Multi-Crew Ships & Carrier-Based Fleet Deployment for EVE Online

Dear CCP Team,

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to share an idea that could significantly enhance EVE Online by introducing new layers of teamwork, strategy, and mobility.

The core concept revolves around multi-crew ships, where one pilot flies while other capsuleers man turrets from a crosshair perspective. This could apply to both new ships and modified versions of existing ones. If no additional capsuleers are present, the ship would lack active defense, reinforcing the need for cooperation. These ships could serve as powerful escorts for haulers, secure transport for capsuleers, and a new class of fleet-support vessels.There have been many times when I needed to make 60+ jumps with an alt carrying valuable implants, and I wished there were a “bus” system—a way to safely transport capsuleers over long distances.

My inspiration for this idea comes from games like Halo, Battlefield, and Star Citizen, where teams can board a single vehicle, with one player piloting while others operate turrets. Given the massive scale of EVE’s ships and their lore-established large crews, this mechanic feels like a natural fit.

Expanding on this, I’d also like to propose a carrier rework, allowing them to house 10 to 20 fully fitted player ships. Once the carrier reaches a location, players could undock to engage in combat, complete objectives, and return for repairs or extraction. The carrier would function like a mobile station, providing a docking bay specifically designed for its role. This change would enable carriers to act as mobile fleet hubs, allowing strategic jumps in and out of systems with an entire squadron inside.

I believe these ideas would introduce exciting new gameplay opportunities while reinforcing the deep cooperation that makes EVE Online unique. I’d love to discuss this further if it aligns with your vision for the game.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best regards,
Talyn71

That’s what jump clones are for…

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Look the guys idea is bonkers but uh… how exactly do jump clones let you move clones with valuable implants around

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Have a clone with the exact same set of implants in Station A as you have in Station B. Instant travel and zero risk to losing your implants, at least until you undock on the other side. Sure, you have to buy that set of implants twice, but you were going to anyway if you lost them…

In what way does multi-crew ships add something to the game that the use of multi-crew fleets doesn’t already do? With each player filling a part of the group’s roles the group could be lacking repairs or tackle if no one is filling those roles ‘reinforcing the need for cooperation’.

I fear that the only thing a multi-crew ship adds to the game is to reinforce the multibox gameplay. Why fly a 5-man ship with 4 friends if you can simply fly the ship by yourself in 5 characters?

Given that it’s a very common sight in EVE to see single players commanding half a dozen characters in a fleet we know exactly which direction your new suggestion would take. I don’t think multi-person ships will enhance the game.

Carriers already do those things. What exactly are you asking for?

Carriers have a 1 million m3 ship maintenance bay. This houses about 2 (battleships) to 50 (frigates) fully fit ships.

You can also strategically conduit jump your carrier into a system with an entire squadron of up to 30 people, and out again to retreat.

My inspiration for this idea comes from games like Halo , Battlefield , and Star Citizen , where teams can board a single vehicle, with one player piloting while others operate turrets. Given the massive scale of EVE’s ships and their lore-established large crews, this mechanic feels like a natural fit.

What I invasion with this idea it would be imposable for one player to fly and shoot from 10 different gun turrets at the same time in battle.

you would make it tedius and harder on TiDi than anything… no… ship operators are not on bridges etc… they are sitting in pods of goo… the way you are thinking it works, is not how ships are laid out and ships would have to be redesigned and reworked… no.

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When I first started playing EVE, when you docked your ship at any station you had your avatar with all the clothing on, and you could walk around the station.

You could have a first person view with some guns on the sides to look at as your shooting. Not changing any of the game mechanics.

That isn’t coming back either. Ever…

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thank god

people don’t wanna log in for fleets, to play scouts, you really think they are gonna wanna log in to play the turret on someones ship… fck no.

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That’s… that’s like saying you can move ships with this same method.

The idea of moving a bunch of ships docked inside a supercarrier would be kind of neat. Not sure how practical this is in theory…

The supercarrier has 5 million m3 to move repackaged ships.

You can even equip and turn on a Tactical Capsuleer Recloner to let your fleet members respawn right next to your supercarrier in one of those repackaged ships.

The only thing it doesn’t do is allowing players to ‘dock’ inside your ship, but I don’t see how that could work in practice. After all, where would docked players be if the ship they’re in logs out or disconnects? Suddenly vulnerable in space? Or do all the docked players disconnect?

