Help: Amount of crew assigned to a ship

[Jarsonne]

I read various explanation or guides on the topic but couldn't figure why I got the results I had.

With start ship and some upgrades:
- When I edit the ship building and could check the capacity of all parts, it's 4.
- When I check the ship it shows the max crew size, 2.
- I don't have any leadership or pilot skills.
- Sarah is one of the crew of the ship but her Leadership skills isn't highlighted, so probably nor used.
- When I try assign crew I can assign only max 2.

This is already divergent from some guides I read, but perhaps I misunderstood them.

I bought a transport ship, showing crew size of 3 and did some changes:
- When I edit the ship building and could check the capacity of all parts, it's 3.
- When I check the ship it shows the max crew size, 3.
- I don't have any leadership or pilot skills.
- Sarah is one of the crew of the ship but her Leadership skills isn't highlighted, so probably nor used.
- When I try assign crew I can assign up to 4.

Even weirder than the first case, just a welcome bug or what?

[bspawn]

Default max crew size is 3 (excluding yourself).
Sarah does not take up a crew slot. Vasco does take up a crew slot.
So including Sarah you can assign max 4 crew at the start of the game.

To increase crew size you need Ship Command skill (a tier 4 social skill), and you need enough "crew capacity" - increased by engines, weapons and such, and you also need enough "crew stations" - increased by some habs such as the Control Station and Engineering Bay.

edit:
So you 2nd case is normal. Your 1st case maybe you have added crew stations and crew capacity together?

I think Sarah's leadership skill does have an effect but it's not related to the ship. (certainly does not increase crew size aside form the fact that Sarah does not take up a crew slot).

[Chon the Monk]

I had up to nine people on board (3 I think were miners) when i first started the game with no leadership skills. Since then it has decreased to 5 with all the leadership skills.

What is even stranger is that the ship system power varies from 38 to 47 randomly. I put all C class reactors in my ships so that should not be. Even if i stay in the same ship all the time the power level will bounce around between those to numbers. Why ????? Buggy at times

[Jarsonne]

Originally posted by bspawn:

Default max crew size is 3 (excluding yourself).
Sarah does not take up a crew slot. Vasco does take up a crew slot.

Ok thanks, I tested, and ok it's Sarah the explanation, not sure why I had problems with the start ship but I put it back as main ship and tested, yes I can have 3 crews with start ship if Sarah is assigned, 2 otherwise.

And for the ship I bought, ok 3+1=4.

Originally posted by bspawn:

So including Sarah you can assign max 4 crew at the start of the game.

No start ship doesn't allow 4 crews including Sarah.

But perhaps you mean that without leadership skills you can't assign more than 3 (plus Sarah) to a ship or an outpost? I have an outpost with 4 slots and quoted max was 3.

Originally posted by bspawn:

To increase crew size you need Ship Command skill (a tier 4 social skill), and you need enough "crew capacity" - increased by engines, weapons and such, and you also need enough "crew stations" - increased by some habs such as the Control Station and Engineering Bay.

Can you be more clear please?

I guess you mean the ship crew capacity is min of:
- Ship Command skill, at start without any skill it's 3.
- Crew capacity sum from engines, weapons, shield.
- Crew station sum, start ship having it at 2, ship I bought at 3, and some modules as Control Station and Engineering Bay increase it.

And on top of that Sarah doesn't use any crew slot.

Is this the point? Which would be bizarre from reading people that reach 10 screws assigned to a ship.

Originally posted by bspawn:

I think Sarah's leadership skill does have an effect but it's not related to the ship. (certainly does not increase crew size aside form the fact that Sarah does not take up a crew slot).

Typical unfinished element fairly well hidden, in game there's no explanation at all on companions/crews skills, why some are highlighted and not some other, and what effects because for most skills the description is for main character and doesn't apply to crews or follower.

I wonder is there's a complete and comprehensive guide on skills of follower/ship crews/outpost crews.

[ZombieHunter]

There are some oddities around crew size. Default, without perks, is 3. Yet, I was able to have 4 total b/c for some odd reason my companion did not count.

[Langkard]

Crew and passengers are different.

