In-field hull repair for self sufficient ships!

R.Steel · Jun 26, 2016

They gave us AFM's! They allowed us to repair our modules in flight...
They gave us fuel scoops to refuel at stars...
Then they gave us Horisons! Wich allowed us to mine materials to resupply our ships in flight...

Why not finish the job and give us a way to repair our hull ourselves? making ships completely self sufficient!

Now don't get me wrong! i don't mean IN-FLIGHT repairs! We already have SCB spam to annoy players. nothing would be worse now than also finding out that damned boom and zoomed vulture that you almost killed just regained 50% of his health!
I mean in-field repairs! so a busy bounty hunter or security pilot can repair their ship to keep going after a hard fight!
Soo an explorer can repair their ship themselves after an unfortunate crash, without having to travel 700+ LY back to the nearest station!
So players that are having fun in RES's or conflict zones can repair themselves after a struggling fight instead of flying back to the nearest station!
And I'm shure many other players will appreciate having the capability of repairing their own hull!

Ofcourse, this hull repair will consume a fair amount of materials and cannot be done in the mid of combat. or in a hazardous envirement! that'd be unfair and we already have SCB's for that!
I was thinking of a sequence similar to the reboot/repair function. where the ships would temporarily shutdown and be immobilized during the sequence, and that systems would have to reboot and shields would have to recharge after the functions!

Any thoughts?

northlight · Jun 26, 2016

I like the idea!
Maybe it should be a module with repairing materials that need to be restocked and/or synthesis (similar to ammunition)

Lestat · Jun 26, 2016

There has to be a reason for you to come back. please next time do a research on the topic before posting. Because this topic been up a few times.

crutonius · Jun 26, 2016

I'm for it. I'd love to see this in conjunction with riskier more dangerous exploration. Right now the challenge is trying to stay awake on a 1k light year journey.

vizvayu · Jun 26, 2016

+1 I like this idea

Archvillain · Jun 26, 2016

Hull repair would have to be done from outside the ship, so it could require either carrying a special new type of SRV repair-truck (one which is poorer at other tasks), or once the ship-launched-fighters expansion is released, a hanger bay could carry a special repair-ship.

Maybe make the actual repair process be more of a welding mini-game offering some challenge and ability for sub-optimal repair (and/or inadvertently damaging surface modules, thus needing to AFMU those) rather than the already-existing collect-resources/shut-down/trigger/wait-for-success game of the AFMU.

Either way, like fuel limpets and the Fuel Rats, most people wouldn't carry them for day-to-day stuff but players would form search-and-rescue teams and other emergent gameplay.

Velixar · Jun 26, 2016

Archvillain said:
Hull repair would have to be done from outside the ship, so it could require either carrying a special new type of SRV repair-truck (one which is very poor at surface travel), or once the ship-launched-fighters expansion is released, a hanger bay could carry a special repair-ship.

Maybe make the actual repair process be more of a welding mini-game offering some challenge and ability for sub-optimal repair (and/or inadvertently damaging surface modules, thus needing to AFMU those) rather than the already-existing collect-resources/shut-down/trigger/wait-for-success game of the AFMU.

Either way, like fuel limpets and the Fuel Rats, most people wouldn't carry them for day-to-day stuff but players would form search-and-rescue teams and other emergent gameplay.

It would also be good if the user had to farm metal at a asteroid belt.

Luke3107 · Jun 27, 2016

Lestat said:
There has to be a reason for you to come back. please next time do a research on the topic before posting. Because this topic been up a few times.

Because turning in your Cartographics Data, Upgrading your Modules, Participating in CGs, Joining up to do stuff with friends, Ranking up your Fed/Emp standing or even a simple change of scenery aren't "Reasons to come back"??

Please, next time, do your research on the topic before posting...

Lestat · Jun 27, 2016

Luke3107 said:
Because turning in your Cartographics Data, Upgrading your Modules, Participating in CGs, Joining up to do stuff with friends, Ranking up your Fed/Emp standing or even a simple change of scenery aren't "Reasons to come back"??

Please, next time, do your research on the topic before posting...

I have 2 accounts. So I don't have to come back if this feature is added. I just switch accounts. But I want that fear knowing if I don't come back I could be DEAD because of my own stupidity of not repairing my own ship once in a while.

Risk vs Reward.

Luke3107 · Jun 27, 2016

Lestat said:
I have 2 accounts. So I don't have to come back if this feature is added. I just switch accounts. But I want that fear knowing if I don't come back I could be DEAD because of my own stupidity of not repairing my own ship once in a while.

Risk vs Reward.

Congrats!!! You have two accounts.... What's that??? Not everyone has that luxury??? Ah well... Clearly sucks to be them.

You can still have that fear, if it requires materials to repair your ship and you are running short for example.

Lestat · Jun 28, 2016

This is one of the older videos. Of Elite Dangerous and hall damage. Then try to explain how a mobile unit could repair that. I think it would require a star port for repairs.

