Let's start with an excerpt from the wiki.
"With Client 2, Drones changed over to the charging system, and the admins decided to have a limit on how many drones can be charging, actively, at once. Freighters can have 18 drones, Capital Ships can have 12, Heavy Fighters can have 8, and Light Fighters is 4."
Fair enough, yes?
In what world is 18 enough drones for a freighter engineer. Worse off, radical LF engineers are screwed.

I would propose a new skill [an engineer credit sink if it must be, or just from killing god knows what, god knows how many times.] that can go up to 6, adding +1 drone charging slot per level.

Thoughts, comments, coding feasibility?

/signed, maybe built into drone mastery or something?

Light fighters 4????

Cmon this is ridiculous. DS or AWC snipers seem so cool on paper.

EDIT: Engineers, not snipers >.<

you mean droners? D:

Oops. Well LF snipers are cool too. And LF shmonks. And LF seers and SDs.

18 slots is fine for freighter. It's actually 19 with DD21. You may not be able to queue up every single type of drone you want, but it's not too hard to switch around the ones you need, even during a fight.

4 slots for LF is just laughable.

But that's just it, why should we have to switch around during a fight that would be tasking enough? Do you see Seers waiting longer now after firing for their vis to go back down, or SDs waiting for their weapons to change?

Hate to say it, mate, but you're about a year late to the party. It's already been debated plenty and the discussion is really quite over. But I do agree that LF droners got the major shaft.

Just checked source, those numbers are wrong.

Light Fighter: 9
Heavy Fighter: 12
Freighter: 18
Capital Ship: 15

+1 slot for each tech over 20.

I'd be more happy with having a set amount of energy being used on charging, but no actual limit on drones. Then it would be your own fault if you equip so many drones that none are charged on time. In that case the amount of energy loaded into drones should never go over the amount that your ship's banks can hold.

So true engis already got limited by drone charging taking elec over time, having a limitation as small on drone charging as well is just a bit stupid if anything it should be increased on freighters, 18 really isnt enough. yes to the suggestion you should be able to get more drone charging slots

While that's better in general, it's still of no use to the traditional Freighter Engineer.
Seriously, need another set.

Also, 1 slot for all other hull classes.