Updated: 2nd April 2020 @ 9:13pm
The following details were taken from the 2nd April 2020 pre-recorded stream, due to Covid-19, where Frontier made a full presentation of the upcoming Fleet Carriers release. Luke Betterton and Dav Stott.
> Introduction
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- There are quite a lot of moving parts in Fleet Carriers, transcations, server mechanisms and live operations helped by the server team.
- Frontier have done away with the direct association with squadrons which was the original idea.
- They have a 500 light year jump range, but if you’re “careful with your fuel you can get back again”.
- Changes since the original delay, added new loadouts that hopefully make them more personal to the player and the playstyle.
- Fleet Carriers are built by Brewer Corporation who build stations. There are roughly 12 manufacturing locations, which can be found in game, around large industrial hubs.
- Once bought the system map will show the location of your fleet carrier. 4 medium, 4 large and 8 small landing pads.
- Ships are powered by tritium which is the new in-game fuel and this can be found by places who create their own, or by surface and sub-surface deposits on icy asteroids.
- The carrier can handle 25,000 units of ‘stuff’ which could be, modules, markets and/or installed services.
- All of the below and much more can be found in the Pilots Handbook
> Fleet Carrier Features
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- The Fleet Carrier Services Menu
- Once a Fleet Carrier has been bought the player will be greeted by the Fleet Carrier Service menu which is a unique menu for the owner of the Fleet Carrier.
- Service Tariff & Fuel Levels
- Set Route (if any)
- Crew Lounge
- Redemption Office
- Tritium Depot
- Shipyard
- Black Market
- Commodity Services
- Carrier Management
- Outfitting
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- Carrier Management Service Menu
This menu allows you to directly control many aspects of your fleet carrier which are listed as icons down the left side of the screen.
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- Summary Tab
- This tab gives the player a brief overview of their carriers current capabilities listing the space taken up by modules, markets (used space), markets (allocated space), installed services and free space.
- It also lists available services, the security rating in the current system it is docked in and whether carrier administration is available in the current system.
- Navigation Tab
- This shows the current location, the amount of fuel and the current jump range of the carrier.
- If certain planets are already discovered in a system, players will be able to jump to them individually.
- Importantly it allows players to issues orders to crew to jump to your chosen destination.
- Even when you are off line your carrier will still function
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- Budget Tab
- There’s a high cost to running a Fleet Carrier, but these numbers should be very manageable to high end players
- Budget Screen shows you your current balance as well as your carrier bank balance. Funds can be transerred between the two.
- The weekly upkeep is shown via:
- Core Costs
- Optional Costs and number of jumps
- The Fleet Carrier owner can set a tariff and earn a profit for providing specific services in the system their are located.
- If you run out of money then ultimately some transactions will work and some will not. Ultimately if you can’t maintain your weekly cost then you will run into debt which can be paid off. It is described as ‘fair’.
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- Commodity Trading
- This allows players to request to buy, or sell specific commodities e.g. 2 gold, at a certain price, which can be fulfilled by other players, not NPCs. This is Player to Player Trading.
- Carriers will not support a ‘dumping price’, unlike stations where commodities can be sold en masse for very little financial gain.
- The amount sold or bought is fully in control of the carrier owner.
- The storage capacity and the balance required to purchase the items will automatically be reserved.
- This will allow players to store their commodities, up to 25k capacity.
- The fleet carrier owner can set a purchase order or sell items in the same way as a normal commodities market
Transferring Commodities
Commodity Trading
Commodity Trading
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- Advanced Maintenence
- Works in the same way as the normal set of services with updated UI.
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- Crew Services
- This screen is used to hire new crew and fit new services.
- Other non-standard services come at different costs and include many things you can do at a normal star port:
- Refuel Station
- Repair Crews
- Armoury
- Redemption Office
- This allows players to hand in vouchers and bonds to the contact on the carrier for a cut, which goes to the owner of the fleet carrier. The player gets the rest of the money. This means players dont have to travle back to the jurisdiction of the faction that issued the said item.
