Idea: Tinkertoy ships?

[ribless]

I recognize that this idea would probably represent a significant refitting of the engine if not a complete rethinking of the game's balance; I consider it pure speculation for a sequel, a major content expansion, a total conversion mod, or for some other indie gamer's project.

What if a ship's template was just that -- a template to build upon as the game progresses?

What if players could move systems and rooms around inside their ship? What if, instead of pouring scrap into a linear upgrade tree, players salvaged improved components from enemy ships, parts that would vary in quality, shape, and size?

Example 1a. A brand-new Kestrel takes out a Rebel auto-scout. Most of the ship vaporizes, but maybe its engine unit does not. Let's imagine that the Kestrel and the scout have the same "quality 2" engine, but the scout's is a 1x2, not a 1x4. The player gets the option to either fit it into some open space on the ship for use, to hollow the unit out as a new cargo space, to put it the whole thing in an open cargo space for later use/resale, or to scrap it on the spot. If they choose to attach the engine to the ship as an engine, they get the same options for dealing with the old engine -- store it, hollow it out, or scrap it entirely.

Example 1b. Our Kestrel now manages to kill a Rock Scout, which leaves behind a better, but bulkier 2x2 engine. The player gets to decide whether they want to sacrifice space for speed, besides the usual energy consideration.

Example 2. The player kills off an entire enemy crew, leaving a damaged ship. The player gets an initial option to swap ships entirely. Whether they choose to jump ships or not, they can choose to quickly scrap the other ship, or wait one time period to open up a refitting screen that lets them move parts from one ship to the other. Maybe they'd have to jump on board and extinguish any fires or breaches before they could complete the transaction, or maybe "destroyed" parts couldn't be salvaged at all, adding a big bonus for taking over a ship without trashing it.

To make things uniform (since I'm basically doing away with the old upgrade tree), I'd recommend adding a "generator" room unit that powers everything; I'd make augmentations bulky rooms to themselves, and I'd limit weapons to the front surfaces of the ships, which would further distinguish different ship templates. The Engi ships would have this huge, blocky front that could mount several huge guns; a Kestrel could maybe only mount one big gun up front, plus a couple small ones on the sides. Alternately, extra ordinary rooms could occupy those spaces, to accommodate different play-styles (i.e. boarding-heavy or drone-based combat).

Honestly, I've probably described a whole 'nother game, but I can't help but think that I'd love to play that game someday. I really like the combat system in FTL; still, I wish the game boasted a more "organic" upgrade scheme, even if my idea does depart too far from the current game.

[Vost]

That sounds like a really solid idea to me. The only downside (other than whatever challenges the developer would face) seems to be the almost inevitable sense of loss when your ship gets destroyed after you invest so much time and energy.

I really love the concept of moving around ship parts, and limiting weapons to front-facing surfaces. You could even have bonuses for certain placements.