{Mod Request} Capital Ships

[CodecWolf]

I do not know if someone else has suggested it, but as you may gather from the title, I would like to see the ability to build BIGGER ships in Starfield. Allow me to explain.

 

As soon as the game got out, people immediately started to recreate well-known spaceships across all the various medias. Posts everywhere practically exploded with people showing off "their" version of the 'Millennium Falcon', or the 'Normandy', or even the 'Batwing'. I too was also eager to see what I could create in the game. But, as one would expect, there were limits and building you favorite capital/carrier ships would not happen. I understand why limitations were made, as you have to be able to land your ship in a port and huge starships would just be to cumbersome to work around into the normal play of the game.

 

But that has never stopped Modders before.

 

So this is what I propose:

A mod that gives you the option to create a "Capital Ship Class", or a ship that is larger that what can be currently made in Starfield, one where you can build a ship that could be 3x-4x bigger than normal. The obvious problem that comes to mind with this is you can't land it at any port or planet without problems occurring. So then what if this "Capital ship" doesn't land, and instead can only be used in "space", above the planets. And in order to get down to a planet or station you take a "shuttle", which could be any of the vanilla ships in game. I'm thinking just adding another button prompt to go back and forth from planet to ship.

 

Ideally in this fantasy of mine, I would like the Capital Ship to be able to be piloted and fight, which means talking about Mass, engines, reactors, etc.

 

A Capital Ship will likely need "upgraded" reactors, shields, thrusters, and engines; engines and thrusters in particular because of all the mass coming into play. I imagine adding new items that are the same as the vanilla models, but reskinned with updated stats to accommodate the needs of a Capital Ship.

 

---

 

So that's my idea.

I want to feel like I am a Captain piloting a large ship with multiple decks that acts like a mobile home base, hired full of crewmembers from various planets, and together explore the galaxy while daring your enemies to take you on in your ship.

 

I do not think this will be easy, I do not think this will be a small mod, and I am sure as heck don't think I have all the solutions, but that's why this community exists. Give your ideas if you're not scared.

 

Lets have a discussion. :smile:

Edited September 14, 2023 by CodecWolf

[johnalex999]

I doubt it can be implemented due to the game's design. Wish devs had taken lessons from the Empyrion Galactic Survival to make your wish - OUR wish come true.

[Seranvis]

Like you can't make your own UC Vigilance?

[CodecWolf]

So I just had an alternate idea.

 

One of the limitations to building bigger ships is the various landing areas, right? A too big ship would clip through the environment.

 

So instead of what I suggested with a "shuttle" option, what if we just offset the landing coordinates on the Y axis, make it so our BIG ships just "land" on a higher elevation. In other words, make it appear as if our capitol ships are hovering over the city instead of landing at a pad.

 

The obvious problem with this is that you would not be able to physically enter you ship, hence I feel this mod should be pared with one that enables fast travel even when encumbered, and increasing the range your character has access to your ships inventory to offset the issues.

 

--Edit--

And increasing the Third-Person Camera distance.

 

Thoughts?

Edited October 16, 2023 by CodecWolf

[HeyYou]

For capitol ships, have a 'landing bay' the holds a small ship, use that to go to the planet.

[Jeffman12]

I'd say make it size agnostic, just add a (rather large) shuttle bay module that acts as an alternative to the landing ramp. This would be a great first step.

[aurreth]

You're not asking for a capital ship, you're asking for a moveable space station, built with Class M parts.  There's a specific keyword that allows a station to remain in orbit rather than land.

Yes, this much is possible.  There is a space station mod, that just needs tweaking to allow Class M parts, and you could build the Vigilance above your outpost.  I've built a crude station with that mod, then used the console to spawn in a pilot seat and fly the station to another star system.  The station remained in orbit above the new location.

BUT, there are problems.

1.  As soon as you pilot the "station" it becomes your home ship.  Whatever ship you had docked to it goes back in your fleet limbo storage place.  You are now stuck on the station.  You can use console commands to move yourself to a ship technician, pick a new home ship (sometimes you have to switch around a couple times), then walk out on the landing pad and fly away.  You can even fly to your freshly moved "capital ship" and dock with it, etc.

     a.  Placing a ship builder terminal does not work, because you can't switch home ships while you are IN your home ship.  I have a ship terminal in my Guardian, stolen from an outpost landing pad (if you delete the outpost or the landing pad the terminal goes away, it's tied to that damn pad).  Convenient if I don't feel like running back home when I get an idea for a new ship.  Remember, as soon as you moved your "capital ship space station" it became a really big ship, and you can't swap while you're inside of one.

2.  Each planetary body (planet, moon, whatever) has a designated fast travel point.  The rocks or debris outside may change, you always jump into the same spot, and when you take off from a planet you go to that spot.  So, you fly your "capital space station" to your home world, and console your way back home.  Climb in your shuttle, take off... and appear INSIDE your station.  You can wiggle the controls and bang your way out, but it's annoying.

3.  All the big ship and station parts?  With one or two exceptions they are EMPTY.  As in funny shaped bricks.  Even the vanilla attachment points on them are screwy and may or may not allow attaching normal ship parts or weapons.  I know of one that will only allow attaching fuel tanks or the weapon mount adapter.  Basically if the devs needed something they would fix one or two points, and those are the only ones you can use.  Basically there's a huge amount of work that needs to be done just on the parts before they are useable without a LOT of cheats.  As it is currently you are building a tiny ship to connect cockpit to landing bay and docker, then wrapping a huge ship around it.  That seriously limits you.

Number 1 is the biggest issue.  Find a way around that and the rest is doable right now with the right mods.

[yuppa396]

Best to just ask Bethesda to work on a Capitol ship class for a DLC in the future Op.

[Juggernut101]

Well, it can be quite like something from no man's sky. In no man's sky there are massive player owned freighters that can act as player home and a base of operations to carry out expeditions, trading, storing mass amount of cargo. 

Also, these freighters are followed by played owned frigates- massive battle ships that can be sent on expeditions or help you incase of fights. Also such an arrangement will mean in case of a dogfight, instead of fighting alone against a dozen ships and somehow winning, which feels so unrealistic to me, now, u can send an sos if your freighter is in the star system and a frigate and a squadron of your ships piloted by your crew will come to your aid. 

I do not believe that this is impossible. Because this is kinda what happens in the scripted UC vs Crimson Fleet battle. 

 

The UC M-class mothership has a cockpit, so surely we can expect ships of that size to be player controllable so we can fly out freighter instead of that small ship we get to fly

Edited 2 hours ago by Juggernut101