There appears to be less and less players to shoot at and steal from every day that goes by. In the spirit of "Field of Dreams"-"Build it and they will come." Add the player piloted capships even if it's only the Trident for starters and I'll bet the player subscriber rate will increase tremendously. Thus giving myself and the other regulars not only something new but something we're losing, other players to shoot at.

Note: I know this is most likely in some other suggestion thread, I looked for it, didn't find it.

-1 to the OP.

Surely, cappies will be a great addon...

Re-thinking, tridents are easy to implement, and not terribly unbalancing, since:

-Pilots have no guns
-Loading/unloading of cargo is done by players, with auxiliary vessels (XC,etc)
-Limited storage AND docks
-Can be owned/shared using keys

Problems to solve (new ones)
-Can't dock. What to do with your trident when log off?
--> Simple solution: Add option to a NPC come from nearby station, pilot leave from docked ship, NPC "warps away" into safety.
--> Elegant solution: Creates only in capitol systems, space docks, big enough for docking capships.
-Remaing problems already covered in that other topic

Cap Ships are one of those things that need to be done right or not at all. I imagine that the devs are putting a lot of thought into how to properly implement them and fit them into the game.

I imagine that the devs are putting a lot of thought into how to properly implement them and fit them into the game.

Yeah - 6 years and counting of it :P

"There appears to be less and less players to shoot at and steal from every day that goes by. "

It may appear that way to you for some reason, but there is no mass exodus of players. Statements like yours won't help build the playerbase though.

I don't see why everyone thinks this is what would make the game

-take a moth
-find whatever samo is left in the universe and fill it
-try to fly around

it's that fun!

I know there's no mass exodus of players, but there are less. Since I've come back I've seen a constant stream of trial players coming and going. The most common reason other than being cheapskates that they leave are the fact you can't pilot a capship. I'm not saying that capships would "make the game", the game is already great, the pvp aspect is great, and being able to pilot your own ship period is great IMO. Capships being piloted by players is something that that many players have been asking for since when? 2004-2005? It's not going to kill the game or anything, it's going to improve it. Pvp in fighter craft will not cease to exist. Traders flying moths will not cease to exist. Adding capships would bring the players closer together as they would need each other more for protection escorts and gunners.

I can only think of 3 issues the addition of capships would create:

1)How do you dock to load/unload and repair?

Create a point near the station (say 100-200m) similiar to a "jump point" that the player pilots the ship to, when they reach that point they click activate the ship vanishes like any other ship docking. Using the same in station interface that already exists.

or:

You buy the ship in the station. It magically appears in the sector just like a npc capship does for an escort mission, except it remains stationary. You fly out and dock, load your cargo on it with a moth or whatever you're flying. Take control of the ship through the Tactical screen and a "key" that allows only you to pilot the ship. The capship stays "in game" until you log out. That way you have to park it in a safe place and take care of it while online. When you log out it warps to the magical place that all npc capships go to when convoy escort missions end, only to reappear when you log back on. This method would require a capship to self-repair slowly (if only in station sectors)or to be repaired with a repair module mounted on another ship.

2)The pilot has no weapons to defend him/her self with?

So what, niether does a Behemoth XC? Get others to man the turrets. You go flying without the turrets manned or without escort you're welcoming someone to blow up your pretty new capship.

3)Who gets to buy them and what's the price tag?

A. Anyone of sufficeint license level?
B. Guilded players only? (not fair to players who want to remain independent or can't find a guild that they want to be in)
C. Anyone of sufficeint license level that has collected the items required to build the ship and the credits to pay for the construction? (this one would create massive hatred amongest players that spend endless hours getting things together to build the ship only to have it blow up after it's first jump)

PRICE: IMO at least 5 million credits and up.

*There could be another station created in each of the capitol systems. A "Ship Yard" Station, the station the capships are constructed at. The only place you could buy a capship.

A dev once said something like this on 100:

Building the interface for capships is nearly like creating another VO.

And yet, guides have flown them before. Nobody expects them to work great at first, especially if the Devs flag the issue of them steering like crap.

Building the interface for capships is nearly like creating another VO.

only if they are thinking in capship as a tactical center for a wing of fighters, or squadrons, and also controlling radar, turrets et all from one screen.

How to solve it?

Forget commanding Flagship concept for now. Make it simply another ship:

1)Interface: Use exactly same controls as now. Yes, it will be sluggish to respond, it is just like piloting an oil tanker ship.

2) Restrict to tridents and connies. They are bigger, slower moths. For easier implementation, make player-owned capships have NO shields. Add it later.

3) Defenses: Allow one to use his own turrets. Also cappies are a perfect fit for teamwork, as guilds (not restrict, but prefers guild-owned), so they must defend trident.

4) Loading/unloading done manually. Need to enable controls to load/unload cargo exactly like in station. Make it a single, unified storage = anything unloaded belongs to capship, any owner can load anything.

5) Docking/Repair : Use same concept of a Tugboat. When approaching port/station, ship's captain radios a request for a tugboat. Then a bus departs from station with an NPC. Once NPC docks and players leave, tugNPC takes capship to docks - unreachable for players.
After some time player can send same message to same station and his cappie warps back in, repaired and reloaded.

6) Prices:
1Mc trident
5Mc Constellation

I've flown every kind of capship on the test server. You can't dock when piloting a Connie or a HAC, and only sometimes in a Teradon and Trident. They are not very fun to pilot, the only fun thing about piloting them is the knowledge that I'm piloting a capship.

"I know there's no mass exodus of players, but there are less. Since I've come back I've seen a constant stream of trial players coming and going. The most common reason other than being cheapskates that they leave are the fact you can't pilot a capship"

I'm curious about how you get this information, and how piloting a capship that flies badly and would require resources far beyond the reach of a new player would make a difference.

If they dropped the capships on us today, I would expect about 4 days of novelty, and then a whole lot of kvetching thereafter.

I'm curious about how you get this information, and how piloting a capship that flies badly and would require resources far beyond the reach of a new player would make a difference.
Consider a person who's dream, for whatever reason, is to have a big capship. They look at VO and find out they can't have one. Why should they bother playing? They can't get what they want. If they could have one by saving up a lot of money and resources, then they would have reason to play. They might not be able to achieve their dream within minutes of starting the game, but they could do it eventually.

As for the undesirability of flying a capship, I agree, those people are weird. But then, look at all the people who actually enjoy trading and mining in VO. Those people don't make any more sense to me than the capship people do, but they exist.

Cap-ship pre-orders!

"The most common reason other than being cheapskates that they leave are the fact you can't pilot a capship"

"I'm curious about how you get this information"

I get this info from what I see them say on 100.

Things like:
"I'm not paying to play this game if I can't own a capship."
or
"If I can't have a capship, I'll just go back to playing "The E word""
"This game would be so much better if I could own a capship"

That's where.

I'm not trying to bash VO Whistler. I want to see the player base grow and the game get better and better just as much as anyone else who plays. It would be great to see the people who quit over because they can't have a cappie stick around.
My 11 months away from the game was partially over this.

Some made up quotes are your trusted source of undeniable data about what the newbs of vendetta want?
That's pretty sad.

Genka, please stick to trolling; your talents are wasted on stating the obvious in such a matter of fact manner.

Yeah made up quotes of things I've heard said in game.
("source of undeniable data?" I love that)
I like Lecter's "REMAIN CALM! ALL IS WELL!!!" post the most though :)