the last suggestion I'd make is something EV had: if all else failed and you were really stranded, you could self-destruct your ship and launch an escape pod. Instead of a game over, you just ended up at a non-hostile shipyard, short all of your cargo and fleet, but with a brand new shuttlecraft and your accumulated credits intact.
Hmmm... As a self-serving and slimy captain, I personally love the idea of being able to strand my fleet to save my hide. Even better if the fleet begins to explode behind me like when losing a battle.
taking your chances on who, exactly, answers the call would be very entertaining.
For example, placing a call to lure in Pirates would be very amusing, if we were allowed to do so at will; it'd be even funnier if a friendly showed up and said something like, "Hey, you guys already have plenty of fuel... why am I here, exactly?" and if a military fleet answered the call (they usually shouldn't, imo, unless there's nobody else around) and the player has fuel, then they should be pretty suspicious, perhaps even knock down player rep a bit. After all, that kind of behavior is what a pirate would do, and it would feel appropriate to the setting.
This would be a great tie-in to the currently unused (under-used?) reputation system. Especially since the loss in reputation could be funny, a mild setback, or even result in a war depending on how strained your current relations are. Additionally, this game needs LOTS of pirate options should the player make that choice, so using distress signals at will to lure in fleets is so very
pirate-y.
Building off of that, perhaps having a 'scientific' vessel such as the Apogee with its advanced sensor suite could detect if the incoming fleet is hostile, like in FTL. Also similarly good for when the situation is reversed and the player responds to a distress call, potentially preventing falling into a trap. Although this could be toned down to keep some of the risk, maybe just showing the fleet size so you know if it's less risky to approach.
there should be a hullmod that allow you to burn your personnel into fuel !
...
What ?! i dont care about those monkeys, my ship is more important. Decompose them into atoms and make fuel with it
I loved how disposable goons were in S.P.A.Z., and I hereby officially support this stupid and unlikely idea. Heck, we could create an entire in-game economy based around, er,
renewable fuel.
New from the makers of Soylent Green, Mähnpower Biofuel!
Have too many crewmembers? Turn the unused manpower into useful Mähnpower with our quick and easy biofuel generators. Entirely renewable!**Renewable resources require food, habitation, and several years wait.If we ever get an option to split our fleet, that could provide another nice option during a fuel crisis. Leave your main fleet behind and take a single frigate to the nearest resupply station. Come back with tankers.
For the owner of a big fleet it would be a nice throwback to the beginnings of a game to have your survival depend on a single little ship once more.
The early stages of the game are so much fun, so being able to go back, even for a limited period would be refreshing. The added thrill of knowing that my fleet is on the line would help create that feeling of urgency that is so often falsely manufactured by game developers but is so much more rewarding when it occurs spontaneously out of a situation.
I really hope there is going to be a "fuel gauge" somewhere on the screen. It would get old quickly to have to check your fuel levels in the fleet screen constantly.
Same for supplies. Once we're having to keep an eye on both of those, opening the menu every three seconds is going to get old. (It already is, but running out of supplies is only mildly risky compared to the threat of an imminent crisping, which I personally imagine to be
far more severe than piffling CR loss.)