You need crew capacity, which can be increased via the Starship Command skill and also crew stations.

And then you also need crew stations. Each cockpit has a base crew station number (equal to the numbers of seats in the cockpit). Several hab modules add to that capacity: control stations, engineering bays, battle stations and computer cores all add crew stations. Major ship parts also add a fraction of a crew station: reactors up to 3 crew stations, weapons 0.5 crew stations per weapon, engines 0.25 and your shield adds 0.5 crew stations. Add your cockpit number plus hab numbers plus reactor/weapon/engine/shield to get your maximum crew stations.

Whichever is lower, your crew capacity from your leadership skill or your crew stations, will be the limit of what you can have for crew.

There is a base crew capacity of 2 and so the Starship Command skill tool tip is poorly worded. You can increase your crew capacity by 8 if you max out the skill, so the total will be 10, not 8. But you will still need to have enough crew stations.

[Reiver67]

Max crew that you can command seems to be 8, my ship says I can have a crew of 10 but I can see no way to get from the 8 (Sarah is not available)

[Reiver67]

Originally posted by Langkard:

Crew and passengers are different.

You need crew capacity, which can be increased via the Leadership skill and also crew stations.

And then you also need crew stations. Each cockpit has a base crew station number (equal to the numbers of seats in the cockpit). Several hab modules add to that capacity: ccontrol stations, engineering bays, battle stations and computer cores crew stations. Major ship parts also add a fraction of a crew station: reactors up to 3 crew stations, weapons 0.5 crew stations per weapon, engines 0.25 and your shield adds 0.5 crew stations. Add your cockpit number plus hab numbers plus reactor/weapon/engine/shield to get your maximum crew stations.

Whichever is lower, your crew capacity from your leadership skill or your crew stations, will be the limit of what you can have for crew.

There is a base crew capacity of 2 and so the Leadership skill tool tip is poorly worded. You can increase your crew capacity by 8 if you max out the skill, so the total will be 10, not 8. But you will still need to have enough crew stations.

I was typing my comments at same time as yours - did you get to 10 crew?

[Jarsonne]

Originally posted by Langkard:

...
You need crew capacity, which can be increased via the Leadership skill and also crew stations.
Whichever is lower, your crew capacity from your leadership skill or your crew stations, will be the limit of what you can have for crew.

There is a base crew capacity of 2 and so the Leadership skill tool tip is poorly worded. You can increase your crew capacity by 8 if you max out the skill, so the total will be 10, not 8. But you will still need to have enough crew stations.

It's not explaining the ability of 4 crews, including Sarah, with class A transport ship I bought.

Zero leadership skill, zero pilot skill, zero ship command skill, Sarah leadership skill not highlighted as if it's not used.

[alanc9]

Is one of the crew your active companion? My understanding is that the companion is free. Companion, Sarah, and two more makes four

[ZombieHunter]

Originally posted by Jarsonne:

Originally posted by Langkard:

...
You need crew capacity, which can be increased via the Leadership skill and also crew stations.
Whichever is lower, your crew capacity from your leadership skill or your crew stations, will be the limit of what you can have for crew.

There is a base crew capacity of 2 and so the Leadership skill tool tip is poorly worded. You can increase your crew capacity by 8 if you max out the skill, so the total will be 10, not 8. But you will still need to have enough crew stations.

It's not explaining the ability of 4 crews, including Sarah, with class A transport ship I bought.

Zero leadership skill, zero pilot skill, zero ship command skill, Sarah leadership skill not highlighted as if it's not used.

I had the same issue. I'm not so sure it isn't a bug of some type. I cannot make sense of it, either.

I 'think' the companion is free. But I've had instances where it seemed as if they were not.

[Langkard]

Originally posted by Jarsonne:

Originally posted by Langkard:

...
You need crew capacity, which can be increased via the Leadership skill and also crew stations.
Whichever is lower, your crew capacity from your leadership skill or your crew stations, will be the limit of what you can have for crew.

There is a base crew capacity of 2 and so the Leadership skill tool tip is poorly worded. You can increase your crew capacity by 8 if you max out the skill, so the total will be 10, not 8. But you will still need to have enough crew stations.

