SLF with landing gear for exploration/exobiology

[hernajs]

I always dreaming aout SLF that is able to land on surface and let me take a walk. It can be something without weapons just for exploration purpose.
I can imagine exobiology - looking for interesting things on planet in small agile vessel while my long range large ship is slowly following me.
There is no need for supercruise/FSD (ehm...but docking/undocking in orbit is also nice idea?).

Of course no SRV - if I need it I have to return and land with large ship.

Is there anyone else who sharing this idea with me?

 

[Frankymole]

It's a nice idea but might render the DBX pointless.

 

[Riverside]

I always dreaming aout SLF that is able to land on surface and let me take a walk. It can be something without weapons just for exploration purpose.
I can imagine exobiology - looking for interesting things on planet in small agile vessel while my long range large ship is slowly following me.
There is no need for supercruise/FSD (ehm...but docking/undocking in orbit is also nice idea?).

Of course no SRV - if I need it I have to return and land with large ship.

Is there anyone else who sharing this idea with me?

I agree it would be handy to have the option to physically crew an SLF (instead of telepresence), land it independent of the mothership & disembark from it. There would need to be some additional functionality added (eg ability to dismiss & recall the mothership).

As Frankymole implies it would remove much of the incentive to fly small ships (that can land in rough terrain) that salad hunting currently provides, but imo more choice is better.

 

[Northpin]

I always dreaming aout SLF that is able to land on surface and let me take a walk. It can be something without weapons just for exploration purpose.
I can imagine exobiology - looking for interesting things on planet in small agile vessel while my long range large ship is slowly following me.
There is no need for supercruise/FSD (ehm...but docking/undocking in orbit is also nice idea?).

Of course no SRV - if I need it I have to return and land with large ship.

Is there anyone else who sharing this idea with me?

Not doable with the current SLF
So they'd need to design and introduce a new SLF type that would work like a flying SRV...

Honestly, i dont think that will ever happen (especially considering they'd need to design it in a such way to still have usability for the SRV)

 

[Raz Griffin]

Very interesting idea. I don't do exo in Anacondas because of their poor terrain visibility and an SLF like this would allow me to do long range exo since I use my conda for such kind of expeditions.

On the other hand I disagree people would stop using DBX because of this, the ship was already used before exo and there are other smaller ships as well.

Also, if you won't give me good things just to keep old things an use its because the old things suck and should be replaced anyway, which is not the case of the DBX.

 

[Frankymole]

Very interesting idea. I don't do exo in Anacondas because of their poor terrain visibility and an SLF like this would allow me to do long range exo since I use my conda for such kind of expeditions.

On the other hand I disagree people would stop using DBX because of this, the ship was already used before exo and there are other smaller ships as well.

Also, if you won't give me good things just to keep old things an use its because the old things suck and should be replaced anyway, which is not the case of the DBX.

I'd just go back to the Krait Phantom or AspX. The only reason I tolerate the terrible module number restriction on the DBX is because it can land on a sixpence. Might as well have a ship with a fighter bay...

And yes, having a landable SLF means I'd never touch a Scarab or Scorpion again.

Maybe we could have some skimmers? Use them as surveying drones?

 

[CMDR X]

It's a nice idea but might render the DBX pointless.

DBX has an FSD the SLF doesn't.

Like (+1) for landable SLF.

 

[Frankymole]

DBX has an FSD the SLF doesn't.

Like (+1) for landable SLF.

I mean you'd fly a Krait or Python, using the onboard SLF for exobiology or mats gathering. The only reason to have a DBX is to land in inaccessible places like mountains. The otehr ships are better for everything else.

 

[Ultra Fluffy]

Why would you need an SLF when you can just land your main ship? Is this because you have chosen something too large for an exploration ship and now found that it is difficult to land on a bumpy terrain. If so then the problem is a bad choice in exploration ship. Whilst large ship can quite often have large jump ranges they are a pig to get into tight spaces. Exploration is not about how far you can jump it is about visiting every system you can in the search for new stuff. Something you cannot do if you are continually jumping past large numbers of systems. Granted that the large jump ranges will get you to the far extremes of the galaxy quicker, but exploration is about the journey and what you see on the way rather than a race to the destination.

