Chamber System Mechanics Improvement

[Valiant70]

Terminology changes:

• Chambers -> Advanced Modules or Auxiliary Modules
• Chamber Capacity -> CPU

Mechanics Changes

• CPU% is ship-wide.
• Individual adv. modules can be activated and deactivated from a control panel provided there is enough CPU.
  • Modules have a "loading time" while the CPU brings them online.
  • Include a preset feature to enable quick switching between configurations instead of switching reactors.
• Module block count requirement depends on the size of the system it modifies.
• Multiple reactors are now possible. Destroying a reactor causes an explosion instead of just vaporizing the whole ship.
• The failsafe module prevents a reactor from blowing up when it dies. Useful on multi-reactor builds. Might be irrelevant if you have only one reactor, because you're done for anyway.

This seems like a cleaner and more sensible way to handle a buff system. I've heard a lot of people say tying everything into the reactor is weird. I'm inclined to agree. This makes more sense from a balance and gameplay perspective.

Optional, but might be interesting (or it might just be weird):

• Conduits connect modules to the systems they modify.
• If you have multiple groups of one system, each group must have its own modules attached.
• Only types of module cost CPU. Having two of the same type attached to different groups has no additional cost. (Scifi excuse: calculations are the same for all modules of the same kind)
• Likely meta effect: Reduce the number of small system groups, and tend toward larger groups. Could be desirable.
• Gameplay "flavor" effect: Connecting things together feels more like building some kind of machinery rather than just shoving blocks in available space.

 

[Valiant70]

I just realized that this would require stealth, detection, and FTL to become separate systems again so that the modules have something to enhance. But hey, that's a good thing. They're weird the way they are.

If you really want reactors to be warp cores, then we can just connect FTL to the warp core rather than a separate system.

There's a variety of ways stealth and detection could be handled, which should be investigated as the current system does some weird things in the balance department.