So your sample size and Jaggid's observations confirm what I've been saying all along? It was a maddeningly random system before and after the last 'fix'?
Does anyone actually enjoy engineering?
- Thread starter Bill Clement
- Start date
So your sample size and Jaggid's observations confirm what I've been saying all along? It was a maddeningly random system before and after the last 'fix'?
Bob Lighthouse
Banned
So your sample size and Jaggid's observations confirm what I've been saying all along? It was a maddeningly random system before and after the last 'fix'?
No, you seem to be suggesting it's not easier now.
I enjoy engineering. Actually preferred the original engineering vs the new standardized one. It's quicker and easier sure, but everyone is now grinding for the same ship, instead of choosing how much they're willing to invest in having a unique/better ship than everyone else.
Removing some of the RNG aspects was needed (like experimental effects) but they went overboard.
Removing some of the RNG aspects was needed (like experimental effects) but they went overboard.
Yeah, remember when we had to drag commodities around with us?
And we couldn’t trade materials?
Some grade 2-3 materials were more rare than grade 5s, and would hardly spawn at all?
No remote workshops. Random modifications that could actually be worse that what you had...
I don’t miss those days at all lol.
If there’s one thing that I can say Fdev has done well with, it’s improving the engineering system. It still isn’t perfect, but it’s much better than what we first had.
Still, I’m not a fan of material hunting. I don’t think I’ll ever be, really.
And we couldn’t trade materials?
Some grade 2-3 materials were more rare than grade 5s, and would hardly spawn at all?
No remote workshops. Random modifications that could actually be worse that what you had...
I don’t miss those days at all lol.
If there’s one thing that I can say Fdev has done well with, it’s improving the engineering system. It still isn’t perfect, but it’s much better than what we first had.
Still, I’m not a fan of material hunting. I don’t think I’ll ever be, really.
Only thing I know that (I think) helps is high population, which is why I specifically targeted the 5 highest pop systems within 1 jump of where I am based. I typically find 0 to 2 now when I decide to pop into a nav beacon and check as I'm doing other missions/activities and am not actively farming specific systems for them. Still not super rare though. You have incredibly bad luck or I have really good luck.
They haven't improved the system at all. They've made it so you need to do less of it. That's because none of it is fun therefore reducing the time spent on it will always be an "improvement." Can you guess how they could maximally improve their system? (sadface)
Bob Lighthouse
Banned
Don't forget having to ditch (valuable!) mats to make room in storage!
All so I could do yet another 50 G5 dirty drive rolls, in the HOPE of getting a better result.
Then you still had to figure out if the marginal increases and decreases made the module better, worse or simply cancelled each other out.
LOL, don't miss that at all.
Bob Lighthouse
Banned
What are you talking about?
LOL
Just making it not random made a huge difference, and that is a change to the system.
I completely agree that (from what I hear, am n00b) it used to be way worse, but I actually think the gist of what kao seemed to mean is correct. It's still fundamentally grinding and an irrational set of crafting currencies. I liked his implication about maximally improving the system, as I assume he had in mind removing the grinding and ridiculous currency systems, or just chucking engineering entirely.
I'm not 'suggesting' anything, I'm flat out stating my supply of HGEs dried up after the ADS came out. I think that the ADS was a terrific idea, really well implemented, but the sheer random element in material gathering seems to have been even larger than I originally suspected.
Having said that, I'm off to try out the new patch, things may have improved? Wish me luck!
Only thing I know that (I think) helps is high population, which is why I specifically targeted the 5 highest pop systems within 1 jump of where I am based. I typically find 0 to 2 now when I decide to pop into a nav beacon and check as I'm doing other missions/activities and am not actively farming specific systems for them. Still not super rare though. You have incredibly bad luck or I have really good luck.
Or it could be I've been looking too hard for particular mats? It took me a ridiculous amount of time to get a hold of some PIs, maybe I've been too selective about system states and factions moving on since then. Have a great evening mate, I'm off to try the new patch, if it's an improvement I'll let you know.
