Not as crazy as it might sound.
We need something use credits on and bigger and badder ships would just ruin the game. So this offers a means of players to personalize something in the game that other players could visit with them and it will exist for as long as their cmdr does once purchased.
Overview:
Stations are modular already, so are outposts. Player homes would be similar to outposts. In the 100 mil credit zone is where i think the initial station home should be. This would be little more than a small docking port and living quarters (not much more than a 3d rectangle and solar panels). Personalizing addons can be purchased to change the look (think styles and even paint jobs in the store). You can extend your home or upgrade it with bigger docking ports for medium or large ships or have multiple docking ports. Your home would have internal slots that would determine if you have Refuel features or Re-Arm ...even Repair (all would still cost money to use like any normal station). Outfitting would be purchaseable to use in conjuction with module storage (not available anywhere else) so you can store certain modules (the limit being only what you can remove from your ship and still fly back to a real station unless FD implements buying modules and storing them in cargo bay...which is complicated due to physical size issues)
The way this would be feasible is that it is tied to your cmdr in terms of instancing. Your home station only exists via your instance so nobody else would see it or nav to it unless they were sharing your instance.
Purchasing: Player stations are available to purchase after acquiring certain rank levels in trade/combat/explore along with hours of gameplay. You can then select a mission that becomes available at any space station that offers you the option of building your own home amongst the stars. You then are offered a choice of 3 initial ports that will be the starting point for your home, small, medium, large. After you make the purchase you select the system you want to call home and the game will automatically place you in orbit around a celestial body that doesn't already have a real station orbiting it. You can choose any system you are not hostile in and is not a permit system that you've previously visited.
Your home: once you first dock at your home you'll be asked to name it. This is visible to anyone sharing your instance in SC or in your home's instance. Your home can have a number of upgrades internally, modules extending it's size and docking options as well as personal defensive weapons to stop any would be trespassers. Depending on internal upgrades, you can purchase refueling , re-arming, repairing and even modify your outfitting. However your home would not sell or produce items to sell. Your home is where you can store certain modules to re-equip. Storage is of course a limited resource you can addon with additional station modules. Color schemes and styles could be something the Store sells for real money or it could just be a credit sink in-game. Decals for your station would exist as well - maybe even holographic insignia like some anarchy outposts have
You would not be limited to just 1 home. You can build multiple homes. They behave much like having multiple ships so it should not adversely affect the game server or gameplay of anyone else.
Upgrading: Upgrading your home is done on a real station using a modified shipyard tab similar to selecting options for stored ships. You would have a list of your homes with system id if not named. Selecting one provides you a list of upgrade options or extendable modules. All varieties of modification are done through this interface and once completed you can fly to your home and all requested modifications would have been made. There is a max size you can make your home but it would be bigger than the normal outposts you see in the game so it would be quite impressive if you someone followed you to your home or you bring a wing to it.
Cost wise, you can expect that large homes would be crazy expensive ....elaborate even more so. But even more importantly than providing a money sink, it gives players something to invest in that follows them through regardless of their ships and roles in the game. It gives them a place to call home that's theirs ... they can land on it ...friends can land on it and it would behave like a station.
We need something use credits on and bigger and badder ships would just ruin the game. So this offers a means of players to personalize something in the game that other players could visit with them and it will exist for as long as their cmdr does once purchased.
Overview:
Stations are modular already, so are outposts. Player homes would be similar to outposts. In the 100 mil credit zone is where i think the initial station home should be. This would be little more than a small docking port and living quarters (not much more than a 3d rectangle and solar panels). Personalizing addons can be purchased to change the look (think styles and even paint jobs in the store). You can extend your home or upgrade it with bigger docking ports for medium or large ships or have multiple docking ports. Your home would have internal slots that would determine if you have Refuel features or Re-Arm ...even Repair (all would still cost money to use like any normal station). Outfitting would be purchaseable to use in conjuction with module storage (not available anywhere else) so you can store certain modules (the limit being only what you can remove from your ship and still fly back to a real station unless FD implements buying modules and storing them in cargo bay...which is complicated due to physical size issues)
The way this would be feasible is that it is tied to your cmdr in terms of instancing. Your home station only exists via your instance so nobody else would see it or nav to it unless they were sharing your instance.
Purchasing: Player stations are available to purchase after acquiring certain rank levels in trade/combat/explore along with hours of gameplay. You can then select a mission that becomes available at any space station that offers you the option of building your own home amongst the stars. You then are offered a choice of 3 initial ports that will be the starting point for your home, small, medium, large. After you make the purchase you select the system you want to call home and the game will automatically place you in orbit around a celestial body that doesn't already have a real station orbiting it. You can choose any system you are not hostile in and is not a permit system that you've previously visited.
Your home: once you first dock at your home you'll be asked to name it. This is visible to anyone sharing your instance in SC or in your home's instance. Your home can have a number of upgrades internally, modules extending it's size and docking options as well as personal defensive weapons to stop any would be trespassers. Depending on internal upgrades, you can purchase refueling , re-arming, repairing and even modify your outfitting. However your home would not sell or produce items to sell. Your home is where you can store certain modules to re-equip. Storage is of course a limited resource you can addon with additional station modules. Color schemes and styles could be something the Store sells for real money or it could just be a credit sink in-game. Decals for your station would exist as well - maybe even holographic insignia like some anarchy outposts have
You would not be limited to just 1 home. You can build multiple homes. They behave much like having multiple ships so it should not adversely affect the game server or gameplay of anyone else.
Upgrading: Upgrading your home is done on a real station using a modified shipyard tab similar to selecting options for stored ships. You would have a list of your homes with system id if not named. Selecting one provides you a list of upgrade options or extendable modules. All varieties of modification are done through this interface and once completed you can fly to your home and all requested modifications would have been made. There is a max size you can make your home but it would be bigger than the normal outposts you see in the game so it would be quite impressive if you someone followed you to your home or you bring a wing to it.
Cost wise, you can expect that large homes would be crazy expensive ....elaborate even more so. But even more importantly than providing a money sink, it gives players something to invest in that follows them through regardless of their ships and roles in the game. It gives them a place to call home that's theirs ... they can land on it ...friends can land on it and it would behave like a station.