"So you want to buy a capital-class vessel" Discussion thread

[Athenian]

If you've just joined us, welcome to Discovery.

In case you're wondering what this thread is actually about, this is the discussion thread for this posting which is pinned in the Rules section of the Forum. It is the work of several people.

These are guidelines based on the very positive, and not so positive, comments made in various threads by people too numerous to list here (though I have to mention del, ivan, globalplayer-svk, laowai, unselie, snapp, akumabito, scornstar and jinx). Based on what advice people contribute, Ill amend this main post (below). There are certainly very experienced capital ship pilots on the server, both faction and non-faction, and I think it might be an idea to pool some of the wisdom. Any errors are my own. And I havent given examples from my own experience because I would prefer that others would do that. If there are any errors please let me know. Cheers korrd for cleaning this up and pinning it.

ANY SUGGESTIONS OR FEEDBACK SHOULD BE POSTED on http://discoverygc.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17460

Youve worked hard and saved harder. And now youre docked on a base or planet, the ship purchase window is on screen and youre hovering over the BUY SHIP button. This isnt like the previous times youve changed ships. This time the ship is a capital ship - it is going to cost you anywhere from 120million to almost a billion credits, depending on the size and make. A capital ship is the fruit of many hours of game-play, a lot of sacrifices and a great deal of dreaming. But before you buy, lets check a few things out.

Capital ships look good on paper and they are amazing to behold. Well they should be, but the value of anything is reduced the more of that thing you have. You wont be the only person on the server flying one. Hopefully youll be a better commander than some of the others.

Compare the stats for the first ship you ever flew in Freelancer (the starflier) and the ship youre thinking of buying. Looks pretty impressive, doesnt it? In fact the scale of the difference can easily lead you to believe that a capital ship is like a more powerful version of every ship youve flown up until now. Dont be fooled into thinking that youre invulnerable. Just because you are bigger doesnt mean youre meaner, tougher, and have anymore rights than anyone else on Discovery. Bombers WILL tear you up with relative ease, other capships will get you, and asteroids are going to become the bane of your existence.While capital vessels might be tough to beat, they are easy prey to an organised enemy, especially one fielding bombers. Youre going to need friends to adequately defend your expensive ship.

Dont be fooled into thinking that a capital ship means greater freedom for you. Characters with generic i.d.s (mercenaries, pirates) cannot purchase capital ships. So to fly one you have to carry a faction i.d. It goes without saying that even then the model of capital ship you purchase will be restricted by the faction i.d. you carry. But the story doesnt end there.

One of the reasons official factions become official is because they carefully regulate the use of capital class ships among members. Its a pretty broad generalisation but generally speaking the more responsibility and restraint you show, the more likely you are to be trusted with a large ship.

If your capital ship isnt in the faction, people are going to wonder how the presence of your huge and powerful new ship is going to affect them. Capital class ships require a great deal more responsibility than any other ship in the game. The onus is going to be on you to justify having the ship. Every move you make, even jumping from one system to another will be subject to scrutiny. Just as the presence of a warship could drastically alter a countrys foreign policy, any slight move you make could alter peoples perception of you and your faction. What have you been doing in Discovery up until now? Pirating? Trading? Hunting? Looking for trouble? Discovering? Do any of these in a capital class ship and people will want to know why.

You are part of a community - respect is earned, not given because your ship is larger (though you will wonder sometimes if its not automatically given if you fly a ship thats smaller). Respect is earned doubly hard if you choose a capital class ship. You must realise that a great many (but not all) of the players on this server can't stand capital ships and some of them, though they wont often say it publicly, think you are a lesser player simply because you have chosen to fly one. Unfortunately, you will have to put up with it.

You will be rules-lawyered more than other players. Dont get angry or take it personally. Youll be the person with the most explaining to do because you are the one in the bigger ship. Know the rules inside out and NEVER break them.

Your RP will be subjected to scrutiny that other players in smaller ships do not have to endure. You will also be subjected to snide OOC comments in game by players who simply object to your ships presence. All you can do is ROLE PLAY IT - do this, and you ARE the better player.

Read the forums. Study the rules. Itll save you trouble later.

Many people feel that there is hostility between factions and independent pilots. Many players are in fact both.

