Wardo21
The Arcanum
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Posted - 2007.12.24 17:25:00 -
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I don't think a ship in hi-sec needs compression. Just as easy to add a compression factory to stations in hi-sec so that the low ends can be compressed and sent to null-sec. If you want to keep that out of the hands of the macroers, make it a heavy industrial and science skill requirements, perhaps Industry and Metalurgy 5, a science skill or two at 4 or 5 (compression physics?), along with the specific ore skill at 5. Make it a regular factory job if you don't want to add the new fangled compression slots.
I would like to see something in the Transport class, with a larger cargo hold and a tractor range+speed bonus. Cap the cargo hold at 100k without rigs but accounting for tech 2 cargo hold expanders and skill bonus (if any), normal tech 2 limit of 2 rigs. Standard tractor beams would be fine for empire if the range was increased 100% per Transport level. Make it the teir 3 Transport for each race, requiring Transports 3. I don't have enough mining-interested corp mates to really get a good mining op running with the 8-9 participants where a command ship is warranted so this is the ship I need for mining ops. (See below)
I'm all for making this a player corp use only item.
The large capacity tractor beaming ship can be separate from the command ship for empire and lo-sec use.
I think the command ship version should be a modified exhumer, keep each of the base exhmers, add command ships 1-3 for the 3 different command versions (Skiff-Hulk). Add 1 high slot for a command module, if you want to fit more use the command processors and sacrifice a strip miner/ice harvester. The 99% reduction in gang warfare CPU use would also be a requirement. I like this option for the command version best of all because I wouldn't loose so much of my own productivity. The devs would have to limit the number of fitted strip miners, or people would find ways to get another into the 4th high slot. (Strip miner hardpoints?)
For some balance, remove the standard mining bonuses from the exhumer skill along with that requirement, but keep the barge bonus and requirement.
Alternate balance, don't include the extra high slot on any ship but the Skiff, while retaining the exhumer bonus to the "base" model. The cost then becomes some number of strip miners.
Slightly off topic:
The laser optimization and cap gang link give 2% per director level (so 10% cycle reduction at level 5, 15% w/ mindlink). The range one is 4.5% (22.5% @ director 5, 33.75% w/ mindlink). Warfare link specialist gives 10% per level, so before any command ship bonus with link specialist 5, there is 21.5% (cycle and cap) and 50.625% (range) with the mindlink installed. A command ship bonus of 3% per level would add up to 15% more, 24.725% and 58.21875%.
The 24.725% figure at maxed skills (and the non-extant command ship) means that the loss of the pilot from an exhumer to a command ship requires about 4 equally skilled pilots in exhumers to break even. I can't really factor in the range bonus, and IMNSHO the cap gang mod is worthless to exhumers. Without a command ship, the figure is just under 5 other pilots. Factor in haulers on a 2:1 basis and you're looking at a minimum of 6 other gang mates for a mining op to benefit from a command ship. (7-8 in a plain BC or other CMD).
Back on topic, CCP needs to decide how small a corp it want's to assist with this sort of ship. I have at my disposal, depending on scheduling about 4 toons that don't mind mining (2 are mine!), maybe 2-3 more less skilled toons that would help if I twisted the player's arms. I'm almost at the break even point for jumping into a drake/ferox with gang mods, except for the lesser skilled folks skew the the equation. Does CCP want to help my sort of corp, or are they shooting for larger operations? Pricing in the billions seems out of reach as well for a small corp like mine.
Wardo21
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