Newcomer / Intro Engineering Confusion At The Moment Of Truth

Iggy Aeronef

I
I get to here and it stops making sense.

Eng1.jpg


If I click on "generate modification" and I get this.

Eng2.jpg


If I click on "generate" it performs one of the three mini upgrades. I don't know what that upgrade was, why or how that particular version of the upgrade was selected. When all three are applied I can see that it extends the distance of my jumps but did the three red negatives outweigh the increase in distance? In some videos on YT it looks like you're supposed to have a chance to back out and not accept it but still pay the cost and try again. Or was I imagining this?

So...do I just get what it gives me or is there a way to work this for better results that I'm not understanding?
 

HRDiagram

HRDiagram
Also, keep in mind that when you apply a new grade of engineering, the positive effect is applied for a random amount, and multiple rolls will increase it progressively, however any negative effects (tradeoffs) will be applied in full at the first roll, and only then.
After the second application, only the positive effect will increase, the negatives will remain unchanged.

Keep rolling the upgrades, the negatives do not outweigh the positives. They might require some balancing as you engineer more modules and you are looking into fine tuning a ship but, at this stage, you should not really worry about it: everything you do is an improvement, even with those slight side effects.
 

Iggy Aeronef

I
Ok...

So at some point in working on that level 1 upgrade the second level may have become available and I didn't need to max that right hand circle all the way to full blue?

I should look after each generation (which I'm assuming is the same as a "roll") and see if the next level has been offered? If it has, I run out and find what is needed to generate or "roll" on the next level. Is that right?
 

HRDiagram

HRDiagram
Iggy Aeronef said:
Ok...

So at some point in working on that level 1 upgrade the second level may have become available and I didn't need to max that right hand circle all the way to full blue?

I should look after each generation (which I'm assuming is the same as a "roll") and see if the next level has been offered? If it has, I run out and find what is needed to generate or "roll" on the next level. Is that right?
Click to expand...
Correct: as soon as the upper grade becomes available, do it and don't waste any more resources on the lower one: the first application of the higher grade will automatically max out the value of the lower grade, and add on top of it.

And yes, the generation is what I was referring to as roll (because the amount of the effect applied is random, unfortunately).

edit: fixed some sentences for added clarity
 

Teiri

Teiri
New level will be available somewhere at 80% or so, so you kind of doing 2-3-4 rolls and then monitor, if you care not to waste too much materials. It's also usually much less worth doing at g1, or g2 - e. g. wasting another iron, or crystal shard means really nothing as you won't ever lack them due to their commonness + the ability to trade down mats.
 

Iggy Aeronef

I
Excellent. Thanks.

Just to be clear in my mind: Before I hit "generate" I don't know what is going to be generated, I can't affect that generation and I can't reject that generation. The required items are subtracted from my iventory, I get the randomly generated upgrades (or characterisitics or whatever the heck they are) and that's it. Which must mean that everybody is not getting the same identical upgrades.



Brain hurty. Too much type-type.
 

nemolomen

nemolomen
Iggy Aeronef said:
Ok...

So at some point in working on that level 1 upgrade the second level may have become available and I didn't need to max that right hand circle all the way to full blue?

I should look after each generation (which I'm assuming is the same as a "roll") and see if the next level has been offered? If it has, I run out and find what is needed to generate or "roll" on the next level. Is that right?
Click to expand...
You can trade mats at a mat trader of the correct type...

elite-dangerous.fandom.com

Materials

Materials are small resources that are primarily used in Engineering, Synthesis, and unlocking specialised items through a Technology Broker. Material Traders found at certain stations can exchange Materials within one category for a different quantity of another Material in the same category...
elite-dangerous.fandom.com elite-dangerous.fandom.com

elite-dangerous.fandom.com

Material Trader

The Material Trader is a contact found at certain stations that offers to exchange one Material for a different quantity of another Material. There are three types of Material Trader, each dealing exclusively in one type of Materials: Raw Materials, Manufactured Materials, or Encoded Materials...
elite-dangerous.fandom.com elite-dangerous.fandom.com
 

nemolomen

nemolomen
Iggy Aeronef said:
Excellent. Thanks.

Just to be clear in my mind: Before I hit "generate" I don't know what is going to be generated, I can't affect that generation and I can't reject that generation. The required items are subtracted from my iventory, I get the randomly generated upgrades (or characterisitics or whatever the heck they are) and that's it. Which must mean that everybody is not getting the same identical upgrades.



Brain hurty. Too much type-type.
Click to expand...
Everyone is not getting the same amount per roll as you...

* roll is being used in this thread as a random number generator, such as dice...

Edit: sometimes you can get fully engineered on a grade in 6 rolls and sometimes it take 7 or 8 rolls..
 

Zieman

Zieman
Iggy Aeronef said:
The required items are subtracted from my iventory, I get the randomly generated upgrades (or characterisitics or whatever the heck they are) and that's it. Which must mean that everybody is not getting the same identical upgrades.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but it is still deterministic, you get the thing(s) that do upgrade, upgraded, every time.
First year of engineering was actually RNGineering, you never knew if the roll was goingto be upgrade or downgrade compared to previous one...
 

Teiri

Teiri
It's right but you're overcomplicating. Basically, starting from g1, you know that your g0 (not touched yet) drive is, say, 300 m/s speed, and if you upgrade it to full g1 it's going to be 340 m/s. The number of rolls will be variable, today 5 is enough and another day you need 8. Up to luck. But you can see ''start" and "end" numbers in advance, it's just either it's your lucky day and you spend only 5 of your precious specialized legacy firmware for your g1 dirty thrusters, or you'll need a couple of extra. With time you will hardly ever care about g1 to g3 mats, g4 and g5 ones can be more complicated, but still obtainable.

Don't rush for g5 unless you have a very good reason to do so just yet (and especially don't cross trade between categories, as the rate is bad, unless you have a concrete reason). And it'll be fine. Felicity does FSD 5, TH 3 and PP 1 - basically those are the most important modules to engi anyway. And then with time you'll engi one ship after another, as you're gathering mats and buying ships.
 

nemolomen

nemolomen
Also @Iggy Aeronef , I've been playing the game for almost 2 years and I've not done much engineering and only up to G3 (except for FSD) as a) I'm grind averse, so only collect mats when it suits me, and b) I prefer for the game to be challenging, which G5 engineering will dent significantly...
 

Greasetrap42

Greasetrap42
More Tips:

Don't bother engineering any temporary module. Its a waste of engineering materials.

Example: If all you could afford was B-Rated thrusters its a complete waste to put some engineering on them.

Also note that engineering modules does not increase their resell value, or increase the insurance buy-back cost of your ship.
 
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