Maybe the limit on the skill could be reworked to be a limit on the number/quality AI cores rather than on DP i.e. you can have as many ship hulls as you want but only a certain number of AI core officers with higher level cores being worth more.
My idea for a rework of the skill along this theme:
First, a more generous limit on the number of automated ships in your fleet, and exceeding it provides a more gradual reduction to base CR, rather than the pretty sharp loss you currently suffer for exceeding it.
- Something like 40 as your base limit,
without AI cores counting towards it.
- This means you can take a max CR radiant, which would be a
very powerful addition to your fleet.
(maybe making this skill close to on-par with the alternate skill choice in some situations with only this change)- Even if the DP limit and rate of maximum CR loss for exceeding the limit remains as-is, just stopping AI cores counting towards the limit would be imo a good change (when combined with the changes outlined below)But any automated ship without an AI core installed can only receive the "full assault" or "retreat" orders, and will follow a relatively simple aggression-oriented AI.
- Intent here is that you can bring a whole mass of automated ships, but you have somewhat limited control over them to balance that out.
You also have a limit to the "value" of AI cores you can install on ships. The "value" that an AI core would cost, would scale with type, and the size of hull it is installed in.
- Value would have a baseline cost of 1/2/3/4 for hull size, and AI core type acts as a multiplier 1.5/2/2.5 with a value capacity of, 10. (values made up on the spot, but should give a rough idea)
- This would allow an Alpha Radiant at your cap for "officered" ships, or if you prefer the ECM/etc bonuses from pure officer spam then you can take 4 Gamma+2 Beta in frigates. Or anything inbetween.
- Possibly derelict drones could have a reduced "value cost" (50%?) as they are... kinda bad.I think this proposed rework of the skill makes it so you have actual choices when using automated ships, you can go for a radiant, or grab a bunch of the lesser ships and would even give a reason to use Derelict drones, as a sentry or two loaded with salamanders would provide some reasonably useful support fire, while not massively reducing your ability to deploy the more exciting remnant ships.
