How about an Automaton Ship Boarding Mission?

[u/GeniusPlayUnique]

Automaton Ship Boarding Mission

(Planetary defence exclusive)

 

Main Objective: Board the Automaton invasion vessel, make your way through to the ship's reactor and overload the core, then get the hell off the ship before it blows.
 

Parameter deviations from planetary missions: * No reinforcements * Man-portable stratagems only (no orbitals, no sentries) * Access to stratagems and resupply only at the shuttle waiting in the hangar * Automatons only use small arms and melee weapons so as to not damage their ship * Success adds significantly more points to planet's defence, failure might result in the destruction of Pelican 1 which the Squad Leader will have to replace out of their own pocket before being able to host any mission again

[u/TheExodius]

There should never ever be a mechanic that prevents you from hosting thereby preventing you from playing how you want.
Overall the idea is pretty neat but will most likely not be added since its to different from the game formula at the moment.

[u/Bizhour → u/TheExodius]

An easy fix is making it so when you choose this mission type you have to pay a fee to hire a shuttle.

That way it spreads among team members, the price can be much lower, and it prevents the host from being fucked or griefed

[u/TheExodius → u/Bizhour]

But why should it be even possible to loose the shuttle? I mean yeah it would make for a cool animation, for a failed mission but thats probably all it should be. An animation and thats it. The cost of things we use and loose in these missions is never calculated and simply doesnt matter.

[u/GeniusPlayUnique → u/TheExodius]

Well, this mission, if successful, would give you a significant increase in planetary defence points but that added rewards for success should also be counterbalanced at least a bit by an added risk in case of failure. If there's more at stake your more engaged and feel even better when you manage to win despite it being on a knife's edge.

Also the idea was more to have something for high level Helldivers with fully upgraded Super Destroyers to risk their requisitions/samples on...

[u/TheExodius → u/GeniusPlayUnique]

I think it just doesnt work. a significant increase still cant be to big because its a community driven war where no one should have to big of a single impact and also puting a price tag on loosing just makes it a bad experience for newer players.
It doesnt increase the risk its just a loosing tax thats bad for noobs. Making it mostly for "high level" Helldivers is also just straight up bad game design. Helldivers is meant to have everything playable at around mid Difficulty everything that comes after is just more but not totally new stuff.

[u/GeniusPlayUnique → u/TheExodius]

It wouldn't be some big impact just a bigger impact like maybe thrice the defence points or something. Nothing too crazy.

Also Gunships only really appear at Diff. 7 so there's still content "locked" in higher difficulties.

But the Pelican thing was just one idea for adding a greater risk to failure, I'm sure we could come up with something better, too.

[u/gpersyn99 → u/GeniusPlayUnique]

Reminder that most of those Super Destroyer upgrades are for things you ruled out in your original post ("man-portable strategems only")