Some thoughts about damage and repair
Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 10:52 am
Hi all, I've been following the development for a while and have taken enough of an interest to put a few thoughts in regarding damage and repair. Apologies if this goes over stuff that's already been discussed. I've read through the 'commonly suggested' thread, and recent threads, and run searches of the forum, but I haven't read every single thread.
I know damage has had a lot said about it. I think it's great that we'll be able to target, damage and disable subsystems in the game. I had a few thoughts about repair too, and that doesn't seem to have been discussed so much.
My idea is that when a system, or your hull is damaged, there are a few ways to go about repairing it.
1) You perform a quick-and-dirty repair on the fly (might be dependent on your own repair skill if such a RPG like skill-tree is to be part of the game). This can get a malfunctioning component functioning again, but with a considerable reduction in maximum hit-points. If anyone remembers the original Diablo, the same thing happened if you tried to repair your equipment yourself. Over time a piece of equipment that has been constantly repaired in this way will be rendered unusable, so low will it's maximum hit-points be.
2) You wait till you're in a station or planetside and then repair it yourself, you still reduce the maximum-hit-points but not nearly as much.
3) You go to a cheap and unlicenced repair-shop. In more lawless systems this will usually be the only kind. It costs money but won't reduce the maximum hit-points by as much as doing it yourself (even in station) However the exact efficiency of the repairers will vary and being unlicenced, unless you're in good with the pirate clan running that location they may have a tendency to strip valuable components out of your ship and replace them with defective knock-offs. This could promote strategies of seeking out and asking around to find the best back-street repair-shop, or having to travel into controlled space despite the fact the police there are looking for you, just to find a good repair-shop.
4) You go to a licenced repair-shop. These places have standards, won't rip you off and you can see how good they are before you go in. They are more expensive but the best ones can repair a component at no reduction to maximum hit-points and the very best ones can restore a component to it's original maximum hit-points (very expensive, but if a component has rare qualities and can't be easily replaced it might be worth it).
I know damage has had a lot said about it. I think it's great that we'll be able to target, damage and disable subsystems in the game. I had a few thoughts about repair too, and that doesn't seem to have been discussed so much.
My idea is that when a system, or your hull is damaged, there are a few ways to go about repairing it.
1) You perform a quick-and-dirty repair on the fly (might be dependent on your own repair skill if such a RPG like skill-tree is to be part of the game). This can get a malfunctioning component functioning again, but with a considerable reduction in maximum hit-points. If anyone remembers the original Diablo, the same thing happened if you tried to repair your equipment yourself. Over time a piece of equipment that has been constantly repaired in this way will be rendered unusable, so low will it's maximum hit-points be.
2) You wait till you're in a station or planetside and then repair it yourself, you still reduce the maximum-hit-points but not nearly as much.
3) You go to a cheap and unlicenced repair-shop. In more lawless systems this will usually be the only kind. It costs money but won't reduce the maximum hit-points by as much as doing it yourself (even in station) However the exact efficiency of the repairers will vary and being unlicenced, unless you're in good with the pirate clan running that location they may have a tendency to strip valuable components out of your ship and replace them with defective knock-offs. This could promote strategies of seeking out and asking around to find the best back-street repair-shop, or having to travel into controlled space despite the fact the police there are looking for you, just to find a good repair-shop.
4) You go to a licenced repair-shop. These places have standards, won't rip you off and you can see how good they are before you go in. They are more expensive but the best ones can repair a component at no reduction to maximum hit-points and the very best ones can restore a component to it's original maximum hit-points (very expensive, but if a component has rare qualities and can't be easily replaced it might be worth it).