Newcomer / Intro Engineering. Did it but don't get it.

AntiAntiCamper

A
I unlocked Felicity Farseer and engineered my Frame Shift Drive to grade 5. But I really don't understand the process. I don't understand what the "progress circle" is showing when I hit the "Generate Modification" button. At first, I would just keep pressing Generate until the circle was maxed out and complete. But then I realized that at some point in the circle progress, before completion, the next level unlocks and so I then I began to switch to the next level as soon as it became available rather than max out the previous grade.

So everything seemed to work but I'm not sure I did this process efficiently.

Any insights appreciated!
 

Krieger

Krieger
You did it the right way. No need to max out a level once the next level is available. Maxing out level 5 beyond 75-80% of the circle brings only around 1-2% performance gain. Not worth the materials.
 

metatheurgist

metatheurgist
The next grade becomes available at around 80%. There is no difference between completing a grade and starting the next one asap. I dunno why this is a question, the game clearly shows you that you get all the effects of a grade as soon as you start it. Even if you doubted, you could do the math yourself and see it's true.
 

nemolomen

nemolomen
metatheurgist said:
The next grade becomes available at around 80%. There is no difference between completing a grade and starting the next one asap. I dunno why this is a question, the game clearly shows you that you get all the effects of a grade as soon as you start it. Even if you doubted, you could do the math yourself and see it's true.
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Thanks, I always just assumed that I needed to complete the grade to get the stuff.

Don't mind me I just play the game, I don't really analyze it...
 

Codger

Codger
Just to chime in, there are a (very) few cases in which you don't want to go all the way to Grade 5, and for those cases it does make sense to maximize a lower grade.

For example, when overcharging a Power Plant, each grade has worse and worse heat efficiency.

Much of the time you don't need Grade 5 to get enough power, so you may stop on a lower grade. If you stop on, say, grade 3, you might as well max it out and get the most power you can, because the heat efficiency penalty is the same throughout each grade. You don't get a worse penalty until you move to the next grade.
 

ubermick

ubermick
Codger said:
Just to chime in, there are a (very) few cases in which you don't want to go all the way to Grade 5, and for those cases it does make sense to maximize a lower grade.

For example, when overcharging a Power Plant, each grade has worse and worse heat efficiency.

Much of the time you don't need Grade 5 to get enough power, so you may stop on a lower grade. If you stop on, say, grade 3, you might as well max it out and get the most power you can, because the heat efficiency penalty is the same throughout each grade. You don't get a worse penalty until you move to the next grade.
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Exactly this. Always worth remembering that engineering adds negative effects to your build in addition to positive ones. Overcharging is the perfect example. For this reason, I find its best to plan your build carefully using a tool like coriolis, which will show you what overpowering weapons can do to your power plant, or adding more armour can do to your jump range, etc.
 

sinisalo

sinisalo
I reckon every new player wonders about whether the 'circle' should be completed before moving to the next grade, as you reason you might be leaving something on the table jumping grades before completing the one before.

I can personally attest to wasting much mats in this manner before being clued in to how it works.

OP is on a normal trajectory.
 

aRJay

aRJay
On the subject of maxing out level 5 I tend to try and stop myself as soon as the number indicating the current state of the property matches the target, this isn't always when the circle completes, probably due to undisplayed fractions but is close enough to satisfy my need to complete things and saves a set of usually relatively hard to find materials.
 

Northpin

Northpin
Codger said:
Just to chime in, there are a (very) few cases in which you don't want to go all the way to Grade 5, and for those cases it does make sense to maximize a lower grade.

For example, when overcharging a Power Plant, each grade has worse and worse heat efficiency.

Much of the time you don't need Grade 5 to get enough power, so you may stop on a lower grade. If you stop on, say, grade 3, you might as well max it out and get the most power you can, because the heat efficiency penalty is the same throughout each grade. You don't get a worse penalty until you move to the next grade.
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Precisely
For example when engineering Cytoscramblers with Short Range Blaster, i always stop at G4 and max it. Going G5 will shorten the range too much
Other examples: Overcharged PP, long range sensors (sometimes G3/G4 is enough) and some others that escape me at the moment

So depending on the combination of perks and flaws, sometimes lower grade could be more desirable than going all the way to G5, so in those cases it makes sense to maximize the lower Grade and stopping there
 

Codger

Codger
I never max out Grade 5 on anything but my FSD. I get within a couple percent and I stop there. I will never notice the difference for stuff like weapons. I'm not that good. :p
 
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