Megaships could have two tanks- a working tank they use for functions, and a jump drive tank.
They never actually run out, they just shut off excess functions if all the fuel is bought or used. But, they have an advanced scoop drone, that works on all stars. (Unless it would be better to let them get stuck? I feel it would be better to not let them get STUCK, just make it really slow to scoop from crappy stars.)
Then, for each jump, they need to refine fuel into jump fuel- this is the expensive part. This could be upgrade-able, both in a jump drive with better distance, and refinery speed. A good money sink for megaships to keep the base model affordable.
And for that, they need regular fuel, both to refuel normal ships and just to run. Big tank (again, upgrade-able) and they have the ability to dispatch a drone that scoops and returns until the ship is full. Which you could perhaps speed up by taking a size 8 A-rank scoop to a nearby star in a ship fit with far too many fuel tanks. If it's scoopable- if not, you have to rely on the slower (but automatic) drone.
This also limits player speed. Sure, you could jump 500ly or whatever (and the class E mega jump could be 100ly, for instance, scaling to 500ly at class A). BUT- you have to manage a fuel tank, and you have to refine jump fuel. A stock ship would jump 100ly and need 24 hours to refine enough for another jump. Or something. Then, when upgraded, you're jumping 500ly and refining another jump in 8 hours or 4 hours or something. Which would easily add another week to them making it out to Beagle Point, because pilots are crazy.
Or hey, you could sit in a system refining, and selling refined megaship jump fuel that people pick up in tanker ships. Finally give a use for those class-7 fuel tanks. Hm, wiki has them up to class 7 but Coriolis has class-8 tanks. 256 tons.
They never actually run out, they just shut off excess functions if all the fuel is bought or used. But, they have an advanced scoop drone, that works on all stars. (Unless it would be better to let them get stuck? I feel it would be better to not let them get STUCK, just make it really slow to scoop from crappy stars.)
Then, for each jump, they need to refine fuel into jump fuel- this is the expensive part. This could be upgrade-able, both in a jump drive with better distance, and refinery speed. A good money sink for megaships to keep the base model affordable.
And for that, they need regular fuel, both to refuel normal ships and just to run. Big tank (again, upgrade-able) and they have the ability to dispatch a drone that scoops and returns until the ship is full. Which you could perhaps speed up by taking a size 8 A-rank scoop to a nearby star in a ship fit with far too many fuel tanks. If it's scoopable- if not, you have to rely on the slower (but automatic) drone.
This also limits player speed. Sure, you could jump 500ly or whatever (and the class E mega jump could be 100ly, for instance, scaling to 500ly at class A). BUT- you have to manage a fuel tank, and you have to refine jump fuel. A stock ship would jump 100ly and need 24 hours to refine enough for another jump. Or something. Then, when upgraded, you're jumping 500ly and refining another jump in 8 hours or 4 hours or something. Which would easily add another week to them making it out to Beagle Point, because pilots are crazy.
Or hey, you could sit in a system refining, and selling refined megaship jump fuel that people pick up in tanker ships. Finally give a use for those class-7 fuel tanks. Hm, wiki has them up to class 7 but Coriolis has class-8 tanks. 256 tons.