Issues:
Excessive grind walls do not make a game fun. Horizons era ship engineering was generally ok as it was only stictly needed for pvp or high grade pve (soloing elite wing missions, interceptors, high czs etc).
EDO suit/weapon engineering and the random preengineered suit/weapon stock take things a bit too far to my mind given that grade 2 weapons are all but needed to be effective (without constant weapon swaping or using ship based weapons). Basic low rank combat should not more or less need engineering to be fun.
The random pre upgraded suits are very feast/famine, and generally require long, very grindy, often fruitless apex rides into the middle of nowhere.
Suggestions:
1) Suits/weapons should only have 1 grade and all upgrade slots available from the start. With some simple upgrades being purchasable with in game credits. Not every tweak needs to be a huge grind or related to/require engineering.
2) Pre upgraded stuff should be related to rep/allied, chain missions, or mission rewards. This could include non-standard stuff the normal engineers can not apply/create/modify. (possibly related to faction/super power allegience etc.)
3) Illegal actions should not be essentially required to collect mats for non illegal engineering.
4) The old horizons engineers should be able to modify at least some related on foot items to an extent.
5) Engineer unlocks should be sane/sensible and actual achievements.
6)Add illegal engineers and illegal modifications (only available from anarchies) The unlocks should be related to doing illegal stuff.
7) Do missions for engineers to get upgrades, mat discount, or a ton of various mats. ( having more than one way to get upgraded gear is good, but the existing approach does not go far enough and is too grindy.)
8) Npc on foot behaviour could use tweaks. The damage split ( kinetic and thermal) and on foot shield mechanics need work.
9) Default scan range needs to longer. Anything in visual range should be resolvable if it is recognisable as a person.
Excessive grind walls do not make a game fun. Horizons era ship engineering was generally ok as it was only stictly needed for pvp or high grade pve (soloing elite wing missions, interceptors, high czs etc).
EDO suit/weapon engineering and the random preengineered suit/weapon stock take things a bit too far to my mind given that grade 2 weapons are all but needed to be effective (without constant weapon swaping or using ship based weapons). Basic low rank combat should not more or less need engineering to be fun.
The random pre upgraded suits are very feast/famine, and generally require long, very grindy, often fruitless apex rides into the middle of nowhere.
Suggestions:
1) Suits/weapons should only have 1 grade and all upgrade slots available from the start. With some simple upgrades being purchasable with in game credits. Not every tweak needs to be a huge grind or related to/require engineering.
2) Pre upgraded stuff should be related to rep/allied, chain missions, or mission rewards. This could include non-standard stuff the normal engineers can not apply/create/modify. (possibly related to faction/super power allegience etc.)
3) Illegal actions should not be essentially required to collect mats for non illegal engineering.
4) The old horizons engineers should be able to modify at least some related on foot items to an extent.
5) Engineer unlocks should be sane/sensible and actual achievements.
6)Add illegal engineers and illegal modifications (only available from anarchies) The unlocks should be related to doing illegal stuff.
7) Do missions for engineers to get upgrades, mat discount, or a ton of various mats. ( having more than one way to get upgraded gear is good, but the existing approach does not go far enough and is too grindy.)
8) Npc on foot behaviour could use tweaks. The damage split ( kinetic and thermal) and on foot shield mechanics need work.
9) Default scan range needs to longer. Anything in visual range should be resolvable if it is recognisable as a person.