So this is a two part idea and although both work separately and versions of both may have been suggested this is how they could work if implemented together.
1st.
Add a function to ship cores that allows them to repair/build ships from a blueprint, this would not require you to be near a shop to use but having one nearby would allow you to use credits in addition to/instead of resources. Once activated the core begins to use energy to place/purchase blocks until it has recreated the selected blueprint. If the core detects placed blocks that are not in the blueprint it will wait until the end of the repair cycle before replacing them with what is supposed to be there and adding any removed blocks to the players inventory.
-Adding some sort of repair enhancer block could be used increase the speed of the repair cycle.
2nd
When multiple blocks of any type are set as a grouping the number of blocks is used to generate a sort of HP pool that must be depleted before they can be destroyed, however after the pool is depleted each block in that grouping can be destroyed like normal. Once a block in a grouping has been destroyed the grouping will be temporarily disabled until it can be repaired. Once a grouping has been repaired the HP pool will begin to regenerate until full or it takes damage.
-If a weapon is damaged it does not affect the computer it is attached to or other sets of the same weapon type attached to that computer, only the damaged gun is affected.
1st.
Add a function to ship cores that allows them to repair/build ships from a blueprint, this would not require you to be near a shop to use but having one nearby would allow you to use credits in addition to/instead of resources. Once activated the core begins to use energy to place/purchase blocks until it has recreated the selected blueprint. If the core detects placed blocks that are not in the blueprint it will wait until the end of the repair cycle before replacing them with what is supposed to be there and adding any removed blocks to the players inventory.
-Adding some sort of repair enhancer block could be used increase the speed of the repair cycle.
2nd
When multiple blocks of any type are set as a grouping the number of blocks is used to generate a sort of HP pool that must be depleted before they can be destroyed, however after the pool is depleted each block in that grouping can be destroyed like normal. Once a block in a grouping has been destroyed the grouping will be temporarily disabled until it can be repaired. Once a grouping has been repaired the HP pool will begin to regenerate until full or it takes damage.
-If a weapon is damaged it does not affect the computer it is attached to or other sets of the same weapon type attached to that computer, only the damaged gun is affected.