Or it could be I've been looking too hard for particular mats? It took me a ridiculous amount of time to get a hold of some PIs, maybe I've been too selective about system states and factions moving on since then. Have a great evening mate, I'm off to try the new patch, if it's an improvement I'll let you know.
Doesn't do any good to focus on system states anymore as the HGE status is determined by faction (of the HGE) state, not the system state. So I would say definitely do not worry about system state. I honestly didn't worry at all about what I was going to get from the HGE's...just gathered whatever was available and used material traders. I did get a very good mix though and didn't need to do a whole lot of trading.
I needed a lot of PI's myself (9 ships worth!) and though I did get lucky in that one of my 5 systems had a faction in outbreak status and most of the HGE's spawning there were giving me PI's...I still got a good chunk of them by using the material trader. Also should point out that the system where I was getting the PI's was NOT in outbreak status...just the one faction in it.
Have a good evening yourself, and good luck after the patch!
Repetitive actions like mat gathering via logging fiesta arent my idea of good gameplay. They are a means to get there, a poor means. I would rather have missions so the engineer will do the work if you complete the missions. But G5 modules should be buyable for credits after unlocking. If its an economic fairness issue, time = money = credits. If you have time to gather materials, you have time to make credits.
But I wouldn't even say I like engineering. I like having a more powerful ship since the power creep seems to have diminished the A rated modules to paper.
But I wouldn't even say I like engineering. I like having a more powerful ship since the power creep seems to have diminished the A rated modules to paper.
More grind? No thanks
That's an extremely negative and pessimistic outlook.
Last year they made an update that allowed you to apply special effects at any engineer, regardless of grade level. That means that with all my pinned blueprints that I can leave Jameson with a fully engineered ship and only have to go to, maybe, 4 engineers to apply all the special effects.
Engineering is fairly easy and takes no time at all if you learn how to use the system efficiently.
It seemed quite interesting until I had to apply the same upgrade(s) multiple times in order to unlock higher ones. (Although I'll accept I may have been doing that wrong, it isn't very obvious, but it is quite annoying.)
Imagine doing the same thing, but instead of improving the module every time you spend materials, it might take your modification in the exact opposite direction lol.
Once in awhile with the old system, you could roll a grade 5 modification only a couple times, and end up with a really nicely modified module. That's the one aspect I miss, sort of. The random godroll in the first few tries. Problem was, you might roll that same module 10-20+ times, and never see an improvement.
Post 3.0 engineering is consistent, and I don't think its a bad thing, even if it might take more roles than it used to (if you were blessed by the RNG, of course).
Edit: It was easier to slap a bunch of g5 parts on a ship really fast back then, as long as you weren't super concerned about having the 100% best numbers. Having to upgrade all the way up through the tree is a bit of an annoyance, but its really the last two tiers that seem to be super greedy.
Imagine doing the same thing, but instead of improving the module every time you spend materials, it might take your modification in the exact opposite direction lol.
Once in awhile with the old system, you could roll a grade 5 modification only a couple times, and end up with a really nicely modified module. That's the one aspect I miss, sort of. The random godroll in the first few tries. Problem was, you might roll that same module 10-20+ times, and never see an improvement.
Post 3.0 engineering is consistent, and I don't think its a bad thing, even if it might take more roles than it used to (if you were blessed by the RNG, of course).
Edit: It was easier to slap a bunch of g5 parts on a ship really fast back then, as long as you weren't super concerned about having the 100% best numbers. Having to upgrade all the way up through the tree is a bit of an annoyance, but its really the last two tiers that seem to be super greedy.
Yeah, I'm glad I sat those years out.
Everything in this game takes loads of time. Just getting mats takes days.
Again, not if you know how to do it efficiently. Just a couple of weeks ago I went from 0 to 100 core dynamics in about an hour.