Salvaging as it stands consists of collecting items from USS sites, but I find this unfulfilling. It’s pretty much a spreadsheet excercise. Go to this type of system, go to this type of place, find this kind of thing.
I’d like to suggest some new ideas for the ‘next round’ of engineering. My suggestion would involve the option to actually salvage premium items from ship wreckage. Depending on how successful you are, these can be fit to your ship at an outfitting station if they’re not damaged during the process, restored at an engineer, or repaired normally but lose their perks at outfitting or just sold.
Part 1, Creating the wrecks
Wrecks could be spawned in USS sites much like you find them now, but they could have a chance of spawning at many of them such as combat aftermath, High grade, encoded or degraded emissions sites, on planets for SRV drivers or they could simply be created when a ship is destroyed in combat once in a while.
Part 2, Creating the salvage
The wreck would contain the items from the ships load out that spawned it (random if it’s a USS). Any subsystems that were destroyed in combat are struck from the list, then a RNG runs through the remaining items over 80% health and they become ‘salvageable’ and quite often, this would not create any salvageable items only salvage components containers if you wish to cut them free.
Part 3, Identifying the salvage
A new ‘Salvage scanner’ would be required to sift through any wreckage in a site or debris field but would have an extremely limited range (max 1km with engineering) and identify any salvageable wrecks in range.
Targeting a salvageable wreck and scanning it with a manifest scanner would then take a variable amount of time based on the grade and engineering level of the scanner, and this would return a list of salvageable items, or you could use the Salvaging ship for this (see part 4) if you didn’t want to fit a manifest scanner.
Part 4, Seperating the salvage
Cutting the salvage from the ship would be a delicate task and require a new module such as a Salvage limpet controller’ for ships, or possibly even a new type of SLF, a Ship Launched Salvage craft. Small, no shields but much heavier armour. It would contain an onboard manifest scanner in the utility slot for identifying valuable Salvage, and a cutting laser (mining type laser for all intents and purposes) in the weapons slots. I’d also imagine it looking like a crab with manipulator arms that would ‘grip’ a wreck when salvaging from it, and claws to pry open the armour and expose the internals for the laser to work on.
Kind of like this:
To make this process of retrieving the Salvage interesting and not just another USS scenario, I’d like to see some type of mini game, kind of like interdiction is now, in order to free the salvaged item without damaging it. Maybe even make this a multi crew only option, or add a perk like a free strike for ships with crew.
I’m imagining something like tracing a shape on the screen whilst the cursor ‘wanders’ and you have to correct the wander so as to not touch the edges of the shape and complete the entire course within a 1 minute timer.
Another game type could be a minesweeper style mini game to isolate circuitry or power conduits that will damage the unit if you touch one with the same 3 strikes rule as above
Yet another could be a simon says style game with 10 sequences required to disconnect the power couplings successfully with the same 3 strikes rule
The list of these types of games goes on and on.
Higher value items may require several mini games to be completed. For example, a laser with a 1-4 grade engineering upgrade would take 1 run, but a module with a class 5 upgrade would take 2, and if it then has a perk it would take 3.
Part 5, Collecting the salvage
Separated salvage would then drift free of the wreck if done by crew on your ship and could be scooped or could be collected with a collection limpet. The Ship Launched Salvager would ‘carry’ it back to the ship and dock with it.
Part 6, Fruits of your labor
So you’ve successfully salvaged a laser turret, power distributor or something cool from a wreck, what do you do with it?
If it’s not damaged, fly to your nearest outfitting shop and it will be transferred to your stored modules where you can fit it, or sell it.
1 strike damages the module meaning that you have to take it to a qualified engineer to have it repaired and keep the upgrade, or you can repair it at a station by just adding it to your stored modules at the outfitting shop, but you will lose the upgrade and any perks.
2 strikes would destroy the engineering upgrade entirely, but the module is still salvageable and can be repaired at a station.
3 strikes would damage the module beyond repair turning into regular ‘Salvage components’ containers and ends the mini game.
So why should we bother?
For the chance to take home your very own pre-engineered module and you get 3 chances to win a prize, provided you have enough cargo space to put it in the hold. Salvaging a 16 tonne shield generator only to realise that you only have 8 tonnes free would be a little embarrassing!
It also introduces a level of skill to getting upgrades and good results rely on more than an RNG. It could also lead to a career path of just salvaging wrecks and selling off the parts or having missions built around this gameplay method...
