"Make me a fighter" module.

[AvorionCraft]

Idea for corvettes.

The idea wouldn't be for force multiplication, but for utility.

Build a 3 slot ship that's say (in the scenario I'm thinking) made entirely for mining or salvaging that has no real jump capability that docks to a mothership.

 

It works in two parts:

• Command Module-Goes on the mothership
  • Command Module also acts as a fighter pickup teleporter.
• Subordinate Module-Goes on the small ship
  • Subordinate Module also acts as a fighter outbound teleporter.

The small ship links to the command module upon docking the first time with a regular dock.

 

In theory (for single player at least) you could have a dozen or dozens of them. 

For multiplayer it would be significantly less due to server limitations.

 

Hard limits:

• Command Module will not work with a ship with less than 12 slots.
• Command Module can only control command ship slot count / 1.5--max 10 maybe?.
• Subordinate Module will not work on a ship with 4+ slots.
• It would require a special docking block--parasite dock.

 

I see a possibility of a main fleet rolling through a system and departing, while a large ship with several wings of salvage fighters rolls in and undocks 3-7 ships and drains the system of resources like a plague of locusts. With enough tech, these could be quite formidable in certain aspects, and potentially even formidable in battle scenarios.

 

Alterations to the idea could also be differing grades of the modules:

Command Module

• Petty (Requirement, 12 slots)
  • Command Module Acts As a fighter pickup/teleporter 
  • Linked Subordinate Module Equipped ships can swap out equipment as if the mothership was an equipment dock while docked with the mothership
  • +0 Parasite
    • +1 Parasite Perm
  • +0.5km pickup range (Does NOT function as a transporter!--but transporter module enhances this)
    • +0.5km Perm
• Common (Requirement, 12 slots)
  • Command Module Acts As a fighter pickup/teleporter
  • Linked Subordinate Module Equipped ships can swap out equipment as if the mothership was an equipment dock while docked with the mothership
  • +1 Parasite
    • +1 Parasite Perm 
  • +0.75km pickup range
    • +0.75km Perm
• Uncommon (Requirement, 12 slots)
  • Command Module Acts As a fighter pickup/teleporter
  • Linked Subordinate Module Equipped ships can swap out equipment as if the mothership was an equipment dock while docked with the mothership
  • +2 Parasite
    • +1 Parasite Perm
  • +1.0km pickup range
    • +1.0km Perm
• Rare (Requirement, 12 slots)
  • Command Module Acts As a fighter pickup/teleporter
  • Linked Subordinate Module Equipped ships can swap out equipment as if the mothership was an equipment dock while docked with the mothership
  • +2 Parasite
    • +2 Parasite Perm
  • +1.5km pickup range
    • +1.5km Perm
• Exceptional (Requirement, 12 slots)
  • Command Module Acts As a fighter pickup/teleporter
  • Linked Subordinate Module Equipped ships can swap out equipment as if the mothership was an equipment dock while docked with the mothership
  • +3 Parasite
    • +3 Parasite Perm
  • +2.0km pickup range
    • +2.0km Perm
• Exotic (Requirement, 12 slots)
  • Command Module Acts As a fighter pickup/teleporter
  • Linked Subordinate Module Equipped ships can swap out equipment as if the mothership was an equipment dock while docked with the mothership
  • +4 Parasite
    • +4 Parasite Perm
  • +2.5km pickup range
    • +2.5km Perm
• Legendary (Requirement, 12 slots)
  • Command Module Acts As a fighter pickup/teleporter
  • Linked Subordinate Module Equipped ships can swap out equipment as if the mothership was an equipment dock while docked with the mothership
  • +5 Parasite 
    • +5 Parasite Perm
  • +3.0km pickup range
    • +3.0km Perm

Subordinate Module

• Petty
  • Acts as a fighter outbound teleporter
  • Allows link to Command Module
  • (Must be permanently installed, can not be removed once command link completed while command module is active)
    • Removes ship from ship count once command module is active
    • Now counts as a fighter
  • Boost hull and shield by 25%
• Uncommon
  • Acts as a fighter outbound teleporter
  • Allows link to Command Module
  • (Must be permanently installed, can not be removed once command link completed while command module is active)
    • Removes ship from ship count once command module is active
    • Now counts as a fighter
  • Boost hull and shield by 25%
  • +2 Defensive Slot
• Uncommon
  • Acts as a fighter outbound teleporter
  • Allows link to Command Module
  • (Must be permanently installed, can not be removed once command link completed while command module is active)
    • Removes ship from ship count once command module is active
    • Now counts as a fighter
  • Boost hull, shield, and energy generation by 30%
  • +2 Defensive Slot
  • +2 Unarmed Slot
• Rare
  • Acts as a fighter outbound teleporter
  • Allows link to Command Module
  • (Must be permanently installed, can not be removed once command link completed while command module is active)
    • Removes ship from ship count once command module is active
    • Now counts as a fighter
  • Boost hull, shield, and energy generation by 35%
  • +2 Defensive Slot
  • +2 Unarmed Slot
  • +2 Armed Slot
• Exceptional
  • Acts as a fighter outbound teleporter
  • Allows link to Command Module
  • (Must be permanently installed, can not be removed once command link completed while command module is active)
    • Removes ship from ship count once command module is active
    • Now counts as a fighter
  • Boost hull, shield, and energy generation by 40%
  • +2 Defensive Slot
  • +2 Unarmed Slot
  • +2 Armed Slot
  • +4 Auto-Turret
• Exotic
  • Acts as a fighter outbound teleporter
  • Allows link to Command Module
  • (Must be permanently installed, can not be removed once command link completed while command module is active)
    • Removes ship from ship count once command module is active
    • Now counts as a fighter
  • Boost hull, shield, and energy generation by 45%
  • +3 Defensive Slot
  • +3 Unarmed Slot
  • +3 Armed Slot
  • +6 Auto-Turret
• Legendary
  • Acts as a fighter outbound teleporter
  • Allows link to Command Module
  • (Must be permanently installed, can not be removed once command link completed while command module is active)
    • Removes ship from ship count once command module is active
    • Now counts as a fighter
  • Boost hull, shield, and energy generation by 50%
  • +3 Defensive Slot
  • +3 Unarmed Slot
  • +3 Armed Slot
  • +6 Auto-Turret
  • Allows a 4th module slot

Rarity:

Cannot spawn outside of core.

Edited September 29, 2021 by AvorionCraft

[MoreChainguns!]

I feel like this would be balanced due to the sheer difficulty of GETTING ships. So, you would really have to grind to get more than a few ships docked to this mothership.

One question, though - how is this fundamentally different from just docking regular ships to one, bigger ship?

[AvorionCraft]

Those regular ships don't launch via fighter command.

Those regular ships must be manually told what to do individually or via strategy screen with click/drag commands.

Those regular ships can't do things like mine/salvage and transfer their retrieved resources/cargo to the mothership without manual intervention like fighter craft do.

Those regular ships can be any size, whereas these are limited to 3 (4 with legendary module) slots only.

Made a couple of edits

Those regular ships count as ships, wheras these parasites count as fighters once linked.

It would be possible with this to equip a 12-15 slot ship with multiple command modules, meaning it would be possible to load a ship with as many as 60 parasite ships, which would then count as fightercraft. Many servers have fighter craft limitations, so these could be total fighter replacements or simply addition to fighters.