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I just saw EVE already made a game similar to what I was envisioning already. The only difference is with my idea you could go from flying the ship to boarding a ship to shoot from this perspective. Check out this video the game was called EVE Valkyrie. Looks exactly like I envisioned just the game play would be different from this game but looks on point!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnDTnuT9Oqg

While your idea is unique. At the same time I think you might be thinking of a different game.

I can imagine the troubles of trying to coordinate a 3,4, or 5 person player crew. From RL things that come up to simply not wanting to play that evening. Ask anyone that has lead an attack on a enemy structure. What that is like to get enough players together and fight that battle.

Those thousand ship battles take weeks, if not a good month or so, getting people to make the time to be there and ready to go. Herding cats come to mind. You actually think a player crew is going to work? CCP is trying to get more people to play. Not add another frustration which is what your idea would entail.

I cannot imagine myself sitting in a turrent as a part of player crew. Simply watching the stars fly by. Waiting for maybe the few seconds or minutes of actually doing something. Cannot say I support or even like this idea.

It might work in a different game. Just do not see it working in EVE.

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I have a vision for how this gameplay could work, and I’d like to expand on the mechanics behind it. Currently, in EVE Online, we can enhance our capabilities with implants, boosters, pills, and other consumables. Now, imagine taking that a step further with a new class of multiplayer ships.

Let’s say you have two identical ships. One is piloted and operated by a single player who is fully boosted with implants and enhancements. The other is also piloted by one player but has additional players onboard, each manning individual turrets. The key difference is that this multi-crew ship gains additional bonuses because real players are actively controlling the turrets instead of relying solely on the pilot’s skills.

Each turret operator would have their own targeting and firing control, similar to the gunner perspective in games like Valkyrie. This means:

Each weapon system—whether it’s turrets, missile launchers, ECM modules, or tractor beams—could have a dedicated operator.

There would be significant bonuses for turrets manned by actual players, improving factors like tracking speed, accuracy, and damage output.

Specialized roles could emerge, such as a turret operator skilled at shooting down drones with high tracking speed or a dedicated ECM specialist disrupting enemy ships.

Even defensive roles could exist, like a player managing shields and capacitors, providing major bonuses to ship durability and energy management.

This concept wouldn’t just apply to combat. It could also revolutionize mining. Instead of flying multiple individual mining ships, players could board a single large mining vessel with a crew. For example, instead of flying an Orca and five separate mining ships, a player could have one Orca and two large mining ships with three pilots aboard—one piloting and two others operating mining beams or two the pilot can switch to a turret at the risk of not seeing trouble. Each mining beam, when operated by an individual player, would receive massive bonuses to efficiency, allowing for faster ore extraction. This setup would make mining more rewarding and encourage cooperation. Even solo players with multiple alts would benefit, as they’d extract more ore than if they were using separate ships. The ability to easily split ore among the crew would further incentivize players to team up.

Importantly, this would be an optional gameplay style. Players who prefer the traditional solo-pilot experience could continue playing exactly as they do now. But for those who enjoy teamwork and a more immersive experience, this would add a new dynamic to the game.

Another feature that could enhance this concept is a social space inside the ship itself. While traveling to a destination or docked, players could gather in a virtual area within the ship to chat, strategize, or even watch videos together. This would add a fresh perspective to the game, creating a true multiplayer experience beyond just fleets in space.

To take this even further, I would love to see the return of proximity voice chat, especially for players inside the ship’s play area. This would allow only those onboard to communicate with each other in real-time, making teamwork and coordination even more immersive. Whether discussing strategy or just hanging out during travel, it would add another layer of realism and social interaction.

CCP has already experimented with in-station environments in the past. While it wasn’t fully developed at the time, the groundwork is there. Instead of focusing solely on space stations, this could be reworked into an onboard ship environment, where players interact while waiting for action. Then, once combat starts, players take their roles—manning turrets, launching missiles, or managing ship systems.

EVE already has many of the mechanics from past updates and game designs that could support this idea. It wouldn’t replace the current gameplay but would offer a new, exciting option for those who want a more cooperative, immersive experience.

The game you are wanting already exists. It’s called Star Citizen…

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EVE doesn’t copy other games, but plenty of other games have tried to copy EVE. Star Citizen, for example. They straight up stole and copied the design for the Venture. Not sure if they ever got sued for that or not…

Hahaha, your right that does sound like Star Citizen. I just think EVE is such a beautiful game and fun I like to see more optional layers in game.