Now that FDEV is planning to sell preset ship builds, I’d like to share an idea that’s been brewing in my head for some time. When FDEV launched Odyssey, it introduced an interesting feature that I’m not sure everyone appreciates (probably not), but I found it intriguing and somewhat fun. I’m referring to pre-engineered equipment for commanders to hunt/buy directly from the in-game vendors.
I believe something similar could be implemented for ships. Ships with random grade modules and equipment could be available for purchase at random stations around the galaxy for a premium, with a chance of having pre-engineered modules up to grade 3 engineered equipment.
This mechanic should adhere to certain rules to ensure good equipment is obtainable, without removing the player’s desire to build a better ship:
EDIT1: Just to be clear, you will be able to see the ship specks before buying it, you will not have a RNG generated ship at the press of the buy button, it will be generated before it is put on stock, like the commander equipments are now.
What do you guys think?
I believe something similar could be implemented for ships. Ships with random grade modules and equipment could be available for purchase at random stations around the galaxy for a premium, with a chance of having pre-engineered modules up to grade 3 engineered equipment.
This mechanic should adhere to certain rules to ensure good equipment is obtainable, without removing the player’s desire to build a better ship:
- Stations that sell ships should only offer preset ship builds for the ships they sell. For example, a station selling only Eagles, Adders, and ASPXs should not offer preset Anacondas.
- Ships must have themed builds - if it’s a mining ship, it will have mining-focused equipment; a combat ship will have combat-focused equipment, and so on.
- The build themes should align with the station/system economy - Ship builds should be heavily influenced by the economy of the station/system. For instance, industrial systems/stations are more likely to have preset ship builds related to cargo hauling.
- Used ships with variable grades of equipment - Modules don’t need to be all of one specific grade. You could have C, B, and A modules in the same build. The only rule they need to follow is that the ship must be able to fly. No weird builds where you can’t even take off because the power plant can’t handle the hardware.
- Random ship names - These ships could come with a randomly generated name attached to it by default as a small addition.
- Variable states of degradation - Preset ships for sale may be sold as brand new or used. Used ships may be cheaper than their brand new counterparts, but will come with degraded modules, paint jobs, and possibly malfunctioning modules that will need to be fixed if the commander wants to use them without issues.
- Ship lore - Used ships could come with a description in the purchase tab providing a little insight into its story and why it’s being sold in its current state. Example: “This old Type-7 miner was found floating in an asteroid belt with no signs of its commander. The black box transcript suggests that the commander may have had a bit too much to drink and confused an asteroid for his long-lost mother… and tried to EVA to it, probably losing himself among the rocks. We have no information on the whereabouts of the commander after he exited the airlock…”
EDIT1: Just to be clear, you will be able to see the ship specks before buying it, you will not have a RNG generated ship at the press of the buy button, it will be generated before it is put on stock, like the commander equipments are now.
What do you guys think?
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