Trading - Brainstorming Changes

[Battlesnax]

I think this thread is great and there's tons of good ideas here. I hope some get implemented.

Some ideas I had to make trading more fun:
- Make it easier for groups of transports to form convoys and stay together so they can RP while they powertrade...(talk about other lucrative trade routes, pirate interaction stories...etc). I mention 'stay together' because when I try to partner up with someone while trading, I usually get bumped or get stuck on a trade-lane while he speeds away. After a few times we get sick of waiting for each other and just split up. So making easier docking on a trade-lane and making the F4 Formation command work better at keeping big ships together would both be good..if that's possible. The goal of this would be to encourage small groups of transports instead of flying solo and lonely all the time and maybe providing a challenge to the pirates for once.
- The idea of a transport/freighter comm channel sounds fun.
- Increasing trade profits might help...money can buy happiness, after all.

Freighter attractiveness:
- Someone earlier posted that increasing the cruise speed and decreasing cruise charge-up time would be a way to increase the attractiveness of freighters and I totally agree. This would balance their worth and productivity with a transport because the freighter would make less profit/run but could do it much faster.
It would also add an interesting dynamic with pirating because if they can avoid the CD's, a freighter could out-run a pirate, instead of just being followed across half the system and then killed when the trader makes a mistake.
- I don't know if this is possible but how about a small (like 30-100 units) secret cargo stash in the freighters that is hidden from ALL scanners? Like hiding some cardamine under your seat cushion. So anyone could be a small time smuggler while they are shipping other goods, adding more value to the freighter.
- I think Liners should be able to carry human cargo as if they had a cargo space per unit of 1 (VIPS could be bumped down to 2 or 3 space/unit). That would actually make them a practical alternative to large transports and justify their cost.

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Let's all just be friends and have a good time.