Ship Equipment Classes and Ratings

[9of9]

I've searched high and low and the wiki is no help - so I was wondering if anyone can point me to a guide that explains, as the title of the thread suggests, equipment classes and ratings?

In brief - what the heck do they mean?

And more generally the various numbers on the outfitting screen in general, I guess. They're quite badly labelled.

 

[HoshiQaVam]

On the right of each of your equipment on the outfitting screen there are 2 numbers. The top number shows the level of the module slot itself, the bottom number shows the level of the module you have installed in it.

The rating (A, B, C etc) is the quality of equipment at that level.

So if your slot is level 4, you can equip up to a level 4 module in it, and the higher the rating (the closer to A) the better the module.

 

[Coilbone]

On the right of each of your equipment on the outfitting screen there are 2 numbers. The top number shows the level of the module slot itself, the bottom number shows the level of the module you have installed in it.

The rating (A, B, C etc) is the quality of equipment at that level.

So if your slot is level 4, you can equip up to a level 4 module in it, and the higher the rating (the closer to A) the better the module.

Thank you kindly dear Sir, have some rep for that!

 

[9of9]

Awesome That clears up most of my questions, so... what Coilbone said!

 

[[VR] Deggial]

Okay, but what does 'quality' effect?
And what does 'integrity' mean and what is it's game effect?

All those weapon- and other equipment-characteristics are in dire need of some in-game explanations. I hope they will be available once all new features are added and settled. (The awesome pdf-manual linked here in the forum unfortunately doesn't explain all those details neither.)

 

[9of9]

I hope there's going to be some separate, beefy printed manual we'll be able to buy from the store once the game comes out, and keep it for handy reference But yeah, I imagine it's being worked on, but no sense updating it for every beta release since so much stuff will keep on changing anyway.

 

[HoshiQaVam]

I'm at work so can't give a 100% accurate answer, so will check when I get home, but off the top of my head I would say that integrity is probably the module's health.

You can see the health of each of your modules from the modules tab on the right-UI pane. The closer to 0% the worse it performs.

As for the rating/quality, the better the rating, the better the module compared to other modules of the same level.

So a level 3 Cargo Rack with a rating of H might only hold 4 tonnes as where a level 3 cargo rack with a rating of B might hold 8 tonnes.

Those numbers/ratings are just an example, so don't quote me on that.

The rating allows the devs to add a greater range of parts without having to have silly high levels for the top ships. So even in a Sidewinder with level 2 hard points there's still a vast array of modules you could upgrade to.

I'll take some screenshots when I get home to try and better explain it all.

 

[HoshiQaVam]

As promised, here is a screenshot of the modules which should help me explain;

Spoiler

[EDIT] Just noticed I've got the slot and module levels the wrong way around in that image. The top number is the module, the bottom number is the slot

So looking at the thruster module, my ship's thruster mark (level, size, mark, whatever you want to call it) is 4, which you can see on the top image.

The thruster I currently have installed is a Grade H Mark 4 thruster. Again you can see that on the top image.

So my thruster is already the biggest I can fit into that slot, so to improve it I want to find a thruster that has a better grade.

On the middle image I have highlighted precisely that; a thruster that is Mark 4, Grade G. So it's one grade better.

On the bottom image I compare the better thruster and my existing thruster and you will see that the Grade G thruster has a higher optimal mass etc etc.

That's really all there is to it.

The key thing to keep in mind when upgrading is the mass increase and power drain. Your ship's mass has to remain within the mass capabilities of your thrusters, and the power output of your power plant. So chances are if you can't upgrade something it's because you need to upgrade your thrusters or power plant first so that your ship can cope with it.

 

[Trafalgar Law]

Does anyone know how much of an effect integrity has on the items?

I recently replaced the stock shield on my Cobra (H4 I think) with a G4 shield. This was only 4t in weight compared to 10t for the old shield, with a slightly higher power draw, the rest of the stats were the same, however it was only integrity B and I was wondering what effect that B rating has over the old shield A rating?

 

[tifosi]

Fantastic explanation HoshiQaVam, have some rep.

One question though. The wording "optimal mass" makes it sound like you want to maintain that mass (or as close to it as possible), and that having lower, as well as higher, is a bad thing.

Can anyone confirm?

 

[Thebadmf]

What is the red triangle for? You can see it in those screenshots above. I thought it was not enough power available but disproved that already.

 

[Hellhawk666]

As promised, here is a screenshot of the modules which should help me explain

...

Excellent explanation -have some rep

 

[HoshiQaVam]

What is the red triangle for? You can see it in those screenshots above. I thought it was not enough power available but disproved that already.

It means you can't currently install that module. Not enough power is only one reason why that might be. It might also be that you can't afford it, or that it will increase your ship's mass above the mass limits of your thrusters.

Does anyone know how much of an effect integrity has on the items?

I haven't seen this confirmed so I could be wrong in my assumptions, but I believe integrity refers to the module's health. i.e. an integrity of A means it will have more total health than integrity C.

So in other words the lower it's integrity, the more quickly it will digrade and the more frequently you'll need to repair it.

One question though. The wording "optimal mass" makes it sound like you want to maintain that mass (or as close to it as possible), and that having lower, as well as higher, is a bad thing.

Can anyone confirm?

It directly affects the performance, but so far I've only actually noticed the difference in the FSD so not sure if it's working for anything else yet.

FSD optimal mass limits jump range, which I am sure everyone has experienced.

