This CG has highlighted the fact that there really aren't very many uses for systems focused or engine focused engineering. If you check the debate in the threads dedicated to the community goal, you can see that most people have concluded that even a double engineered, systems and engines focused power distributor is basically useless.
I think the problem here is that there just aren't enough things that use your systems capacity and your engines capacity. And because Shields and engines both heavily bias in favor of long-term regeneration rather than short-term capacity, we end up in a situation where pretty much everything other than charge enhanced and occasionally weapons focused is useless.
Fortunately, the answer to this is pretty simple. We just need more things to use those parts of your capacitor! Here's a couple quick ideas that could be implemented without too much difficulty.
Afterburners
When activated, activates thrusters at maximum thrust, and uncaps the ship speed limit. Under afterburners, ships will accelerate massively and uncontrollably, slowly consuming remaining engines capacity. When manually turned off, or when the engines capacitor is depleted, has a 30 second cooldown.
Especially useful for trade ships, this will allow rapid movement from a to b, but due to the uncontrollable thrust, will not be useful for combat. Can and will absolutely cause people to crash into things at very high speeds. Which leads us very nicely into our next suggestion...
Emergency Shield Emitters
Activating this utility deploys an extremely powerful but extremely brief Shield. While active, it is almost indestructible, but it only can remain active as long as the utility is active, and the utility rapidly depletes systems capacity.
By very rapidly, I mean, like 2 seconds. It allows you to correct a single mistake, such as colliding with a mountain, or accidentally soaking up a full broadside of enemy fire. Because of this extremely short window, even small amounts of additional capacity on your distributor will enhance the effects dramatically.
These are just two ideas, of course, but you see the general principle. By adding in new things that use up power in short controllable bursts, rather than long-term regeneration, you can make these other engineering effects far more useful without changing them at all.
I think the problem here is that there just aren't enough things that use your systems capacity and your engines capacity. And because Shields and engines both heavily bias in favor of long-term regeneration rather than short-term capacity, we end up in a situation where pretty much everything other than charge enhanced and occasionally weapons focused is useless.
Fortunately, the answer to this is pretty simple. We just need more things to use those parts of your capacitor! Here's a couple quick ideas that could be implemented without too much difficulty.
Afterburners
When activated, activates thrusters at maximum thrust, and uncaps the ship speed limit. Under afterburners, ships will accelerate massively and uncontrollably, slowly consuming remaining engines capacity. When manually turned off, or when the engines capacitor is depleted, has a 30 second cooldown.
Especially useful for trade ships, this will allow rapid movement from a to b, but due to the uncontrollable thrust, will not be useful for combat. Can and will absolutely cause people to crash into things at very high speeds. Which leads us very nicely into our next suggestion...
Emergency Shield Emitters
Activating this utility deploys an extremely powerful but extremely brief Shield. While active, it is almost indestructible, but it only can remain active as long as the utility is active, and the utility rapidly depletes systems capacity.
By very rapidly, I mean, like 2 seconds. It allows you to correct a single mistake, such as colliding with a mountain, or accidentally soaking up a full broadside of enemy fire. Because of this extremely short window, even small amounts of additional capacity on your distributor will enhance the effects dramatically.
These are just two ideas, of course, but you see the general principle. By adding in new things that use up power in short controllable bursts, rather than long-term regeneration, you can make these other engineering effects far more useful without changing them at all.
