People have circumnavigated the galaxy without a pit-stop, extreme exploration means you think about the risks and activities build your ship accordingly. If you can't do that with a particular ship then you need to look at flying a more appropriate ship. If you can not outfit an Anaconda/Corvette/Cutter for general exploration with something extra on the side to do whatever other activities you think you might want to do then there is something seriously wrong.
People have gone long distances, but as for circumnavigating the galaxy, given that only a fraction of the galaxy has so far been implemented, methinks you might have that a little wrong old bean. Also you forget that exploring is not always about how far you can go, but about making new discoveries.
Plus if I can't make it all the way to "Beagle Point" and back without losing my hull, that's not any of your business and I feel slighted that you suggest that there's something wrong with me for wanting something to aid my journeys.
If you are talking about storing mats, then perhaps FD should reconsider the current limits on materials we can collect - they do not affect mass and they transfer from ship to ship so the only aspect for them to consider really is overall game balance. Which would still be a consideration even with the kind of base you are talking about.
That would help but in my opinion it would also be an unrealistic approach. Whilst having synthesis using mats that are stored aboard somehow without penalty is good I feel that increasing the amounts would spoil the game a little. We are after all in a spaceship, not a TARDIS.
I don't think it would spoil game balance if we could store mats at the base since we would have to farm them to begin with, and also would need to return to base to get them.
Refitting should not be a consideration while exploring, and as for mining there is little point to travelling too far outside the bubble(s) to do that activity. There are plenty of Pristine mining opportunities with-in the bubble never mind anywhere else.
Again, why not?
If I need to return to civilisation to sell explo data or purchase new modules, rngineer some modules or engage in a CG I want to be able to get there intact. Why shouldn't I be able to arm myself and ditch those no longer useful items thereby giving me a chance to survive my return?
As for storing exploration data, I would forget that dream. I do see where you are coming from but losing the data is part of the risks involved with exploration. If you die, you respawn at the last place you docked and that should not include any pop-up shelters of the type you seem to want.
Don't have an opinion on that one Meh... Must be losing my touch LoL
The ONLY feature that I can see as requiring some form of base while exploring is repairing Hull/Power Plant - an AFMU can repair the rest. I am sure FD could come up with a solution to that nut though without resorting to player owned stations/bases.
Thank you for the concession, as far as it goes. But again, why should FD come up with some unrealistic solution when we've already provided a suitable one here?
FD have already added the concept of synthesis to support rearming AFMUs and repairing/rearming/refueling SRV that only really leaves two other items I can see as being desirable for explorers are Heat Sinks and possibly drones (not SLFs). SRVs are already covered with the repairing/rearming/refueling synthesis. The only issue with Heat Sink synthesis is I can see balance concerns due to certain PvP focused stealth builds which is probably why FD have avoided implementing synthesis of these things.
If you can rearm a destroyed SRV using synthesis I missed it. Please tell me how.
I don't see the point of SLFs in exploration unless it's for MultiCrew and even then the uses are very limited given the extremely short ranges. Drones? Hmm... Yeah maybe limited explo drones would be nice.
Generally speaking, I think bases do not fit with the overall principles of what makes ED an Elite title. FD have introduced mechanics that support explorers without resorting to any form of base camp concept and the larger vessels are effectively mobile bases and are more than capable of being equipped for self-sustaining extended exploration. I would think more along the lines of what you would like to achieve with player owned bases, then consider how a ship could be outfitted accordingly. If it can not be done, then what you are trying to does not really fit within the Elite series ethos IMO.
As you so kindly admit. That's your opinion.
In my opinion. It does!
I like that exploring has it's dangers just as PVPers have dangers. But most times when you go into PVP environments, so long as you survive the immediate threat, even by the skin of your teeth, you can pop back to the nearest starport and repair and rearm. Explorers are forced to limp back several thousand lightyears, still in the same considerable danger with barely functioning ships only to face being destroyed by some idiot (NPC or PVPer) as soon as they pop up in a suitable system with a base.
Please don't tell me about outfitting better or getting gud. I once popped out of hyperspace within the exclusion zone of a black hole. If you can tell me how I can protect against that without taking hull damage then please do.
As for storing heat sinks. Again, why not?
We would have to purchase them in the first place, and return to base to restock them so game balance is preserved. I would even say that you must purchase them at a normal starport and fit them before returning to your base and storing them. This would make restocking them an arduous process but worth it. However, with a base to return to to repair hull damage, heatsinks would no longer be an absolute neccessity.
This is kind of along the same lines as the ESO Homes concept I highlighted above... However, I do not agree with the refuelling/cargo aspects... fuel scoops are available for the refuelling aspect. Repairing/Rearming is a tricky one wrt if facilities for it should be available.
Overall though, such bases should be available at predetermined locations and only accessible through an in-game rent/purchase mechanic. This could potentially be done via tweaking the procedural generation system.
Again with pre-determined locations...
Please excuse me but that's rubbish. How would you pre-determine where explorers are going to be without some form of community goal or migration effort?
Why would you not want to relieve the devs of the responsibility of determining such trivial stuff?
If you're not an explorer what has any of this to do wih you anyway?
Should I perhaps push the devs (as others do) to slow down engineering for the benefit of PVPers because gankers are extracting the urine with the whole thing?
Other than that you seem to be agreeing with me :¬)
WTH does ESO homes and WRT mean?
o7