Core Gameplay Mechanic - Stealth

Right now, detection in Space Engineers is purely range based. If you're within X metres of an enemy, you're detected. There's no skill, tension, or interesting decision making involved. I'd like to suggest a stealth system that replaces this with something much more dynamic and engaging.

The core idea is that ships have a "signature" determined by what they're actively running. Beacons and antennas broadcast your location, which would finally give them a real function beyond being a convenience toggle. Turn them off, and the enemy cannot detect you unless they have direct line of sight, such as through a camera or turret view. On top of that, running a hot reactor, firing thrusters, and a ship's overall PCU/size would all contribute to your presence. Throttle them down or reduce your grid's size and you go quieter. A ship or player with their signal broadcast off could approach an enemy base or vessel without triggering any automatic range-based detection. Turrets and NPCs would only respond if you crossed their visual line of sight, not simply because you existed within a radius.

This creates a completely new layer of gameplay. Players could plan silent infiltration approaches, cut thrust and drift in on a cold trajectory, use asteroids and terrain for cover, and time their movements around NPC patrol paths. It also comes with real disadvantages. Running silent means your teammates can't see you on the radar either, so coordination becomes part of the risk.

The infrastructure for this is already partially in place. Beacons and antennas are toggleable, and power management is already a core mechanic. This wouldn't need to be built from the ground up. It would be more of a meaningful addition layered on top of systems that already exist but currently lack real purpose in this context.

Beyond the mechanical benefits, this change would make PvP and PvE scenarios significantly more interesting. Escort missions, infiltration runs, ambush setups, all of these become genuinely tense experiences rather than "fly close enough and shoot." It raises the skill ceiling without locking out newer players, since the core mechanics stay straightforward.

There's also a longer term case to be made here. If NPC crew or inhabitants are ever added to enemy bases, a stealth system would be necessary to meaningfully interact with them. Right now there's no way to get close and personal with an enemy base and feel like it's actually alive. Stealth would change that. You'd be creeping through the corridors of something that feels genuinely threatening, not just flying into a detection bubble and trading shots. That wow factor, where you look around and think "these guys are actually something", is completely missing at the moment. This would bring it.

I think this is one of those changes that would make Space Engineers feel like a much deeper game without fundamentally breaking what already works.