The multi limpet modules have been added to address the fact that every single limpet type is basically necessary for any given activity; you can't really mine without at least prospecting limpets (if you are insane enough to mine without collectors; core/drill mining would be the only way to go, repair limpets are the only way to repair hulls, hatch breakers aren't necessarily the strictly only way to break hatches but at the point you try to do it with guns you're more likely to be collecting debris anyway.
The problem is; none of the multi-controllers really make sense; even the better mining multi just isn't worth it because now you're firing subpar prospector limpets that gimp your overall output, and have to micromanage destroying your prospectors manually when you want to deploy new collectors, because they come from the same pool.
Hatch breaking, repair and scouting seem "thematically aligned" in some kind of general piracy op, but again; you get better bang for your mass-slot-buck by just, always, going with the individual types. The C repairs repair hilarious 60HP or something, which isn't worth wasting time on.
Explorers, which in conceptual, lore-theory should be the primary market for "Swiss knife" solutions don't really have any use for limpets period, and are most concerned about their mass budget as it will actively slow down their travel and increase the number of jumps they have to make, which increases the likelihood they'll have to repair their hull in the first place.
The only "multi" controller that comes with actually good stats it's the 7A universal, except that weights 150 tons and cannot even be slimmed down by engineering, and who is it exactly for again? Who NEEDS to bring prospectors in the same build as hatch breakers? It literally doesn't fit any role of any ship build, gameplay min-maxy or roleplay-thematical. The 150 tons absolutely aren't acceptable even for the literally only exploration ship that could actually fit it; the Anaconda, and even if it was down to 30 tons with G5 0.2* Lightweight multiplayer I really doubt many people would be willing to pick up what weights almost as much as doubling your fuel capacity and then maybe a small pocket repair controller, especially since then they have to haul the limpets themselves too.
The issue with limpet controllers at large is that they don't make sense even individually, and even less so combined into these large lumps of excess functionality nobody REALLY needs but would pay for excessively in mass that the combat and exploration ships that could maybe appreciate universality just can't afford usually.
I propose TWO ways to rework limpets, to make more of both gameplay and fantasy/lore sense;
A) LIMPET DISPENSERS
One of the pains with limpets is that they actually take up room in the inventory, and have to be manually resupplied every gosh darn time. We don't have to do this with heat sinks, nor with SBCs, nor with torpedoes or any other ammo; EVERYTHING else is rolled up in ammo of the modules; so why not limpets?
Replace the "Limpet controllers" with "Limpet dispensers" of given types. Then scale the mass of the dispenser with the amount of limpets it carries. You could actually increase valid builds here by making Cs with high mass but also largest stock of limpets, As with best limpet capability and smaller capacity, etc.
Here, the multi/universal dispensers would actually be justified in weighting a lot, as they're basically a little factory capable of on-demand building multiple different types, and generally, should still have very good/best capacity, probably more reasonably at cost of activation power consumption rather than dead mass.
No more limpets in inventory. They should refill automatically with rest of consumables.
B) ACTUAL LIMPET CONTROLLERS
Make the limpet controller actually be what the name suggests; a small computer with an antenna array. Make them all universal (remove all the unique ones) and make them all really light (if not outright zero mass like scoops) and make them take up ship-slots mostly via them just taking up general computing capacity from the ship. Make their scaling only affect range, number of limpets they can control at once, maybe give a multiplier to velocity of limpets. No scaling to prospecting multiplayer or repair amount. There's no point to that; it serves literally no purpose but limit the useful ways ships can be built.
Finally, put the varied limpet types into the cargo. If I have to haul my collectors and prospectors then I could at least chip in just a couple repair limpets and maybe a science limpet, just in case. It'd still allow for "universal builds", but at least let me put emphasis on what I'm actually doing and what am I just packing as an afterthought into a little bit of spare space. Also, in this case, limpets should be reusable; you should be able to recall them and pick them back up, recharging them from your fuel. Then you can actually give them meaningful value, and maybe actually introduce different limpet variants (fast but low-fuel collection limpets versus nearly-tireless ones, armored hatch breakers, shielded combat-enduring repairs...), maybe even allowing for some rare, unique ones appear now and then.