My exploration ship of choice is an ASPX which is engineered for long jumps and has a Guardian FSD booster. This gives it a jump range of 63ly. This is more than ample to get out of the bubble or Colonia quickly. It is also useful for doing Jumponium jumps between void areas. It then goes into eco mode and does short jumps, trying to find as much as possible. Being a medium ship I don't usually have any trouble finding somewhere to park it. I only have a problem when trying to gather plants from lumpy bumpy mountains. In these cases I park at the foot of the hill and then take my SRV up the mountain.

If you want to get to extremes quickly then take a fleet carrier with you.

 

[alexzk]

It's a nice idea but might render the DBX pointless.

It's not about dbx - it is useless
It's about to have better use for Anaconda.

P.S. In fact I already use fighters + EDMC cannon plugin. You scan things from air, then back 2 ship, and then cannon plugin directs you where to go for scanned object.

 

[Keloot]

I actually agree . Making slf work like the srvs would BE great . Decople them like the srvs fdev

 

[Morbad]

SLF, except the Guardian ones, do have landing gear in their models. We used to be able to see it in the livery screens.

 

[hernajs]

Why would you need an SLF when you can just land your main ship? Is this because you have chosen something too large for an exploration ship and now found that it is difficult to land on a bumpy terrain. If so then the problem is a bad choice in exploration ship. Whilst large ship can quite often have large jump ranges they are a pig to get into tight spaces. Exploration is not about how far you can jump it is about visiting every system you can in the search for new stuff. Something you cannot do if you are continually jumping past large numbers of systems. Granted that the large jump ranges will get you to the far extremes of the galaxy quicker, but exploration is about the journey and what you see on the way rather than a race to the destination.

My exploration ship of choice is an ASPX which is engineered for long jumps and has a Guardian FSD booster. This gives it a jump range of 63ly. This is more than ample to get out of the bubble or Colonia quickly. It is also useful for doing Jumponium jumps between void areas. It then goes into eco mode and does short jumps, trying to find as much as possible. Being a medium ship I don't usually have any trouble finding somewhere to park it. I only have a problem when trying to gather plants from lumpy bumpy mountains. In these cases I park at the foot of the hill and then take my SRV up the mountain.

If you want to get to extremes quickly then take a fleet carrier with you.

I agree with you. And as you use ASPX by choice I just use another ship. In my case (it's just personal preference) I love Anaconda. I just like that ship. And using SLF followed by my main ship over planet surface is something that I just like. It's not about efficiency - for that I can use smaller ship. It's more about to enjoy technology and feeling of piloting large ship and possibility to do something more when far away from bubble...for fun.
Something like role play scenarios. As long as it's sandbox there is in my humble opinon no needs for restrictions for game balancing in that way.
Just fly what you like.
...and dont forget limpets

 

[Spherelance]

Don't see any harm in adding a shuttle with a similar spec to the default SRV

 

[Aris Tarkus]

You wouldn't necessarily be shutting out smaller ships. The recon SLF would still require a fighter bay. Mount a couple of different types of scanners on it and let it go. You would still need a fighter bay (as mentioned earlier) and a crewman to fly your ship while you are cruising around in your SLF. So, while it would be fun, I don't see how it replaces the SRV even. Flyable with sensors, but no weapons.

 

[Releaux]

I’m in agreement with this as well, and as long as the exploration SLF didn’t have the ability to harvest materials, there would still be a viable need for a buggy.

I think the people who enjoy the additional challenge of deep exploration with small ship restrictions would continue to make those choices. As it is, I use a Phantom 99% of the time, but find myself skipping a lot of mountainous exobiology because even the SRV is too painful to get to the plants.

For me, personally, I’d love the RP aspect of outfitting a large ship like an anaconda or beluga for a long-term science trip (months or years, not weeks). I don’t do that currently because they’re too much of a pain to land in anything but a wide plain. I’m currently on a long exploration and lugging my FC along to sort of do that “large ship” thing, but having a landable SLF (or maybe we need a new name like Exploration Landing Craft) would allow that “mini carrier” approach using one of the large ships.

I think others have suggested it, but I’d also be happy with a single use “plant drone” type thing - you’d synthesize them from mats, have to manually pilot them down and use them to juice the three samples, then bring them back up at which point they’d expire. A planet with 4 bio signals would need four drones.

In such a case, I’d use a drone for the really rough terrain, then bring the ship down for stuff in the flats.

I’m enjoying exobiology and exploration as is, but there are definitely some ways to provide more variety or allow for different play styles and RP opportunities.