One mechanic of previous games in the series was (either visibly or invisibly) the "tech level" of a given star system. A player who knew the tech level going into a system would be aware of potential equipment and upgrades they could buy going into the system. In Elite, this was an overt part of the system description, whereas in Frontier it was a background value that silently generated a list of available parts to buy in that system.
Whereas the availability of parts seems to now be on a station-by-station basis (as opposed to a system-by-system one), I would like to propose that the overt "Tech Level" indication from the first Elite could return at some point and give commanders some clue as to what kind gear to expect (but not necessarily guaranteeing that said gear is in fact there, either) on by-port basis included in their detailed description, perhaps just under the kind of economy they have. This would give players, new ones in particular, a means to "guess" what kind of upgrades they could find for their ship at that location.
I was inspired to suggest this due to a recent thread on the main Discussion board, and my experiences last night trying to find a C3 fuel scoop (which was difficult to find, even flying around the Imperial capitol system) for my Asp Explorer (which I am refitting from a trader to an exploration ship). Some means of helping the player base find gear may be a handy addition to the game, especially seeing as newer players may not be aware of the "High Tech" system rule.
Whereas the availability of parts seems to now be on a station-by-station basis (as opposed to a system-by-system one), I would like to propose that the overt "Tech Level" indication from the first Elite could return at some point and give commanders some clue as to what kind gear to expect (but not necessarily guaranteeing that said gear is in fact there, either) on by-port basis included in their detailed description, perhaps just under the kind of economy they have. This would give players, new ones in particular, a means to "guess" what kind of upgrades they could find for their ship at that location.
I was inspired to suggest this due to a recent thread on the main Discussion board, and my experiences last night trying to find a C3 fuel scoop (which was difficult to find, even flying around the Imperial capitol system) for my Asp Explorer (which I am refitting from a trader to an exploration ship). Some means of helping the player base find gear may be a handy addition to the game, especially seeing as newer players may not be aware of the "High Tech" system rule.