ShankTank: That's not actually true. I have taken many escorts in which a centaur or an atlas outpaces the bulk of the convoy, and docks minutes before the rest. That being said, my comments were based on JJDane's observations, and if the situation is not as he saw then the problem is less serious.

Thanks a lot for improvement, and a few comments:

-Add the "said" message to mission log (about reward)

-Each sector I stood as gunner should be paid gunner salary, something like 375c per sector.

-Final screen should show a mission balance with reward components (This gets an own post)

*> Convoy MUST follow capship allways (when there is a cappie). Now some convoys started doing so, and looks much better, while cappie provides better cover. Convoy formation should be a 3D ring (torus) around cappie, to ensure turrets coverage.

-Trident needs at least one more turret, at stern, facing back. Make this one a smaller one?

Obvious troll Router6 is obvious.

Otherwise: Great update! I *have* to find time to play again.

No, Alloh, you should not get paid to be a gunner. The automated ship weapon systems are more effective than you could ever hope to be. You aren't hired on escort missions to ride along in a turret, you're hired to fly escort.

I'm not against a gunner escort mission... but it should be a separate mission (and pay less).

that just makes it so people are able to ride along in capships with their xc full of shit again and still get some money. Unless inc puts in something that either auto kicks you from a cap ship and repairs you or wont let you take the mission with certain ships

Unless inc puts in something that either auto kicks you from a cap ship and repairs you or wont let you take the mission with certain ships

...which is all too complicated to deal with. Let's just do without a gunner mission, mmk?

...which is all too complicated to deal with. Let's just do without a gunner mission, mmk?

It's pretty easy to say in the mission description "The capital ship doesn't want a heavy gunner. As such, only Centurion or EC class ships are allowed to man the guns for this mission." The wording is a dash rough, but it's really not complex at all. Or you could do it by weight... say ships weighing under 5,000kg could dock/gun. We're just talking a line in the mission and an if statement in the code.

Hmm

We're just talking a line in the mission and an if statement in the code.

I'm sure it isn't that simple, it could be done much simpler though, just do not allow Behemoths to dock. It is afterall the only ship ingame which doesn't have a viable combat role.

+1 to moths not being allowed to dock.

Moths (and arguably taurs) shouldn't be allowed to dock on cappies regardless of circumstance.

I don't really see why a gunner mission is a necessary or even a desirable thing. No one in their right mind would want to sit in a capital gun turret for a several sector trip under ordinary circumstances, so those of you requesting this feature must have an ulterior motive. Do you just want the 'paid autopilot' feature that the original implementation of convoy cappies provided to stick around, or is it something else?

+2 to moths and maybe other tradeships not being allowed to dock.

I take lots of edras -> latos and back again escort missions and pelatus is littered with storms and douche guardians and after holding off a few of those as my voy goes to the WRONG exit point I do like to have a quick repair in the next sector so i am not against any type of auto repair/eject thing but I am against any type of full dock block.

ladron: I bot with taurs a lot, and if I were taking a HS mission and found I couldn't dock with the cappy, I'd be some pissed. :P But I agree with the general premise, and that, at least for these combat missions, moths should either not be allowed to dock or cappies should spit you back out repaired and reloaded as soon as you dock (this one is preferable to me).

I bot with taurs a lot

That is clearly a symptom of an overpowered taur. Fixing that is a question for another thread. For example, this one.

Why not just disallow trade ships from taking escort missions period?

Player takes mission undocks in in Moth, message comes up...

"What are you high? Yore going to defend the convoy in a loaded Moth?"

Mission Failed.

That's the best solution I've heard so far, Ryan. Include Centaurs and Atlases in the auto-fail list and that basically takes care of the problem.

'Taurs and Atlas can defend themselfs, or run away, and can survive enemy encounters fine if the pilot has half a brain. If the pilot in question has agt+flares he dont even need half a brain!

Maybe just remove tridents from convoys, I dunno, I thought they were introduced into them for testing and stuff, and well, they got war convoys and border wars for that now so yeah, problem solved.

For convoys to make any sense, ships with cargo should NOT be able to dock. But what if you are riding a centurion and pick up 2 hive posis? Another problem is taking a convoy cappie to infiltrate enemy territory safely.

An interesting option was proposed, forgot who did, that the cappie ejects all ships/pilots when it is attacked, or the convoy. But ejecting sleeping (AFK) pilots does not seems nice.

The more I think about it more I like the restriction to internal docking to 10m ships (EC,Cent,Hog) and other ships gets Repair,Reload,Kick while remaining visible.

AND kick pilots causing nation turrets to attack cappies, and traitors.

Maybe just remove tridents from convoys, I dunno, I thought they were introduced into them for testing and stuff, and well, they got war convoys and border wars for that now so yeah, problem solved.

I actually agree with this to some extent, but I'd rather see the core problems solved.