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High Tech Field Base Shuttleport Idea v1.0
The following is a plan to add a working mini-Shuttleport to the Ranger's High Tech Field Base (HTFB) in order to enhance the Ranger's group-friendly abilities. (more on how it helps Rangers near the bottom of this post)
There are two ways to go about this: either to add the Shuttleport to the existing HTFB obtained from Frontiering IV or to create a new camp that requires Master Ranger to craft and use. Either one will work, whichever you think is better. IMO a possible name for the Master Ranger camp idea could be "Reconnaissance Field Base."
I know this post is kinda long, so if you're going to read anything just read this list of points:
1. The Shuttleport is NOT the size of the full-fledged versions you find in cities! That would just look strange. It consists of four beams on the ground in the shape of a rectangle that's slightly bigger than the size of the shuttle. The art for this is already in, you can see it in Mos Eisley (click for screenshot).
2. It can be placed either a few feet outside the laser fence (probably easier to do) or the fence can be extended into a small area that holds the shuttleport.
3. A usable Travel Terminal and Ticket Collector stand nearby, facing the main camp.
4. Tickets are free. (The resource cost to craft the camp outweigh this)
5. The shuttle is on a 5-minute timer (like regular shuttles).
6. When the Ranger first places the camp the shuttle is NOT landed in the port. The 5-minute timer starts once the camp is placed, so five minutes after the camp is placed the shuttle will land.
7. You can't shuttle into the camp from another shuttleport or starport, only out of it. It won't show up on the planetary map if you use a travel terminal in a city.
8. HOWEVER if you check the "Roundtrip" box you receive two tickets, one to your destination and one back into the camp. This is to let people run errands in town and still join the group back in the wild.
9. The Travel Terminal and Ticket Collector can only be accessed by members in the same group as the camp owner. Any non-grouped person trying to access either the terminal or the droid will get a "You do not have permission to access this container" error.
10. If the camp is Abandoned while the shuttle is landed (due to combat or whatever) the shuttle immediately takes off. If the camp is Abandoned while the shuttle is in the process of landing, it lands and then immediately takes off.
11. If the camp is disbanded by the owner while the shuttle is landed or in the process of landing, the shuttle disappears with the camp.
12. Even if you have a roundtrip ticket, you can't shuttle into an Abandoned camp.
13. A Ranger can use his own shuttleport but he'll have to hurry (if he wants to get back to where the camp was) and finish up what he needs to do in town before the camp is Abandoned.
How will this help Rangers?
- If this camp idea is only allowed to Master Rangers it'll encourage going all the way with Ranger
- It encourages sitting down and talking (while waiting for the shuttle)
- It gives Rangers a better group purpose; groups will search out Rangers more
- You think the look on their faces when you popped a cyber cafe out of nowhere was priceless, just wait until the shuttle lands in front of them
Common Concerns
But then a Ranger can just set up a camp, shuttle out, and save himself the long drive back to town! No, the Ranger will have to wait 5 minutes after setting up the camp before the shuttle lands and he can shuttle out. Even if the drive is longer than 5 minutes, the tiny time advantage he gets is balanced by the resources he used to create the camp.
But then nobody will need bikes anymore! Hardly. Groups with Rangers will still have to drive out there in the first place and still have to drive from mission to mission once they get out there. Camps are stationary things.
But what's the point if your group has to wait 5 minutes before they can shuttle out? Those 5 minutes will probably be spent healing, chatting, socializing, trading, and the like. It gives a purpose to camps besides just healing wounds and crafting stims. Groups will be more likely to want to camp, and more often. Not every second you spend out in the wild has to be rushing from Rancor lair to Rancor lair, you know.
Rationale
You may be wondering how constructing a shuttleport fits into the idea of the Woodsman, the lone Ranger. Well, considering the Ranger can already summon a massive laser-fenced area containing floating chairs and tables from thin air, it's not that big a leap. If you want a more story-based reason, here's something random I came up with:
Everyone, or at least everyone with a little influence, has a supporter. Whether it be the Rebellion, the Empire, or the Hutt Crime Lords, everyone with at least a small amount of wordly experience has some sort of backing by a higher power. It seems natural a knowledgeable, resourceful person with a self-built wisdom would have the favor of some high-ranking official. One with enough influence, a Master of his kind, can learn how to construct a crude area capable of harboring a small shuttle. His supporter in turn could pull a few strings and provide the shuttle. It's all politics: you help your servants achieve their means and it'll benefit you in the long run.
Feedback is welcome! I myself am only a Novice Ranger with Tracking III (helps with finding creature babies), but I'd be strongly tempted to drop my combat profession and get more of Ranger if I saw something like this pop into the Ranger's scope.
Message Edited by Cyphaze on 10-11-2004 03:25 PM
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Sorry, great post on your part. This is just a summary for what my vision of an integrated shuttleport would be.
