Player Features and Ideas Discussion

As the capsuleer's need for resources grew, their need for transport of such resources also grew. An expansion of Container technology has been adapted to the higher end breed of transport ships, allowing for the expansion of hauling capacity by retrofitting the ship itself to use container technology, expanding on the concept of hauling to new heights. The experimental technology demands an extremely specialized vessel and thus forth all Deep Space Transports have been retrofitted to house such equipment. Due to the risks of utilizing this technology, the Deep Space Transports themselves have been retrofitted with expanded durability, resistances, and survivability.

Due to the technology itself, the cargo contained within can only be safely loaded into the transport in station dock or in the security of a tower. The contents cannot be jettisoned into space (as such an act would tear the ship apart).

I won't go down the whole "Industrial Tiericide", but I will suggest a fix for the deep space transport.

It should become our micro freighter. An inbetween for the Basic Industrial, the Freighter and the Orca, with some limitations.

We know that containers can hold more inside than its actual size (3000m3 GSC can hold 3900m3). The same "technology" has been expanded to Deep Space Transports, though it is very experimental, therefore only the Deep Space Transport can handle the tech.

Essentially, all deep space transports should have 4 holds on it. All equal to what it can hold right now (the m3 inside expandable with equipment and rigs). A rigged out cargohold Occator can hold approximately 35,000m3. The new Occator (same rigs and fit for pure maxxed out), can hold 35,000m3 in each Hold.

Hold 1 (35,509m3)
Hold 2 (35,509m3)
Hold 3 (35,509m3)
Hold 4 (35,509m3)

Total hold on a maxed DST per ship throughout the 4 holds..

If the pilot wants to fit more agility or tank on the ship, they can change the fittings, but all the holds would reduce down based on the removal of the cargo expanders and rigs.

Maxxed out hauling capability of each DST.

Occator, 142,036m3.
Bustard, 122,540m3.
Mastadon, 116,972m3
Impel, 144,876m3

The holds "WOULD BE SEPARATE" from one another. This is not one giant hold (Done on purpose for balancing issues).

DST's cannot scoop loot, nor can it eject can's. It can anchor equipment, but should have the same limitation the freighter's "used to have". Can anchor/launch, can't fuel if its offline (You can read up on the old freighter limitations in the forums).

Now a alternative to the Orca regarding just pure hauling. A intermediary of purchasing and using a freighter.

All DST would get 4 Holds, and would be just under 20 million mass (more viable for wormhole transports). Repair bonuses would be replaced by resist.

Transport Ship Skill Bonus. +4 resistance to Shield/Armor (Racial specific) and +5% bonus Shield, Armor and Hull hit points per level.

Main Questions:

Q) Its too tanky, Resistances and hit points are crazy!!
A) The tank is skill based. if you want a tanky transport, skill into it.

Q) Why can't it scoop loot/Jettison?
A) Balancing issue. Having something that can can flip, scoop a field's worth of loot, carry off a ton of ore/ice from a belt, and have a inherent +2 warp strength would be too strong. Also, in anticipation for a possible Pure Ore Hauler (that and the DST is not a Orca), I would not want to step on its toes. The freighter's used to have this limitation till recently. The Deep Space Transport is literally meant to be a Deep.. Space.. Transport.

Q) Why 4 Holds, why not just 1 hold and just a lot of m3.
A) There is a very delicate balance between hauling M3, masses of ships, etc. The idea here was to address the issues of hauling repackaged ships in industrials. Separating the M3 into 4 holds disallows the transport of repackaged Battleship hulls (50,000m3). The mass limit helps address a few issues with wormhole life, though that may vary.

Q) Ahah!! its a wormhole buff, an UNKILLABLE transport.
A) I once saw a Proteus with a Shadow Serpentis Warp Scrambler (+3) and a +1 long point. With the proliferation of Interdictors, Heavy Interdictors, bubbles and points, I promise you the ship will die in a ball of fire if the person never bothered to get the transport skill past level 1. They'll die in a slightly slower ball of fire if they got the skill to level 3. They "Might" survive long enough to jump back into the hole if they got the skill to level 5. Then again, just jump over and finish them off, the thing align's like a freighter.

Q) Why not just use a Orca?
A) The Orca has its own uses and specialties. There is a need for a pure transporter that is comparable to the Orca, while not replacing it.

Q) Why not just use a Jump Freighter?
A) No one is saying you can't, this is just another option for haulers and a possible viable fix for the Deep Space Transport.

Q) This completely overshines T1 industrials!
A) DST costs between 100 million to 150 million (probably more). a T1 industrial costs less than a million. If you are just getting something small and simple from point 1 to 2, use the T1. If it is something more substantial, you can use the DST. I regularly wind up buying iteron's, fitting them and using them for 2 days, leaving them in the middle of god knows where, then buying another, fitting it and going out. I REALLY can't be doing that with the Deep Space Transport (1 million vs 150 million isk).

Also, those who want to transport and like it now have a new viable alternative. It is a reward to those who decided to go down the industrial track of logistics. Ultimately, they won't replace the T1's, as there are allot of people who will not take a 2 weeks off to train each and every character into a DST (though some would I suppose).

i think the toughest part would be balancing and i think you did well on that. not able to scoop loot would keep the orca as the best mining hauler right now. and having the separate bays would keep freighters in the top slot for large loads.

Good post.

+ Liked

At first I was like NO, but after reading your VERY well thought out balancing act I'm gonna +1 this. There is certainly a GIANT gap between the indy ships (counting Orca as one also) not only in hold but in price. I have a sneaky suspicion that CCP is helping us along the way without saying anything is broken by literally giving the old LvL 5 Industrials away and bringing the Orca down to a 17 day training time. However the Orca is 800 Mil fully fit verses ANY indy at 1mil or less vs T1 Freighter at 1.3 billion vs F*ck off at the cost of a JF.

So to change/add something somewhere (or a few somethings) kind of in the middle for both price and hold is fine by me.

nah, that would be too much cargo for too safe mwd-cloaking travel.
If you have to haul a lot, you should use slow freighter so ppl can blow it up.

Detailed, and easily foreseeable. It makes sense, allot of sense.

+1. I want. Nao.

Perhaps you would care to explain your exclamations rather than flailing around wildly with a half-eaten squirrel hanging from the side of your mouth.

Do I need to say anymore? Deep space transports do not need this nor were they designed for this. Therefore, he is doing it wrong, and since everyone is supporting the idea, the world has gone mad.