Limpet Controllers. They need a rethink.

[cometcruiser]

So limpet controllers. We can fit up to four of them. Prospector, Collector, fuel transfer and hatch-breaker.

Some of these are 32 ton, size 5 slot components.

Just imagine a 32 ton computer, the size of a truck. Needed to remotely control what is in effect a drone. Something we can do today in 2016 with a mobile phone.

If we want a ship to do lots of things. We need to fit four, potentially 32 ton gigantic computers. And then the limpets themselves.

Why can we not just have one limpet controller?

And just have the different limpets on the firegroups?

This would make much more sense.

 

[HailVectron]

How about frontier fix the 2x prospector bug first, that's been around since the xb GPP...

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

How about frontier fix the 2x prospector bug first, that's been around since the xb GPP...

But don't fix the 2x collector bug!

 

[Malkevin]

I really do wish they'd scale better.

 

[GTwannabe]

Collector limpets that don't chain suicide into an asteroid would be nice. Also not cycling the cargo hatch every time a limpet is programmed.

 

[terrycloth]

I really do wish they'd scale better.

Yeah. Everything else is x2 per size category, but limpets are +0.5 instead for some reason. A 5A limpet controller should control 16 limpets.

 

[CMDR Corlas]

So limpet controllers. We can fit up to four of them. Prospector, Collector, fuel transfer and hatch-breaker.

Some of these are 32 ton, size 5 slot components.

Just imagine a 32 ton computer, the size of a truck. Needed to remotely control what is in effect a drone. Something we can do today in 2016 with a mobile phone.

If we want a ship to do lots of things. We need to fit four, potentially 32 ton gigantic computers. And then the limpets themselves.

Why can we not just have one limpet controller?

And just have the different limpets on the firegroups?

This would make much more sense.

I would really like to see limpet controllers work like SRV hangers. You buy the controller, and based on the size or class you have X number of slots under it, in which you can install controller software to program limpets for different functions.

 

[Forlorn]

I would really like to see limpet controllers work like SRV hangers. You buy the controller, and based on the size or class you have X number of slots under it, in which you can install controller software to program limpets for different functions.

I haven't given this a lot of thought, but at first blush I really like the idea.

 

[Red Anders]

So limpet controllers. We can fit up to four of them. Prospector, Collector, fuel transfer and hatch-breaker.

Some of these are 32 ton, size 5 slot components.

Just imagine a 32 ton computer, the size of a truck. Needed to remotely control what is in effect a drone. Something we can do today in 2016 with a mobile phone.

Collector limpets that don't chain suicide into an asteroid would be nice.

Second quote is the bit that makes me chuckle. I could handle the computers being 32 tons if it wasn't for the fact that considering its ability to handle basic safety protocols like 'avoid the massive spinning rock' it must also look like this:

 

[Drelthar]

I would really like to see limpet controllers work like SRV hangers. You buy the controller, and based on the size or class you have X number of slots under it, in which you can install controller software to program limpets for different functions.

This is a great idea. Solves the issue using current mechanics.

 

[slothman320]

And for Godsake let us recharge them. Tired of filling up my hull with 300 plus limpets when I go mining. Just make each limpet expensive in exchange.

 

[JughedJones]

OP, you can't really think that 32 tons of hardware is a ridiculous weight for something that controls multiple SPACESHIPS. It launches them, sends them on impossibly difficult missions, then lands them back to our SPACESHIP .
The infrastructure it takes to complete a Predator mission weighs a far sight more than 32 tons. I promise you.

 

[Weps]

I would really like to see limpet controllers work like SRV hangers. You buy the controller, and based on the size or class you have X number of slots under it, in which you can install controller software to program limpets for different functions.

That's such a good idea. It could also make mining for beginners in a smaller ship much easier.

 

[Bacalao]

Collector limpets that don't chain suicide into an asteroid would be nice. Also not cycling the cargo hatch every time a limpet is programmed.

Commanders that understand how limpets work and stop complaining about their misuse under the guise of a broken controller would be nice. Also, how else is the limpet supposed to get out of your ship? It's in your cargo bay, it gets programmed, it comes out of the cargo hatch, while it comes out the hatch is inaccessible "cycled", makes sense.

 

[Malkevin]

Yeah... except you don't actually need to have cargo bay opened to launch limpets.

 

[CMDR Corlas]

Yeah... except you don't actually need to have cargo bay opened to launch limpets.

It auto opens when you launch.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

IMHO :

Just for a few things, I'm missing an entire Upgrade Path in ELITE : Software-based Ship Computer Upgrades

Need an Intermediate or Advanced Docking Computer : Software Upgrade - no Internal Slot required
Need an Intermediate or Advanced Prospector/Collector Controller : Software Upgrade - no Internal Slot required
(any many more possible, be it Advanced Ship functions for Combat, Mining, Trading, Exploration, Navigation, Autopilot or i.e. enhanced Galaxy Map functions... tons of things I could come up with ad-hoc that would be nice improvements)

That way (at additional cost and various capabilities that could range from E to A), alot of Ships would gain much more flexibility.

Currently, I see a number of precious of Internal Slots blocked by what indeed seems like 1960's mainframe technology.
And with the Internals lacking any flexibility (a Class 4 Internal is entirely blocked by a Class 1 equipment), it leaves alot to be desired in form of alternatives to the basic "fill/sacrifice your limited Internals".

 

[slothman320]

OP, you can't really think that 32 tons of hardware is a ridiculous weight for something that controls multiple SPACESHIPS. It launches them, sends them on impossibly difficult missions, then lands them back to our SPACESHIP .
The infrastructure it takes to complete a Predator mission weighs a far sight more than 32 tons. I promise you.

Assuming you're referring to the predator drone used by the US military then I can see the infrastructure total needed to control said drone from such distances would weigh dozens of tons. BUT the majority of the infrastructure is built into your ship. Radar, antenna of some sort, power supply, and control seat are all things built into your ship. If the controller was say 5 tons then I could understand it but 32 tons for what is basically a computer designed to process a series of remote controlled drones that really aren't that advanced seems far fetched. Especially since I can hook up my iPhone to a drone and manually control it. Every two years computers double in complexity and power, it's an actual law in computer science that I can't remember the name for. That limpet controller if it was 32 tons and took up a proportional volume would either be a small computer surrounded by a couple feet of armor (which I would be fine with) or would be a super computer so complex and powerful that not only would it be capable of controlling 8 drones but it would be capable of coordinating fleet actions across multiple systems (assuming communications could move that far that fast)

 

[slothman320]

There's also the fact to consider that the modern predator has only been around for about 20 years. I'd wager by the 34th century we'd have something more advanced than the limpet.

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Also what's the reasoning for no combat limpets? Was there an official statement on that?

 

[bamber]

So limpet controllers. We can fit up to four of them. Prospector, Collector, fuel transfer and hatch-breaker.

Some of these are 32 ton, size 5 slot components.

Just imagine a 32 ton computer, the size of a truck. Needed to remotely control what is in effect a drone. Something we can do today in 2016 with a mobile phone.

If we want a ship to do lots of things. We need to fit four, potentially 32 ton gigantic computers. And then the limpets themselves.

Why can we not just have one limpet controller?

And just have the different limpets on the firegroups?

This would make much more sense.

Who says it has a mass equivalent of 32 T - all it is, is something that takes up the same volume as a cargo rack that can support 32 x 1 T cargo containers