Parasite Ship Integration

[AvorionCraft]

So....docking two ships together does not do what I expected.

Docking is NEAT. The expansion possibilities here to essentially give a mothership "subsections."
A second type of docking would be fantastic, as well, parasite dock, so that way we wouldn't accidentally undock everything

Edit: Another note---By Parasite Dock, I mean "until a human clicks a button to undock." When I tell one of my stations to repair me and it says "well, I better undock the other stations attached to me to do this." It makes zero sense.

Suggestion: Further improve the mechanics around docking ships together.

Presently, if you dock two ships together, the parasite ship's turrets are not functional unless the mothership has enough control links to operate them on its own. This doesn't make sense. Links for engines, gyros, thrusters work, but it all stops there. I attempted to tell my docked ship to mine, but it doesn't have a captain. So I added a captain and told it to mine. It undocked instead. Parasite dock should be a thing. I don't want them to undock, I want them to have a specified purpose. Yet, the larger ship can be ordered to go mine things (with fighters) without undocking from the parasite.

So I suppose I'm suggesting two things. Better docked ship control, and/or better docked ship integration. 

I understand the potential balance issue with this suggestion, that's why I'm also suggesting limits.

DOCKED SHIP INTEGRATION

Core Systems

• All excess energy produced by parasite is fed into mothership at 25% loss.
  • EG: Parasite has 100MW available not in use, 75MW gets transferred into the Mothership
• Engines, Thrusters, Gyros, all operate as if the parasite is part of the mothership.
• Shielding transfers at a 25% loss
  • 1000sp = 750sp
• Academy and cloning no loss
• Torpedoes--torpedo storage transfer only
  • There is potential for serious torpedo boat here, but I think that could have undue effect on server performance, so no 9-parasite 100 torpedo salvos.

Crew

The crew should act as one as though they're all part of the same crew. Captains would of course stay connected to their ships. 

Installable Subsystems

Ratios of Power Loss/Gain for interconnectivity to the mothership, interconnectivity ratio. 

I wanted to cover the concept with mass generalizations instead of offering an idea that the quality of the subsystem improves it. I figured that would be cool, but something for later. For now just the basics.

Most of the idea is that anything that is "Data" related would carry over with only the cost of power. Anything "Energy" Related  like shields/batteries would have a loss in transfer. Anything that directly upgrades a specific system (like engines) would not carry over, and anything that is unique/storybound would be required on the mothership (like botton drive smacker thingy).

• Radar 1:1 50% increased power cost
  • 1:1 meaning that mothership gains the bonuses that the parasite ship has directly, like increased radar range
• Object Detection 1:1 50% increased power cost to mothership
• Scanners 1:1 50% increased power cost to mothership
• Chameleon 1:1 50% increased power cost to mothership
• Mining Scanner 1:1 50% increased power cost to mothership
• Sphinx 1:1 50% increased power cost to mothership
• Tractor Beam 1:1 50% increased power cost to mothership
  • Tractor beamed items go to the mothership's cargo bays, since the cargo is connected.
• Shield Reinforcer 1:4
  • If a reinforcer offers 100% increased shields, it only applies a 25% bonus to the mothership's shields.
• Shield Ionizer 1:4 
• Shield Polarizer 1:4
• Energy to Shield Converter 1:4
• Internal Defense 1:4
  • 50 guns becomes 12 guns (always rounded down)
• Battery Module 1:2
• Engine Upgrades 0:0
  • No engine upgrades from a parasite ship may effect a mothership, its a physical upgrade, not electrical
• Velocity Upgrade 0:0
• XSTN - Artifacts all vary
  • XSTN I - Mothership only
  • XSTN II - 1:2
    • +4 unarmed or armed turret slots
  • XSTN III - 1:2
    • +5 armed turret slots
  • XSTN IV - 1:2
    • +5 unarmed turret slots
  • XSTN V - 1:2 
    • +15% generated energy
    • +12% battery recharge
    • +1 Armed Turret slot
    • +1 Unarmed Turret slot
    • +12% Shield Durability
    • +1 Jump Range
    • -7% Rechage Energy
    • +15% Cargo Hold
    • +15% Velocity
    • +0.05 Km Loot Collection
    • +1 Deep Scan Range
    • +2 Radar Range
  • XSTN VI - Mothership only
  • XSTN VII - 1:2
    • +100% Energy Production
    • +60% Battery Recharge
  • XSTN VIII - 1:5
    • +2 Hyperspace Jump Range
    • -10% Hyperspace Cooldown
    • -15% Recharge Energy
• Hyperspace: 1:5
  • EG If a hyperspace booster offers +20 Hyperspace Range and -40% cooldown, that becomes +4 Range and -10% cooldown. Any other effects tied to the device like radar range would also be effected by 1:5 instead of 1:1 that radar has on its own.
• Sales 1:1 - If a parasite ship has data, it can transfer it to the mothership
• Unique upgrades will not carry over and must be on the mothership

DOCKED SHIP CONTROL

Simply put, adding in a second docking method "parasite dock" that locks the parasite to the ship period. That ship no longer has control over its control systems but has control over its turrets, fighters, shuttles, torpedos, etc. 

Edited February 15, 2022 by AvorionCraft
nerp

[Shadow Wolf]

On 2/9/2021 at 4:21 PM, AvorionCraft said:

ng that is "Data" related would carry over with only the cost of power. Anything "Energy" Related  like shiel

You aren't wrong, your idea is similar, but not entirely what I had in mind in terms of having a ship courier (mothership, star carrier, etc...) I was thing more along the lines of... When a ship is docked to another ship. All but the most basic systems needed to run that ship are shut down in a manner of speaking. It is, in some way attached or held in place by docking clamps on the exterior of the carrier ship, and all functions and controls are essentially handled by the transport ship. Essentially, that carrier ship would only change in mass, and thereby the required energy needed to produce thrust and/or to make a jump, which could be supplied by that docked ship. A capability to transfer crew, fighters, and any cargo (including torpedoes). Both ships would still be separate entities, but so long as the smaller ship is docked to that carrier transport, it's incapable of moving or acting on it's own. Shields are powered down or minimal (less than 25%) all turrets are inactive. If that transport ship is attacked and destroyed while the ship(s) are still docked, all ships docked are also destroyed. My reasoning for all this is a combination of thinking more realistically and strategically. This would allow one to dedicate a ship specifically to transporting other ships across the sectors but would provide a reason not to always have a ship docked to another, and it would give incentive not to just jump into a combat sector and deploy a massive fleet of ships. Instead, you would jump your carrier ship a few sectors out, ideally in a safe sector controlled by you or an ally, undock your ships, and then jump into combat.

I believe in this way you would have a combination of balance and utility.