Oberlus wrote: ↑Fri May 01, 2020 4:26 pmWhat exactly is the issue you see about small hulls being too expensive regarding big hulls?
Not exactly an issue, I just wanted to point out that changing the ratio of ship hull versus ship part costs can make sense, and provide an example how.
In multiplayer games, small hulls are dominant, even when players get access to bigger hulls they keep producing small hulls (not only chaff) because they have a purpose and are cost-competitive.
Well, of course there are other means to make small hulls a viable option even into late game. Hull cost balance is just one of them (a very obvious one).
Also, keep in mind, when I last played a game, the cost increase mechanic was solely based on number of ships, which greatly favored big hulls of course. IIRC, that has been changed to consider ship parts, right? That of course changes the entire dynamic.
As a side note, the concern pointed out by ThinkSome was not that small hulls were too expensive with respect to big hulls, but that he find immersion-breaking that a flak cannon is more expensive than several small hulls.
Which isn't completely unreasonable. I've read your reply to that, but consider this:
In FO, ship hulls aren't merely a frame or chassis where everything else goes into. The ship hulls are actually an abstraction for the entire ship and all components that make it a fully functional ship: energy source, propulsion system, life support, control hardware etc. The "ship parts" are actually the additional optional modules that determine a ships role (combat, colonization, scouting, whatever).
And having a fully functional ship cost less than a simple flak cannon is, well, a bit hard to swallow. Of course you can come up with fluff explanations for everything, but it is still somewhat counter-intuitive and immersion breaking. Not unbearable, but also not exactly ideal.