If youre independent, expect some reluctance, but bear this in mind: there are servers where non-faction members arent allowed play at all. Discovery is an open server, with factions. It is possible for independent players and factions to co-exist and interact well with each other.

If youre a faction member: be patient. As Ive said, a capital ship is the product of many hours of gameplay. Accept that many players will be protective of their ship and disinclined to make compromises. Point them towards your leader and let them take it from there. If someone is trying, then let them try. Offer advice that is constructive. Anyone can detract from the work of others, but it takes strength of character to lead.

Considering the investment of time that goes into acquiring a capital ship, its a high-stakes move for you and others around you. So how can you make sure that you pre-empt problems and enjoy the experience?

Here are some suggestions put forward based on players experiences:

1. Give yourself a cooling-off period before buying the ship. Wait a few days. Theres no rush to get it, and considering how much it could change your approach and how people view you in-game, it might be better to be patient and consider anything you might have missed. Double-check the rules, especially the ones about what a capital ship can, and more importantly, cant do.
2. How active a player are you? Have you interacted with other people in-game? A capital ship announces your presence rather boldly, and brashly. If you dont know the people around you, it may seem like a crass way to announce your presence.
3. Are you aware of the zone of influence that your ship will be operating in? Establish it and limit yourself. Like I said, theres less freedom with capital ships, not more. What is the ship going to be doing in each system? No more exploring with the freedom you had in the ships you flew previously. Moving around is going to be a pain. Anticipate docking problems and getting stuck in bases. Even using trade lanes will require a lot of patience in your part. The Admins, forums and other players will help you if this happens.
4. Who is commanding your ship? A capital ship needs a large crew. Can you name your Navigating Officer? Chief Engineer? In game it will appear more realistic if your ship speaks in a manner that reflects the fact that it is a large ship rather than one character. Even a short list to hand of the main officers will add heaps to your role-play.
5. How are you going to fit out your ship? You certainly will have to think about what enemy you anticipate facing, but for RP impact there are simple things you can do. If a passing ship were to scan it would it notice the crew? The storage of large quantities of foodstuffs and fuel among other things need to keep the ship afloat?
6. Before buying the ship, talk to the leaders of the official factions within the zone you have marked out for yourself. Each faction deals with non-faction capital ships differently, such as requiring that you register your ship with them. See the end of this post.
7. Ask yourself: why am I getting this ship? Bear in mind that it takes acts of parliament to okay the construction of large military ships, even in the present day. There has to be a reason behind such a large engineering initiative. Whos funding the ships construction? Whos going to fund its running costs? Bear in mind that the cost for shield batteries alone is an amount you would have given a limb for the first day you started playing Discovery.
8. The official factions regulate capital ships for their members. Why? Pick a faction, join up, see how you like it and see if you can understand why many factions are disinclined to freely distribute capital ships. I think you might be pretty surprised at how much enjoyment there is to be had from going back to basics, as it were, and flying a star blazer again, but this time with a wingman. (Try the Xeno Alliance if you dont believe me).
9. Write a story. It doesnt have to be a novel, nor should it be three words. But at the very least, get some shape of an idea together behind the history of your vessel so that others can have some understanding of your motives. Do this first. If possible, do it before you even have the creds together to buy a capital ship. Planning will pre-empt most problems. Many players have excellent in-game RP, others put a lot of work into the forums. There are a handful who balance both. You might look at the excellent examples of how forum and in-game RP can complement each other. Now ask yourself: what quality of an impact do you want to make?

Examples:
Teknikal: independent
http://discoverygc.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16515

MonStar the Red: independent, terrorist
http://discoverygc.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5645

The Osiris Class Chthon, an OPG vessel
http://discoverygc.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17536

The LNS-Las Vegas, a Liberty vessel: independent
http://discoverygc.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17521

