Currently we have two balance points for device slots, much the same as we have for armor limits: old playerships, and new NPCs and buyable ships not based on the old ones.
Currently, pretty much all stock playership have eight device slots, regardless of size or role. This clashes with the NPCs, which tend to have lower totals.
I suggest consolidating on a single set of guidelines. The one I'm currently using is this, based on what I've been able to work out from more modern NPC hulls:
- Battlepods, light interceptors and scouts (tiny stuff): Ignored for now, they're a special case and no one flies them except for challenges. Probably 3-4 devices for scouts and 2-3 for battlepods though based off things like Zulu, Hornet and Hammerhead.
- Light gunships: 4-6 slots, default of 5 (currently I have the wolfen on six because the shipyard setups use six slots and I don't want to override them. Personally I think it'd be better on 5 since it's already getting the option to fit heavy armor at the expense of speed....it does need some hard limits as well)
- Gunships: 6-7 device slots, default of 6 (stuff like the Sapphire fits in here as well but I personally have no issues with the sapphire having eight slots if it has a seriously low armor limit. Which it doesn't, right now.)
- Heavy gunships: 8-9 device slot (default 8)
- Freighters: This is complex, but smaller vessels should probably take the device limits of the appropriate gunship group for the size/mass. This would put the EI500 and Constellation into heavy gunship limits (8 or so slots). Larger freighters (eg. Armstrong, EI100-if-it-gets-fixed-to-have-500t-again, etc should probably have 10-12 devices (I doubt there's any point in more than that though).
While this is a reverse-engineered set of guidelines designed only for my own use, having a formal list (preferably similar to this, in my view, but anything will do) and having the stock ships (particularly stock player ships) stick to them would give distinct advantages to ship design and controlling balance between the different 'groups' of ships. For example, this would give consistent advantages to choosing a slow and lumbering freighter and being able to fit a load of devices (allowing for device limitations, which are obvious done on a per-class basis). Assuming there are enough non-combat devices that appeal, of course.
Guidelines should obviously only cover total devices: slot limitiations are an important differentiation tool for individual shiptypes.
It would help what extra slots ships have. Two non-device will be taken by reactor and shields (or misc device that takes shield slot). Most ships should have at least two weapons. One weapon for primary and another for backup when primary is ineffective.
Gunships with only four non-weapon slots (and low cargo capacity and/or sub .25c speed) feel like they do not have enough. I suspect Ronin with only six slots feels like an equivalent of two weapon slots and four non-weapon slots limits. Unless the ship has an overwhelming special ability, like Hornet's extreme speed, six slots would be the absolute minimum I would tolerate. It would be nice for the ship to have an extra slot or two beyond the bare necessities for fun stuff.
Those guidelines look like a good starting point to me.
Given that the starting playerships were balanced before it was possible to change ships they are already effectively end-game ships (in terms of armor / slot limits etc). As most players will want to upgrade to a more capable ship we should probably make the starting ships somewhat less capable! Note - this can also be done by changing what ships the player can start with.
What is the typical ship progression you expect the player to take - i.e. light gunship to heavy, or should there be a progression in each category? Personally I’d prefer the latter if there is enough ship variation (maybe the Wolfen could become a mid- or end-game light gunship instead of a starting ship).
PS - comparing the sprites for the Zulu and Wolfen, the Zulu is noticeably larger so should probably be at least a light gunship (or should have a much smaller sprite).
Actually, while we’re at it and on a related line of thought, having consistent guidelines on how many armor segments a ship should have at a given size/mass would be a good thing, too.
What do you think of these: https://ministry.kronosaur.com/record.hexm?id=82503
Seems reasonable to me. One thing though: some ships (EI missileships like the EI100/M for example) are conversions of other types. I have something similar with some monitors (EI500/G and Aldrin). I'd add a note saying that for converted types like these you start from the base guidelines and modify for the role (eg: up the armor class by one).
I'd also consider it important that it should usually (except in the cases of very cheap things) be possible to reach the endgame with early-game craft. It just might be considerably easier in lategame vessels.
@Giantcabbage personally I view the Zulu as a really heavy battlepod than a light gunship, since UAS gunships (Oromo and Sotho) tend to be large for their class. Maybe a battlepod designed to be a bit more useful than the Hornet at the expense of the incredible speed that thing gets.
giantcabbage's comment about the Wolfen being a mid to end-game ship is really clever.
No need for balance then because it then appears when other more capable ships are also available.
Generally I die in the early game a LOT more in the freighter than the Wolfen. So there is already imbalance. Moving the Wolfen to St Kats or similar would reduce this.
But it also makes sense to have a starting ship that doesn't die easily too, so players don't lose interest from repeating systems again and again (it is very frustrating to clear nearly everything in a system and then die only to resurrect in that same unexplored system, especially repeatedly).