As a solo faction owner and having received email updates pertaining to groups, I have some speculations as to how the carriers would work.
Still, given that they delayed Carriers, they'd better have a Farragut Skin planned. I don't care if that's premium content at this point. The current atmosphere of constantly delaying promised features in this industry is starting to grind on my nerves. And given how those delayed products usually turn out to be flops, it makes me apprehensive.
I originally founded the Hellrazer Expeditionary Force as a PMF of One. It required me to set up a recognized player group that was registered with Frontier in whatever database they had and there was a topic floating around that send me to all kind of easy to fill out forms. All they did was request a comfirmed email that would be considered the 'owner' of the group, reguardless of whether or not that email was shared between a leading 'council' or was primarily owned by a single leader. This email would be the point of communication to group related content.
Such as that debacle several months back where they actually used the email for it's intended purpose of communicating changes to player groups and a whole lot of people got butthurt about it feeling excluded when there was no reason for solo players who WERE NOT part of a player group to be bothered with something they weren't part of.
Following that, I was able to petition for a PMF to be put in the game. Again this PMF would be linked to the Player Group registered Email so they had a confirmed 'this is a real person we can talk to' link. After which it was up to me to keep an eye on my chosen systems and wait.
The HEF was added in about three months later surprising me as I had no advanced warning.
So as a player group of one, I had a PMF.
It's been a bit of a struggle to get the system under my full control and I've had to take a few breaks from the game. It seems to have attracted a number of players who've been using my rare agri world as a trading hub. I wouldn't be surprised if PP factions were basing themselves to use it for trade wars. I've noticed goverments and PP coverage shifting quite a bit since HEF seized control of our system.
So it's not impossible for Player Groups of One to exist.
I recently received yet another email relating to squadrons. This email was asking me if I would like to request reservation of a Squadron Name. Likely again because I already the registered 'Owner' email for a player group. I immediately locked down the Hellrazers as a squadron name as well as my choice of unique squadron tags.
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a topic floating around here about how to register and reserve Squadrons for those wishing to Found their own Squandrons prior to launch. I think the email had a link so even now, those who want a Squadron of One can do so.
But here's how I see Carriers working.
In order to reserve a squadron, I had to prove I was a real account holder by logging onto the game and providing Frontier with a unique ID from the title screen. It was pretty easy to find thanks to picture instructions.
Whomever holds that account is now the Squadron Owner.
The Owner, should the Squandron decide to obtain one, will receive exclusive control over the carriers when they finally go live. By which when the Owner docks at the Squadron Carrier, they have an extra menu option to navigate the Carrier. At this point in time, likely the Carriers will have Witchspace drives. So the owner will only be able to jump the Carrier directly to known locations provided the Owner has Map data of the system.
It is also possible that members of the Squadron will have a 'beacon' they can activate that will ping the Squadron Owner and allow the Owner to lock onto the individual and Warp the Carrier to their location. It is also possible that the Owner will have an additional menu option onboard their ship to allow them to 'Summon' the carrier to their location.
At this point, the most the Owner will be able to do is navigate the carrier from point to point. It won't be pilotable as we known it. Whether or not it has any defenses to provide 'area denial' remains to be seen. It could also be entirely possible that the Carriers will be 'invisible' to anyone but the squadron with it's own separate instance. I doubt stations would take too kindly to having player carriers cluttering up their area of responsibility so Carriers won't be allowed within station instances. Or at least, Owners will be denied the ability to navigate/summon the carrier inside 7500m exclusion zone of a station.
Whatever the case may be, Squadrons will be owned by one player and the carriers will likely be linked to the Owner in some way. Councils will likely have to internally settle their own affairs over who is the Carrier Captain and decide internally over where the Carrier is going to be located.
To which end, I don't see the problem of locking Player Carriers to groups only. They're the ones that need it.
But I don't want Carriers to be restricted to large groups. Anyone can make a Squadron, even if it's a Squadron of one. And even those Squadrons should have access to Carriers. If they want to limit the number of ships a single commander can Station inside a carrier to a certain amount just like Stations only hold 35 or so player ships fine but one ship per player should not be so.
I know as soon as I get my Carrier, I'm going to be in deep space for months at a time doing what I envisioned my Player Group doing. Traveling the galaxy, meeting new aliens, and ether bringing them the Glory of the Federation... or killing them.
If Frontier wants players to spread out across the galaxy without having to do large scale colonization like Colonia, then we need access to reliable mobile bases.