Mining pods.

[msor]

First of all - it is not very good addition. Instead of two universal pods now we should have 2 builders and two mining pods for comfort play. It does not increase complexity of gameplay, but just become annoying. Especially with total mining time has been increased, thanks to ore mining.

With new drill mechanism, mining pods looks even more bizarre. Why we need special pod if it must pickup additional special equipment for work anyway?
Would be nice to return to universal pods, but with requirement for drill from ore processor to mining.

Also would be good if we can use Scanner to reveal hidden ore deposits in depleted asteroids. At least some useful usage for it. And this process can be repeated unlimited amount of time. Maybe with reduced efficiency. Time is a main issue in this game any way, so it will not be game braking feature.

[Juanito de Cabo]

To my taste, the move toward "specialized" pods is good. It adds to the game by making the player choose where to direct resources (more emphasis on mining at the cost of construction, or vice-versa).

I hope that, in the future, we can do a similar thing for the shuttles -- pick a research path or something to allow shuttles to specialize. For example, upgrading the shuttle for transportation (allowing it to carry six men and fifteen inventory items), or fighting (allowing it to shoot at enemy shuttles and support boarding parties with its machine gun).

I like your suggestion of using the Scanner on the ship to find "hidden" materials in an asteroid. And, unrelated, but why not allow the Scanner to look into derelicts before boarding, to see if there's aliens or stasis pods onboard?

[Fluff Bunny]

Could be a compromise on the issue too:

Have a universal pod available- but the universal pod does both jobs a little slower. So for smaller ships, or if you're low on space- build a universal pod. But if you've got the resources, specialized pods will do the work more efficiently for you. That makes it a game play decision. Better specialized pods- or universal pods to save space.

[Juanito de Cabo]

Originally posted by Fluff Bunny:

Could be a compromise on the issue too:

Have a universal pod available- but the universal pod does both jobs a little slower. So for smaller ships, or if you're low on space- build a universal pod. But if you've got the resources, specialized pods will do the work more efficiently for you. That makes it a game play decision. Better specialized pods- or universal pods to save space.

Exactly, that's the safe and smart way to approach it. Basically the reverse of what I'm thinking (start with a generic pod, have a choice to upgrade to a specialized pod depending on what the player prioritizes), but have the three options available to the player originally.

Often, games have upgrade paths for units which fork off into specializations. For example, in Starcraft, you get some basic Zerg unit, and through research you can then choose to give it mutually-exclusive perks. For example, it either moves quicker, or is able to attack air units. The choice is up to the player to suit his approach to the game. Choosing one path removes the other path, so it encourages a second playthrough to try a new strategy.

It seems this specialization type of thing could be applied to Space Haven ships / shuttles / pods. In fact, why not occasionally find some rare upgrades on derelicts and pirate ships which add some little bonus to the player's ship? For example:

- Upgrade the engines to +10% of the normal charging speed.
- Upgrade the reactor to -15% fuel consumption.
- Upgrade the airlocks with an alarm which sounds when an unauthorized shuttle is approaching.
- Upgrade medical beds to seal open wounds more effectively without using medical supplies.
- Upgrade the grow beds to use -30% water, but at the cost of +15% electricity.

[Bobucles]

The specialized pods look cool. Throwing away pods to change them around isn't so cool. Early game resources are tight, and the bare minimum for a functional ship seems to get more expensive all the time. So my only real complaint is I wish early game ships were cheaper somehow.

The best pod upgrade, I think, would be to give them shuttle privileges. Shuttles take up a TON of space and don't do much in the very early game. A pod on the other hand has more than enough ability for trading cargo and investigating low risk derelicts. So put a crew in the cockpit, have him fly back and forth doing things, and that'd look pretty cool, wouldn't it? Rescuing someone would get pretty cramped in the cockpit though!

What if small craft had "equipment" in the same way crew has equipment? Say a pod has room for a main tool, a seat/autopilot, and a utility/cargo slot. A shuttle might have multiple equipment slots, which could include trading autopilot for a 5th seat, or sacrificing seats to hold more cargo. A little bit of customization can go a long way, so instead of players throwing away shuttles to reuse their hangars, they just customize their shuttles into needed roles.

It would be cool to have external pod hangars. Pods have a natural airlock shape, and if there's no reason to customize a shuttle, there isn't much reason to stash them in an internal hangar. It'd be ideal as a budget dock.

[Juanito de Cabo]

Originally posted by Bobucles:

The specialized pods look cool. Throwing away pods to change them around isn't so cool. Early game resources are tight, and the bare minimum for a functional ship seems to get more expensive all the time. So my only real complaint is I wish early game ships were cheaper somehow.

The best pod upgrade, I think, would be to give them shuttle privileges. Shuttles take up a TON of space and don't do much in the very early game. A pod on the other hand has more than enough ability for trading cargo and investigating low risk derelicts. So put a crew in the cockpit, have him fly back and forth doing things, and that'd look pretty cool, wouldn't it? Rescuing someone would get pretty cramped in the cockpit though!

What if small craft had "equipment" in the same way crew has equipment? Say a pod has room for a main tool, a seat/autopilot, and a utility/cargo slot. A shuttle might have multiple equipment slots, which could include trading autopilot for a 5th seat, or sacrificing seats to hold more cargo. A little bit of customization can go a long way, so instead of players throwing away shuttles to reuse their hangars, they just customize their shuttles into needed roles.

It would be cool to have external pod hangars. Pods have a natural airlock shape, and if there's no reason to customize a shuttle, there isn't much reason to stash them in an internal hangar. It'd be ideal as a budget dock.

I like the way you think -- several great suggestions!

The option to place pods on the outside walls of a ship would be excellent. One of the considerations of the game is making most efficient use of space, and adding a new pod hangar type to which pods can attach from the outside would help with this. It'd be similar to many other space movies where various pods (like escape pods) are kept attached to the wall.

Yes, customizing the individual shuttles and pods would be a cool addition to the gameplay. Similar to how we can now "modify" individual crewmen with augmentations to make them better for specific purposes. It'd be good to also visually identify them as modified, somehow (extra anntenae, armor, colors, shape, etc.). And the detail window when selecting the unit could also show badges which indicate that the craft is modified for specific functions.

Using pods as ad hoc shuttles would also expand the possibilities of things. For example, early in the game, you don't have the resources to build a shuttle bay / shuttle yet, so why not use the pods in the meanwhile to move people and inventory (less efficiently)? Related things which I've mentioned before:

- Using the pods for attacks on enemy ships. If the mining pod can cut into rock, it could probably also get close to an enemy ship and cut an opening into its hull for your crew to enter in a surprise attack.

- Allowing individual crew members to fly without a vehicle between ships. This might be a technical limitation, but as of the current time, your crew cannot exit an airlock in one ship and EVA to board another ship nearby. There seems to be an invisible barrier between "grid squares" where the ships are placed, and they can only be crossed inside a pod or shuttle. If it's possible to do, this would be handy for emergency rescues and other rare situations.

[I blame Earthshaker]

I do wonder if devs were experimenting or something, this isn't their first "addition" to seem to make more work rather than reduce the game loops over time and replace with new loops...