Hmm, I must also say I do not quite like it. I understand it's not complete yet, but in my initial judgement I share some of Q's views... here's a couple thoughts:
- If you have 12 bazillion credits to spend, and you want to show them off, you buy an extremely luxurious office and hire people to work for you in cramped and under-serviced ships. You do not put your own rich arse inside some luxurious trading ship that a 120-credit missile can de-pressurize during that dangerous cargo run.
You might, however, put your rich arse inside a luxurious space limo... leading up to my next point:
- This cockpit is radically different from the other ships'... so I don't think it will make sense unless you also intend the gameplay in this ship to be radically different from the gameplay in the other ships (and if you do, please excuse my ignorance in this matter).
For example, I could see a cockpit like this used in a fast means of transportation for filthy rich people (ie: a Ferrari)... But when you add guns and a cargo hold to a ship (and, I'm guessing, more guns than on the starter ship, and/or more cargo space than on the starter ship?), it's bound to serve the same purposes as the other ships in the game... and so, you can't compare it to anything but an utilitarian vehicle just like the other ships are meant to be.
I just don't see anyone buying a luxurious ship if their motivation is hauling more cargo per run, or being able to fight off stronger attackers... some other company would just make a ship with the same stats, but without any of the luxury options, and it'd drive the first guys out of business.
I'm not saying there shouldn't be a market for luxury in the game - there should be, but it should be tangible in the gameplay. Let people realize that with this ship, they're paying for luxury more than for performance.