I am pretty sure I remember a topic about this when tech 21 was just coming out, and Jeff said something along the lines that he would probably release it when tech 21 was stabilized, although cba to find it. =p

I would like to see RC 19 (and eventually rc 20 in a few years xD) be a semi difficult skill to obtain, but not some obnoxiously long mission chain. There really aren't any good tech 19 combat ships, most tech 19 ships requiring a lore skill, so it wouldn't change combat much. I think it could make a good addition, and people who put the effort into it may make it useful.

add in RC all the way to 20

TAKE OUT TECH 20 STASIS GENS

Everyone wins.

you get more slave slots.
you CAN use tech 20 slaves. If they get killed they are gone for good though.

-ERMAN

Slave research

Massif III might be broken as a trade slave.

Make the Massif III Capacitor neuro bound and you solve that problem. You can do the same for other ships that can be too broken as slaves. Surely RC19 is about time to be put into game, but it requires a ton of very careful research so you don't end up with bloopers.

What would really break it is the Zeus+, Wattage, and Sup augs you could put on T19 slaves I think. There is a lot of content that they've made for T18 slaves, and T18 slaves are quite well balanced. I really doubt they are going to ever increase RC, although they might increase research so you could have 3 T18 slaves, or continue to add content at the T18 level.

T20 slaves would be unquestionably brokenly powerful, again due to the augs you could use. I'll come up with a setup or two to prove it if you want.

Yes, because slaves are so powerful right now that everyone uses...wait, never mind. I've not seen a really honestly OP FC since Q left. Let's have Sniper be the new measuring stick; compare top-end FC's to top-end snipers and see what happens.

That didn't end well. I can kill just about any FC in pvp. At least until a shm and zerk shows up to ruin my fun.

I think only Jey has a FC that can withstand me.

fixed
slave travel field caly+ hera+ augs phantomstream MfM 30 = 40k hull 190 speed

emp behe
2 caly phantom = 58k hull 127 speed

I can just see BaG/Basta using 2 Unt Fwing slaves augged to hit very hard.

RC 19 or 20 would be to broken and dont see any reason why to increase RC skills. We have enough decent t 18 ships for combat slaves or trade slaves.

Why not make RC19 FC only for the moment? That limits the power increase to them, at least. Other classes(Gunner is also fleet focus...?) could also get it later, or something like that.

The trouble is taking it away from them once they switch classes...

Or add more powerful control bots that require FC21.

Oh wait, isn't this already the case?