Dev Question - What Will Stations be Required For?

[Atreties]

Asked another way - What functions will be unique to stations, that cannot be accomplished on a large ship?

As far as I know, material refining, part creation, repairs, and (i think?) full ship creation will be able to be done without need for a station, so I'm wondering what their utility/benefit/purpose will be. They have the downside of being immobile, highly visible, and thus large targets. At current, I'm expecting to see most larger groups exist in a mobile flotilla instead of making themselves a large target in a station.

 

[Recatek]

They provide safety to players and groups by creating safe zones, for one.

 

[Kane Hart]

Sounds like there might be some features that ships might not have as well as they are not effected from SI from the sounds of it or not in the same way.

Stations can also be much bigger in size as well.
Then like Recatek they will provide a safezone in the long run letting you have protected space.

 

[Morrgard]

It's a place to know is home, an area to store all you're stuff, explore get new stuff, make jobs, be safe (safe-zone) design in, test in, a hub, storage for your ships when you are not using them (despawning in safe zones to make them safe I think, not military)

And so on

 

[LauriFB]

Just to confirm that station purpose was well covered in previous posts . Trading hub (between players) will also be enabled at some point, but most likely not at early access launch.