Repair bots

[mrfortycoats]

Mentioned this on the IRC channel. I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, but would be nice to have the notion of a repair bot(s) for on board repairs such as docking equipment or scanners.

It was mentioned that there already exists the notion of the hull repair system, this would be an expansion on that idea.

Would make for interesting combat scenarios if you are running from a would be attacker with your lasers down while repair bot frantically try to get them running.


Cheers.

 

[Buur]

Can imagine trying to shoot the bots off of someone as they ran away as well ...or how about a missile loaded with bots that would help a friend in need

 

[Michael Brookes]

There will be mechanisms for self repair, although space stations will probably be the cheaper option.

Michael

 

[Toebs]

Mentioned this on the IRC channel. I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, but would be nice to have the notion of a repair bot(s) for on board repairs such as docking equipment or scanners.

Like Codename MAT 2.

Many things can only be repaired with spare parts though.

 

[Captain Black]

Can imagine trying to shoot the bots off of someone as they ran away as well ...or how about a missile loaded with bots that would help a friend in need

Conversely shoot that missile at an enemy and watch them disassemble the ship around the pilot! Interesting...

 

[Kerrash]

This sounds like a great extension of the existing lore. I am interested in sufferer repair options.

I like the concept of being stuck a long way from populated space and having to use space duct tape to limp home

 

[Michael Brookes]

Having something along these lines is essential for the explorers amongst us.

Michael

 

[Captain Black]

This sounds like a great extension of the existing lore. I am interested in sufferer repair options.

I like the concept of being stuck a long way from populated space and having to use space duct tape to limp home

Jury rigging has appeared in other games as well. Either that or the interplanetary AA. Probably best to keep it simple though

 

[Capt. Hook]

Real man hull tank

 

[Memnoch]

Self repair units could only repair you so far, for example to 70%, and the damage you receive could affect the way your ship flies. Include locational damage and it could adversely affect your speed, manoeuvrability or if your weapons work.

 

[Andy Kappa]

I like this idea. I intend to do some exploring and this would definitely be a useful feature to have.

 

[Zak Gordon]

There is quite a lot of scope (either on release or maybe as a later expansion) with the prospect of location and system based damage that FD have shown us so far.

That base system can really be used well in relation to damage and repair, you could build a really nice system of damage in relation to ship functionality and degrees of repair to get to x % of that functionality, for whatever system or ship component.

As an example if out in deep space you might need 'materials' and 'repair skill' to help you do a self repair to limp home to dock, the quantity of material and the skill factor of the repairer could lead to a formula for total repair functionality percentage possible? In a space station you just need your credits etc.

Yep, lots of potential to build on the base system we have seen so far talked about.

 

[mrfortycoats]

Like Codename MAT 2.

Exactly the example I was thinking of. I think it was 2 repair bots on the ship repairing any damage to the ship, even to themselves!!

 

[Ironfist]

Can imagine trying to shoot the bots off of someone as they ran away as well ...or how about a missile loaded with bots that would help a friend in need

How about firing a missile loaded with aggressive bots who try and dismantle the other ship?

 

[marx]

Remember the good old Hull Auto-Repair System? I imagine it'll be something similar this time around, but not as a free and infinite self-repair. For example, Anisotropic's FFE mod had the HARS running on Metal Alloys. I can imagine that now explorers would take as many supplies and machinery with them as they can, to repair their hull and damaged equipment, but there's only so much stuff that you can cram in your cargo hold before you need to buy a second ship, hehe.

 

[tricky]

Remember the good old Hull Auto-Repair System? I imagine it'll be something similar this time around, but not as a free and infinite self-repair. For example, Anisotropic's FFE mod had the HARS running on Metal Alloys. I can imagine that now explorers would take as many supplies and machinery with them as they can, to repair their hull and damaged equipment, but there's only so much stuff that you can cram in your cargo hold before you need to buy a second ship, hehe.

You could always have a mining laser on the port or starboard mount. Just find an asteroid, mine it for the alloys, scoop it up and let the nano-bots convert it into new hull plates or equipment parts.

 

[kenwshmt]

The ability / necessity to canabalize working equipment to make something else work.
The Front laser damaged, but parts are needed from 2 others, or an unrelated system.
Which is to say, fixing one thing breaks other things.

 

[deMangler]

Having something along these lines is essential for the explorers amongst us.

Michael

I remember going exploring in as Asp when I first got Frontier (because they were called Asp Explorers). Not sure but I think I nearly made it to Polaris before my fuel scoops failed. Long time ago now but I remember choosing to land on a nice planet with a nice sunset to die.

 

[Kerrash]

You could always have a mining laser on the port or starboard mount. Just find an asteroid, mine it for the alloys, scoop it up and let the nano-bots convert it into new hull plates or equipment parts.

Heck we have 3D printer's in 2013, if you could provide the raw materials then why not. I like this idea a lot, it is exactly what an explorer would do; use what they can find. You wouldn't always be able to carry everything you need.

I think as long as the cost of the portable 'nano-factory' and the speed/effectiveness of the repair it makes are well balanced this should work well.

 

[markdiss]

Rare Elements

You could also make expensive items require small amounts of rare/expensive elements. That way you could easily mine the majority of the elements for most items, hull plating for example would be easily fixable with basic and freely available materials. But Missiles, Lasers etc, would require Paladium, Radioactives etc that are hard to find or risky to extract.

It would stop people just sneaking off to build a super-ship for a month by mining a tucked away system if they couldn't find many rare elements for higher level equipment builds.

Mark.