Diversifying Money Making Opportunities And Removing Activity Reliance

[Grumblesaur]

I need to figure out exactly what the mechanics are that Freelancer uses for NPC transports and what they have in their hold. I'm unfortunately pretty sure it's rather simplistic, but I would love to have a setup where, for example, occasionally near a mining field you'd see a battletransport with a few thousand ore in it, but it'd have a full proper loadout, aggressive AI, player-grade armour, and escorts with the same. You could stand to make a pile of money... or you could end up getting completely splattered a dozen transport Charons if you're not paying attention.

(not my idea mind you, jammi proposed this somewhere and I like it)

This would certainly give transports a place in PVE, both on the P side and the E side. Seeing transports used for shooting things stronger than the usual nuisance NPCs that disrupt lanes may be useful for future endeavors in balancing them for combat. (That is, more data points for players to report, as they'll be flying them for purposes other than mindless power trading).

There may also be ways to make smaller transports (like the Gull and the Mammoth) better for NPC piracy than a big, bulky Pirate Train or Luxury Liner. If not better, then at least to give them a different role or playstyle besides "be weaker and make less money".

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A way a lone a last a loved a long the riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay,
brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.