Shuttles and Support Craft

[Commander_Nate]

Just about every ship in Starfleet and Trek in general comes with a compliment of at least a few shuttles and other support craft. We've seen that there are going to be fighters on the Klingon side and possible for other factions too. We can't pilot these fighters, so I'm guessing it would be the same for shuttles, runabouts, etc. Except maybe in the future or on planets...(hopeful tone) My question is to what extent can we use shuttles and other support craft and for what purpose?

Some ideas I had:

Exploration - This to me seems the most obvious use: You enter a new system, full of planets, asteroids and other objects. You launch your shuttles to help you scout the system. Obviously this would increase your exploratory capacity, cut down your workload and time, and allow you to find things you might otherwise have missed. There are a lot of possibilities for them in the exploration aspect.

Combat - Obviously we know about fighters, but shuttles have a use too. They can be used to ferry boarding parties, act as fire support (in the cases of heavier ones like the Delta Flyer and runabouts). You could also use them to increase your detection and early warning capability. Example: Have a few shuttles spread out to help detect cloaked enemy ships.

Salvaging - Pretty simple, they can go places your ship can't, like gas giants, etc. Think about that Voyager race against the Malon.

Planetary Ops - On planets that you can't transport to or just as an alternate means of getting to and from them. This would be a good opportunity for you to be able to fly them, if Cryptic so wisely decides to include it. They could also be used as air support during ground battles.

I'm hoping Cryptic is taking a good look at this since shuttles are a key part of ST. As always any input from Rekhan the Pirate or Kestrel the...Kestrel would be [CARTMAN VOICE] SWEEET! [/CARTMAN VOICE]

[Loekii]

They have said there is no atmospheric flight, and any time you use a shuttle to get somewhere, you will not fly it.

The The NX-91001 carries 20 shuttles, so I would think there will be some sort of use for them.

[Commander_Nate]

They have said there is no atmospheric flight, and any time you use a shuttle to get somewhere, you will not fly it.

The The NX-91001 carries 20 shuttles, so I would think there will be some sort of use for them.
I know, but there ought to be a way for you to control what they do, kind of like UAVs. Come to think of it, the Son'a had those drone things in Insurrection.

[Deltab]

I agree. It would be a total shame not to have shuttles in STO. I mean what like half of DS took place on runabouts. They are a major part of Star Trek.

Also notice at any one time there arn't that many types of them. So how hard could it be to have 2 shuttles per faction? But that could be a famous last word situation I know...

[Loekii]

I know, but there ought to be a way for you to control what they do, kind of like UAVs. Come to think of it, the Son'a had those drone things in Insurrection.

At best, I can see Shuttles acting as 'pets' -- following a few simple commands (ie Attack/Defend/Avoid).

[Flatfingers]

With the similarities that STO seems to have with the Starfleet Command games, which in turn were based on the venerable Star Fleet Battles tabletop game, I wonder about some other uses for NPC-controlled shuttles:

Wild Weasel: Load up a shuttle with high-end electronics and several racks of microtorpedos, then send it out hunting enemy sensor platforms. If they can't see you, they can't hit you.

Suicide Shuttle: In this mode, a high-yield explosive payload is placed aboard a shuttle, which is then sent out to get as close as it can to an enemy and then detonate. Improved shield emitters, better impulse engines, and a predictive evasive maneuvers program for the onboard computer would all help increase the odds of mission success.

And just so that non-combat ops aren't ignored, there've been a few times when we've seen shuttlecraft actually towing their mothership. I'm not sure that would work for a Galaxy-class or Vo'Quv sized ship, but it's interesting to think about.

Next?

--Flatfingers

[REEDER]

i think it would be cool to have shuttles help yo fight/scout

look at aircraft carriers they got fighters that fight/scout and even rescue people


id also like to costumise my shuttles looks and attack/def and other things

[Commander_Nate]

I could see them being a "slottable" item for your ships. For example, an Akira you can hold up to say 6 shuttles, a Galaxy 12, NX 20, and so on.

Maybe you could even salvage or capture alien shuttlecraft to keep as well during your travels.

[Tain]

I totally agree with the spirit of this thread. Support craft like shuttles have never been done justice in any trek game, I would love to see them have a use, and at least some form of interactivity in this game.

[ByYourCommand]

Maybe they should speed repairs, or extend sight range, or get in places where the ships cannot. There could also be missions that require you to fly a runabout, for instance. Shuttles could even play the cliched role of fighter craft in combat, or be used to transport sensitive cargo between destinations.

[maltzenburgerz]

On a related note, I hope you can "land" a Klingon Bird-Of-Prey on a planet, even though there's no atmospheric flight. XP

[Xenoshaft]

Just about every ship in Starfleet and Trek in general comes with a compliment of at least a few shuttles and other support craft. We've seen that there are going to be fighters on the Klingon side and possible for other factions too. We can't pilot these fighters, so I'm guessing it would be the same for shuttles, runabouts, etc. Except maybe in the future or on planets...(hopeful tone) My question is to what extent can we use shuttles and other support craft and for what purpose?

Some ideas I had:

Exploration - This to me seems the most obvious use: You enter a new system, full of planets, asteroids and other objects. You launch your shuttles to help you scout the system. Obviously this would increase your exploratory capacity, cut down your workload and time, and allow you to find things you might otherwise have missed. There are a lot of possibilities for them in the exploration aspect.

Combat - Obviously we know about fighters, but shuttles have a use too. They can be used to ferry boarding parties, act as fire support (in the cases of heavier ones like the Delta Flyer and runabouts). You could also use them to increase your detection and early warning capability. Example: Have a few shuttles spread out to help detect cloaked enemy ships.

Salvaging - Pretty simple, they can go places your ship can't, like gas giants, etc. Think about that Voyager race against the Malon.

Planetary Ops - On planets that you can't transport to or just as an alternate means of getting to and from them. This would be a good opportunity for you to be able to fly them, if Cryptic so wisely decides to include it. They could also be used as air support during ground battles.

I'm hoping Cryptic is taking a good look at this since shuttles are a key part of ST. As always any input from Rekhan the Pirate or Kestrel the...Kestrel would be [CARTMAN VOICE] SWEEET! [/CARTMAN VOICE]


Nce post dude, I always enjoy your respnces or posts and this was well thought out. I can tell you took time to really make sure that it was simple and to the point. I agree and WAY TO GO man.

[Vicelance]

Hopefully later on when they put in interiors they will give us the ability to go to our hanger bays and customize our shuttle. I'd like to be able to build my own Delta Flyer using parts from multiple vessals to design it.

Eventually I hope we can even manually fly the shuttle craft.