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[Tartiflette]

I saw this suggestion from GlassHand on the Something Awful forum and though it was worth re-posting here:

He proposed that using (D) hulls for smuggling or any illegal activity reduces the odds of getting tracked down. After all, there are many rusty bucket of bolts like this one in the 'verse, its ID has been tampered more times than one can count and it use spare parts taken from as many different ships. Could be anyone's ship.

On the other hand, it's hard to hide who own the only Aurora present in the nearby four systems.

So yeah, (D) ships makes you more visible, but lower the reputation impact of your deeds, and lower the chances of triggering an inspection when dealing on the black market.

[Gothars]

That doesn't go together with the high sensor profile of Ds, which makes them undesirable for smuggling. Generally, those ships are not meant for player use.

I like the direction, though. Maybe certain common ships could get just that as a hullmod: "common". Reduces the suspicion you generate on black markets, and maybe the accuracity with which factions can identify you with transponders off. I.e. the rep impact of your bad deeds.

[Plantissue]

That doesn't go together with the high sensor profile of Ds, which makes them undesirable for smuggling. Generally, those ships are not meant for player use.

I like the direction, though. Maybe certain common ships could get just that as a hullmod: "common". Reduces the suspicion you generate on black markets, and maybe the accuracity with which factions can identify you with transponders off. I.e. the rep impact of your bad deeds.

The flipside would then there should be ships with the hullmod uncommon. Ships which are just so large or rare that they generate chatter by their presence and make it easier to get tracked down.

[Dabor]

The flipside would then there should be ships with the hullmod uncommon. Ships which are just so large or rare that they generate chatter by their presence and make it easier to get tracked down.

This seems like it'd be smoother as a dynamic system if it exists at all. Flying around in Corvus on an Enforcerer with Hound escorts would be utterly unremarkable, whereas that same group in Hybrasil should arouse suspicion. Faction-specific ships or refits (14th Battlegroup, Hyperion/Paragon/Astral/Odessey) should also be highly suspicious - groups from that faction would be extra concerned that your transponder isn't on while you're flying one of their prize ships, whereas factions for whom those ships are enemies would be more nervous. A Tri-Tach trade fleet won't need to identify a fleet let by a 14th Battlegroup Dominator before they get scared.

Yet, an Eagle in Corvus would also be pretty weird. You don't see many of those there, even though they're not remotely rare ships in the game at large.

[nomadic_leader]

Generally, those ships are not meant for player use.

Really think this is the wrong way to go for SS. If you put a ship in the game, don't keep crippling it so much that players can't use it. Let people play in different ways. It's like the civilian grade hull mod-- before there was some chance of an enterprising person using them as stop gap war machines. Now they just get made worse, along with the D hulls which have bad sensor profile.

Why make the worst ships even worse? They are already so much weaker.

[Cik]

yeah, (D) ships should have some advantages. i'd consider giving the mods that make them worse small upsides, like perhaps their screwed up engines make them stealthier (due to lower emissions)

they shouldn't be as capable in combat, but as a pirate ship they should have appropriate benefits. easier to maintain, better sensor stealth in dense terrain, anonymity, etc

they should also probably just be way cheaper, that way you could field much larger fleets of them if that's all you can access and win by numbers and envelopment.