Suggestion for transferring stored ships

[IEatPelicans]

Just following on from a couple of other active threads on this topic.

I have a very simple solution that should be very easy to implement.

Instead of coming up with a mechanism to physically transfer ships from place to place: there is a much simpler method. The player goes to the location of the stored ship and through the shipyard interface they exchange their stored ship for a contract that can be redeemed at any station with a shipyard.

When this option is selected in the shipyard, the stored ship will become a transaction that they will be able to see in the transactions tab, much like a combat bond or a bounty. Unlike combat bonds and bounties the player doesn’t lose their “ship bond” if they are destroyed. This would also allow the player to move multiple ships at once. There's no need to mess around with involving other players or NPCs because there is no physical movement of ships involved.

When the player redeems their ship bond at the destination’s shipyard, they receive an identical ship with an identical loadout.

Simple, safe and secure!

 

[Argyris]

I like the idea but I think there should be a few restrictions:

- There should be a minimum level of reputation with the faction (i.e. Friendly) controlling the station where you want to have your ship transfered to.
- The destination shipyard actually has to offer the hull for the ship you want to transfer.
- If your ship is equipped with modules which are not available at the destination shipyard they will be replaced by the next cheaper equivalent for that module. The surplus cash will be credited (- a small processing fee) to the ship owner and he will receive a complete list of the modules which couldn't be provided. (So he can make a screenshot of that and go to acquire the missing modules somewhere else)

 

[IEatPelicans]

I like the idea but I think there should be a few restrictions:

- There should be a minimum level of reputation with the faction (i.e. Friendly) controlling the station where you want to have your ship transfered to.
- The destination shipyard actually has to offer the hull for the ship you want to transfer.
- If your ship is equipped with modules which are not available at the destination shipyard they will be replaced by the next cheaper equivalent for that module. The surplus cash will be credited (- a small processing fee) to the ship owner and he will receive a complete list of the modules which couldn't be provided. (So he can make a screenshot of that and go to acquire the missing modules somewhere else)

There isnt the same restrictions with insurance. You get back what you had even the station doesnt sell it.

 

[bossbrigand]

Or introduce ship delivery missions ala Vanishing Point.

 

[Hydrino]

The more fun and realistic solution is ship delivery service via bulletin board NPC and given the speed of travel in the game it might not be a very long wait- for game-play sake the time delay could be minimal or zero (like for unloading cargo, refueling and repair, which are currently all instantaneous). When we can walk around and board other ships then you should be able to book passage to your stored ships, as well as take friends to theirs in your own ship.

In theory the idea sounds good and at first thought I agreed, but having opened the reply window and thinking a bit more I don't think I like it.

This is like saying your Shelby Cobra special that you have custom painted and stored in a warehouse in London can be traded for a voucher to let you get the identical car in Guatemala. There is an issue with module availability, ship availability and we could even suggest paint jobs can be repaired but not duplicated so easily. Not to mention the ship on offer could be in worse repair or older compared to the new and pristine ship in storage.

See OP comment about insurance but I think ship destruction is in a different realm- where insurance company orders a new ship to match the old and the handwavium of instant delivery is just for gameplay. +1 for pointing that out in any event! Another thought, perhaps insurance should just re-imburse the player for the value of the ship and not provide an identical replacement. It would be more realistic that it is up to the player to buy their next ship based on what is available. This would put more pain into losing a ship, although full replacement money would be put into the player's bank account. If I total my car the insurance company gives me a check, they don't give me a car to match identically what I had.

 

[Feldspar]

I like the idea but I think there should be a few restrictions:

- There should be a minimum level of reputation with the faction (i.e. Friendly) controlling the station where you want to have your ship transfered to.
- The destination shipyard actually has to offer the hull for the ship you want to transfer.
- If your ship is equipped with modules which are not available at the destination shipyard they will be replaced by the next cheaper equivalent for that module. The surplus cash will be credited (- a small processing fee) to the ship owner and he will receive a complete list of the modules which couldn't be provided. (So he can make a screenshot of that and go to acquire the missing modules somewhere else)

You can already do this, simply sell your ship instead of leaving it and then buy it back when and where you want to.

 

[IEatPelicans]

You can already do this, simply sell your ship instead of leaving it and then buy it back when and where you want to.

but if you've bought that ship and components at a discounted rate, you'd have to pay more to get the same ship elsewhere.

 

[graham.reeds]

There isnt the same restrictions with insurance. You get back what you had even the station doesnt sell it.

