Thoughts
Paul has been struggling with balancing carriers for a while. Here are my thoughts on how they could be balanced.
First off each carrier has x small ships based on the number of modules correct? These small ships should count toward the logistics cap in the fleet. Maybe not at full value but, they should count. Otherwise it's almost as if you could have a fleet with 120 logistics ships (assuming you just filled a fleet with small ships) but, in reality it may only be 20 logistics points.
Additionally I think it should be limited per hull type tiny and small ships shouldn't be able to have carrier modules by design after all how can tiny and small ships carry additional small ships here are my limit ideas...
Limits Should Be
0 - tiny and small
1 - medium
2 - large
3 - Huge or Cargo
Current What I can do
For instance in my current game I can build a carrier module on the following ship types...
1 carrier module on a tiny ship? Really how can a tiny ship carry small ships?
3 carrier modules on a small ship? Really I can stack that many hidden ships on a small ship? Doesn't seem right.
What does everyone think?
Ideas from the replies so far...
Something needs to be done with carrier modules.
- Most seem to be okay with limiting carrier modules per ship type or greatly increasing cost/size of modules.
- The fighters on carriers should be tiny and or count some against logistics cap.
- If fighters don't count against logistics cap, the modules should.
- Enemies should target carriers if in range.
- Carriers should be a little more powerful than ships without carriers.
Fighters should not be the best of the best.
- Instead should be either created from a pool selected by the player.
- Should only re-spawn over time or in (ZOC) or by docking at a shipyard/star base/planet.
- Fighters should have their own tech tree to be researched.