Suggestion: Subsystem Tuning

[trollson]

Seem to be spending more time at work talking about Elite: Dangerous than really should at the moment...

One topic was whether players (and NPCs) should be able to "tune-up" their vessels, as one might do with a 'bike or car. The idea is that subsystems or components could be improved in-situ by a skilled mechanic or engineer, to proved greater performance than normally for their specific model. This would add a further degree of uncertainty to the assumed capabilities of encountered vessels - assuming that the degree of improvement can, in principle, exceed the gap to the next "level".

The following points describe the key behaviour of tuning:

• "Tuning" a system or component increases its performance by some percentage.
• A system or component can be tuned multiple times, but with less improvement each time.
• Higher class components are more difficult to tune (lower success rate), but this does not affect the degree of tuning when successful.
• Tuning is lost of the component is removed or replaced in the Outfitters (even if reinstalled).
• Tuning is lost if the ship is replaced through insurance.
• Effect of component damage on tuning?

Each attempt at tuning a component would incur some cost to the owner:

• Financial cost should be proportional, and not allow uber-rich to dominate this feature.
• Labour costs may require the player to seek out a skilled NPC mechanic to either carry out the work, or enlist as crew on larger vessels.
• Material cost may require rare commodities to limit the opportunity to tune - integrate Alien Artefacts for example. This may increase the chance of success, but not be required for low-level tuning.

Finally, tuning should be accessible to all players (and NPCs) - afterall, the classic examples would be the Millenium Falcon and Serenity, and neither owners had access to a great deal of resources...

 

[Hexicube]

If subsystem tuning existed, I'd rather it wasn't a pure gain but is instead a no-gain trade-off. Your suggestion is actually subsystem upgrading, and would basically be the equivalent of a mechanic converting A-grade components to S-grade or even X-grade.

For instance, you could have these options for various tunings:
- Thrusters provide 20% more maneuverability, but loses 20% max speed and boost speed
- Shields regenerate 30% faster, but lose 30% durability
- Pulse laser fires 15% faster, each shot applies 5% more heat (bear in mind you get extra heat anyway from faster firing)
- Chaff launcher reloads twice as fast (allowing infinite usage for the 11 ammo), but no longer effects gimballed weapons
- FSD can jump 20% further, uses 25% more fuel per jump

 

[trollson]

Well, I was only thinking in the few-percent (1-6) for an initial tuning attempt, with diminishing returns such that tuning to the level of the next rating is hard, though not impossible, but tuning up two ratings becomes nearly impossible.

I was only considering a single tuning value added to each installed component (as little as a byte) to accomodate this. If individual properties are tuned separately, then additional parameters would need to be stored - which I guess is not a limitation.

If this is the case, then a tuning attempt could result in random changes on each property of a component - negative and positive (adjusted by their current tuning percentage). A bit hit-and-miss? Perhaps choose a property to tune, and hope that others are not adversely affected, with better mechanic's skill and/or exotic materials providing better results.

Although I don't see why this should be zero gain if the player effort is appropriate.

 

[Hexicube]

Well, I was only thinking in the few-percent (1-6) for an initial tuning attempt, with diminishing returns such that tuning to the level of the next rating is hard, though not impossible, but tuning up two ratings becomes nearly impossible.

I was only considering a single tuning value added to each installed component (as little as a byte) to accomodate this. If individual properties are tuned separately, then additional parameters would need to be stored - which I guess is not a limitation.

If this is the case, then a tuning attempt could result in random changes on each property of a component - negative and positive (adjusted by their current tuning percentage). A bit hit-and-miss? Perhaps choose a property to tune, and hope that others are not adversely affected, with better mechanic's skill and/or exotic materials providing better results.

Although I don't see why this should be zero gain if the player effort is appropriate.

Either way, the tuning you want is basically mandatory, because a ship with tuning is always better than one without. The way I'm suggesting as an alternative simply means an untuned ship isn't fully geared towards a specific role.

If I could tune my weapons to burn out faster but throw more DPS out, and combine it with shields that are weaker and regenerate faster, as well as ditch turning rate for raw speed, suddenly I have a fly-by strike unit. If I wanted, I could do the opposite, and make a persistent threat unit instead, which is a different playstyle. This could cost nothing as there isn't really a net gain to be found, would have to be performed at a station (though it could be done in a menu on a situation by situation basis), and means a player can change up their ship depending on how they feel that day without fishing for parts or swapping out the whole ship.