Fractal Softworks Forum

Starsector => Suggestions => Topic started by: theplayerx4734 on July 23, 2019, 07:00:35 AM

Title: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: theplayerx4734 on July 23, 2019, 07:00:35 AM
When going from mid to late game, when you have a mainly Cruiser/Destroyer fleet, Prometheus are just too slow to keep up with a cruiser/destroyer fleet. And often times, at this point you will have 2-4 Phaetons. With cruiser fuel tankers, you could have 1-2 to support a Cruiser/Destroyer fleet.
Title: Re: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: Megas on July 23, 2019, 09:48:00 AM
If tankers' stats stay the way they are, I would like a cruiser-sized tanker.  Phaeton does not carry enough, and Prometheus is a slow hog that burns too fuel.  Endgame, I bite the bullet and bring Prometheus (and occasionally scuttle if it burns too much fuel when I no longer need it).  For cargo, I do not need Atlas, just one Colossus plus the rest of my combat ships.
Title: Re: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: xenoargh on July 23, 2019, 10:51:53 AM
Wouldn't making a Hull Mod that provides more Burn at a reasonable cost in Fuel solve this problem?

IDK; the whole concept of "need fuel tankers you'll never use in combat" is still troubling me; I feel like this is an area of the game design that's never really been addressed well.
Title: Re: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: TaLaR on July 23, 2019, 11:02:35 AM
The only reason Prometheus and Atlas are even relevant is fleet size cap. In terms of supply-per-month/fuel-per-ly to capacity, Dram/Phaeton and Buffalo are perfectly sufficient.
Background mechanic that shouldn't affect player much, right...?
Title: Re: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: Igncom1 on July 23, 2019, 11:03:53 AM
Yeah I rarely if ever see the support ships as they only appear in battles that I otherwise autoresolve. I'm sure a pursuit battle is fun if you pilot but otherwise you basically just let the enemy go as your AI scoots about.

I love the idea of an almost support fleet to upkeep the combat fleet, as we rarely get to see in video-games where the support elements are just abstracted away. Where's my hospital ships? Command ships? Communication ships and scout ships? I guess the selection of shuttles and freighters can all technically do this now, but it's so abstracted that it exists as much as it does not.

I'd love to have more combat capable or battle variants of support ships as well, just for spice.
Title: Re: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: Vayra on July 23, 2019, 11:21:25 AM
pls a high-tech tanker

pls  :-*
Title: Re: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: Megas on July 23, 2019, 12:31:42 PM
Wouldn't making a Hull Mod that provides more Burn at a reasonable cost in Fuel solve this problem?
No, because capital-sized haulers already drink as much fuel as a battleship, and making them drink even more fuel would really hurt.  (Tugs do this, in effect, but at least it helps all of the slowest ships instead of only one of them.)  If the hullmod is a campaign one that competes with Augmented Engines, Efficiency Overhaul, Militarized Subsystems, and others, forget about it.
Title: Re: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: xenoargh on July 23, 2019, 04:45:01 PM
Ah, there's that.  So, maybe tone down their fuel use a bit, give them a way to get from A --> B?

IDK; in Rebal, they're basically given (weak) combat role, as makeshift carriers, so that players don't have these things they'll never use for anything but stats.  It's kind of cool breaking one out in emergencies.
Title: Re: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: Serenitis on July 28, 2019, 03:18:21 AM
Let's just smash stuff together and see if anything fits:

A Colossus engine block, with 2x Pheaton tank assemblies mounted side-by-side on the front of it.
Basically unarmed, except for a couple of 'afterthought' mounts on the tank structure.

A Falcon engine block with tanks replacing the 'wings'.
The rear small weapon mounts remain. But everything else is gone, and would only be after the fact bolt-ons on whatever structure can support them.

An Apogee spine, with tank assemblies mounted one on either side so the only weapon mounts left from the Apo are the two rear mediums and the central small hardpoint.

A Mora with all it's bays stripped out and replaced with tanks, and all the port-side structure replaced with yet more tanks.
All it's starboard-side weapons remain intact, while it's only port-side weapon to remain is the single small mount just forward of the engine.

A Heron with it's bays and 'wings' removed and replaced with tanks.
The rear small mounts remain. As do the medium and the forward-most small.

A plain old Starliner conversion.
Title: Re: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: Midnight Kitsune on July 28, 2019, 08:54:42 PM
A plain old Starliner conversion.
Instead of a swimming pool full of water, it is a swimming pool full of antimatter!
Title: Re: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: Serenitis on July 30, 2019, 09:47:34 AM
Instead of a swimming pool full of water, it is a swimming pool full of antimatter!
Fairly safe!
Title: Re: Cruiser Sized Fuel Tanker
Post by: Midnight Kitsune on July 30, 2019, 02:35:04 PM
Instead of a swimming pool full of water, it is a swimming pool full of antimatter!
Fairly safe!
I bet you could make one HELL of a cannonball splash!