Update needed for 'sub-pets'

darramouss1

Firstly, I want to classify what I regard as a sub-pet. To me, sub-pets are sections of your ship that break off, smaller ships that are launched from your ship but not from a shuttle bay and ships that you call in to aid you. These include, but are not limited to:

• Saucer on the Galaxy and Galaxy Dreadnought,
• Non-controlled vectors on the Multi Vector Assault escort
• The assault section of the Sheshar Dreadnought
• Andorian Escort wing cannons
• Elachi support ships, whether launched from the Monbosh or summoned by the S'Golth or Sheshar
• Odyssey Chevron and Aquarius
• Non-controlled section of the Ha'apax

In the heat of battle it's easy to lose track of these, meaning they can be destroyed and left lying in space, unused. If you noticed that they're destroyed you need to select the ability again in order to start the cooldown before resummoning them. For example, you summon the ships, they get destroyed, they sit in space for 2 minutes, you hit the ability again and then you have to wait 2 or so minutes before you can recall them. This renders some of the drawing points of these ships a little useless. What's needed is a mechanic to help manage them. To this end I have 2 suggestions.

SUGGESTION 1 - Give these items their own pet window. That way they can be monitored during battle, and should they require healing they can also be quickly selected. This is the preferable suggestion.

SUGGESTION 2 - If Suggestion 1 isn't to be can't be implemented then I would suggest that if all of the sub-pets get destroyed then the cooldown on the ability begins automatically.

I like using sub-pets. For me, they provide a cool, not-OP mechanic that looks cool and feels fun. This cleanup of them would really make them shine. Anyone else have any opinions?

mycroft1701

Agree wholeheartedly, my fleet MVAE is one of my favourite ships.

Would be nice for the pets to get their own UI, but reducing the cooldown would work too.

warpangel

What console pets really need is a cooldown that starts when the pet is launched, just like hangars, not when its recalled.

Pet windows are a waste of screen space. The Sheshar could have 3 if console pets got them! And I don't even know if that's the highest. Who has room for all of those? All we really need to know is how many are still alive. A number on the launch button can do that just as well.

There should be a smaller version of the pet window available with just the buttons and a number of active pets, no icons or health bars.

EDIT: And automatic deactivation when the pet dies,only for consoles that don't affect the main ship.

sf911

I could not agree more.

orangeitis

A UI similar to what BOFFs have on the ground would be ideal for them IMO.

themartian

I agree, but then I agreed with the other threads suggesting they get their own UI. Maybe we'll get lucky and the devs will listen to this one.

It's not an ideal fix, but you can track a saucer or aquarius if you click on it and click the pin in the UI. It's a pain in the TRIBBLE to do in combat though.