Is having many ships really useful ?

[Guss De Blöd]

Hello everyone,
There's this question in my head that I've been thinking of for quite a while now.

Is having more than 2 or 3 ships useful ?
Let me explain myself
This game CLEARLY Isn't going to be like Eve, where, in fleet, you can lose a ship only to go back pickup another one and come back, I've checked my eve- assets 2 days ago and I still have more than 50 ships....

But when it comes to SC, I see this game more as a Freelancer or even ED , where you have one ship and fly it from place to place, eventually you'll have a fighter or something to fleet up with people but you won't need more than 2 or 3 ships. Imagine if you go live at the other end of the 'verse, how will you bring all your ship there ?

I even think people with more than 10 ships will end up selling most of them or just put them in a hangar, never touching them. Thing is, CIG makes money almost only by selling ships, so they really try hard to sell their new toys to us. But will we really need these ? I do not think so, but if you ask devs/community managers, they have to make it looks like we do need these ships... because... It's what get them a stable income.

I also read people telling me a lot of "good reason" to buy many ships, but most of them, frankly, sounds like excuses "yeah yeah... I bought a third carrack because imagine if my friend wants a carrack, but then my other friends wants one, I have to be able to lend it to him ! " (I'm exxagerating but you get the point ), I think actually people just like collections, which is fine, but some should really stop looking for excuses and admit they just want an internet spaceship collection XD

What do you guys think ? what's your opinion about this "personnal fleet building trend" ?

 

[that_frog_kurtis]

We should have all stopped buying ships two years ago. We'd have a playable PU right now if we'd done that. If only everyone was as cool as me and you Guss, we could have saved StarCitizen

 

[AstroSam]

Answering your question: no, it it not. Since we all are not "having" ships but pledging for the development of a game, it is more the question: does it make sense to give more money to CIG instead of only 1 x 80 Dollars for a starter package? This one every person/fan/"backer" has to decide for him-/herself. (yes! ;) )

Looking to the ships: I'm having those which I'm interested in. But wouldn't it be more fun to grind for them within the game? We will know when the game will be released.

For CIG there are two facts: 1. MOA money. 2. a good diversification of ships within the verse. Would be fun, always with 24 Auroras flying around, wouldn't it? ;)

 

[AeroGrizzly]

It's my under standing that we aren't "buying ships" we're donating to the cause of an awesome game, and CIG is giving us ships to play with as a thank you.

 

[supitza]

I aim for a fleet of 2-3 ships: 1 small personal transport, 1 big profession ship (tbd once we know more, atm it's a toss between Hope Endeavor and Crucible) and maybe a fighter.
If I could afford to buy more, I probably would, but I'd still try to keep my fleet rather small.
Once the game goes live, I imagine I'll start investing in my ships - buying upgrades and such, and I don't want to spread too thin. Quality over quantity.

 

[AeroGrizzly]

Quality overy quantity?! Heresy! This is TEST!!!

 

[AstroSam]

It's my under standing that we aren't "buying ships" we're donating to the cause of an awesome game, and CIG is giving us ships to play with as a thank you.

This.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

All of the above, there is nothing we are receiving now which can't be got in-game with a few tens of hours play, ships are thanks for contributing to a crowd funding initiative.

However, you ask a interesting little question there - If I choose to relocate my base and my fleet of 3 ships, one avenger, one aurora, one Connie, I am going to have exactly the same problem as someone who has 50 ships...

So assuming they don't have an instant porting ability because video-games...

Well how do people move house in reality? For starters there are going to be Hull series ships that can pack up smaller craft and move them en-masse in crates. You will also have the larger ships with a hand full of docks - find a Javelin going your way and they may be happy to carry your stuff for financial reward.

Also, hireing others, players and NCPs, to fly your other ships to the new star system would also work - but how can they get back to their ships? Well, its known Passenger Services are going to be a mechanic in the game, there are going to be star liners and huge passenger ferry ships which can take people from A to B, and if you have enough ships, is it going to be too much trouble to fill your Starfarer with the help you hired and give them a lift back to the old hangar?

There may even be NPC companies to help you move or do it all for you.

Yes, it'll cost money but moving house costs money. Yes, it'll be stressful if not organised right, but moving home is stressful. Choose where you want to live and live there, if the conditions change and it is no longer nice to live there, like if the Vanduul invade, find somewhere better and live there instead.

