it won't.
And the reason is simple: An overpowered ship is boring - it will kill variety and isn't a challenge any longer for the player and the gameplay. This is why ships received buffs and nerfs. Imagine if there's a small size ship with 28 monster hard points, agile as hell and has a jump rate of 130 ly (unengineered). Not to forget 27 internal compartments (size 13), massive hull, a bar, a gym and a night club next to the bridge. What would happen? Everyone goes for that ship, other ships won't be used any longer and the player base will cry "Where is the 14th compartment! This is not balanced! And... I want to have my Cobra MK IV, my Asp Scout and my Conda with the same buffs!"
As Brrokk wrote above: "It will be different" = perhaps a bit more agile, perhaps another hardpoint more or at a different place. Perhaps more or less boost. Whatever, it is what it is. I am happy enough that FDev keeps working on Elite and maybe one day or not I will get some features which I am longing for (DX 12 device support, better lighting, more exploration variety, other side/main stories).
Speculation is fine but firing the hype train becomes a disappointment for sure.
I certainly can't speak for other people posting, but I personally just enjoy some speculation, and agree the general wont for most posters here is to generate an enormously unreasonable expectation given the smallest tidbit.
I'd call more attention to the part of Brokk's comment of "It will be different" was based on the idea that the use of "functionally different" was just wordfill, and that "just different" was the intent. That could very much be the case, but I'd defer
back to my comment on the first page; if that's the case, it's not just that term, it's large swaths of the whole presentation that comes off as clunky and awkward, especially with the comments about there being "...reasons they are different..." and "... for players to discover (those reasons)..."... which if we take that entirely as "wordfill" is basically just:
"
Hey, we're releasing four MK2 variants (functionally different)
of existing ships, and we're intending for them to have different roles to their predecessors (reasons they are different),
and we'll be looking forward to see how players use them (... players to discover that)"
Sure, that's definitely a speculative view... and I definitely don't think it's anything as wild as suggestions like "we're getting thicker atmospheres/gas giants" or "this means ship boarding!" or other things like that.... I find that a
huge deviation from the original meanings of the words, where something like what I wrote above is much more concise and to the point and, in my opinion, would generate much more excitement
and keep people on the rails with their speculation. In other words, I find it harder to believe that these would be "just variants" based on the words used, than there actually being some at least low-key functional difference that actually puts these ships in a class of their own much like the luxury liners, or ships with military slots.
Bottom line for me is; if it really is "just variants", then the script to announce that is beyond amateurish and completely misappropriates basic words. But I genuinely think FD is better than that (with regard to their livestream scripts). But equally, what'll happen is what'll happen, and I personally won't be upset regardless of what happens when the updates land... others opinions may vary here.
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