These are my views after playing some passenger missions using the Beluga Liner. As such feel free to comment or express a different view, but nicely.
Summary
The Beluga Liner achieves its role as a luxury passenger liner and is a good addition to the game. From a purely aesthetic perspective, it has a large attractive bridge that provides unobstructed views. It's nice to fly, with quiet purring engines, and is reasonably responsive for a large ship. I also enjoy the game mechanic that allows passengers to make whimsical requests and express their dissatisfaction. This adds to the immersion and variety of missions.
That being said, there is room for improvement. The changes I would like to see are:
1. Removal or redesign of the "fins".
2. At least 30 mw of available power.
3. A range for a single jump of around 25 ly (laden).
4. The addition of one unrestricted Class 5 interior slot.
5. Refinements to passenger interaction.
These things are discussed below.
Ship Design
The design is a largely matter of taste.
However, practically speaking, the fins make it difficult when leaving or docking the space station. as a small miscalculations can lead to the ship getting caught in the "mail slot" resulting in fines or, in the worse case scenario, destruction.
The safest option for me (not a big risk taker) was to install a docking computer, but this reduces docking to a rote mechanic which doesn't appeal to me.
Outfitting
The ship can be adequately outfitted for its role as a passenger ship, but with compromises due to design choices that seemed unnecessary.
Power Module
The ship is underpowered making a 6A power module upgrade essential to address the basic power needs of the ship. That module only generates a maximum of 25.2 mw so, despite the upgrade, it was a struggle to fitout the ship without exceeding the maximum. Several trial fitouts by me used 99% (or more) of the available power with weapons deployed. I concluded that the power needed to be at least 30 mw to meet the needs of a ship having the size and role of the Beluga Liner.
Frameshift Module
The unladen jump range of the ship is around 25 ly and I would agree that it should not have a jump range that equates to specialists exploration ships, such as the ASP Explorer. However, the ASP only achieves its maximum jump range by D-rating its modules (except the frameshift module) and dispensing with weapons. That is not an option for the Beluga Liner, as its role requires it to have an balanced fitout that includes weapons.
Testing the various fitouts, I found that the Beluga Liner could only reach something near its maximum jump range with ALL non-core modules removed, which of course rendered the ship useless. Once the ship was fitted out as a passenger liner the "laden" jump range was under 20 ly. This is too short for the sight seeing and data collecting journeys that frequently exceed 600+ ly. Even a "short" sight seeing journey involved excessive jumps and time.
To some extent this is compensated by the large fuel tank (128 T) which gives the ship the ability to make 10 jumps without refuelling, but the tank adds to the weight and reduces the distance of each jump. The ship is also very thirsty, so the large tank did not relieve me from having to fit a large fuel scoop (which draws considerable power).
In the end I concluded that jump range needed to be buffed to 25 ly laden (as opposed to unladen) so a to increase its effective range as a passenger ship.
Shields
The ship's shield strength has been the topic of other posts which argue that the shield is too weak for the size of the ship. I agree. The shield is a key defensive system and would be something VIP passengers (adverse to hull damage) would expect to be of considerable strength. In my opinion, it is also necessary for balanced gameplay given that the Beluga Liner is neither fast, agile or highly weaponised.
Even installing the largest module available (Class 6A module), the shields were modest and seemed barely adequate. I found it was necessary to install two shield boosters to achieve something near maximum shield strength of around 280 mw. Unfortunately, the shield and shield boosters are power hungry using valuable power and contributing to the need for compromise in other areas.
It is worth mentioning that a prismatic shield could be used to the same effect, but I found that this only achieved a slight increase in shield strength (compared with a Class 6A shield with shield boosters), marginally reduced the jump range even further, was heavy on power and was the more expensive option.
Fuel Scoop
The fuel scoop is essential for long range passenger missions. The Class 6A module allows for a fuel scoop that is capable of filling the large fuel tank within a reasonable time, although I still found myself waiting impatiently near the star if the tank was not topped up every second jump. This mechanic was tedious on a long sight seeing mission.
Although the fuel scoop was adequate, it used the only remaining Class 6 interior slot that was not restricted. This meant that ship could not be used to carry a fighter unless a class 3 or 4 slot for the fuel scoop was used, which was not practical for the large fuel thirsty ship.
Interior Slots
I would like to see the Beluga Liner buffed by the addition of another Class 5 interior slot (not restricted to cargo or passenger modules) so players can install one ship fighter if they want. This is obviously not essential for its role as a luxury passenger liner, but ship carried fighters add significantly to the enjoyment of the game and no doubt would be popular on long passenger trips and for planet skimming. In the end I would have liked to have had the choice.
Passenger Interaction
Personally, I enjoy the passenger interaction as it added to the immersion and variety. However, in my view passenger interaction could be enhanced to make the missions more diverse and rewarding. For example, the following (or similar) game mechanics could be incorporated:
1. More whimsical requests by passengers which rewarded by a modest increase payment if met or punished with modest deduction to payment if not met, but not impact on the mission failure or success. This may allow for a huge variety of requests and much greater variety.
2. Mission failure to be limited to passenger dissatisfaction only where the player departs from the mission as initially agreed or does not comply with a request by the passenger that the player has agreed to (thereby agreeing to alter the mission parameters).
3. The ability for the passenger to express overall satisfaction on completion of the mission which could affect rep (and therefore future missions with the faction). For example, the passenger could report "recommend" or "highly recommended" to the faction on completion of the mission. If the player has acceded to whimsical requests by the passenger, then this will obviously produce a happy passenger.
4. The ability for the passenger to express overall dissatisfaction resulting in a fall in rep with the faction. This may occur for example if the player completes the mission but declines passenger requests.