We are talking mechanics that will have been thought about but not implemented yet. Hell, they could change the hangars to being a computer console, a pile of blueprints and a 3D printer. Log in, feed your old ship in to the Printer as raw material and print your Cutlass in to a Hornet. I hope they don't do that, it would ruin all my upgrades, but it would be a solution...

 

[supitza]

I don't think it's about the money. Yes, we're pledging for game development and we also get ships.
I think the question was: why would you pilot 1 ship while 30 others sit in your garage and gather dust?

 

[AstroSam]

Because I wanted to give CIG the money for developing the game?
And because I don't know what I want to do lateron.
And because I just wanted to have 'em.

 

[Crymsan]

Personally I do not think you are wrong at all, i.e. the ability to fly more than one ship will be limited. I also think that for myself where game time will be more restricted than cash having the ability to have a cargo ship, a miner, an explorer or even god forbid a combat ship from the start means I will be able to experience those aspects of the game when I choose too. Do I think I have got a massive advantage over someone with more sense, no. Will upgrading one good ship be more beneficial than owning lots probably. Anyways there is no doubt I am helping keep people employed although not as much as some!

I do believe I can use several hangers around the verse so to speak but I will have the issue of moving the avatar. (It does look like there will be NPC taxis of some sort.).

 

[AstroSam]

I'm pretty sure that this was mentioned in one of the former 10ftC beginning of this year.

 

[Varku]

Well, i guess you can hire multiple NPC's to fly your fleet, so you could do a whole mining operation with a miner ship a cargo hauler and security with your own fleet, should be cheaper to do it this way, than to hire NPC's and their own ships.

 

[Guss De Blöd]

It's my under standing that we aren't "buying ships" we're donating to the cause of an awesome game, and CIG is giving us ships to play with as a thank you.

That is not what I see when I talk to people, they're not thinking about the pledge at all, they're mostly thinking about the ships. Maybe when buying a new ship a little part of their brains says "I'm giving them money to finish the game anyway, this is not just buying myself a ship" , but mainly what they think about is : OMFG NEW SHIP IT S SO COOL I NEED IT I WANT IT.
I'm pretty sure almost nobody would donate if there were no ship as rewards, so this point isn't valid to me.

Well, i guess you can hire multiple NPC's to fly your fleet, so you could do a whole mining operation with a miner ship a cargo hauler and security with your own fleet, should be cheaper to do it this way, than to hire NPC's and their own ships.

"you can hire NPC to fly your fleet" , they say it'll be something eventually, but I think this is extrapolating a lot to assume it'll really be a thing. Plus a NPC piloted ship must be an easy target for pirates and stuff.

 

[Thugari]

I look at it like this, Each of my ships have a role to play in the verse. Sometimes I feel like exploring, maybe some mining, hauling cargo. or even using my terrapin to spai in the name of test. I have my roles covered for when the game hits. I admit that there are more ships I want, but those give me some things to save for in game.

 

[AstroSam]

Maybe when buying a new ship a little part of their brains says "I'm giving them money to finish the game anyway, this is not just buying myself a ship" , but mainly what they think about is : OMFG NEW SHIP IT S SO COOL I NEED IT I WANT IT.
I'm pretty sure almost nobody would donate if there were no ship as rewards, so this point isn't valid to me.

You are absolutely right! But unlike your understanding it is the most valid point! But it is not about the ships, it is about the message CIG is transporting by the "ships". They are building something ultra-cool which never was there before. And they are proving a) that they are doing it, building a Universe, and b) that its, well, ultra-cool. Lets face the facts: if they would only post now an then a space wallpaper, no one would spend a dime. But they let us participate in this production, which "open book development" has no equal project in history. And they need to do this, because we are the kind of "board of directors". There is no huge single investor who has his hands at the ermergency breaks. This investor are we. And I'm pretty sure, if everything would lead to a wrong path, there definitely would be the possibility that even we could use the emergency break. Thus, CIG has to satisfy us, every month, to make sure that they are doing the best things with our money. What better prove could there be but not "giving" us backers those ships into our virtual hands? This strategy is brilliant and it is valid, because everyone finally wins.
And the chance, that Star Citizen will NOT be released and allll the money - 30, 3000, 30000 Dollar per backer - is gone, that chance is NOW by somewhere at 0,01% ...

 

[TexasSkulls]

Hello everyone,
There's this question in my head that I've been thinking of for quite a while now.

