spongebobsaget wrote:I usually only roll with L3 engines, yeah. But I max out the cloak.. so that affords both a defensive bonus and an offensive bonus (my stuff charges while his doesn't).
If I'm running away from bad guys, the game is probably already beyond salvaging
I also usually only get 3 shield layers. It's just too damn expensive for that 7th and 8th layer in most games, and again, I need those bars for weapons and drones!
...
And that's without powering the teleporter.
Systems don't always have to be fully powered. Judging what needs power and juggling it is an important skill. I like to max my cloak, but unless I have Stealth Weapons, it's not fully powered a lot. IMO weapons > offensive drones, so, barring having a Drone Recovery Arm, not using those means less spent on drone parts. And one big missile could take out L3 engines, so upgrading to more bars means you have a damage buffer (and, if powered, lower chance of being hit by one).
As far as running away, yeah, maybe that run is beyond salvaging, but what if it's not? You might manage to limp to a store and get repairs. And faster FTL charging means the sooner you have the opportunity to decide if discretion is the better part of valor.
Of course having more engines doesn't preclude being stubborn and sticking around a battle too long, or being too focused on boarding/each volley and ignoring the big picture (and hull damage warnings). OMG how did my hull get into the red?!
And aaaaaa50 is right, consider the lower probability of taking damage when multiple shots need to get through 3 layers of shields and L5 engines.