Barge use in the modern age.

[DSE-]

Given the absolute nerfing of Barge usability what use are they?

1. In the new age... how are barges to be effectively used?
   
2. Can they traverse the deep outer areas of space?
   
3. Can they even go through every system without physical restriction?
   
4. In other words are they now a waste of time?
   

[TheKusari]

I mean, the only use I get out of mine is to resupply my base within the same system. Though that's because I'm lucky to have sell points for the stuff I need.
Outside of that, Barge is more or less useless for actual transit between systems.

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Discovery's Best Faction:  Starfliers
Second Best: Liberty Navy 46th Fleet

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[DSE-]

There are two thrusters on the barge. Reputed to give it a boost up to 280. (Cruise speed is 100 max). They don't seem to work. Incomplete rework? Trolling of barge owners? Total mistake?

[Eichy Bumm]

I have a base in Dublin which I used to service with my Barge. I could go through the JG from NL, but that is destroyed. I could go through the JH from Leeds. in spite of the asteroids and rocks, but that is no more. The only way in is through the JH from NL. No way through.

Thrusters only get you to the usual 44 max, but have a longer thrust time so that is an improvement.

These beasts were designed to travel through the harsh environment of deep space, but can't if there are asteroid fields blocking its passage at so many jump holes.

[monmarfori]

At least, a Barge full of Cardamine went from Omicron Alpha to Pennsylvania safely, even with the recently-added inability to use trade lanes. So they still have some uses.

[Chenzo-]

Without lanes the barge is basically useless.

Pending admins giving refunds to all those mugged out of their hard earned time.

UNLESS: Cruise speed is buffed to at least 250+...

JH's moved around to accommodate.

Then again, no surprise the devsair systems already have large channels made through asteroid fields for the barge to pass easily.

How about some equipment on board the barge to make it "refine" goods? a miner can then directly mine on to a barge and the barge refines as it goes..

Open to anything at this point.

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[Lucas]

Seen several occassions of a Barge being used to :
-Store ores in Mining
-Store materials from Uncharted Systems
-Be used to supply POB's with vast quantities of items for manufacturing

and this was all done post patch. Be creative, have a base where the Barge doesn't require to fly 912832918319 systems and you're fine

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Last words are for fools who have not yet said enough.

[Levenna]

Without lanes the barge is basically useless.

Say it takes you 3 hours to ship cardamine from Malta to Manhattan, 30k in cargo, which isn't *too* far off the mark, it may be a little shorter tbh, iirc our barge convoy during the event took more like 2 hours. But we'll go with 3, to be conservative.

That's still an hour *less* than it would take you do to the same round trip 6 times in a 5ker, which is a 40 minute round trip at its absolute fastest, 240 minutes total in a utopian world where you somehow smash that run every time. I'm sorry but the math on this statement does not check out.

"But what about interception?" Hire an escort. You also have battlecruiser levels of hull and battlecruiser turrets.

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[03.07.2024] LNS-Beast***: we can do this every day but you have to buy bigger stronger ships...and i'll help you

[Culbrelai]

Complete trash for lawfuls. Barge is fine for unlawfuls though. (Owner of two barges)

Make barge cruise at 200 or even 150 and it's fine with TL nerf. Still disagree massively though. Also lmao to the battlecruiser weapons. Try and put BC weapons on a Barge. The core drains in like 2 seconds. Either buff cruise speed, return TL use, or buff powercore so it can actually somewhat defend itself like its infocard says it should. Or give refunds.

[Eichy Bumm]

Just a curiosity. Can a mining ship load a barge with ore by selecting the barge and then mining? Or has that changed?