For example, I could see a CMDR flying around debris fields in a Keelback hoping to find a golden goose, like an Anaconda wreck with an intact 8A power plant to strip out and sell
I’d like to suggest some new ideas for the ‘next round’ of engineering. My suggestion would involve the option to actually salvage premium items from ship wreckage. Depending on how successful you are, these can be fit to your ship at an outfitting station if they’re not damaged during the process, restored at an engineer, or repaired normally but lose their perks at outfitting or just sold.
Part 1, Creating the wrecks
Wrecks could be spawned in USS sites much like you find them now, but they could have a chance of spawning at many of them such as combat aftermath, High grade, encoded or degraded emissions sites, on planets for SRV drivers or they could simply be created when a ship is destroyed in combat once in a while.
Part 2, Creating the salvage
The wreck would contain the items from the ships load out that spawned it (random if it’s a USS). Any subsystems that were destroyed in combat are struck from the list, then a RNG runs through the remaining items over 80% health and they become ‘salvageable’ and quite often, this would not create any salvageable items only salvage components containers if you wish to cut them free.
Part 3, Identifying the salvage
A new ‘Salvage scanner’ would be required to sift through any wreckage in a site or debris field but would have an extremely limited range (max 1km with engineering) and identify any salvageable wrecks in range.
Targeting a salvageable wreck and scanning it with a manifest scanner would then take a variable amount of time based on the grade and engineering level of the scanner, and this would return a list of salvageable items, or you could use the Salvaging ship for this (see part 4) if you didn’t want to fit a manifest scanner.
Part 4, Seperating the salvage
Cutting the salvage from the ship would be a delicate task and require a new module such as a Salvage limpet controller’ for ships, or possibly even a new type of SLF, a Ship Launched Salvage craft. Small, no shields but much heavier armour. It would contain an onboard manifest scanner in the utility slot for identifying valuable Salvage, and a cutting laser (mining type laser for all intents and purposes) in the weapons slots. I’d also imagine it looking like a crab with manipulator arms that would ‘grip’ a wreck when salvaging from it, and claws to pry open the armour and expose the internals for the laser to work on.
Kind of like this:
To make this process of retrieving the Salvage interesting and not just another USS scenario, I’d like to see some type of mini game, kind of like interdiction is now, in order to free the salvaged item without damaging it. Maybe even make this a multi crew only option, or add a perk like a free strike for ships with crew.
I’m imagining something like tracing a shape on the screen whilst the cursor ‘wanders’ and you have to correct the wander so as to not touch the edges of the shape and complete the entire course within a 1 minute timer.
Another game type could be a minesweeper style mini game to isolate circuitry or power conduits that will damage the unit if you touch one with the same 3 strikes rule as above
Yet another could be a simon says style game with 10 sequences required to disconnect the power couplings successfully with the same 3 strikes rule
The list of these types of games goes on and on.
Higher value items may require several mini games to be completed. For example, a laser with a 1-4 grade engineering upgrade would take 1 run, but a module with a class 5 upgrade would take 2, and if it then has a perk it would take 3.
Part 5, Collecting the salvage
Separated salvage would then drift free of the wreck if done by crew on your ship and could be scooped or could be collected with a collection limpet. The Ship Launched Salvager would ‘carry’ it back to the ship and dock with it.
Part 6, Fruits of your labor
So you’ve successfully salvaged a laser turret, power distributor or something cool from a wreck, what do you do with it?
If it’s not damaged, fly to your nearest outfitting shop and it will be transferred to your stored modules where you can fit it, or sell it.
1 strike damages the module meaning that you have to take it to a qualified engineer to have it repaired and keep the upgrade, or you can repair it at a station by just adding it to your stored modules at the outfitting shop, but you will lose the upgrade and any perks.
2 strikes would destroy the engineering upgrade entirely, but the module is still salvageable and can be repaired at a station.
3 strikes would damage the module beyond repair turning into regular ‘Salvage components’ containers and ends the mini game.
So why should we bother?
For the chance to take home your very own pre-engineered module and you get 3 chances to win a prize, provided you have enough cargo space to put it in the hold. Salvaging a 16 tonne shield generator only to realise that you only have 8 tonnes free would be a little embarrassing!
It also introduces a level of skill to getting upgrades and good results rely on more than an RNG. It could also lead to a career path of just salvaging wrecks and selling off the parts or having missions built around this gameplay method...
For example, I could see a CMDR flying around debris fields in a Keelback hoping to find a golden goose, like an Anaconda wreck with an intact 8A power plant to strip out and sell
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