Alrighty then, I am going to ignore that you have made a direct jab at me.
Some of my previous post we made quickly before going to work so I am going to write this one out slowly and calmly.
I agree with you latest stat suggestion for transports turrets. Those will help liners immensely. But without the heavy fire power the liners need a hold size to compensate this loss from the other version.
A thruster speed increase is not enough of a compensation. If there is no trade lane I am going to use cruise. If am using a thruster, that is likely because I have been disrupted and being chased or I am in a docking sequence.
I don't fly around in general using my thruster. Very inefficient whether that is at 139 or 199. A liner has next to no strafe ability and dodging incoming fighter weaponry just inst possible.
I do not disagree with your wish to keep everyone from from flying them just because they have more guns and amour vs. comparable transports. Why not jack the bloody price by allot? Make a liner twice as expensive? It will not solve the amount of people currently flying them, but it will prevent them from being the uber choice in the future.
The SU relies on the P-Liner to be our biggest at best. The right to fly that ship is the incentive for my members to want to progress in rank. Before it was the guns that made hold this title. In 4.84 it is the superior cargo. Take both of those away you have a large clunky ship that thrusts at 199. The only redeemable feature that would remain is the vessels look. For all intents a purposes the Pirate transport will be better at the job.
The 199 thrust speed simply does not benefit a liner. You are simply making a big target move faster. (actually the same speed the fighters already move at, and they likely have the same thruster you do) What the liners need to survive is guns and armor. Without those, at least let the darn things make a profit.
@ AoM: Actually that idea isn't half bad. the only problem is that we may have people buying the license and sticking them on trains or something. Of course we still run the same risk the BS license fro those who want a better scanner.
Can probably be solved by making it against the rules to mount a license on a ship other then the proscribed type.