The problem is; none of the multi-controllers really make sense; even the better mining multi just isn't worth it because now you're firing subpar prospector limpets that gimp your overall output, and have to micromanage destroying your prospectors manually when you want to deploy new collectors, because they come from the same pool.
Hatch breaking, repair and scouting seem "thematically aligned" in some kind of general piracy op, but again; you get better bang for your mass-slot-buck by just, always, going with the individual types. The C repairs repair hilarious 60HP or something, which isn't worth wasting time on.
Explorers, which in conceptual, lore-theory should be the primary market for "Swiss knife" solutions don't really have any use for limpets period, and are most concerned about their mass budget as it will actively slow down their travel and increase the number of jumps they have to make, which increases the likelihood they'll have to repair their hull in the first place.
The only "multi" controller that comes with actually good stats it's the 7A universal, except that weights 150 tons and cannot even be slimmed down by engineering, and who is it exactly for again? Who NEEDS to bring prospectors in the same build as hatch breakers? It literally doesn't fit any role of any ship build, gameplay min-maxy or roleplay-thematical. The 150 tons absolutely aren't acceptable even for the literally only exploration ship that could actually fit it; the Anaconda, and even if it was down to 30 tons with G5 0.2* Lightweight multiplayer I really doubt many people would be willing to pick up what weights almost as much as doubling your fuel capacity and then maybe a small pocket repair controller, especially since then they have to haul the limpets themselves too.
The issue with limpet controllers at large is that they don't make sense even individually, and even less so combined into these large lumps of excess functionality nobody REALLY needs but would pay for excessively in mass that the combat and exploration ships that could maybe appreciate universality just can't afford usually.
I propose TWO ways to rework limpets, to make more of both gameplay and fantasy/lore sense;
A) LIMPET DISPENSERS
One of the pains with limpets is that they actually take up room in the inventory, and have to be manually resupplied every gosh darn time. We don't have to do this with heat sinks, nor with SBCs, nor with torpedoes or any other ammo; EVERYTHING else is rolled up in ammo of the modules; so why not limpets?
Replace the "Limpet controllers" with "Limpet dispensers" of given types. Then scale the mass of the dispenser with the amount of limpets it carries. You could actually increase valid builds here by making Cs with high mass but also largest stock of limpets, As with best limpet capability and smaller capacity, etc.
Here, the multi/universal dispensers would actually be justified in weighting a lot, as they're basically a little factory capable of on-demand building multiple different types, and generally, should still have very good/best capacity, probably more reasonably at cost of activation power consumption rather than dead mass.
No more limpets in inventory. They should refill automatically with rest of consumables.
B) ACTUAL LIMPET CONTROLLERS
Make the limpet controller actually be what the name suggests; a small computer with an antenna array. Make them all universal (remove all the unique ones) and make them all really light (if not outright zero mass like scoops) and make them take up ship-slots mostly via them just taking up general computing capacity from the ship. Make their scaling only affect range, number of limpets they can control at once, maybe give a multiplier to velocity of limpets. No scaling to prospecting multiplayer or repair amount. There's no point to that; it serves literally no purpose but limit the useful ways ships can be built.
Finally, put the varied limpet types into the cargo. If I have to haul my collectors and prospectors then I could at least chip in just a couple repair limpets and maybe a science limpet, just in case. It'd still allow for "universal builds", but at least let me put emphasis on what I'm actually doing and what am I just packing as an afterthought into a little bit of spare space. Also, in this case, limpets should be reusable; you should be able to recall them and pick them back up, recharging them from your fuel. Then you can actually give them meaningful value, and maybe actually introduce different limpet variants (fast but low-fuel collection limpets versus nearly-tireless ones, armored hatch breakers, shielded combat-enduring repairs...), maybe even allowing for some rare, unique ones appear now and then.
At least now we can't say it is not available.