Summary
The Beluga Liner achieves its role as a luxury passenger liner and is a good addition to the game. From a purely aesthetic perspective, it has a large attractive bridge that provides unobstructed views. It's nice to fly, with quiet purring engines, and is reasonably responsive for a large ship. I also enjoy the game mechanic that allows passengers to make whimsical requests and express their dissatisfaction. This adds to the immersion and variety of missions.
That being said, there is room for improvement. The changes I would like to see are:
1. Removal or redesign of the "fins".
2. At least 30 mw of available power.
3. A range for a single jump of around 25 ly (laden).
4. The addition of one unrestricted Class 5 interior slot.
5. Refinements to passenger interaction.
These things are discussed below.
Ship Design
The design is a largely matter of taste.
However, practically speaking, the fins make it difficult when leaving or docking the space station. as a small miscalculations can lead to the ship getting caught in the "mail slot" resulting in fines or, in the worse case scenario, destruction.
The safest option for me (not a big risk taker) was to install a docking computer, but this reduces docking to a rote mechanic which doesn't appeal to me.
Outfitting
The ship can be adequately outfitted for its role as a passenger ship, but with compromises due to design choices that seemed unnecessary.
Power Module
The ship is underpowered making a 6A power module upgrade essential to address the basic power needs of the ship. That module only generates a maximum of 25.2 mw so, despite the upgrade, it was a struggle to fitout the ship without exceeding the maximum. Several trial fitouts by me used 99% (or more) of the available power with weapons deployed. I concluded that the power needed to be at least 30 mw to meet the needs of a ship having the size and role of the Beluga Liner.
Frameshift Module
The unladen jump range of the ship is around 25 ly and I would agree that it should not have a jump range that equates to specialists exploration ships, such as the ASP Explorer. However, the ASP only achieves its maximum jump range by D-rating its modules (except the frameshift module) and dispensing with weapons. That is not an option for the Beluga Liner, as its role requires it to have an balanced fitout that includes weapons.
Testing the various fitouts, I found that the Beluga Liner could only reach something near its maximum jump range with ALL non-core modules removed, which of course rendered the ship useless. Once the ship was fitted out as a passenger liner the "laden" jump range was under 20 ly. This is too short for the sight seeing and data collecting journeys that frequently exceed 600+ ly. Even a "short" sight seeing journey involved excessive jumps and time.
To some extent this is compensated by the large fuel tank (128 T) which gives the ship the ability to make 10 jumps without refuelling, but the tank adds to the weight and reduces the distance of each jump. The ship is also very thirsty, so the large tank did not relieve me from having to fit a large fuel scoop (which draws considerable power).
In the end I concluded that jump range needed to be buffed to 25 ly laden (as opposed to unladen) so a to increase its effective range as a passenger ship.
Shields
The ship's shield strength has been the topic of other posts which argue that the shield is too weak for the size of the ship. I agree. The shield is a key defensive system and would be something VIP passengers (adverse to hull damage) would expect to be of considerable strength. In my opinion, it is also necessary for balanced gameplay given that the Beluga Liner is neither fast, agile or highly weaponised.
Even installing the largest module available (Class 6A module), the shields were modest and seemed barely adequate. I found it was necessary to install two shield boosters to achieve something near maximum shield strength of around 280 mw. Unfortunately, the shield and shield boosters are power hungry using valuable power and contributing to the need for compromise in other areas.
It is worth mentioning that a prismatic shield could be used to the same effect, but I found that this only achieved a slight increase in shield strength (compared with a Class 6A shield with shield boosters), marginally reduced the jump range even further, was heavy on power and was the more expensive option.
Fuel Scoop
The fuel scoop is essential for long range passenger missions. The Class 6A module allows for a fuel scoop that is capable of filling the large fuel tank within a reasonable time, although I still found myself waiting impatiently near the star if the tank was not topped up every second jump. This mechanic was tedious on a long sight seeing mission.
Although the fuel scoop was adequate, it used the only remaining Class 6 interior slot that was not restricted. This meant that ship could not be used to carry a fighter unless a class 3 or 4 slot for the fuel scoop was used, which was not practical for the large fuel thirsty ship.
Interior Slots
I would like to see the Beluga Liner buffed by the addition of another Class 5 interior slot (not restricted to cargo or passenger modules) so players can install one ship fighter if they want. This is obviously not essential for its role as a luxury passenger liner, but ship carried fighters add significantly to the enjoyment of the game and no doubt would be popular on long passenger trips and for planet skimming. In the end I would have liked to have had the choice.
Passenger Interaction
Personally, I enjoy the passenger interaction as it added to the immersion and variety. However, in my view passenger interaction could be enhanced to make the missions more diverse and rewarding. For example, the following (or similar) game mechanics could be incorporated:
1. More whimsical requests by passengers which rewarded by a modest increase payment if met or punished with modest deduction to payment if not met, but not impact on the mission failure or success. This may allow for a huge variety of requests and much greater variety.
2. Mission failure to be limited to passenger dissatisfaction only where the player departs from the mission as initially agreed or does not comply with a request by the passenger that the player has agreed to (thereby agreeing to alter the mission parameters).
3. The ability for the passenger to express overall satisfaction on completion of the mission which could affect rep (and therefore future missions with the faction). For example, the passenger could report "recommend" or "highly recommended" to the faction on completion of the mission. If the player has acceded to whimsical requests by the passenger, then this will obviously produce a happy passenger.
4. The ability for the passenger to express overall dissatisfaction resulting in a fall in rep with the faction. This may occur for example if the player completes the mission but declines passenger requests.
