so I just got an idea for a new way to calculate income generated from Transports and Freighters.
it might seem a bit disjointed, so please bear with me
(.01*a)+[(1*b)+(.5*c)+(2*d)]+(.01*e)+(.01*f)+(1*g)=h
if you want to modify the formula, by all means, modify it
where
a= the canon cargo capacity of the craft
b= number of lasers (1 is a single mount medium laser. this and the next two items are where it can get a bit complicated. more on this later)
c= number of ion cannons (again, 1 is a single mount medium ion)
d= number of concussion missile launchers (again, 1 is a single medium launcher)
e= sublight speed in MGLT
f= combined Hull and Shield ratings in SBD and RU respectively
g= hyperdrive rating
weapons rules
Laser Light Medium Heavy
Single .5 1 2
Double 1 2 4
Quad 2 4 8
Rapid Quad 1 2 4
Ion Light Medium Heavy
Single .25 .5 1
Double .5 1 2
Quad 1 2 4
Rapid Quad .5 1 2
Missiles Light Medium Heavy
number of launchers 1 per launcher 2 per launcher 4 per launcher
Hyperdrive rules
Class Multiplier
5 .5
4 1
3 1.5
2 2
1 4
an example
a Stock YT 1300 as depicted in-mod
(.01 cr*100 Metric Tons)+(1cr*1 Laser Turret)+(.01 cr * 88 MGLT)+(.01 cr *(120 SBD+76 RU))+(1* 2(class 2 hyperdrive))= 6.84 cr/week/ship
how it works is this. 1 credit per week for every 100 metric tons of cargo that can be carried by a ship (although it occurs to me that Freighters might need a reduction so that they get 1 credit every 1000 metric tons of cargo) + the sum of armaments that the ship has to deter raiders + 1% of Sublight speed, for use near a gravity well or the end points of a trip or whatever + the durability of the ship + the SuperLuminal speed of a ship when going from point to point
modified method. ship used: GR75
(.001*19000)+0+(.01*55)+(.01*400)+(1*.5)=19+.55+4+.5=24.05CR/Week/ship
Why I am bringing this idea forward
it occurs to me that it would be a little difficult for a ship to have the same dimensions but have increased cargo space from model to model, but it doesn't really make much sense to upgrade a ship that is supposed to bring you income if the income doesn't get upgraded.so i figured that instead of increasing the Cargo Space( again, physical impossibility), increase the value of the current cargo. you increase the value by increasing how capable the ship is when it comes to delivering the cargo. with the two ships listed, the GR75 and the YT1300, the GR75 makes more money in the cargo-hauling department because it can haul more cargo, but because the YT1300 is faster and comes out of the factory with a turret installed, the latter can get to a destination in a shorter period of time, and can defend itself from (in this case a very light) attack, so it has a quicker turnaround time.
Pro's of the new method
it provides a realistic method of increasing the income of a freighter or transport without having to change the dimensions
its more scientific
does away with the arbitrary "late model ships have 150% income of base models" system
Cons
figuring out the best formula could take some work. what I put down seems fine to me, but you guys might disagree
a lot of new modifications to the XMLs will need to be made
some ships might not make as much as they used to
