This idea revolves around the idea of a time delay between loading/unloading resources between ships and planets. This would open extra small amount of time where a players fleet can be spotted. Well cargo fleets that is or any warships that might be with the cargo fleets. We could simply have a building or research that decreases load/unload times by a small % each level.

    Every ship in SI is a cargo ship.


    So you want to hold an attacking fleet on the attacked planet while it loads the loot into its holds - the time determined by the size of the cargo holds and a building on the attacked planet? And for that time interval the defender or a third party, attacking the same planet, can do battle with that fleet?
    When a recycling fleet arrives at a planet while another one is already in the process of loading the debris, will they do battle or will they just split the debris according to the time interval it takes them to load the debris? Can you attack them with regular ships while they are loading debris?

    all my ships can beam the debris or resources directly into their cargo spaces, it takes only a few seconds :) .

    Universe Retro - UserID 2006 * Sirius - UserID 51 *Genesis 5 - UserID 47

    More like when the ships get to a planet they actually are in orbit. Therefore the cargo should actually stay on the ships. But by adding another thing to the menu of transfer cargo where the player has to mainly transfer the cargo he is wanting on planet. A player can recind that order and leave but the cargo that had been transfered up to that time either way whether transfered to the ship or transfered to the planet.


    This would also mean there would have to be a change to the rubble field of fleet. If the fleet is destroyed a % of the cargo it was holding would be part of the rubble not only the ship themselves.


    Basically if you had a the EFA you would still do the 2 click Escapeflight as the EFA would recind the order directly when you click send for the EFA.


    The timer for transfer could be shown on the Command Central with time for transfer

    You cannot have one without the other. Your attacking fleet would also be in orbit. Transferring cargo under hostile conditions after a battle takes even longer than normally - say, 2x or even 4x as long as normally. While your ships are taking on cargo they need to drop their shields, being unprotected the whole time.

    You seem to have forgotten that the Fleet would return. The resources would stay in the cargo hold of ships unless the player setup the transfer of resources to planet. Even if the transfer of resources was occurring the player would have the ability to cancel and e.g. straight away. All this means is the transfering of res is player controlled. It just wouldn't be automatic instant transfer.

    The actual attack is instant as normal. If what you are applying is that recyclers would also have a time limit to pickup rubble. They are all ready restricted by the amount they can carry. And is a totally different situation when picking the rubble up but when they return they wouls take time if the player was wanting to transfer the resource to the planet.