You can probably buy complete kits from players now if they are interested in selling them. I would say one billion isn't going to cut it though.

The whole "interested in selling them" is where that falls on its face. Very few sell anything, even less if they release the new models, as everyone will value parts more than creds. Furthermore the player to player economy is completely F'd due to the small # of active players. I agree that a billion would be low when compared to say an old TR1 pricelist, however the devs need to decide what matters more: a game where a handful of vets stay on in their cap ships, with a few new players joining for a month when the games promoted on their app store, or a game that keeps players engaged in MMO space combat. Vo is not going to be able to contend with the graphics or gameplay of games like star citizen, and their only chance imo is to make it so you can get EVERYTHING fun in game without subjecting yourself to hundreds of hours of content you want nothing to do with. If more people can get caps, without becoming glorified space truckers, the game would become enjoyable for new players who right now are quitting because the whole reason they play is for combat and simply wish to try every role in combat available. Its not like having to purchase one would make it easy, just easier. I also think gameplay for current dent capt. would become more fun with some actual capital class battles. Right now most dents are being used to build other dents, and that's sad and boring when larger scale fights are the best part of this game.

It's not as simple as just making them purchasable. The real problem is the total labor involved in making them. See, we want a real, meaningful economy in VO, one where people who like manufacturing things can manufacture and sell things and feel that they've gotten fair pay for their efforts. Money is really just a stand-in for time and energy. If it takes months of labor to build a Trident, then on average it must also take at least an equivalent amount of combat/piracy to make enough money to buy a trident outright; ideally it would take a bit more, so that people have actual incentive to build one.

IMO, the insurance system should be removed, and the burden of crafting Tridents lessened significantly (make it a weeks-long process instead of months). That would both make them easier to obtain, as well as more costly to lose. It would make selling Trident Kits a hell of a lot more feasible, especially considering the game's shitty support for bulk player-to-player trading. It would also remove the completely RP-breaking magic that makes Tridents such nonsensical things right now.

On a related note, I think it is intended that eventually, progressing high enough through the military ranks would result in you being granted command of a capship. It might come with certain rules and restrictions about where, when, and how you can use it though. The devs have also expressed an interest in letting people board and steal capships.

+1 pizza. This would be an alternative to my suggestion that I would support %100.

Returning from the dead to add my ideas, as before. (Please don't cry on how much you missed me!)

First, the roles:
-I don't see the Trident as a real combat capship, so its main weapons really does not matter that much. 1 or 2 ports, capital/large/small, really little impact.
-First obvious role is a freighter. Think of a Moth: remove everything not required to haul cargo to free space. 1200cu, no shields, no main weapon, etc... and smallest hangar/docking bay! Unable to Repair/Reload small ships!
-Second role is a support ship. Stronger weapons, turrets, shields, and average docking bay. Just like now existing model. Can RR.
-Third model would be a carrier. Less weapons, weaker shields but largest hangar. Can RR and re-equip small ships (change loadout)
-Fourth possible specialization would be a miner. But i don't like this idea at all. Instead, just add mining turrets.

So, the models specs, I'll call it F,S,C for freighter, support, carrier:
-Cargo Bay: 1200/F, 600/S, 400/C
-Main weapons: 2T/F, 1L4T/S, 1L1s4T/C
-Hangar (ships, RR): 2s,NO/F ; 4s,RR/S ; 12s,RR,L/C
-Max,Turbo speed: 50,170/C ; 55,180/S ; 60,190/C

+1 for getting rid of the insurance and adjusting the build accordingly.

IMO, the insurance system should be removed, and the burden of crafting Tridents lessened significantly (make it a weeks-long process instead of months). That would both make them easier to obtain, as well as more costly to lose.

Yeah, I'd park mine for good if I had to build *every* replacement. Not worth it even if you cut the build down to 1/10th what it is now. The value just isn't there in the end product.

How big of a hamper on your gameplay would it be if you had to gather crap to build every corvult that gets lost in a beautiful explosion? This is why I never bother with Superlights.

-10000 to this. Make them purchasable or crank the cost up if the game needs a credit sink, but crafting every single ship is ridiculous for something as crappy as a Trident.

So, the models specs, I'll call it F,S,C for freighter, support, carrier:
-Cargo Bay: 1200/F, 600/S, 400/C

Alloh, maybe you've been away from the game for too long, but a "carrier" that can only hold 2 small ships isn't much of a carrier. Maybe if the devs change it so that the cargo hold and docking bay are separate again, we can have differentiated capital ships. Until that happens, a good carrier is also a good cargo hauler.

