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« on: June 25, 2023, 12:15:29 AM »
Fielding civ ships sounds like a playstyle niche akin to Derelict Ops to me. I do like the cargo-based combat bonus idea, but I don't think it should be encouraged as a general playstyle.
The idea that pure logistics ships could act like moving objectives has its merit. Something to make combat interesting for trader playstyles. At the same time, smuggler and pirate playstyles expecting combat to happen could invest into combat freighters, more reliable in combat if not as effective logistically.
There is still a design space opportunity to make logistics ships matter in lategame fights. Basic Prometheus has hints of this with its design, so perhaps actual dedicated high-end military logistics hulls could be introduced to ingrain these concepts into the game. As another example, I truly loved my exploration base Invictus build in my last run, and hulls like Apogee, Venture, Odyssey or the capital Mk.IIs do come with a hint of this flavor, too.
The more I think of it, perhaps some capital-sized ships should take up the logistical burden in military fleets. If logistics ships became "moving objectives", then it makes sense for combat anchors to double up on their role. For trade fleets, "moving objectives" would represent a unique combat challenge. Meanwhile, "cornerstone capitals" would rid military fleets of the mundane dead weight pure logistical ships represent, if at a premium. Exploration fleets are already taking the middle road with ships like Venture and Odyssey. I think there is quite some free design space if Alex ever picks up a similar approach.