- Shipyard
- This allows players to buy the same version of shipyards across the galaxy, but allows the carrier owner to buy and sell ships for prices they deem fit. There is a finite number available for the stock price, plus the tariff set by the owner. Players will still be able to store sell, part exchange and transfer ships.
Shipyard Menu
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- Outfitting Stock
- Players can fit an outfitting service. Players dont get to choose individual modules, but do get to choose specific themes of modules. This works in the same way as you would in space station services
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- Secure Trading
- The secure warehouse is near a 1 to 1 copy of the Commodity Market, but with one important difference. Stolen goods can be either taken to a star port taking it do a black market – or you could give it to someone who owns a fleet carrier and give you the credits for it.
- Livery
- There are lots of different options as there are with standard ships.
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- Settings
- The owner can set individual access to other players via the settings menu including:
- Docking Access
- Squadron
- Friends
- Squadron and Friends
- None
- Notorious Commander Access (PvE or PvP access)
- Choose your Fleet Carrier player activity types: Anti-Xeno, Mercenary, Bounty Hunter, Explorer, Piracy, Search & Rescue, Salvage, Mining, Trader, Smuggler.
- Decommission Fleect Carrier: You can refund a portion of the value or your carrier and all your servicesand it gives you a week should you wish to change your mind. It will allows other players who have stored items on a decomissioned carrier to remove them.
Decommission Menu
- Services can also be sold back to starports, or if you dont want to get rid of a service entirely you can suspend the service. So for a long range journey a player might want to suspend some of them. These will then be taken off the ship for a much reduced cost.
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- Remote Carrier Management
- Players with a carrier can remotely manage their carrier from the ship they are currently flying via the ‘Carrier Management’ button in the right-hand cock-pit panel. This will take you to the same screen as you’d get on board the carrier itself. You can also issue navigation orders to catch you up.
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- Carrier Jumping
- At present there is an hour build up and cool down for a carrier jumping. Audio notifications will be given locally to let players know when and where the carrier will be jumping to.
> Questions
Q. Why are Fleet Carriers such a large investment?
A. Fleet Carriers are massive vessels, which have crew and services with the ability to impact the owner’s experience, but also the experience of other commanders from across the galaxy. It’s a huge responsibility aimed at experienced commanders with the time and credits to maintain and manage these mammoth vessels, offering potential services to many different players.
Q. Other than Fleet Carriers, what else will be included in this update?
A. Fleet Carriers are of course taking the main stage for this update, but it will also include several fixes from the Issue Tracker. Keep an eye on our forums as we will be publishing the Fleet Carrier Update – Beta 1 – Patch Notes in the coming days.
Q. How will Fleet Carriers interact with Powerplay, and the BGS?
A. Fleet Carriers won’t directly affect Powerplay or the BGS and therefore won’t include a Power Contact. However, the owner can still use their Fleet Carrier to benefit players coordinating to change the state of given systems. For example, if a system needs certain commodities, Fleet Carriers can load up on supplies and transport them to the system in question. Fleet Carriers provide new opportunities to interact with existing systems and we’re excited to see what you achieve with them!
Q. How might an explorer fund their Fleet Carrier’s upkeep costs?
A. Whilst Elite Dangerous’ top traders might want to turn their Fleet Carrier into a trading post that turns a profit, we expect most Fleet Carriers to be fitted in ways that help players do what they enjoy in the game. For example, explorers who have accrued large sums of cash, they’ll be able to take a Fleet Carrier and ferry it out to the remote regions of the galaxy and explore never-before seen locations. Equally, explorers could set their Fleet Carrier up as a trading post in a convenient location to turn a profit while they engage in other activities.
Q. What will happen if you are unable to access the game, and your Fleet Carrier gets decommissioned?
A. Fleet Carriers come with a lot of responsibility and maintenance, and if for some reason the owner can not access the game for a period of time, they can set in place several ways to stop their Fleet Carrier being decommissioned. As it will take a lot of debt for a Fleet Carrier to be decommissioned, the owner can make sure there is enough funds in the bank to cover costs over a lengthy period of time. The owner can also reduce costs by suspending or completely deactivating services entirely, minimising the outgoings. Certain services can also be set up to generate income in a system with a high traffic for supplies, generating income for the Fleet Carrier over time.