Something I and others have complained about in the past.

 

[Robert Maynard]

Instead of coming up with a mechanism to physically transfer ships from place to place: there is a much simpler method. The player goes to the location of the stored ship and through the shipyard interface they exchange their stored ship for a contract that can be redeemed at any station with a shipyard.

When this option is selected in the shipyard, the stored ship will become a transaction that they will be able to see in the transactions tab, much like a combat bond or a bounty. Unlike combat bonds and bounties the player doesn’t lose their “ship bond” if they are destroyed. This would also allow the player to move multiple ships at once. There's no need to mess around with involving other players or NPCs because there is no physical movement of ships involved.

When the player redeems their ship bond at the destination’s shipyard, they receive an identical ship with an identical loadout.

Simple, safe and secure!

This is equivalent to having a "magic" hangar that travels about with the player. Also, it takes no account of ship or equipment availability in the shipyard where the voucher is redeemed.

 

[Argyris]

You can already do this, simply sell your ship instead of leaving it and then buy it back when and where you want to.

It's hard to do when you already are in a different location and don't intend to go back to where you have left your ship

 

[IEatPelicans]

This is equivalent to having a "magic" hangar that travels about with the player. Also, it takes no account of ship or equipment availability in the shipyard where the voucher is redeemed.

As i said above: we already have a magic insurance scheme that conjures up ships and modules out of thin air even if the station we re-spawn at doesn't sell the ship or the modules.

The "magic insurance" company is also able to do this from and apparently bottomless slush fund that receives no income.

My suggestion isn't to be realistic. There's lots of unrealistic mechanics built into this game for the sake of making it a fun gaming experience (e.g. the flight model!).

But i see your point about the magic hangar. You shouldn't be able to constantly travel around with 6 vouchers in your transactions tab that allow you change ship every time you dock. Perhaps this could be solved with a requirement that when the player cashes in their ship and station A, they must elect which station they're going to collect the voucher at (station B) and then travel to station B and redeem the voucher.

 

[Kyokushin]

Transporting ship will be good. Possibility to transport ship should not depend of avaiablity or installed modules - this just no have sense. You can transport a car or motorcycle to your other house in other city, and this City is not needed to have a dealer of brand of your car
However, one limitation should be transport time and maybe (I am not sure about sensibility of that) range. You have just wait some time for your ship. Why? Because everybody can get an Adder (using as space shuttle) with almost 30ly range and click 'bring me my FDL here'. This could override the sens of different ship range, so transport time is required.

 

[Magic Man]

Nope, my ship is my ship, I don't want to get an equivalent in return unless it gets destroyed.
Simple solution is to implement the ship transfer service, that has been said before, and it taking an appropriate amount of travel time (through safe space) for it to arrive at your chosen destination and for an appropriate fee.

 

[Starwolf]

I like the idea of getting your ships transpored to a new home base. Although it should cost money and time depending on distance and ship size. A voucher should not be needed.

 

[Trocx]

There should be an option to transfer ships between stations for a fee and a wait time. Or maybe they can offer a taxi service. Maybe you have a sweet rare trading route but you like RES hunting somewhere else. Make an option to only be able to travel between two locations that have a ship stored via a transport ship. Again I think it should cost creds and also have some time of timer. Transferring or being "taxied" should not be instantaneous.

 

[Slippery Jim DiGriz]

As mentioned above the insurance companies ability to conjure any ship of any specification to any station is the key to this. Rather than moving your ship you pay the insurance company to take your ship into their inventory and issue an identical ship wherever you happen to be, you'd pay for all repairs and a fee, perhaps 1% of ship value or 100,000 credits whichever is the lower sum.

This fits with the existing services provided in the game and means you can get your ship with no wait (for a price)

The "magic insurance" company is also able to do this from and apparently bottomless slush fund that receives no income.

I've worked out how the insurance system could work, if the prices we pay are about 5 times the actual cost with the extra being the insurance premium then as long as you don't lose more than 6 ships they can make a profit and as most people destroy more little ships than big ones it could actually be quite profitable.

 

[BMW]

I like the idea of a ship bond where you can trade in for another - I want to travel further but then I have the problem of getting back for my stored ship. I would also like to be able to rent/buy a warehouse for goods that I have picked up/purchased but don't see a big enough market for at the time or are taking up cargo hold room. So, when I get the mission, " bring us some spare vacuum cleaner bags" I know I have some in stock @ warehouse in Wickes Orbital in the Homebase System.