69 hours, still no wins

[The Captain]

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.

[aaaaaa50]

I forgot to mention, but for dodging you only need power in the engines right before an enemy projectile is about to hit. Engines are the easiest system to squeeze for extra power bars.

[spongebobsaget]

I also max out my pilot and engineer guys, for that added evasion. I forget where they max. 10%? 15? Something like that.

I have purchased more than 3 levels of engine in the past, but I rarely power more than 3 because I need those bars and scrap for other things. MOAR GUNZ

[Kenshkrix]

I forgot to mention, but for dodging you only need power in the engines right before an enemy projectile is about to hit. Engines are the easiest system to squeeze for extra power bars.

I think it's specifically when it's about to hit your shield.

Anyways I thought I'd emphasize this particular point, drones and O2 in particular can be shut off for a few seconds with negligible (or no) side effects, and having 1 power in engines until an attack is incoming then boosting it up to 5 or 6 temporarily can really help with saving scrap early instead of needing to constantly upgrade your reactor. In fact I even turn off recently fired weapons to boost engines because they don't lose much cd that way.
It also allows you to shut off weapons and go all engines and escape from a particularly horrible enemy matchup without taking too much damage.

[Maury Markowitz]

My opinion is get L5 engines and a better weapon. And max your reactor.

How?! Even on easy, and deliberately seeking combat, I never have enough money to max *anything*. I generally upgrade my shields to 3 or 4 if possible, and maybe my pilotage and doors. That leaves me with enough for one other upgrade, either a component like a teleporter or a new weapon. That's it. How are you buying all these upgrades?

[spongebobsaget]

My opinion is get L5 engines and a better weapon. And max your reactor.

How?! Even on easy, and deliberately seeking combat, I never have enough money to max *anything*. I generally upgrade my shields to 3 or 4 if possible, and maybe my pilotage and doors. That leaves me with enough for one other upgrade, either a component like a teleporter or a new weapon. That's it. How are you buying all these upgrades?

You have to be making around 10 jumps per sector and gathering as much scrap as possible. If you are burning scrap on missiles and repairs, you're hosing yourself.

Focus on getting a second shield layer asap. Then, a defense drone MkI is GOLD to stop incoming missiles.

Otherwise, you need to keep your firepower growing to outpace your enemy's shields. If they have 1 layer of shields, you better have at least 2 shots, preferably 3. If they have 2 shields, you better have at least 3 shots, preferably at least 4-5.

Maxing out your pilotage is a complete waste of time and money IMO (are you talking about autopilot?)

By the second half of the game you want to have at least 3 shield layers, some kind of missile defense (drone, cloak), and enough firepower to get through the enemy shields (assuming you aren't going for a boarding-party build).

Things to consider.. if you take an enemy ship by way of eliminating all their crew, you get a bonus in the amount of scrap you collect.