Commandeering a ship - The point and when I should do it

[Luxey]

So, I only recently picked up Duskers, but I love it already~

There's something I'm confused about though... Why should I commandeer a ship I salvaged? What benifits will it provide me, beside a different ship and maybe a few more upgrade slots (if any)... Also, what should I look out for in regards to 'hints' that I should commandeer a ship? Are military vessels always good to take? Do cargo/freight vessels always have more upgrade slots than the default ship?

If anyone, or the dev, can reveal any of this, it'd help a lot! Love the game so far and can't wait to keep playing~

[Balneor]

Well.
First of, sometimes, ship will have attached upgrades that tow can't take. By commandering, you can collect it. And sometimes ships has their own upgrade that are permanent, like "decontaminate"/Collector/bomb (Military thing). So if you badly need an upgrade, and you have cleared the ship, this can help.
Secondly, as you said the new ship can hold more. 50+ scrap cap is not necessary, but do not take ships that can hold lower than 30 scrap. Also you can get more ship's slots, which is pretty useful.
Thirdly, you surely have met the "schematic view lost" thing. It occurs when you are using your ship for too long. So taking an new one will prevent that from happening, at best for 5 missions. The first and second point are potionnal, but the third one is what making commandering very important.

[Balneor]

About the other point, I have no idea what military/scavenger/mining/medical/... does stand for. The point it, they are difference between them, but I do not know what exactly. Sure, fuel depot gives more fuel, but other than that.. don't expect getting help for this unfortunately, I don't think anyone even know but the devs.

[rainofthestorm]

Some ships have bigger fuel tanks, allowing you to go farther in a system without using your reserve fuel tank. Some have unique upgrades that you cannot pilfer, and some have more upgrade slots.

Those are the primary differences, but eventually you'll need to swap your ship out. Even if you survive for a while, eventually your ship will start to deteriorate (one of the main symptoms of this is the Schematic view blinking out for short periods of time, gradually getting more frequent) and you'll have to find another.

[Marvin]

Originally posted by BØØM:

About the other point, I have no idea what military/scavenger/mining/medical/... does stand for. The point it, they are difference between them, but I do not know what exactly. Sure, fuel depot gives more fuel, but other than that.. don't expect getting help for this unfortunately, I don't think anyone even know but the devs.

In my experience:
Salvage and Barge ships tend to have bigger scrap capacity (100+, occasionally), but rarely more than 2 upgrade slots (Salvage is especially bad there). Collector upgrades seem to be more likely on Salvage ships.
Muteki has lower capacity (<40), but more upgrade slots. Even small Muteki (C and D) tend to have 3.
Military ships are very likely to have internal defense turrets and may have the Cannon upgrade - sometimes to the exclusion of other slots. My personal favourite are Military A: They tend to have a scrap capacity between 60 and 80, plus 2-3 upgrade slots (maybe even 4).

Another thing is that you may need a certain ship class to do some objectives.

[Rogue Scientist]

To add to the above, you will find places where only a certain type of ship can dock. The only way to access a military base is to pilot a military ship for example...

[Balneor]

Originally posted by Rogue Scientist:

To add to the above, you will find places where only a certain type of ship can dock. The only way to access a military base is to pilot a military ship for example...

Oh, I didn't know that. That's useful.

[mugdorna]

If I commandeer a ship, can I transfer my current ship upgrades over to the derelict? Or do I have to abandon what I have?

EDIT: Just took the chance, commandering a ship with a 'cannon' and a destroyed 'ship survey' My already installed remote power took the place of the destroyed upgrade. Only 2 slots on both ships.
Cant see the graphic hint for ship type/upgrade options. Would really like some more game info on ship types. How to use the cannon? clicking on it does nothing
My run just ended. Im doing good on drones, 4 (2 in reserve) and upgrades, however am low on offensive upgrades and am now stranded in a system with no propulsion. The only only 2 system I have already cleaned out.
Just like that ...stumped!

[Marvin]

The cannon can be used in a mission to destroy a room (preferably with enemies in it) by typing

cannon rX

Propulsion fuel is refilled when you jump to another system, enabling you to check out more derelicts there, if there are any left. If you have a system with a blue circle, there's a stargate in there that will take you to the next galax.