If these options fail and the Fleet Carrier gets decommissioned, the owner will still receive a ‘salavage cost’ for the Fleet Carrier. If a Fleet Carrier is decommissioned, the owner will receive a salvage cost equal to a portion of the purchase price plus any additions such as modules or other items stored on it.
Q. Will any in-game discounts be applied when purchasing a Fleet Carrier?
A. Only Commanders with ‘Kickstarter Outfitting’ or with the Founder Tier (and higher) discount will receive a discount when they purchase a Fleet Carrier. Fleet Carriers cannot enter or be bought from permit-locked systems (including Shinrarta Dezhra).
Q. How do you obtain Tritium?
A. Tritium cannot be refined from other minerals and is instead obtained from directly mining ice asteroids, or being purchased from some starports. Be warned, Tritium is a commodity and therefore can be stolen or lost like any other commodity!
Q. What happens if your Fleet Carrier jumps into a system and runs out of fuel?
A. Fleet Carrier owners will need to plan their trips carefully as there are high risks in being stranded, especially with a vessel that can jump 500ly away. Tritium can also be stored on the Fleet Carrier. Visiting commanders may also stop by to donate fuel or sell it to the Fleet Carrier, providing more fuel for jumps!
Q. Will Fleet Carriers be persistent in the universe? Even if you are offline or play in Solo Mode?
A. Fleet Carriers themselves are persistent in the galaxy across all game modes, whether you are online or not, and player ships docked at one are subject to the usual normal game mode and matchmaking rules. If a Commander docks on a Fleet Carrier in Solo which then decides to jump to a new system, the commander who is docked will jump with the Fleet Carrier, even though they are in Solo.
Q. Can Fleet Carriers be stolen by other Players?
A. No, other players cannot steal a Commander’s Fleet Carrier.
Q. How many landing pads are there, and will it be possible to store ships on Fleet Carriers?
A. Fleet Carriers have 16 landing pads for the owner and fellow commanders to use. If the Fleet Carrier has the Shipyard Service, commanders will also be able to store their ships onboard (these ships do not use up any additional capacity, the Shipyard handles this for you). The landing and storage of ships acts in the same way as regular starports.
Q. Can Thargoids attack Fleet Carriers?
A. No, Fleet Carriers do not attack Thargoids, and Thargoids do not attack Fleet Carriers.
Q. What is the Fleet Carrier jump process?
A. Fleet Carriers and their crew need to make preparations before the vessel begins its Hyperspace Jump. The preparations will take one hour to complete, and whilst this is happening, all Commanders in the vicinity will receive several alerts throughout the countdown, warning them of the time left until the jump commences. When the Fleet Carrier arrives at its destination, there will be a one hour cooldown before it can begin preparations to jump again. We’d love to hear your feedback on these timescales during the betas!
Q. Can anyone store commodities in a Fleet Carrier?
A. Only the Fleet Carrier owner can transfer commodities into the Fleet Carrier’s personal storage and back again, similar to how cargo transfer works between SRV’s and ships.
Q. Are Fleet Carrier names unique?
A. Fleet Carrier names are not unique across the galaxy and can be changed by the owner. However, each Fleet Carrier has a unique callsign that appears on the Navigation Panel which cannot be changed.
Q. Are Fleet Carriers manually controlled from a bridge?
A. No, Fleet Carriers are not manually piloted by the player and instead, manned by a Deck Officer who helps oversee the operations and running of the Fleet Carrier crew and services.
Q. Can a Fleet Carrier go into Supercruise?
A. Fleet Carriers do not use Supercruise to travel, and instead use Hyperspace Jumps to navigate through the galaxy.
Q. Can you sell Guardian Weapons or Modules from a Fleet Carrier?
A. No, it will not be possible to sell materials, Rare Goods or modules that need unlocking from Fleet Carriers.
Q. Does the Fleet Carrier’s economy affect the surrounding system’s economy?
A. The Fleet Carrier is an independent vessel and will not affect any system’s economy.
Q. What happens if a Commander attacks a Fleet Carrier?
A. Fleet Carriers act in the same way as stations, outposts and planet ports, if they are attacked they will fire back to eliminate the threat with onboard turrets.
