One thing I've proposed in the past, which probably isn't what the OP is asking for, is introduced more ships, but make them only available to NPCs. For me, more ships isn't about having a giant collection of every ship in the game, but rather the diversity of encountering more ships while flying around. This is already the case with the Cobra IV, which for me is only available for NPCs, but I do like seeing and even fighting them, even if it is just a ripoff of the CM3. If some NPCs start flying older ships like the Boa or Gecko, I would quite enjoy that, even if I myself can't fly them. It's like driving down the freeway and seeing an old Delorean or MG Midget - it's pretty awesome. And I suppose these could be made available to pilots as well, as collector editions, like how some people collect old cars today. Perhaps such ships could be only available via exclusive missions in very select systems rather than selling them at the "dealership" like a modern
Ships from Elite and Elite II
- Thread starter Bonnie Parker
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Yeah, I can see how it could work that way. While I don't think shoving them in as inferior ships would work, some kind of collectors edition unlock gameplay added would make it more interesting.
The entire build of ships in previous versions of Elite was somewhat different if I recall it correctly. I hade the Puma Clipper with the previous version of Elite. The 2000T capacity was reduced with every module I fitted to the ship. Even the fuel was a part of the total cargo capacity. So by limiting the weapons and doing short jumps I could get some 1800 T of cargo in that ship.
So I'm considering both T9 and Cutter to be the ships that actually replaces the Clipper. Both would have something like the same total mass fully equipped and loaded.
That ship was from an era when the space was much safer than it is today. I don't think the Clipper would survive long in this universe the way I used it.
So I'm considering both T9 and Cutter to be the ships that actually replaces the Clipper. Both would have something like the same total mass fully equipped and loaded.
That ship was from an era when the space was much safer than it is today. I don't think the Clipper would survive long in this universe the way I used it.
I like my Mamba, never bought an FDL, yet. So I agree, personal preference is reason enough for any ship to exist in the game. I can buy and A-rate any ship in the game but I mostly use my DBX. I think all of the ships are there to enjoy for what they are. I'm probably going to make an Asp Scout my next ship as it happens.
Absolutely, but ships in this game do indeed have roles they're more suited for (with some exceptions like the Anaconda, Krait 2 and Python). You can explore in a Corvette... if you don't care that your jump range is crippled and you have all the time in the world. You can be a space trucker in a Chieftain... regardless of the fact that your cargo capacity is capped by restricted optional internal slots. You can deep core mine in a Fer-De-Lance... if you don't care that there are other ships that do it far more efficiently.
In terms of what the ships look like on the inside though, the FDL and the Mamba are practically interchangeable. The differences between the two are insignificant compared to, say, the differences between a Mamba and an Asp Explorer or a FDL and a Keelback. Adding another ship with internals and performance similar to the FDL would give players more aesthetic variety, but no access to greater (or different) functionality. That's the problem: ED has run out of unique functions for new ships.
To some degree that's true but I don't really see that as a hard limit on new ships, or variants.
It's futile trying to come to a conclusion on something based on what Frontier haven't said. A few of the previous ships that have come to the game have been a part of narrative events, and that's what has been hinted at in relation to the current war. The only thing we can do is wait and see. Update 15 is currently scheduled for the end of April and another after that. I'd say if any new ships are coming, expect to start hearing about it in relation to those particular updates. o7
Considering the player base pretty much only fly 7 of the 37(38) ships we have access to, we can reasonably assume that a bit of "flavour" is not enough to get the vast majority of players to fly anything but meta ships.
See, I wouldn't mind seeing some ships appear that are pretty much identical to existing ships and the difference is mainly cosmetic. Or ships that compete with existing ones. Or even ships that only appear in the hands of NPCs - especially in low-sec, small systems that don't have the economy to go all-out on modernising their fleet.
The Mantis, for instance, is roughly in the same size class as the anaconda, its main distinction being having more hardpoints (with top and bottom turrets in addition to the conda's fixed front and rear) and its very distinctive look.
The Wyvern is a multirole/trade ship that could fall somewhere between the asp and the krait.
The harrier is another asp-sized ship with similar stats.
As for ships that might be worth adding because they fill a niche...
The Tiger Trader in FE2/FFE is comparable to the Python - slightly faster and similar internal capacity, but with fewer missile pylons and a top turret. For an ED equivalent, you could make a medium-pad ship with optional slots that rivals the python, decent (possibly superior) thrusters, but weaker distributor and offensive capability. Something to challenge the multirole python as the king of the medium pad traders. okay maybe what I just described is a clipper that fits on a medium pad, but hey
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