Thruster optimal mass is supposed to either affect turning or top speed, (or both) I can't remember which, but as above it doesn't seem to be working (or I have not gone far enough under/over to notice)

Shield optimal mass effects the strength of the shield. I haven't really tested combat in a heavy ship so can't comment on that either.

 

[anrijr]

IMO Main questions here are: is for example shield 1 A better or worst than 4 H. Does it mean that red number/letter is always worst in performance than blue?

 

[Seonid]

Blue is better, Red is worse which allows you to quickly see the differences, for when a higher quality smaller item is better than a lower quality bigger one.

 

[HoshiQaVam]

It's not as easy as saying "if it's blue it's better".

Whether or not a module is better, at least in regards to Thrusters, FSD, and Shields, depends entirely on your ship's mass - and therefore on how you're setting your ship up. So in order to maximise your ship's potential, you need to understand the relationship between mass and optimal mass.

A Trader (at least a good one, anyway!) is always going to have a heavy ship full of cargo. That means their optimal mass is going to be high.

A Bounty Hunter isn't likely going to be carrying cargo, and may not even install cargo racks, so will probably generally have a fairly light ship. That means their optimal mass is going to be low.

So let's say you're flying a Cobra, your mass (even fully laden) is never greter than 250t, and you've spotted two thrusters for sale both of which you can install;

Mark 4H Thruster. 250t optimal mass. 300t mass limit.
Mark 3A Trhuster. 150t optimal mass. 280t mass limit.

If you're a trader, you've filled your Cobra with cargo racks. When fully laden, your ship's mass is 270t. 270 is closer to 250 than 150, so the 4H thruster will give your ship a faster top speed than the 3A.

If you're a bounty hunter, you've probably ripped out those unnecessary cargo racks so your ship's mass is 170t. 170 is closer to 150 than to 250, so the 3A thruster will give your ship a faster top speed than the 4H.

To go a little deeper, let's say you've also found a Mark 4A Thruster, with 280t optimal mass. Clearly the Bounty Hunter is still better off with the 3A, but the Trader's 270t mass is closer to the 4A's optimal than the 4H's, so the 4A will be faster.

So you see, it isn't as simple as saying "My ship is a Cobra with a Mark 4 thruster slot, therefore I should just look for the best Mark 4 thruster". It's about your optimal mass.

However, it is worth noting that this doesn't count for modules that don't require optimal ranges. A cargo rack is just a cargo rack, so if you're a trader with a Mark 4 internal compartment then you'll always be looking for the highest rated mark 4 cargo rack.

 

[Seonid]

It's not as easy as saying "if it's blue it's better".

Overall no it isn't, as I said it's handy for quickly seeing which criteria are affected which then leads to the decision making that you describe.

 

[HoshiQaVam]

Yep definitely, I just wanted to explain why it's blue or red. Because once you get the hang of that, it becomes quite easy to know what you're looking for.

 

[Seonid]

Having just got an Asp I'm experimenting with tailoring it specifically for multi-role which will take some juggling. I had my T6 at both optimum weight and at 0.01MW under the power limit with everything on, I quite like the new system.

 

[Ogidch]

It's not as easy as saying "if it's blue it's better".

Whether or not a module is better, at least in regards to Thrusters, FSD, and Shields, depends entirely on your ship's mass - and therefore on how you're setting your ship up. So in order to maximise your ship's potential, you need to understand the relationship between mass and optimal mass.

A Trader (at least a good one, anyway!) is always going to have a heavy ship full of cargo. That means their optimal mass is going to be high.

A Bounty Hunter isn't likely going to be carrying cargo, and may not even install cargo racks, so will probably generally have a fairly light ship. That means their optimal mass is going to be low.

So let's say you're flying a Cobra, your mass (even fully laden) is never greter than 250t, and you've spotted two thrusters for sale both of which you can install;

Mark 4H Thruster. 250t optimal mass. 300t mass limit.
Mark 3A Trhuster. 150t optimal mass. 280t mass limit.

If you're a trader, you've filled your Cobra with cargo racks. When fully laden, your ship's mass is 270t. 270 is closer to 250 than 150, so the 4H thruster will give your ship a faster top speed than the 3A.

If you're a bounty hunter, you've probably ripped out those unnecessary cargo racks so your ship's mass is 170t. 170 is closer to 150 than to 250, so the 3A thruster will give your ship a faster top speed than the 4H.

To go a little deeper, let's say you've also found a Mark 4A Thruster, with 280t optimal mass. Clearly the Bounty Hunter is still better off with the 3A, but the Trader's 270t mass is closer to the 4A's optimal than the 4H's, so the 4A will be faster.

So you see, it isn't as simple as saying "My ship is a Cobra with a Mark 4 thruster slot, therefore I should just look for the best Mark 4 thruster". It's about your optimal mass.

However, it is worth noting that this doesn't count for modules that don't require optimal ranges. A cargo rack is just a cargo rack, so if you're a trader with a Mark 4 internal compartment then you'll always be looking for the highest rated mark 4 cargo rack.

Some good points, and not sure if my understanding is correct as only been playing since the 16th.

But, using your examples with the bounty hunter scenario and a 3A and 4A thrusters. The 4A thrusters will weigh more than the 3A thrusters, but will also give more thrust as they can move a greater hull mass, so surely it therefore follows that this extra power will offset their greater weight and improve the ships manoeuvrability and top speed?