Getting rid of the insurance means you won't see many tridents flying anymore.

I sell cap-ship parts quite often, it's my main income, I don't do any other trading anymore. The economy is starting, but there are gaps, and they will hopefully be filled in time. It's hard to get new builders to understand the idea that they don't have to build every part themselves. My main bottleneck is getting SSS fast enough.

ARF, that should be the concept. Just tweak the number, but basic idea is to choose either to use internal space for {shield generator || cargo || weapons || docking bay}

-Hangar (ships, RR): 2s,NO/F ; 4s,RR/S ; 12s,RR,L/C

freighter only fits two ships (players), cannot reload/repair, weakest shields, largest cargo, small acceleration
combat holds 4 ships, can reload and repair, strongest shields, average cargo
Carrier can take up to 12 players/fighters, can reload/repair/re-equip/paint ships, average shields and smallest cargo, but also should be the best acceleration

Now with a carrier you can transport all active players from most guilds, and spit 12 fighters by surprise, while a freighter does not allow enough players to man all its turrets at once.

It would be good to mess with turrets placement and quantity also, but I don't expect GS to be changing the visual models, so no longer version, different turret, etc...

releasing player owned capships before fixing the economy is what made the game sux period.
Adding more capships now is totally stupid in term of gameplay.

Getting rid of trident insurance is the best move for the game. All the current trident pilots will quit (i.e. basically all of the regular players) and then it will finally be financially viable for Vendetta to become F2P. Lots of new users will flock and the game will be a success once again when the devs add tridents as a purchaseable upgrade.

#businessplan

Or just make the game f2p now and make the SCP, X1 and XC purchasable upgrades along with Guass 3, Chaos Swarms, Gemini's, AAP's and Ravens, Hive Posi's and Gat's. Neural Nodules for all 3 hive, samo and aggregators. SSS bundles!

There is plenty of opportunity for micro transactions without limiting it to uninsured tridents.

make the SCP, X1 and XC purchasable upgrades

Only if you charge for each and every single one. ;P

Alloh, you are an idiot.

no need to get rid of trident insurance, just make it more realistic. The financial burden of building one is rediculous but then to rebuild it's completely on the opposite end of the spectrum. Add a 0 to the insurance cost. 5 mil deductable. Then trident owners will think much more strategically about using them in the game, and the reward for taking one out will be that much better.

as far as overloading them making cappacity difference less of a value, get rid of the requirement for the pilot to always be able to dock regardless of the amount of space left in the ship. Instead , take 200cu away from the cargo capability of the dent. This is owner reserved space and can only be taken up by the owner of the dent. Done, no more overloading

Now that we've cleaned up the overpowered aspect of tridents in general, we can deal with variants.

The combat trident shouldn't be a combat trident at all. Rather a defensive support ship. We dont want to remove the role of fighters and other one manned ships in the game. Instead, give it a couple special shield turrets (one on each side) that have a very rapid refire rate and really good auto targeting. You dont want to bulk up the armor very much because the ship is slow enough as at is and being more of a defensive ship, it needs to get in, take a beating, and get out in a hurry. Refueling fighters and such along the way. As far as engines go, make the charge rate to the battiers be lower than type M, due to powering the special shield turrets.

The hauler trident isn't really needed as a hauler. The current type M has had that role for years and does it pretty well it seems. Instead, reduce the cargo hold (not counting owner reserved space) to only hold 200cu. The hauler trident then becomes a literal hauler. Most of the space is taken up by massive engines and batteries charged by a minimal reactor. Armor is light, and shields are weaker than Type-M. These dents are fast and nimble. Their role is less of a carrier and cargo vessel and more of a missile/torpedo bomber. Specifically aimed at attacking other dents. They have a number of turrets on the port and starboard sides (4 each) equipped with non-energy weapon type turrets. The idea here is players will dock with ec89's or similar tiny ships to fit in the small hold as many players as possible. They man the turrets. The pilot rockets into battle and engages enemy cap ships. Taking down their shields and then bailing before the same is done to them.

That's my useless two cents on the matter. That and make it possible to hire NPC turret operators. The cost of which vary on skill (and accessability varies on your faction standing at the particular base you want to hire them). Make sure NPC turret operators attack only those ships that attack the trident, or any ship that the trident owner attacks and never attacks key holders.