I guess System-HP is in its own early access. It is rather unfinished. There is some simple way to finish the system and make the game even more interesting. There is possibility not only to implement coherent concept of armour system but also some interesting method of upgrade. First of all lets talk about available resources.
We have 3 types of armour (crystal have the same characteristic as advanced). 1) If an armour block takes damage in battle it becomes damaged in one of 3 or more states (maybe 4 idk). 2) If you remove damaged block from the ship hull it becomes automatically repairing inside player inventory. Ship HP is only decreased. If you change any other block the HP attribute is reducing and finally achieves 0. Of course I think it is bug. 3) There is option in any Shop to repair ship hull for cash.
The three different ideas aggregated together have no sense. My humble proposition starts from new blueprint concept and ends on new role of shops in the game universe.
1) Should be N different groups of damaged armours (for example with gradation 10%). Each damage group counts as different "armour class" (cubes, wedges, corners etc.). So if you take damaged armour voxels from a ship hull to your inventory they stay damaged and are grouping.
2) Existing blueprints are to tight for my concept of reusable pieces and further upgrade system. Lets think about hull as a separate position in the Blocks list divided into shapes only. No old class type (hull, standard, advanced, crystal), colour, the degree of damage further matter. You can build your ship hull from everything you have at the moment, even from carved minerals . Ofc we will need two more sections in blueprint to encode the hull preferred composition (normal, hardened, special sections - ie. black-yellow etc.) and coloring (pather, military, full black or other). This means that coloring blocks and painting ship is no longer a property giving you possibility to make your own new blueprint from any existing one. More in the point about armour upgrades.
3) Recipes for repairing damaged armour blocks should consist entire new sections in factories. For every groups of 10% damage its partial cost. It should have some cost not exceeding the price of new armour piece in shop. But preferred cost is below 1/2 to reward player for repairing. Of course have to be recalculated the cost of every new armour piece in shop and guaranted really slow supply from air, that is by Trading Guild. Trace amounts to take people a change for armour business. Bigger supply only on individual servers where there are no other producers.
4) Armour upgrades. Should be entire new system of hardening and enrichment of armours coherent with damage dealing system. I propose to treat the hardening concept as better strength of the armour piece for impact, rocket or explosions attacks. On the other hand we may have doping or enrichment increasing armour strength for beam, laser and other power attacks. Deflecting or deflection degree is better word in the context than strength although.
5) It is debatable whether hardening and doping is better to implement on generic armour class level or from advanced level up only. The same deals with stacking effects. But I think that exclusions would be more interesting for designing purpose. For example we may assume that hardenend armour piece can't be enriched and vice versa. Some kinds of dopings may work as kind of power fields covering more than 1 block. Etc....
6) At last about shops. Shops in actual form are rather decoration or alternative supply depot than a game system. You may buy anything to secure your money in case of death (ofc if server has option with "drop items from inventory" set to off). Whatever you buy you can sell for the same price. I think there is a place for more active role of Trading Guild or trading players. Diversification of commodities supply and its prices with respect of star system content, activity in it (pirates, traders, sales/revenues) and other local factors would be nice. Ofc if the sector is simulated or someone found the shop. First of all any more advanced items should be in shops only in trace amounts or even absence of such "bonuses". Let players establish their own buisnesses based on production.
We have 3 types of armour (crystal have the same characteristic as advanced). 1) If an armour block takes damage in battle it becomes damaged in one of 3 or more states (maybe 4 idk). 2) If you remove damaged block from the ship hull it becomes automatically repairing inside player inventory. Ship HP is only decreased. If you change any other block the HP attribute is reducing and finally achieves 0. Of course I think it is bug. 3) There is option in any Shop to repair ship hull for cash.
The three different ideas aggregated together have no sense. My humble proposition starts from new blueprint concept and ends on new role of shops in the game universe.
1) Should be N different groups of damaged armours (for example with gradation 10%). Each damage group counts as different "armour class" (cubes, wedges, corners etc.). So if you take damaged armour voxels from a ship hull to your inventory they stay damaged and are grouping.
2) Existing blueprints are to tight for my concept of reusable pieces and further upgrade system. Lets think about hull as a separate position in the Blocks list divided into shapes only. No old class type (hull, standard, advanced, crystal), colour, the degree of damage further matter. You can build your ship hull from everything you have at the moment, even from carved minerals . Ofc we will need two more sections in blueprint to encode the hull preferred composition (normal, hardened, special sections - ie. black-yellow etc.) and coloring (pather, military, full black or other). This means that coloring blocks and painting ship is no longer a property giving you possibility to make your own new blueprint from any existing one. More in the point about armour upgrades.
3) Recipes for repairing damaged armour blocks should consist entire new sections in factories. For every groups of 10% damage its partial cost. It should have some cost not exceeding the price of new armour piece in shop. But preferred cost is below 1/2 to reward player for repairing. Of course have to be recalculated the cost of every new armour piece in shop and guaranted really slow supply from air, that is by Trading Guild. Trace amounts to take people a change for armour business. Bigger supply only on individual servers where there are no other producers.
4) Armour upgrades. Should be entire new system of hardening and enrichment of armours coherent with damage dealing system. I propose to treat the hardening concept as better strength of the armour piece for impact, rocket or explosions attacks. On the other hand we may have doping or enrichment increasing armour strength for beam, laser and other power attacks. Deflecting or deflection degree is better word in the context than strength although.
5) It is debatable whether hardening and doping is better to implement on generic armour class level or from advanced level up only. The same deals with stacking effects. But I think that exclusions would be more interesting for designing purpose. For example we may assume that hardenend armour piece can't be enriched and vice versa. Some kinds of dopings may work as kind of power fields covering more than 1 block. Etc....
6) At last about shops. Shops in actual form are rather decoration or alternative supply depot than a game system. You may buy anything to secure your money in case of death (ofc if server has option with "drop items from inventory" set to off). Whatever you buy you can sell for the same price. I think there is a place for more active role of Trading Guild or trading players. Diversification of commodities supply and its prices with respect of star system content, activity in it (pirates, traders, sales/revenues) and other local factors would be nice. Ofc if the sector is simulated or someone found the shop. First of all any more advanced items should be in shops only in trace amounts or even absence of such "bonuses". Let players establish their own buisnesses based on production.