(05-10-2019, 03:17 PM)Ash Wrote: There are literally dozens of ships that fit your description. In fact several sub-classes.
The salvager frigate is arguably a special ship and certainly one of a kind. The Raba is a signature Hog ship with borrowed heavy transport stats. By copying these stat balances and applying them to new models for lots of other factions you are taking away that uniqueness; not just of the ships, but of their respective factions.
There has to be limits, otherwise there’s little incentive to try out one ship or another aside from the aesthetic.
We're not copying the stats. The ships would have varying sizes, strengths, and cargo capacities, as well as different capabilities. One might have anomaly scanning capabilities. One might have mining capabilities that are limited to the azurite and iridium of omicron delta. One might have no mining capabilities at all. The salvager and raba would still be the main authorities of scrap.
There are not currently suitable ship classes in-game for this role, because the currently existing battle transports are very heavy and slow, making them unsuitable for this role, while the 3k cargo transports are almost suitable, but need a bit of a hull and power upgrade (which would come along with an increased cost).
Heavy transports are more than suitable for the role you’re describing. But if you want agility then light transports are what you need. Both can hold their own against a lone bomber and could be tweaked to carry one of the special functions you’re after. An entirely new transport class won’t make up for poor flying skill in transports.
It keeps getting thrown around that this isn’t about money. Or at least mostly. Then why should the hold capacity matter? Once you get over that hang up, your options will increase ten fold. For a really fun and rounded experience in a shipping class, i highly recommend freighters.
Hell, if you really want to be cancer then look into armored transports.