Transports

[RParade]

.. I was toying around with Transport ships and I stumbled across one that I really found amazing, the Bumblebee Kusari Transport.

I really liked how it handled, and it didn't look bad either. I was drifting about pondering all the cool possibilities with having a tough transport with small gunship-like handling and size, but then later on as I was attacked by Wilde NPC's who maimed me horribly whilst I'm desperately attempting to escape, it suddenly hit me that something very important was missing from this entire series of ship - variety. Fifteen minutes after buying the Bumblebee I find myself wanting to sell it in exchange for the biggest transport available, and then I realized this must've been what everyone else was thinking when they went shopping for Transports...

I think the Transport class of ships needs a little revamping in some areas, like for example a ship like the Bumblebee strikes me as being more of a "Freighter" than a Transport, and while it does have admirable agility n' such, it lacks any sort of significant defensive measure. It would be nice to see a few of these ships tweaked, as in offering them something else other than those boring, generic transport turrets. Smaller ships like the Armored Transport, Bumblebee, and others like them should come with other "utilities" such as CD and torpedo bays. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to even offer some Transport-Freighters multiple torpedo slots like Bombers, honestly. Other larger transports could offer variety in other ways, such as allowing some of them to mount certain types of Gunboat cannons.

It's extremely rare that I ever see a true "running" fight where a Transport is able to fight back against their assailants. Unless you're flying something absurd like the Container transport, almost any Gunboat or Bomber can and will destroy you, and heaven forbid if you happen to be an inexperienced pilot in the cockpit of a Train, because I'm going to be LOL'ing as I pop you horribly with my Slipstream or my unarmored VHF. It would be a welcome change to see a lone trader fight off a Gunship from time to time, or even to see more succeed at a pair of VHF's (or even 1 VHF).

It'd be interesting to see this class expanded some; why can't the Pirate Transport become a truly unlawful vessel by sacrificing some of it's cargo and size for some respectable offensive capabilities? Why can't the same be said for a ship that is "allegedly" designed for such things, like the Armored Transport? Why can't I run about in my hybrid-Freighter-Bomber terrorizing other fellow Transport captains for their sweet loot?

.. Because any fight consisting of Transports is mindnumbingly dull and boring, and forget about balance, because in this class it's almost always gonna be whoever spent more on their ship, wins. Every Transport has the same weapons, the only difference is that some of them have less of them, while others have more hull.