Loadout or More Ship Types?

We need your input on another design choice.

The EoC base loadout that we all know and love is limited to 5 ships maximum. I wish I had time to rewrite this code, but I don't (read that as I have more interesting features to work on).

The other annoying limitation is that the EoC loadout is hard coded and has a fixed number of player systems it will support. So we can modify the current systems but not effectivly add new ones.

So here is the major design choice:

1. We keep the current loadout, the 5 ship limit, and we modify some of the player systems. (Basically what we have today).

2. We ditch loadout as a feature. Instead the loadout is fixed when your purchase the ship. But you can fly a much wider variety of ships. Freighters, destroyers, tankers, etc.

It seems odd to get rid of a feature like loadout, but it might be more fun in the long run. We could create dedicated trade ships, survey ships, or stealthy scouts.

While similar things can be done with varied loadout, your trapped in the same 5 hulls. That means never piloting a transport or a cap ship.

So, just to restate the question: Would you rather have interchangable systems or fly different kinds of ships?

Just a short while back I was all for the 'more is better' solution. More ships, more weapons, more systems etc. But now I am not so sure. I am noticing that much of the enjoyment I am getting out of the game is the actual management of the fleets and operation of the ship. In particular, as I have mentioned, the elaboration of and interaction with the crew has drawn my interest of late.

Having totally interchangable and modular ship systems and weapons also seems a little far-fetched. Does anyone really think that ships supposedly designed to weather all the hazards of space, and a war torn cluster, would have whole systems and weapons (giant, and incredibly complex devices) that could simply be swapped out on a whim? It is beginning to seem a little odd to me. Still, it is kindof fun from a players perspective. And useful.

How about improving ships by adding crew members? Granted it would take a lot of work, but it could be an alternate route.

The Middle States is blessed with a rich background. So there is opportunity to make some pretty cool and unique ships.

Aikenite ships sporting wild paint schemes.
Leung Empire dreadnaughts - cheap, but not so well equipped.
Sultanate Advanced Patcoms - the best, but super pricy and killer upkeep costs.
SNRV for salvaging wrecks or doing rescue missions.

It might be worth brainstorming a little bit on the unique kinds of ships that could be created. We all know the value of being able to change loadout (I mean who hasn't agonized over a cryo pbc versus a gimbal mount pbc ) but it is only balanced against a faint vision of what could be.

I want it ALL. But if you put a gun to my head and force me to choose, I'd go for the option to fly more ships with fixed loadouts, than sticking to the basic five and playing with loadouts. I like the idea of being able to operate a wider range of ship types, knowing the relative strengths and weaknesses of each in a given situation, and knowing that this set of strengths and weaknesses will be more or less the same for everyone else out there.

I also like the idea raised by cambragol of being able to add something to a ship's capacity by adding crew with different areas of expertise, like experience points. If I want to coax a little more power from my engines, I could pay more to hire an engineering specialist, or if I want better range or accuracy from my pbcs, pay the extra nickel for a really good weps specialist. That kind of stuff would be fun, and add a little wiggle room without messing with loadout, if possible.

There are some subsystems that just boost the power of other subsystems. I will have to look into it. I know that some of the "engines" worked that way. We might be able to make use of those to "fake" having better crew.

I don't think I want any of the speaking crew to be hirable. We have very few talking heads and there is not enough for multiples. I wish we did because it could be kind of fun. Ah, if wishes were horses....we'd all be eating steak!

Oh, just had an idea for talking crew... back soon.

I would be open to both eliminating loadout, and keeping a relatively small number of ships. Ship models at least. I would hope to have the diversity playing out in different 'makes' of the same ship. So you could have 3 or 4 types of Heavy Dreadnaught, with substantially different systems and weapons, along with visually distinct textures.

Here is a little shot of the current tricked out HD I am cruising around in:



However, I am still a little certain about dropping the whole loadout. Perhaps I am too used to being able to upgrade a ship in open-ended space sims. Giving up that ability would mean we might have to upgrade or change ships more often. And each time you change your ship, it becomes a little less of a story. The hulk you are flying around in doesn't have any 'history' and thus also lacks much in the way of character.