It's not explaining the ability of 4 crews, including Sarah, with class A transport ship I bought.

Zero leadership skill, zero pilot skill, zero ship command skill, Sarah leadership skill not highlighted as if it's not used.

Yes it does. Sarah's leadership skill is special to her. It functions just slightly differently than the one we can get. She doesn't count as crew. So, your base crew size is 2, plus you plus Sarah = 4.

And I misspoke in my original post. It's Ship Command skill which increases crew size, not Leadership; but Sarah's Leadership does increase it by 1, basically just making her not count towards crew size.

[ZombieHunter]

Originally posted by Langkard:

Originally posted by Jarsonne:

It's not explaining the ability of 4 crews, including Sarah, with class A transport ship I bought.

Zero leadership skill, zero pilot skill, zero ship command skill, Sarah leadership skill not highlighted as if it's not used.

Yes it does. Sarah's leadership skill is special to her. It functions just slightly differently than the one we can get. She doesn't count as crew. So, your base crew size is 2, plus you plus Sarah = 4.

And I misspoke in my original post. It's Ship Command skill which increases crew size, not Leadership; but Sarah's Leadership does increase it by 1, basically just making her not count towards crew size.

Ah it is her skill that makes her effectively 'free'. Not that companions do not count but she does not due to her skill. Giant duh here. I didn't even think about that.

[Jarsonne]

Originally posted by ZombieHunter:

Originally posted by Jarsonne:

It's not explaining the ability of 4 crews, including Sarah, with class A transport ship I bought.

Zero leadership skill, zero pilot skill, zero ship command skill, Sarah leadership skill not highlighted as if it's not used.

I had the same issue. I'm not so sure it isn't a bug of some type. I cannot make sense of it, either.

I 'think' the companion is free. But I've had instances where it seemed as if they were not.

I didn't thought check that, but nope, my follower isn't assigned to any ship or outpost, and still have 4 crews with Sarah and I can't assign my follower to the ship.

This is related to the comment saying it's min of leadership, crew capacity, and crew stations and quoting zero skills stat at 2 but it's more 3, and follower would have no effect.

[Jarsonne]

Originally posted by Langkard:

Originally posted by Jarsonne:

It's not explaining the ability of 4 crews, including Sarah, with class A transport ship I bought.

Zero leadership skill, zero pilot skill, zero ship command skill, Sarah leadership skill not highlighted as if it's not used.

Yes it does. Sarah's leadership skill is special to her. It functions just slightly differently than the one we can get. She doesn't count as crew. So, your base crew size is 2, plus you plus Sarah = 4.

No MC is never counted as crew, if you get there my crews including Sarah and MC is 5. And zero leadership skill so it's not matching your explanations at least about zero leadership giving 2, and it's a min of the 3 aspects, leadership, crews capacity, crews stations.

Now I get some specialist on this, where is shown crews stations for ships elements? Is it just the ship crew size shown? And it can't be seen on elements detail?

EDIT:
Second element quoting that zero leadership gives 3 is an outpost with 4 slots where I can assign only 3.

[Langkard]

Originally posted by Reiver67:

I was typing my comments at same time as yours - did you get to 10 crew?

I did once to test it. But there is no point. I only keep 7 maximum and 8 is all you would really ever need if you use some types of ship weapons. The crew skills aren't additive, meaning more than one with a particular ship crew skill does nothing. Only the highest number is counted. Since the max is 4 points in a skill, once you get each of those skills yourself you don't need any crew at all. Until I did get more points in the skills than what available crew could provide, my crews are always these with the max in listed skills available for any possible crew to recruit:

Sarah - Astrodynamics 4 (but she doesn't count against crew size)
Sam Coe - Piloting 4 and Payloads 2
Vasco - Aneutronic Fusion 1
Barrett - Starship Engineering 4 and Particle Beam Weapon Systems 3
Moara Otero - EM Weapon Systems 2
Amari Hassan - Shield Systems 3
Andreja - Energy Weapons Systems 2 (I don't use energy weapons on my ships)


Gideon Aker - Ballistic Weapons Systems 2 and Missile Weapons Systems 2 (I don't use these weapons on my ships either)