Feedback on "engineering", or lack of it

[lyravega]

TL;DR: Turning knobs, pulling levers and dealing with loot doesn't make a good playstyle - this is an uninspired, disengaging chore.

After playing a long session not as a gunner or a pilot, I've found the game to be extremely tedious. When I say gunner or pilot, I do not mean the ectypes, I mean what you do in the ship.

The Problem

While nothing stops the others from sharing the burden, it's best to have clear roles to avoid in-ship confusion and to have everyone focus on a single task, so usually one carries this burden on its own. Likewise, nothing stops you from using a turret while carrying this burden, but it doesn't change anything - you're still tasked with doing the same things.

I believe the underlying problem is that this playstyle is reactive rather than being active. Let me try to elaborate; you wait for something to happen so you can play the game, and that game consists of turning knobs, pulling levers and dealing with loot. In my opinion, this doesn't make a good playstyle - this is an uninspired, disengaging chore.

The problem is amplified on higher difficulties as the loot will be raining and pilot will be utilizing most of the time. Your life on that ship will end up in a passage between the scoop (to maybe storage), and engine room (and maybe core if you are overtaxing the power generators). Even if you find the time to shoot a few seconds, you'll be interrupted constantly as something will need your attention.

Anyway, I don't know what I can say more on the subject, other than that I usually don't mind tasks that others may find monotonous. I enjoy games like Viscera Clean-up Detail or Powerwash Simulator for example, but the key difference is you are actively playing those, not waiting for something to happen. Not being a gunner or a pilot has no redeeming or desirable qualities, and for first-timers, might be a huge turn-down.

Suggestions? / Conclusion

As for suggestions, I have none really as nothing would make what I've complained above more involving. Centralizing these tasks in a station would alleviate some of the issues; the Aux Power console on the destroyer seems like something that can be fleshed out but that essentially does nothing about the reactive gameplay.

Right now, eliminating those completely and focusing on space combat entirely (on non-EVA parts) would offer a better experience for everyone in my opinion. If this part isn't going to be fleshed out at all, then calling one of the ectypes as "Grease Monkey" is spot-on; there are no engineers on any of these ships, nothing requires an engineer on the ships.

[JollyGrim]

Whole-heartedly agree.
I've been running some more laid-back larger crew runs on the destroyer, twice a week.
We like to play 8-person crew (Pilot, Engineer, 2 Scavengers, 4 Gunners).
We have a player that gets terrible vertigo from many video games, but she can do engineering, and enjoys doing it and being part of the team, but only plays once a week.

On the day she's not there, we've started drawing straws to see who has to play engineer.
The Auto-Mechanic crate is OKAY, but it needs to do all three, and not just one job (trim/boost/breakerflip)

[majorlunac]

Yes, maybe laying down wires and pipes freely on the inside of the ship constantly to improve the ship (even if it may end up looking like a cyberpunk rat's nest), boosting a weapon or engines by laying them down from one point to another, and the more you lay down on that path, the greater the boost. Maybe layering extra armor on the outsides too or something. Perhaps tuning the engine somehow to always get better with time and effort.

[majorlunac]

I realized now what those added wires could be used for: Energy Distribution. You can add Energy Conduits to the ship to allow for manual energy re-distribution on the ship. You sit at a station with controls to re-distribute energy to the shields, even the shields on just one side, or the engines to go faster, or the energy guns to boost all stats. You would increase the energy going to that item (gun requires 3 energy -> put in up to 5 energy to boost stats significantly). Also you can underpower items to distribute power to other things, reducing their functionality (gun requires 3 energy -> put in 2 to reduce all stats by 30%, put in 1 to reduce stats by 60%).

Relics could be used to overcharge items even more, so a gun requires 3 energy, so with 1 relic you can provide up to 8 energy to the gun instead of the normal 5. More relics mean more overcharging. For shields, you boost protection up to 100%, and with relics maybe even reflect damage to enemies (probably need a projectile radar view to know where to block from like in movies such as Independence Day, in addition to the captains orders). For engines, you increase cruising speed and boost speed. For the charging station, maybe they could finally be useful enough by increasing charge speed to double or triple what anything else can, eventually.

With this, maybe have an Escalating Endless mode, that gets harder and harder the more missions you do, maybe eventually being able to take on the Reclaimer, maybe even several. I'm not sure if the energy control station should have a display to remotely boost other stations, as well as resetting the breakers?