Frontier, with the talk that once 2.4 is out, there will be more done to enhance core features, I wanted to bring up these largest of mobile ships, Megaships and the similarly scaled Capital ships.
Firstly, these behemoths are amazing to see in game, and what they imply about the capabilities of the various powers that control them is intriguing.
Megaships: I love that these are in game now, but I'd like for these to be more clearly accessible or navigable from the galaxy map, perhaps having dedicated bookmarks, in a manner similar to CGs, Engineers, etc.
Similarly, if these are intended to follow preset flightpaths through the bubble, it would be cool if this path could be highlighted if the megaship bookmark is selected.
It would also be cool to see dedicated role megaships doing their part for the greater industry of humanity. Massive fuel refineries within fuel scooping zones, Mining platforms parked at resource sites in ring systems, Trade ships jumping along the "Silk road" and other trade circuits, occasionally parked alongside stations, where opportunistic CMDRs in smaller ships can rapidly move goods back and forth for a quick profit, without even needing to enter supercruise, but with modest returns per ton and a relatively small window of opportunity.
If ever dynamic or procedural CGs get added to the game, events like a megaship pulling up to a station, like described above, or an event where a faction are laying siege to a megaship and players can either join the attack, or join the defenders in either repelling the attackers, or rapidly unloading the cargo on to the nearest safe port. The outcome of such a siege could even be having the ship perminently rerouted to the home of the controlling faction, unless control of that leg of the journey is wrestled back in a counter-attack. To clarify more on this point, attack and counter-attack don't need to be literal combat, either. A mining ship might be able to cut free externally mounted cargo, or the mega ship could be studded with many cargo hatches that can be broken into with limpets, each method spilling cargo. Or a player could sneak thieves onboard with a passenger mission, establishing a black market onboard, that a trader can then exploit to make off with cargo illegally.
Capital ships: I hope we will see more types of these as time goes on. It is a little jarring to see the largest ships (presumably) of each power's fleets, but with a massive divide between Corvette/Cutter and the current capital class. There have to be more ships in the mid range. Frigates, Destroyers, etc. Please add these when military action gets more fleshed out.
Additionally, the power of the capital weapon turrets is at odds with weapons fitted to stations and on player ships. I think these should be retooled as weapon turrets of class 5, 6, etc. This would likely make them substantially stronger than they are now, but I feel this would be a good thing.
Also likely to make these capital ships stronger, in particular to larger ships, is to please enable torpedo launchers and any missile weapons built or designed into cap-ships. As far as I can tell, these are limited to torpedo type weapons as it is, so the threat they'd pose would be primarily to larger ships. This provides a niche for smaller, more agile craft to shoot out these weapon systems, before the larger ships close to deal their damage. Taking out these capital ships, in particular the battleships we currently have, should be a herculean task requiring the collaborative efforts of multiple wings to take down.
That said, I feel that if these capital ships should be persistent entities, like megaships, with each named vessel being it's own unique, tracked entity. Each power would have a finite number of these ships at any given time, and having high enough rank with a given faction should allow for bookmarked location of each in the Galaxy map. That said, as these are the physical projection of a power, they should be destructible. It should be possible to not only cause them to withdraw, but if an attack is executed properly, or the ship is caught in spacedock, it can be destroyed outright. This would offer an ongoing community interest in defending and supporting their power's fleet, whilst also putting pressure on an opposing power's. Identifying the location of opposing power's capital ships would offer a role for explorers looking for discreet jobs within the bubble.
Finally, the Alliance supposedly has Q-ships taking the battleship role in it's fleet. It'd be cool to finally see an Alliance capital ship, built from the same part-set as megaships.
Firstly, these behemoths are amazing to see in game, and what they imply about the capabilities of the various powers that control them is intriguing.
Megaships: I love that these are in game now, but I'd like for these to be more clearly accessible or navigable from the galaxy map, perhaps having dedicated bookmarks, in a manner similar to CGs, Engineers, etc.
Similarly, if these are intended to follow preset flightpaths through the bubble, it would be cool if this path could be highlighted if the megaship bookmark is selected.
It would also be cool to see dedicated role megaships doing their part for the greater industry of humanity. Massive fuel refineries within fuel scooping zones, Mining platforms parked at resource sites in ring systems, Trade ships jumping along the "Silk road" and other trade circuits, occasionally parked alongside stations, where opportunistic CMDRs in smaller ships can rapidly move goods back and forth for a quick profit, without even needing to enter supercruise, but with modest returns per ton and a relatively small window of opportunity.
If ever dynamic or procedural CGs get added to the game, events like a megaship pulling up to a station, like described above, or an event where a faction are laying siege to a megaship and players can either join the attack, or join the defenders in either repelling the attackers, or rapidly unloading the cargo on to the nearest safe port. The outcome of such a siege could even be having the ship perminently rerouted to the home of the controlling faction, unless control of that leg of the journey is wrestled back in a counter-attack. To clarify more on this point, attack and counter-attack don't need to be literal combat, either. A mining ship might be able to cut free externally mounted cargo, or the mega ship could be studded with many cargo hatches that can be broken into with limpets, each method spilling cargo. Or a player could sneak thieves onboard with a passenger mission, establishing a black market onboard, that a trader can then exploit to make off with cargo illegally.
Capital ships: I hope we will see more types of these as time goes on. It is a little jarring to see the largest ships (presumably) of each power's fleets, but with a massive divide between Corvette/Cutter and the current capital class. There have to be more ships in the mid range. Frigates, Destroyers, etc. Please add these when military action gets more fleshed out.
Additionally, the power of the capital weapon turrets is at odds with weapons fitted to stations and on player ships. I think these should be retooled as weapon turrets of class 5, 6, etc. This would likely make them substantially stronger than they are now, but I feel this would be a good thing.
Also likely to make these capital ships stronger, in particular to larger ships, is to please enable torpedo launchers and any missile weapons built or designed into cap-ships. As far as I can tell, these are limited to torpedo type weapons as it is, so the threat they'd pose would be primarily to larger ships. This provides a niche for smaller, more agile craft to shoot out these weapon systems, before the larger ships close to deal their damage. Taking out these capital ships, in particular the battleships we currently have, should be a herculean task requiring the collaborative efforts of multiple wings to take down.
That said, I feel that if these capital ships should be persistent entities, like megaships, with each named vessel being it's own unique, tracked entity. Each power would have a finite number of these ships at any given time, and having high enough rank with a given faction should allow for bookmarked location of each in the Galaxy map. That said, as these are the physical projection of a power, they should be destructible. It should be possible to not only cause them to withdraw, but if an attack is executed properly, or the ship is caught in spacedock, it can be destroyed outright. This would offer an ongoing community interest in defending and supporting their power's fleet, whilst also putting pressure on an opposing power's. Identifying the location of opposing power's capital ships would offer a role for explorers looking for discreet jobs within the bubble.
Finally, the Alliance supposedly has Q-ships taking the battleship role in it's fleet. It'd be cool to finally see an Alliance capital ship, built from the same part-set as megaships.
