"The traders: Allow 5k transports only for house trading companies. That would force most traders into house corporations.
"Powertraders" mostly want the biggest ship. We are all powertraders, dont forget this. We want to make money in shortest time - inRP, of course. Nerf the whale to 4500 or so, then other trading factions can get fresh blood."
this one describes a "culture" employed by players when its about "other" people than themselves. - i am certain you just wanted to make a point and that you may not have thought thouroughly about the rethorics. - but i d like to suggest that the idea of "forcing" something or "nerfing" something never works as well as giving a positive incentive.
make house cooperations better by all means - slightly more profit if thats the key ( which i think it is not - at least not entirely )
again - the main reason edgeworld trade ( or even smuggling routes ) are chosen over classic house routes are - that they are easier.
house routes are predictable. - house systems are generally larger than edgeworld systems. - spanning over 100k or so - and it is the lanes that cut them down. - but taking the lane is the predictability.
one of the MAJOR factors also is the NPCs that cut lanes - sometimes every now and then..... sometimes at an annoying rate.
we cannot get rid of the NPCs ( or maybe we can, now that we have cannon ... i wouldn t know ) - but routes are measured with a flawless travel in mind. - and so they are mostly balanced. - so the edgeworld routes are measured with flying from A to B. - the house routes are also balanced towards getting from A to B. - only - in order to get from A to B in the edgeworlds means - plotting a direct course and getting a coffee. - in the house systems it basicly means the same - only - once you re interrupted by NPCs - you have to do a lot more - and your travel time increases unpredictably.
there are some measures that might be done in order to achieve what house routes are meant to be.
in the lore of freelancer, it is said that larger ships suffer the risk of damage from jumpholes. - that is one of the reasons that pirates usually use smaller ships - and that jumpgates are actually build with so much efford.
jumpgates allow the passage of largest transports without a risk to get damaged. - houses put a lot of efford into the construction of those gates.
right now - edgeworld trade is safer - and that IS a problem. - so i suggested to apply a small ( 2-3% maybe ) risk that ships above a certain mass get damaged to all equipment / components when passing through jumpholes.
it would add to the risk in the edgeworlds - and also act as a small reminder that the edgeworlds are perilous. - but it would also act as a little problem for battleships travelling through the edgeworlds. - when a corsair tries to get to ETA, they would run the risk to get damaged on the way two times ( imo - thats OK, but some player would start to moan )
thats the only nerf i see fair and logical to edgeworld trade.
at the same time - buff up the profit of house routes a little. - in general... not just rheinland. - edgeworld trade must be made more risky! ( and i say that as a zoner )
and by risky i don t mean "we need more pirates" - i mean the feeling that its the perilous edgeworlds - and giving houses a justification that they take ages to construct their jumphole systems to allow those million tons supertransports.
after all - there is a reason zoners usually only used freighters in the edgeworlds. - they are safer and run no risk to get damaged by jumpholes.