Second hand ships.. (Game Feature suggestion).

[Vasco Sapien]

(Not sure if this is the right place to post this. Mods please move if needed)


Everyone who plays elite is in a rush to earn big money to buy the big ships. As a result the primary motivation in game is financial.
People rinse the Sophis/Ceos runs and look for the next get rich quick scheme like stacking skimmer kill missions and the cycle continues.

Make money... buy bigger ship... repeat.

But what if players could buy second hand broken down ships which are prone to malfunction, look like rust buckets. but are 1/3 the price of a new one.
Second hand modules are the same, but with different grades of 'used' and have various side effects thats render them not brand new. but are 1/3 cheaper.

Like we have Engineers to over clock new modules.. a new school of engineers (mechanics) could be introduced which will for a price and for salvaged spares found in wrecks etc, fix up your cut cost JunkaConda until its 100% and almost as good as new.

This way people can buy into the larger ship early/ish and work towards turning a junker into a renovated custom job with a back story. You rescued it from the scrap heap and fixed it up and now its your.

(If you are rich in game.... then buy your brand new ship with that new car smell. nothing changes).

Its value would increase in game as you fix it up and a Rebuy will reflect that. Junker of equivalent value in return.

Maybe with something like this we

A) have a new game feature and avenue for investment and personal story telling
B) Salvage becomes a real thing
C) help alleviate the 'NEED MORE MONEY' approach to game play
D) help new players get a leg up without the grind of missions mission mission ad nauseum.

If people wish to preserve a distinction between building and earning a ship. New or junker. the two types are somehow in game differentiated.

Time renovating or earning credits to own a ship could be roughly the same in terms of time sink.

This could be placed in game by tweeking already existing game mechanics.

Thoughts?

 

[TKensington]

All they need to do if they don't want people board swapping to get missions is to put more missions in the game on each sever, open, private and solo. Give people more to do, they will do it. As it is right now, there isn't enough to do to make money. They continue to nerf it which isn't fair to all the new players.

 

[Vasco Sapien]

All they need to do if they don't want people board swapping to get missions is to put more missions in the game on each sever, open, private and solo. Give people more to do, they will do it. As it is right now, there isn't enough to do to make money. They continue to nerf it which isn't fair to all the new players.

With Junkers... money isnt the only avenue through ship progression.

So nerfed cash schemes are not a problem.

 

[MajorHavoc]

Just need to add some more reasons to own one ! For instance missions could have a requirement that one must be used (an unlicenced ship) for espionage, spying, smuggling, assassination etc. Maybe they would be very inexpensive but have no insurance. I believe salvaging as a possible career was mentioned in the DDA at one point as well.

 

[CMDR M. Lehman]

I, for one, have long advocated the return of classic antique ships like the Mamba and Krait. You would buy them used, and while their performance wouldn't be as good as the newer ships, they would repond better to engineer modifications l (say through an additional buff to "good " effects). Repairs and maintenance would also be more expensive.

They would also be comparativly rare, and something of a status symbol to own. Like the classic cars of today, they would require a little more time and effort to get to 100%, but be well worth it once you do.

 

[Vasco Sapien]

Fdev could easily make more money with this... paintjobs for junkers showing patch work and welding but still cooling looking in a dirty frontier sci-fi kinda way.
and the standard ship paintjobs.


Twice the paintjob market for the same number of ships designs.

 

[Bosie]

What happens when it gets blown up, a replacement junker?

 

[Weps]

As a guy who has preached easier ways to get ships for new players I can only be behind this.

I also love the reconditioning via mechanics approach. It would be a welcomed materials sink for low level materials which players have plenty of but don't get to use.

 

[ShadowWolf Kell]

Second hand ships locked into E and B only modules and fixed weapons? I wouldn't have a problem with that.

Of course everything being flagged as (Loaned) would be mandatory so that you get a free ship basically, but not really making a profit off farming them for modules, hulls.

 

[Anopheles]

I suggested this last week with the addition of counterfeit ships and cut and shunt stuck together ships.

All had the pros of cheapness and coolness (clipper nacelles on an asp!) and cons of fragility of mods and hull plus things like Copyright Lawyers with Big Guns.

 

[Vasco Sapien]

What happens when it gets blown up, a replacement junker?

Yes. My original Post suggested the ships value increase as you renovate it and destruction delivers you a like for like junker with slowly increasing rebuy costs.

 

[PiLhEaD]

Gets my vote - nice idea.

I like the idea of a new school of engineers (mechanics) and the back story that renovating your scrap-yard ship gives.

Good thinking OP all round, have some rep!

The only aspect I'm less bothered by is the second-hand modules - I already get confused in the outfitting screen - trying to decide between a old A-rater and a new C-rater is going to drive me (more) mad!

 

[Vasco Sapien]

Gets my vote - nice idea.

I like the idea of a new school of engineers (mechanics) and the back story that renovating your scrap-yard ship gives.

