Devren
Minmatar
Meridian Dynamics
FREGE Alliance
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Posted - 2007.10.31 12:49:00 -
[1]
Firstly, my apologies if this has been suggested before but I couldn't be frakked reading through the 33 prior pages of whines, occasionally separated by intelligent declarations. Ultimately CCP will modify carriers to fit in with the continued playability of the game AS A WHOLE... this issue is being addressed with regards to ALL SHIPS not just carriers. Calm down a little people and put forward some more intelligent options for CCP to mull over as emotional outbursts are just really annoying.
(yes, you can spank me later for implying alot of you are whiners!  )
One idea that I have had is, if you want carriers to be a true fleet ship then make it possible install multiple pod pilots into a single carrier/mothership. One pod pilot is the "command pilot", who navigates the ship, handles modules, can control his base bandwidth of drones (eg 5 fighters) and assigns an additional drones to be controlled by the other installed pilots (drone pilots).
These "drone pilots" will:
- have the standard HUD (showing the carrier's current shields/armor/hull) but with navigation disabled.
- be able to target up to their standard number of targets but these targets can only be for assignment of drones. This targeting is completely independent of the targeting for the "command pilot". Yes, this means that a carrier piloted by multiple pilots can target a large number of ships but hey, these babies are BIG!
- not require to have Carrier Piloting skills but only the necessary Drone skills required to control what drones are assigned to them.
- be able to eject from the carrier at any time they desire. If the carrier is destroyed whilst they are installed, they and their compatriots that were on-board will now have to make their own way out of the situation.
The advantages of this idea are:
- you can nerf the single player control of drones in a carrier/mothership whilst bringing in a need to co-operate with others. Being a "drone pilot" for extended periods of time is not what ppl are going to want to do, but if you are on a military operation or handling home defense, having a few "drone pilots" on-board allows you to field you entire complement of fighters.
- younger players (lower SP that is, as children should be seen but not heard unless they are working in the mines  ) will be able to support major engagements by training up their drone skills and installing their clones into carriers. This also reduces the number of ships on field, as I personally think that why would I want to be controlling a complement of a carrier's drones remotely AND also worry about the skin of my own ship!!!
- in relative terms to other ships in the game, carriers and motherships are frikkin' huge beasts! I would have thought that sheer logistics of commanding one of these vessels would be incomparable to piloting a BS or smaller ship. Wouldn't you design a ship this big to allow you to delegate critical functions like fighter control to another installed pod pilot?
If this doesn't make any sense then i apologise again as I seriously need sleep! Let me know what you all think.
Sweet dreams ppl,
Devren
"May the Great Goddess guide you swiftly through the Universe."
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