[video=youtube;Xg9k7E4ngFw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg9k7E4ngFw&feature=youtu.be[/video]

CMDR Goldenboyjim · Jun 28, 2016

I like the idea of developing a SRV or Small Repair Ship that can repair the exterior of the ship. This tickles my love of the Theseus's Ship Paradox.

I challenge you to add more detail in thinking about how this would happen. Look through Commodities, examining the use of Nanobreakers, Auto Fabricators, and other Components in game that you could use to make your idea congruent with details that already exist in-game.[h=1][/h]

Luke3107 · Jun 28, 2016

Lestat said:
This is one of the older videos. Of Elite Dangerous and hall damage. Then try to explain how a mobile unit could repair that. I think it would require a star port for repairs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg9k7E4ngFw&feature=youtu.be

*Claims hull damage is far too extensive to be repaired remotely*
*Pulls out pre-release video from 3 years ago to demonstrate it*

Regardless, if you pay attention you'll spot that this kind of extensive hull damage isn't always persistent. Magic Self repair fairies maybe???

crutonius · Jun 28, 2016

Lestat said:
This is one of the older videos. Of Elite Dangerous and hall damage. Then try to explain how a mobile unit could repair that. I think it would require a star port for repairs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg9k7E4ngFw&feature=youtu.be

An SRV outfitted with a welding arm and a grappling hook?

Sometimes I'm confused by the lack of imagination in some of the posts I see on this forum.

ick · Jun 28, 2016

Without knowing their "game theory" it seems to me that long trips in the expanse require a docking for real repairs. This seems to be the pattern in most sci-fi (Babylon 5, Star Trek, etc) and follows the reality of sea-faring vessels on earth. Sort of how you can load your car with extra tires, spark plugs, freon, small tools, etc.... but you can't bend the front end of the vehicle back in place after hitting a tree. You might be able to fix it enough to get home without a tow but you will need a legitimate garage with equipment for a real repair.

It also seems to me if you plan a long-haul away from civilization you should probably get the heavier hull or reinforcements.

crutonius · Jun 28, 2016

ick said:
Without knowing their "game theory" it seems to me that long trips in the expanse require a docking for real repairs. This seems to be the pattern in most sci-fi (Babylon 5, Star Trek, etc) and follows the reality of sea-faring vessels on earth. Sort of how you can load your car with extra tires, spark plugs, freon, small tools, etc.... but you can't bend the front end of the vehicle back in place after hitting a tree. You need a legitimate garage with equipment for that.

It also seems to me if you plan a long-haul away from civilization you should probably get the heavier hull or reinforcements.

Sort of. But at the same time Babylon 5 had the explorer class ship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explorer_class_starship. Star Trek had several examples of generation ships https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_ship. And the battlestars in Galactica seemed pretty self sufficient. Granted these are all capital ships but it seems within reason that an Anaconda could be loaded up with enough equipment to act in a similar role.

xondk · Jun 28, 2016

crutonius said:
An SRV outfitted with a welding arm and a grappling hook?

Sometimes I'm confused by the lack of imagination in some of the posts I see on this forum.

Yeah, now that would kinda make sense, if you want to repair hull, you need to go outside your ship, have the proper equipment, repair srv? and get to it.

ick · Jun 28, 2016

I agree, but the very reason the explorer class ship was at B5 was for preparations before leaving to explore.... thereby hinting that even that class isn't self sustaining and independent of star bases forever.

The Galactica was in a constant state of degradation in the series, wasn't it?

I see what you are saying about generational starships... but that seems like a different set of objectives for a ship. That is not and explorer in the traditional sense and certainly not long-term combat vessel that can repair it's own superstructure.

ick · Jun 28, 2016

Here is the case I am thinking of in terms of "hull damage".

From here: (Some lettering may not be visible to forum users depending on your forum background color)

http://www.baen.com/shipyards

More WW II RepairsPerhaps even more remarkable was the aftermath of the Battle of Tassafronga (November 30, 1942, off Guadalcanal). Three U.S. cruisers would be heavily damaged, with Minneapolis and New Orleans both having their bows blown off by Japanese torpedoes. (Figures 2 and 3)

Figure 2. USS Minneapolis and her coconut logs temporary bow.
Source: USN official photographs - public domain

Figure 3. USS New Orleans would steam backwards all the way across the Pacific
Source: USN official photograph - public domain

Both ships would jury-rig temporary bows and get to shipyards. Minneapolis would use coconut logs for part of the bow, and the more damaged New Orleans would steam backwards all the way to the Puget Sound! Both would return to service in about nine months. The Japanese thought they were destroyed; the shipyards sent them back to battle to prove them wrong.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/036/0403609.jpg

These sailors limped home and I think two of the three remained BATTLE READY during the journey to a shipyard.

Conceptually I think it makes more sense for hull damage to be of limited repair.

ick · Jun 28, 2016

http://www.baen.com/shipyards

The question is, if history repeats itself... are we the "Romans" and the Thargoids are the Carthaginians... or is it going to be the other-way-round?

Perhaps WE are the disorganized hoards of lawless primatives. Perhaps not.