crew numbers in C#

[Lumpy (OP)]

I noticed that, unlike in VB6, it is no longer possible to get the crew requirement for fighters down to 1 or 2 crew, unless using really small engines.  Apparently, crew number requirement scaled with deployment time in VB6.  This is no longer the case in C#.  Is this WAD or an oversight? Is there any chance we could get this feature back? It might seem negligible, but for immersion reasons, I'd really like to design one.  or two-manned fighters.  It would be marvelous if we could do so in C#!

[Droll]

It is actually possible at really high tech levels to get 2 man craft if you use the smallest engines and missile weapons to achieve this without any sort of modification.
However if you want some freedom in designing 1-2 man craft you will probably want to use database editing in order to have it so that things like the small gauss cannons, small-craft ecm do not require crew. You can directly edit the component stats.

In my fighters I have it so that only the engines contribute to crew giving me both a missile bomber and interceptor design with 2 crew each.

[Borealis4x]

It would be interesting if automation and AI was introduced as an option when designing parts to cut down on crew requirements and increase efficiency at the cost of resource, EMP totally disabling your systems, and malicious AI uprisings.

[Froggiest1982]

It would be interesting if automation and AI was introduced as an option when designing parts to cut down on crew requirements and increase efficiency at the cost of resource, EMP totally disabling your systems, and malicious AI uprisings.

To be honest a simple flag fighter (same as tanker etc) that is possible to tick on eligible design and that changes the crew value to 1 or 2 would siffice. I don't think it is hard to implement, but I am no programmer so I have no idea of the implications of such feature.

Personally though, the crew size of the fighters does not bother me much. To me when the fighter is lost only his commander died and I don't record any other fatality.

Obviously, rebuild it still needs the full crew requirements from the pool..

[liveware]

As previously pouted out, it is quite possible to build small 1-2 crew missile fighters. The key is to keep a close eye on your component crew requirements and to generally keep components as small as possible. Armor and engine tech are also essential, I usually go for at least high density duranium armor before I start any practical fighter designs.

I've started using the class designations below in recent games as they jive better with my expectations of what a fighter craft should be:

Fighter: Max 3 crew, max 50 tons
Boat: Max 10 crew, max 250 tons
Craft: No crew limit but typically less than 20, displacement between 250-500 tons
Corvette: No crew limit, displacement between 500-1000 tons

With a few levels of engine tech and armor tech there are quite a lot of interesting design options for these ship sizes, fighters included

[Jorgen_CAB]

As pointed out it really depends on what type of components you use on your ships. Box launchers and really small component might not require any crew at all for example.

In my opinion the crew requirement on some components are too little... a Railgun fighter should require roughly the same crew requirement as a Missile fighter which it don't currently. in my opinion the crew requirement for a beam fighter are more "realistic" than that of a missile fighter currently.

We have to understand that a "fighter", any craft at 500t or below, is not like a modern jet fighter or anything... it is more like a modern military corvette or large patrol boat in actual size. These ships should require about a dozen or so crew to operate.

[Froggiest1982]

As pointed out it really depends on what type of components you use on your ships. Box launchers and really small component might not require any crew at all for example.

In my opinion the crew requirement on some components are too little... a Railgun fighter should require roughly the same crew requirement as a Missile fighter which it don't currently. in my opinion the crew requirement for a beam fighter are more "realistic" than that of a missile fighter currently.

We have to understand that a "fighter", any craft at 500t or below, is not like a modern jet fighter or anything... it is more like a modern military corvette or large patrol boat in actual size. These ships should require about a dozen or so crew to operate.

In my mind the fighter is a BSG Raptor 2 people operated or an Xwing 1 pilot plus droid.

I do accept Liveware point that size could also matter and 500 tons was a limit set for the mechanic and I honestly never saw it from that point of view.

Probably the classification "fighter" as you said should be ported to what a fighter in a trans newtonian world would be.

[Iceranger]

As OP has pointed out, the difference between VB6 and C# is mostly caused by the removal of crew number scale with deployment time when it is very short. This is not announced in any changelogs, so it can be called a bug or an oversight.

[Dfuzzed]

I always consider extra crewmembers on fighters as the dedicated maintenance crew in the carrier hangar 1 pilot + X number of maintenace  crew