together and she's got me out of some tough situations. She's worth keeping around.
Now let's talk about ships.
Why don't I just buy a Cutter, use it to complete a bunch of missions and then get rid of it?
Oddly enough, it's for the same two reasons.
Firstly, standard ships suck.
We can't train them like we train an SLF pilot but we do have engineering, which allows us to improve a ship and tailor it to our requirements.
Secondly, there's the sentimental bond we create with ships that we've made the effort to modify, which serve us especially well, and we don't want to get rid of them because we know they get the job done.
Also, kind of related to both the above points, we logically know that if we get rid of a useful ship, we're going to have to make the effort to build something similar the next time we need it so we might as well keep what we've got.
So, what's this got to do with FC's?
I seems, to me, that FC's don't do a lot to tick either of those boxes.
There's nothing uniquely useful about any FC that you buy and there's nothing especially unique about them which might provoke that sentimental bond.
And they're going to cost you a heap of credits, each week, to hang onto.
Going back to SLF pilots for a minute, I guess it's worth noting that they do cost you credits too.
The difference is, they do provide an elevated level of usefulness in return for a player being willing to pay the required price.
A player gets to decide whether it's worth paying 10% of their earnings to keep an Elite SLF pilot available instead of hiring a muppet.
That's the problem with FC's, IMO.
I buy one, it costs me Cr10m per week (or whatever) to keep hold of it and it offers no benefit over an FC that I might buy tomorrow.
So, what's my motivation to keep it rather than selling it and then buying another one when I need to?
There needs to be something to motivate me to hang onto an FC, despite the fact that it's a continual financial burden.
So, here's a couple of suggestions, of increasing levels of outrageousness.
Firstly, the FC crew need to get better at their jobs the longer you hold onto them.
Veteran bridge crew should be able to squeeze more mileage out of a tank of fuel so, for example, fuel usage drops by up to 20% and/or an FC gains a longer jump range.
Maybe the guy running your Commodity market can only handle basic items until he's suitably experienced, at which time the range of available Commodities increases.
Similar thing for the Shipyard and Repair personnel; they start off only being able to handle basic stuff but as they improve they can do more and do it cheaper.
How about a Navigator who can reduce FSD spool-up and cool-down times as he gains experience or an Astronomer who pays more for Explo' data?
And now for a couple of big ones.
There are occupied escape pods floating around in Wreckage POIs, as well as other places.
How about if there was, say, a 1% chance that those escape pods carry a Mat' Trader who, if you own an FC, will be willing to set up shop aboard your FC?
At best, maybe you could find an escape pod with (gasp!) a trainee engineer in it who, again, would be willing to come and work for you, applying mod's and experimental effects, if you own an FC?
Maybe there could be other ways to find especially useful crewmembers too?
You do stuff (run missions, win wars, blow poop up, become allied with factions etc) and, as a result, there's the chance to hire more qualified personnel for your FC.
You might get a mechanic who can improve the way your FC runs, a Gunner who can improve the effectiveness of the weapons or more useful replacements for your existing crew.
Basically, you'd start off with your crew of deadbeats and muppets.
They'd gradually improve or you could swap them for more experienced personnel you find along the way.
And, as well as that, there'd be the unique characters (mat traders and apprentice engineers etc) who you might pick up too.
As a result of this you'd end up with a uniquely effective FC and you'd be deterred from simply selling it and then buying another one when you need it.
Now there's a good REASON to keep paying that CR10m per week.
First, let's talk about SLF pilots.
Why don't I just hire an SLF pilot prior to a combat mission and then fire their butt immediately afterwards?
Well, there's two reasons.
Firstly, on an objective level, the newbie SLF pilots suck.
I hire one, train them up and they become more useful than the "rentals" so they're worth keeping.
Secondly, more subjectively, video game players develop something of a sentimental bond with useful NPC characters.
Emmalina and I have been through a lot together and she's got me out of some tough situations. She's worth keeping around.
Now let's talk about ships.
Why don't I just buy a Cutter, use it to complete a bunch of missions and then get rid of it?
Oddly enough, it's for the same two reasons.
Firstly, standard ships suck.
We can't train them like we train an SLF pilot but we do have engineering, which allows us to improve a ship and tailor it to our requirements.
Secondly, there's the sentimental bond we create with ships that we've made the effort to modify, which serve us especially well, and we don't want to get rid of them because we know they get the job done.
Also, kind of related to both the above points, we logically know that if we get rid of a useful ship, we're going to have to make the effort to build something similar the next time we need it so we might as well keep what we've got.
So, what's this got to do with FC's?
I seems, to me, that FC's don't do a lot to tick either of those boxes.
There's nothing uniquely useful about any FC that you buy and there's nothing especially unique about them which might provoke that sentimental bond.
And they're going to cost you a heap of credits, each week, to hang onto.
Going back to SLF pilots for a minute, I guess it's worth noting that they do cost you credits too.
The difference is, they do provide an elevated level of usefulness in return for a player being willing to pay the required price.
A player gets to decide whether it's worth paying 10% of their earnings to keep an Elite SLF pilot available instead of hiring a muppet.
That's the problem with FC's, IMO.
I buy one, it costs me Cr10m per week (or whatever) to keep hold of it and it offers no benefit over an FC that I might buy tomorrow.
So, what's my motivation to keep it rather than selling it and then buying another one when I need to?
There needs to be something to motivate me to hang onto an FC, despite the fact that it's a continual financial burden.
So, here's a couple of suggestions, of increasing levels of outrageousness.
Firstly, the FC crew need to get better at their jobs the longer you hold onto them.
Veteran bridge crew should be able to squeeze more mileage out of a tank of fuel so, for example, fuel usage drops by up to 20% and/or an FC gains a longer jump range.
Maybe the guy running your Commodity market can only handle basic items until he's suitably experienced, at which time the range of available Commodities increases.
Similar thing for the Shipyard and Repair personnel; they start off only being able to handle basic stuff but as they improve they can do more and do it cheaper.
How about a Navigator who can reduce FSD spool-up and cool-down times as he gains experience or an Astronomer who pays more for Explo' data?
And now for a couple of big ones.
There are occupied escape pods floating around in Wreckage POIs, as well as other places.
How about if there was, say, a 1% chance that those escape pods carry a Mat' Trader who, if you own an FC, will be willing to set up shop aboard your FC?
At best, maybe you could find an escape pod with (gasp!) a trainee engineer in it who, again, would be willing to come and work for you, applying mod's and experimental effects, if you own an FC?
Maybe there could be other ways to find especially useful crewmembers too?
You do stuff (run missions, win wars, blow poop up, become allied with factions etc) and, as a result, there's the chance to hire more qualified personnel for your FC.
You might get a mechanic who can improve the way your FC runs, a Gunner who can improve the effectiveness of the weapons or more useful replacements for your existing crew.
Basically, you'd start off with your crew of deadbeats and muppets.
They'd gradually improve or you could swap them for more experienced personnel you find along the way.
And, as well as that, there'd be the unique characters (mat traders and apprentice engineers etc) who you might pick up too.
As a result of this you'd end up with a uniquely effective FC and you'd be deterred from simply selling it and then buying another one when you need it.
Now there's a good REASON to keep paying that CR10m per week.
