New fleet mechanic suggestion

[Nigel_Strange]

This actually started on another thread, but it is a tangent, so I'm creating a new thread for it.

So, I wanted to get people's opinion on this type of fleet mechanic suggestion.

Suppose your fleet gets paid on commission, rather than sucking at your bank account at regular intervals.

Now, suppose that your fleet size depends on your overall reputation. Civilian rank applies to civilian ships. Military rank applies to military ships.

Now, suppose that you ask ships to join you. You do not pay them directly, but they get a cut in all of the payments you receive from doing missions, etc.

Would you like this type of fleet management, or do you prefer the current way of paying out of pocket cyclically?

[DaveK]

The present version is simple to set up and to operate and works well if you want a fleet for a short period of time or a particular task or if your experience level/reputation is still at the novice stage

The proposed version feels like it will be much deeper and longer term. It's only going to kick in effectively when a player has gained quite a lot of experience. I can foresee this sort of fleet control being a (semi-)permanent part of the players game style, creating another career path.

The two will have a very different feel and probably have different goals. Could we have both?

[Nigel_Strange]

I have not done the math, but I wonder how the current system works with the cost of the group vs. the payment for a job. I know it fluctuates widely, depending on rank and area, but it most likely has a predictable pattern.

You're right, though: it would be a different mechanic. Your little fleet of dedicated fighters would be a different type of gameplay.

Well, if you're stinking rich, like me, maybe not so different. I sometimes hire crews and just have them follow me around the universe, doing jobs here and there...bleeding money like a sieve with a stuck pig in it, bleeding out.