Is having more than 2 or 3 ships useful ?
Let me explain myself
This game CLEARLY Isn't going to be like Eve, where, in fleet, you can lose a ship only to go back pickup another one and come back, I've checked my eve- assets 2 days ago and I still have more than 50 ships....

But when it comes to SC, I see this game more as a Freelancer or even ED , where you have one ship and fly it from place to place, eventually you'll have a fighter or something to fleet up with people but you won't need more than 2 or 3 ships. Imagine if you go live at the other end of the 'verse, how will you bring all your ship there ?

I even think people with more than 10 ships will end up selling most of them or just put them in a hangar, never touching them. Thing is, CIG makes money almost only by selling ships, so they really try hard to sell their new toys to us. But will we really need these ? I do not think so, but if you ask devs/community managers, they have to make it looks like we do need these ships... because... It's what get them a stable income.

I also read people telling me a lot of "good reason" to buy many ships, but most of them, frankly, sounds like excuses "yeah yeah... I bought a third carrack because imagine if my friend wants a carrack, but then my other friends wants one, I have to be able to lend it to him ! " (I'm exxagerating but you get the point ), I think actually people just like collections, which is fine, but some should really stop looking for excuses and admit they just want an internet spaceship collection XD

What do you guys think ? what's your opinion about this "personnal fleet building trend" ?

Well perhaps this game will be MORE like EVE than you allude to. For example, in EVE I probably have 600 ships. COMPLETELY unnecessary. However, out of those 600 I really only have a staple of maybe 5 "go to" hulls that I'd use regularly, and the rest are for pure luxury when (if) I decide I want to fly something new. Those 5 hulls I use all have a designed, specific purpose, like a fleet doctrine or hauling cargo or solo PvP. Bridging this back to SC, I honestly believe most only have 2-5 ships, and those 2-5 ships are likely the ones that would get used often and for slightly different reasons. Those of us with more, perhaps many more, will still probably only use maybe 3-4 regularly. We buy the others either to sell later, to collect, or for the luxury of being able to fly any of them any time.

 

[Carlos Spicyweiner]

Way back when,(last year)I started noticing that I was spending BSM(Big Stupid Money)on jpeg spaceships. So much so, that under one account, I have now accumulated 25 ships(8 of which are attached to game packages), 18 of which are flight ready. I realized that I had a problem after the dragonfly sale, and thought about starting a support group. But then I found out that I can gift some of those ships essentially to myself, in the form of the 8 game packages I own. This is going to enable me to divide these ships up into specialized "companies" engaged in single activities that I wish to pursue, i.e., exploration, cargo movement, mining and salvage, with fighters attached to each "company". This way, I hope to avoid boredom by rotating professions. At least one of my companies will be diversified though, and able to respond quickly to which ever market is trending up. Now I'm just wondering if I have to download the entire game for each game package I activate!

 

[Lexicon]

Way back when,(last year)I started noticing that I was spending BSM(Big Stupid Money)on jpeg spaceships. So much so, that under one account, I have now accumulated 25 ships(8 of which are attached to game packages), 18 of which are flight ready. I realized that I had a problem after the dragonfly sale, and thought about starting a support group. But then I found out that I can gift some of those ships essentially to myself, in the form of the 8 game packages I own. This is going to enable me to divide these ships up into specialized "companies" engaged in single activities that I wish to pursue, i.e., exploration, cargo movement, mining and salvage, with fighters attached to each "company". This way, I hope to avoid boredom by rotating professions. At least one of my companies will be diversified though, and able to respond quickly to which ever market is trending up. Now I'm just wondering if I have to download the entire game for each game package I activate!

Renting and loaning are supposedly going to be things in the game. Conceivably you could just rent out your various spacepixels to newcomers looking to get started. Let them make more money than they could normally, while you pull a tidy side-income.

 

[marctek]

I only have a few ships but I look at it like this. Why have a bunch of ships you may never use? Well if you can afford them the question is why not have them? People buy cars all the time that they may not drive more the a few times. Given they are just jpeg ships and not real. But again hopefully people are not playing with money they can not afford to lose. I look at pledging the same as gambling but with better odds.

I'm putting money in for some cool ships that I like and want to fly before the universe goes live. Once it goes live I may never fly some of the ships again. That is ok, they will sit in my hanger like trophies for me to look at.