Good thinking OP all round, have some rep!

The only aspect I'm less bothered by is the second-hand modules - I already get confused in the outfitting screen - trying to decide between a old A-rater and a new C-rater is going to drive me (more) mad!

Well an Anaconda can cost a huge amount of money. The larger modules can cost in the tens of millions... So a JunkaConda would need cut price modules to get started. But if you can build the Module via Ship salvage then the cost can be alot lower.

 

[GunnerBill]

It's a great idea (discussed before I think) but still great. There is so much gameplay to be had from buying junked out ships with modules equally junked.

ED should really consider this.

 

[smiths121]

There was a DDF topic about second hand ships. It rather relied on ship names though.

Buying a 2nd hand ship could affect your rankings. If you purchased a ship owned previously by a lousy trader, your trade rank went down, if they were a good for nothing pirate your pirate rank when up, and you were harassed more by the cops.

I really liked the mechanic at the time.

Simon

 

[Kerrash]

Now there's an idea...

 

[cptdavep]

I'd love this. Especially if the ships come with a little back story, already have a name and worn paint jobs etc... Would also love to be able to buy classics. They could even introduce some Lore, where by the old ships couldn't be upgraded to the new frame shift drives which is why they were decommissioned, but now an engineer has figured out how to retrofit them.

 

[-Joe]

The thing about 2nd hand ships is that there arn't any to be found. Every ship when damaged can be repaired 100% at many places. So all ships you see look like new. Unless they've seen very recent action and have not had time to repair. As your ship can be 99% damaged and rebuilt to 100% effectiveness there is no point in commanders or npcs having a 2nd hand ship.

But.... What if ships had keys to start them and fuel and repair cards on the keyring? So steal the keys and the ships effectively yours rebuilds an all. So aquiring a 2nd hand ship would be aquiring the means to a brand new ship. When you buy a ship by existing means the ships ownership documents match the commander piloting it.

Stolen ships, discount price dodgy ships etc, could be missing essential paperwork this makes the ship uninsurable, un sell able and the pilot wanted everywhere. So fuel scoops a must and interdiction a way of life!

 

[Minoo Minou]

The thing about 2nd hand ships is that there arn't any to be found. Every ship when damaged can be repaired 100% at many places. So all ships you see look like new. Unless they've seen very recent action and have not had time to repair. As your ship can be 99% damaged and rebuilt to 100% effectiveness there is no point in commanders or npcs having a 2nd hand ship.

But.... What if ships had keys to start them and fuel and repair cards on the keyring? So steal the keys and the ships effectively yours rebuilds an all. So aquiring a 2nd hand ship would be aquiring the means to a brand new ship. When you buy a ship by existing means the ships ownership documents match the commander piloting it.

Stolen ships, discount price dodgy ships etc, could be missing essential paperwork this makes the ship uninsurable and the pilot wanted everywhere. So fuel scoops a must and interdiction a way of life!

Good luck with my ship, I have a DNA check for starting the PP.

 

[Darkfyre99]

(Not sure if this is the right place to post this. Mods please move if needed)


Everyone who plays elite is in a rush to earn big money to buy the big ships. As a result the primary motivation in game is financial.
People rinse the Sophis/Ceos runs and look for the next get rich quick scheme like stacking skimmer kill missions and the cycle continues.

What do you mean "everyone," petaQ? I'll have you know, my primary motivation is spreading the flame of freedom and opportunity throughout the Galaxy, and helping oppressed peoples resist the tyrrany of the Federation!

Make money... buy bigger ship... repeat.

But what if players could buy second hand broken down ships which are prone to malfunction, look like rust buckets. but are 1/3 the price of a new one.
Second hand modules are the same, but with different grades of 'used' and have various side effects thats render them not brand new. but are 1/3 cheaper.

Like we have Engineers to over clock new modules.. a new school of engineers (mechanics) could be introduced which will for a price and for salvaged spares found in wrecks etc, fix up your cut cost JunkaConda until its 100% and almost as good as new.

This way people can buy into the larger ship early/ish and work towards turning a junker into a renovated custom job with a back story. You rescued it from the scrap heap and fixed it up and now its your.

(If you are rich in game.... then buy your brand new ship with that new car smell. nothing changes).

Its value would increase in game as you fix it up and a Rebuy will reflect that. Junker of equivalent value in return.

Maybe with something like this we

A) have a new game feature and avenue for investment and personal story telling
B) Salvage becomes a real thing
C) help alleviate the 'NEED MORE MONEY' approach to game play
D) help new players get a leg up without the grind of missions mission mission ad nauseum.

If people wish to preserve a distinction between building and earning a ship. New or junker. the two types are somehow in game differentiated.

Time renovating or earning credits to own a ship could be roughly the same in terms of time sink.

This could be placed in game by tweeking already existing game mechanics.

Thoughts?

Might be a good idea for later, once "walking around" is added to the game. I'm assuming getting out of your seat to do repairs will eventually be a thing.