[netburnr]

Originally Posted by Wild_Bill

I'd still like a station ever couple of sectors minimum, since we can't change equipment in flight or reload/repair/refuel without docking.

In case this is an issue, or just because I would like to see it... I propose.

The ability to perform these functions in flight. Perhaps with an AI frigate, perhaps another special reinforcement craft.

I kind of picture it like the super tankers we have that fuel up jets in flight. The whole tube being towed with a nozzle outside your cockpit, how cool would that be?

anyway, just an idea, comment if you want

[dailatron]

Do you mean like the refuel, repair and rearm factories we already have floating about ?.

[Hornet]

Yeah I thought thats what those depots were for. Although ai support would be another lvl of immersion.

[Tim]

Well.. like them, in that they rearm, repair, and refuel you. Unlike them in that they are movable, one doesn't have to come to a stop to use them, they don't depend on your faction tuning the beacon to use them, and pie.

I think its a swell idea, tho I wonder how the repair/rearm would work from a RP standpoint. Suppose there are little men out there fixing the armor and such? Still, the concept of a mobile super-tanker that could top off ab/ff/go-fast-fluid is a nifty one...

[netburnr]

Originally Posted by Tim

Well.. like them, in that they rearm, repair, and refuel you. Unlike them in that they are movable, one doesn't have to come to a stop to use them, they don't depend on your faction tuning the beacon to use them, and pie.

I think its a swell idea, tho I wonder how the repair/rearm would work from a RP standpoint. Suppose there are little men out there fixing the armor and such? Still, the concept of a mobile super-tanker that could top off ab/ff/go-fast-fluid is a nifty one...

Tim gets it. I'm not sure on the RP of the rearmor either, perhaps little nano bots would come off the refuel arm and go all over the ship real fast (would look all sparkly and pretty while it happened)

[Istanbul]

I would love to have tanker and AWACs craft pilotable in game.

[project3wc]

Originally Posted by Istanbul

I would love to have tanker and AWACs craft pilotable in game.

was getting ready to say that. just a movable station ( carrier? ) that a player could fly to support other players on long fights behind enemy lines.

[Istanbul]

I wouldn't say a station sized craft. Just a more combat oriented hauling type craft. A bit higher speed, but lower cargo cap. For the battle refresh ship, have some kind of synch system where the ships join formation with the 'milk' ship, and have a period of time where their fuel/ammo are scaling up. I don't know how I would feel about hull repair in flight, but perhaps system repairs could be done.

[Wild_Bill]

I like it. Perhaps it would show a moving icon on the map so you could see where it was currently located (like swarms?). I don't know that I'd want to fly a cruising gas station, but for those that would like to, it could be very profitible.

[netburnr]

I'm thinking more along the lines of a squad leader being able to run a /ai command to bring out an AI ship...

Or having an actually ship someone can pilot, and keep on the outskirts of the fight. Perhaps have to assign defensive pilots to protect it as well.

[ELPIRATA]

Well, Id go with something that requires skills after all, so my choice/suggestion would be a special player ship that could dock with you and do the 3 services at the same time and a limited ammount of ships it can service.

A ship looking like a hollow transport, you just find the target and engulf the target inside you, then when you stop basically does whichever is necessary. A limited cargo could then hold the 3 sets of basic commodities required for the task.

Pilots could use a special command that would generate a support mission. Also, if no players are available to do that, then the Station would launch an AI drone that would do it.

ELP

[netburnr]

I hadn't thought of a ship with a "docking tube" built in, thats a pretty good idea man, I was more thinking towards a ship towing a "refuel" tube like the military aircraft use.

With the larger stations and docking ports, your idea might just work out