Q. Can you buy multiple Fleet Carriers?
A. A Commander can only own one Fleet Carrier at a time, however, if the owner decides to decommission their Fleet Carrier they can purchase another one.
Q. What happened to the support vessels?
A. We examined the concept of predefined load-outs through the use of support vessels, but they restricted the level of customisation that we wanted Fleet Carriers to have. We removed the support vessels and changed it so that Fleet Carrier owners had more control of the Fleet Carriers’ customisation.
Q. Can a Fleet Carrier and a Capital Ship jump alongside each other?
A. No, Fleet Carriers and Capital Ships will not be able to jump alongside each other.
Q. How much control does a Fleet Carrier owner have over a Fleet Carrier’s destination?
A. If a location is selected directly from the Galaxy Map, the Fleet Carrier will orbit the first available interstellar body. If a location is selected from the System Map, the Fleet Carrier owner can specify which body they want the Fleet Carrier to orbit, providing there are not too many other Fleet Carriers orbiting the same location.
Q. Can the owners remotely manage their Fleet Carrier?
A. Fleet Carrier owners can use the Remote Fleet Carrier Management option in the Internal Panel on their ship to access Fleet Carrier Management Services.
Q. Can we visually customize our Fleet Carrier?
A. Similarly to other ships in the game, you will be able to customise your Fleet Carrier through the onboard Livery.
Q. Can Fleet Carriers land on planets?
A. No, Fleet Carriers cannot land on planets.
Q. Will Carriers have the same gameplay interactions as Megaships? ie Turrets, Data Terminals, Comms Array, and Cargo Bay
A. No, most of the interactions will happen once a Commander has docked on a Fleet Carrier.
Q. Can Fleet Carriers be used in conjunction with Rescue Vessels at damaged starports?
A. Fleet Carriers can support Commanders as they go to help damaged starports, but they can not directly aid Rescue Vessels at these damaged starports.
Q. Can I manufacture commodities for trading on a Fleet Carrier?
A. Fleet Carriers only deal with trading commodities and do not have the facilities to make, grow or manufacture any goods.
Q. If the market onboard can be set by the player, what happens if the player decides to sell narcotics etc. and then jumps to a system where they are illegal?
A. It is up to the Fleet Carrier owner if they would like to sell and buy goods that are illegal in that system. Although the Fleet Carrier itself will not get into trouble for selling illegal goods, any ships caught carrying illegal goods can be caught by the System Authority surrounding the Fleet Carrier
Q. Can Fleet Carriers be ordered to jump into unexplored systems?
A. Yes! If a Fleet Carrier jumps to an unexplored system it will target the primary star as its destination.
Q. Will a log of Fleet Carrier actions be kept, similar to the CMDR journal for player actions?
A. There will not be a dedicated Fleet Carrier Journal, but a Commander’s Journal will include some of the transactions that they might have with a Fleet Carrier.
Q. Can players steal from Fleet Carriers in the same way goods can be stolen from Megaships and Installations?
A. No, Fleet Carriers do not have any external cargo bays.
Q. Can I open a Black Market on my Fleet Carrier?
A. Yes, Fleet Carriers have an additional service that allows Commanders to trade stolen goods.
Q. Can Squadrons pool money to purchase a Fleet Carrier (with the squadron creator being the owner of the carrier)?
A. It is not possible to donate credits to a specific Commander.
Q. Which aspects of Fleet Carriers are subject to feedback and suggested changes during the beta?
A. Similar to our previous beta, we appreciate every piece of feedback that you contribute to the development of the Fleet Carrier Update. We need Commanders to come together and test both the durability and functionality of Fleet Carriers as both owners and visitors to ensure a successful launch.
Elite: Odyssey 