So I've done almost exclusively nothing but multi-crew since 2.3 dropped. Disregarding any bugs and the bounty payouts that we know are getting buffed in the next patch let's talk about what could be done to multi-crew without adding new assets to the game to give it some real improvements.
[h=1]Suggestions[/h]
[h=1]Suggestions[/h]
- Gunner Role (Suggestion #1): Subsystem Targeting. Now I understand this is a balance thing since a semi-competent player is 8/10 times better than than letting the computer handle your turrets. However it poses problems, for example a pirate gunner can't shoot out drives on a target, a bounty/cz gunner can't target the powerplant. At the very least the Gunner should auto-target whatever subsystem the helm is targeting. For balance more jitter could be introduced to the gunners aim, or the targeting reticule could be made smaller to make it more difficult, or both.
- Gunner Role (Suggestion #2): Let the gunner use the guns while the ship is landed on a planet. This will tie into to a later suggestion and make sense in a bit.
- Gunner Role (Suggestion #3): Hardpoint Deploying should be at the hands of the HELM ONLY! I can not tell you the number of times I have had a gunner redeploy my hard points when my shields are down, and I'm trying to charge my FSD to . At the very least let the helm decide if the gunner has control over whether or not the hardpoints are out.
- Fighter Role (Suggestion #1): Allow the helm to deploy landing gear and land the ship on a planet or at a station while the fighter is deployed. Consider it like security. They fly lookout while the ship is on the ground/pad.
- General Suggestion #1: SRV! Let the crew members and HELM get into the SRV while the ship is landed on a planet. Lets say you're running missions with a crew. Mission says go pick up cargo from a planet surface. How it currently works is that you have to boot your crew, get in the SRV, get the cargo, get back in your ship, reinvite your crew. Not good! Now if you tie this into my other suggestions this is what could happen. If you have 3 SRVs then you could have all three people get into SRVs and quickly load up cargo. OR the fighter could get deployed before the helm lands, provide air cover, the helm could take the SRV, and the Gunner could man the turrets to protect the ship if anything happens.
- General Suggestion #2: Trade Dividends for Multi-crew: Now if I recall correctly when in a wing you get 15% of whatever your wing mates sell legally or illegally at a station. In Multi-crew my crew members got only 5%. This makes it totally worthless to do smuggling or trading routes with a crew. Your Crew should make WAY more than wings make and this is the reason. When in a Wing you sell your CARGO and get 15% of whatever your mates sell of their cargo. So this just makes no sense to me. Your Crew's trade dividens should be higher than wings with 15% being where it starts for novice traders and maybe even as high as 40% or 50% for elite traders in your crew to balance out the fact they aren't in their own ship also selling while getting dividends.
- General Suggestion #3: Exploration profits for crew please. I know in the future we might get more activities for crew to do in exploration beyond sit there and keep us company but frankly unless you're just down to chill and chat with someone to keep their space madness at bay there is no reason to join an exploration crew since it doesn't pay anything at all.
- General Suggestion #4: In 2.4 PLEASE add more activities for multi-crew that aren't just related to combat. Lets see some more roles. I say do this in 2.4 since all my above suggestions are just tweaks what already exists and won't require new assets which should make them much easier to implement. But in the future the immediate future we need to see multi-crew get the love it deserves so it can fully live up to its real potential. This mode was a game seller for many of us early adopters of Elite Dangerous and Horizons buyers and a lot of us are feeling burned by how weak it feels out of the gate, please don't forget about us Frontier.
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