The RM-3 Mahashakti.ESS
http://discoverygc.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16390
10. Combat: if you stumble into a battle where fighters are involved, its not a server rule but its usually polite to ask your team mates if they need your help - or at least hold back until you see they need it. Fighter and Bomber pilots like to square off into duels and your presence can tip the balance of power greatly. Scan your enemy and detect if there is any real threat to you. Threaten before you give the command to open fire. And be prepared for a fleeing enemy to insult you for bringing what some might perceive to be a gun to a knife fight. Sometimes theyre just being sore losers. Dont lower yourself to their level. They often are envious of that comfy commanders chair youre in. If you do get destroyed, remember your ship has plenty of facilities for your crew to escape, such as pods and shuttles. Dont get frustrated when your wonderful vessel lights up the screen. Stay in character and type orders to your crew for a few seconds. Click Respawn. See, its not gone permanently. Get re-building.
11. Role-playing means exactly that - you are playing a role. This is, in effect, an adult version of Lets Pretend, like film or the theatre. On Discovery , we cant see or hear each other (unless youre using teamspeak). What little dialogue you choose to broadcast on screen is going to give people a pretty instant taste of how seriously you regard the game and how willing you are to go along with the rules of the game. If you can read this you are more than likely pretty literate. Dont dumb things down. Why say lol when you can describe a characters movements and body language? Lol and chat like that will paint you as unimaginative. And might get you shot at. Its overdone. A cap ship is an excellent platform for VOCAL role play: you have time to type, NPC's cant really hurt you (or cruise disrupt you half the time) If you really like talking in character, you have chosen a ship that makes it a LOT easier. IF you dont even try - people will notice and it comes across as laziness on your part. Remember this is first and foremost a Role Play server. You are not in a sweaty and cramped cockpit. You are in a comfortable chair on the deck and your crew look to you to lead. Play it more like Jean-Luc Picard than Michael Schumacher.
12. Now what are you going to do? The perennial problem with having any particular power is deciding when and where to use it. Use it sparingly or it will lose its effectiveness. But be prepared for the occasional moment of boredom with your ship. It closes many doors to you. You would be well advised to use a different character slot for your capital ship; this will save you the embarrassment of having to fly a dreadnought through Colorado when you want to visit your old friends on Denver.

FINALLY Happy that youve done your part? Now go buy it. Enjoy. Come back here and let us know how you got on. Share that hard-earned wisdom with others.

Official Factions and Capital Ship Restrictions:
Thanks Del for this information. Please note these are not binding by server rules but player factions will be upset if you ignore the restrictions they have put in place. This is not a complete list.

Outcasts - the 101st

Battleships require approval from 101st Command, specifically from Epyon the Bored.
All other Outcast capital ships must be registered here: http://discoverygc.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16312

Corsairs - TBH, OPG and the Benitez

Currently under negotiation.
A statement by some of the Corsair factions is at: http://discoverygc.com/forums/index.php?sh...c=17530&hl=

The Order - Black Squadron
Black Squadron requests that Order pilots register on http://discoverygc.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=22991
The Osiris Battleship is restricted by Black Squadron Admiralty and approval must be sought from DBoy

Zoners - TAZ

No restrictions

Rheinland - the Rheinland Military

The Rheinland Battleship is considered illegal to own unless by a commanding officer of the Rheinland Military player faction.
All other capital ships require approval from RM High Command, Virus or DBoy

Red Hessians - The RHA and the Hessian Tears

Require authorisation from either Blodo of the Red Hessian Army (RHA) or Ors of the Hessian Tears (HT)

Liberty Navy - the Southern Alliance, Liberty Police Inc. and the LSF

All capital class vessels operating within Liberty require registration.
House Military vessels are banned from Liberty space.

Liberty Rogues - the Liberty Rogues

No restrictions. However I think Del (faction leader) has made some pretty worthwhile general observations
Lane Hackers - the Lane Hackers and the Hellfire Legion

It is suggested to request permission from the Lane Hacker player faction before buying the Lane Hacker gunship.

Junkers

No restrictions although it is generally frowned upon to be flying a capital class vessel under the flag of the Junkers without a good RP reason.

Bretonian Armed Forces - the QCRF

The QCRF requests that capital ships be registered here: http://discoverygc.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=22869

Mollys - the Union of Gold

No restrictions

Kusari Naval Forces - the KNF

Ship's Captains above Gunboat class must send a formal request to [KNF] High Command before entering or acting in Kusari Core Space - Kyushu, New Tokyo, Honshu, Shikoku.
KNF High Command can be contacted at http://discoverygc.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6405
Other Kusari Factions - the HG, GC and NovaPG

Require you to be a member of Hideyoshis Guard (Exile) or the Golden Chrysanthemums (Kuraineo). Remaining members of Nova Power Generation are also permitted to use these vessels

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Former member of "the most paranoid group of people in the community"
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