Well while Motoko's arguments is valid from inRP perspective, gameplay point why big haulers defenceless - is encouraging convoys. What we need - make them armored enough, and maybe protected from torpedoes. But not powerful enough to deal with bombers in solo.
Haulers which can win, already exists and they called Battletransports, Armored Transports/trains. Some of them have problems, like OC BT turns tooo slow, which make hard convoy coordination, and some BT very long to use turrets aim properly. But generally they able give some fire back and succesfully reach destination point. With proper setups they able troll snubs and eat newbiecruisers.
Also there is whale, which can try utilise his CM module.
Big transports should be just balanced in way, where they after setting of CAU could be able take enough shoots, and not die to give escort time for dealing with attackers.
And, tbh, there absolutely no points to fight with pirates on haulers, if your target just earn cash. Really combat vessel needed mostly for unlawful logistic and smuggling, or flying in warzones.
^ How about making them 15-20k Haulers and can only haul base building materials, F/O/W, base Crew and materials for factories to chew up to spit out product. Give it the agility of the Luxury Liner OS&C has with the same trade lane targeting computer. Keep the speed the same as well. This would make it to where Official Shipping Tagged Factions have a niche that can't be matched by someone that wants to do it alone.
Lets say if Indie ID with 5k delivers Ships Hull for 3 million over material cost per load and Official Shipping Tags can do 15-20k on the same route for 6 million, which one would you choose to hire? Side note: Also write in the ID line" Can only haul 10k for all other commodities that isn't Base Building and Factory related except for mined products. No Ore allowed." This would make it where Official Shipping Tags have something to do when there are no Job boards active. I think this might bring back Shipping factions.
Oh, it was in vain removed the barges from mod, mod did not become better, it became worse. RP was not become more, but people on the server just become less.
Oh man, found these forums after 10 years of not playing...I had a barge, flew it for months. The SSFailboat I called it haha. While, yes, i definitely did OORP silver sellings (although it wasnt TECHNICALLY ooRP) to the french and made BILLIONS, it really really enabled me to enjoy the game, my RL friend and I were able to build a player base (The Event Horizon) and get it going, just the 2 of us with the help of the barge - without the barge we wouldn't have had a snowballs chance in hell of keeping that base stocked well enough to survive. It was how we enjoyed the game, and man did we enjoy it. We've thought about coming back to play again - maybe a little more RP style and not so credit hungry, but flying around in 5k transports is just ..boring.
There's a certain magic when you have a barge and the ability to move massive amounts of resources, granted its a nightmare doing so, it has to be used as a not-so-movable base, I kept it stricty to deep space, no trade lanes, no jump gates, hardly ever really moved it under it's own power. Only used the group jump drive if we were to move it. It really was just a staging ground to dump resources that we could eventually move to a different system, i.e to supply our base.
Anyway, if the massive ore dumps (we'd make half a billion a trip IIRC) arent possible anymore then I say lets bring SOMETHING like it back, 5k is just too small to be your end-game storage. Granted, i'm thinking the game needs(ed) some sort of storage platform..whether it be storage tanks rented from factions, a big ship like the barge that really cant be moved except via jump drives, or a lesser version of a player base thats just used for storage and not manufacturing. Something that can hold a lot of resources either securely in controlled space (like rented from a faction) or at your own risk in deep space. Having a little 'home' or plot of property that was yours, secretly tucked away was just so much fun, for me.
Anyway, sorry for the rambling.
TL;DL - I had a barge, it was amazing, please implement some sort of massive storage platform
