Lancake
Head of Testing
Interesting, break off would change a lot in terms of salvage. A ship could lose big parts by shooting properly before that guy decides to blow himself up. And if the self destruct sequence isn't set up properly, you'll blow up some of your ship and detach parts that haven't been detonated yet.I've had a plan for a long time for self destruct for when breakoff becomes the default. Line the core room with warheads, and blow it when you want to deny access to the ship. it stops it being blueprintable, and leaves behind salvage.
Granted, this was dreamed up during the days of coredrilling, and probably won't be worth it anymore.
Your idea about "detaching" the ship core from the main ship is one I like. You'll deny the ship itself, but not the salvage. I think that's a good compromise.