ConnCraft Thanks, i will fix it for the next update.
Atarlost Suggested solution: If fighters can inherit the charging status of the ship mounting the pad transporting them they wouldn't be able to jump before the carrier.
I will try to do something like this for the next update.
Atarlost Speculative solution: I don't know if it's possible, but if the mask was hollow with only a half or quarter tile's width around the edges needed only for connections the pad would interfere far less.
Sadly it's not possible to do hollow parts that can also be attached to other parts.
Atarlost 3) The pad (test) cannot be overlapped with engine exclusion zones. This is unavoidable given its purpose, but makes putting engines on impure carriers more difficult. The easiest place to put landing pads on mixed use ships is at the back in the exclusion zones for the engines. The parts having the same name implies that if the test version works out the old version will be discontinued. I would urge you to not do that.
I'm not sure about this, i never liked that the thrusters could be placed over landing pads.
Atarlost From a not-so technical standpoint, the cheapest pregen carrier is too expensive to have both it and a useful fighter the first time you have to make a jump. A more minimalist carrier with a fighter scale cockpit, reactor, and jump drive and no factories would be more useful.
I'm thinking in adjusting the cost of the landing pad to 10k and the 1x1 FTL to 5k to make landing pad more useful.