[IDEA] Moddable/upgradable/tiered space suits +no suit

Kamil Rutkowski shared this feedback 56 days ago
Not Enough Votes

Title is self explanatory


Tierable:

Tier0 - (true survival immersive starting point)- no suit, no jetpack, very limited inventory, very limited crafting (since in SE2 we will have that apparently)*, no fuel (obviously), no O2 except your lungs, normal movement, no power, no ore detection, no heat resistance**, no radiation resistance**, no pressure resistance***. Bigger gravity will harm us.

Tier1 - starter suit - created within the first tens of minutes within the game, very low power jetpack (ill explain why), small inventory, basic crafting capabilities, some fuel, some O2, normal movement, some power, no heat or radiation resistance, some pressure resistance to go underwater, not too deep. Not safe to be exposed in the space. Some improvement in bigger gravity.


I have a personal beef with jetpack on survival.
It basically allows you to no clip around the planet and go into space within the first second of landing on the earth. Not even mentioning the bunnyhopping - reaching max speed, turning off the dampeners, turning them on after reaching surface, reaccelerating and adjusting the direction. You can literally go around the planet on one tank like that. The O2 you have is enough to find some unavailable ore in the low orbit. Before your friend creates a faction for you to join, you are back on earth with some uranium.

Whole point of a jetpack literally removes whole point of exploration grids, such as small ships or scout rovers. Whole exploration topic is harmed because of this. Imagine just turning on creative mode in Minecraft the moment you get lost. You didnt think of it that way, didnt you?

If you look for some immersive gameplay in SE1, search for jetpack nerf mod. They work normally in space but in atmosphere they either massively increase fuel consumption in the atmosphere, or nerf them to the point you literally have to use scaffolding to get to the higher places. It's fun on multiplier, is a bit boring on singleplayer. I attached a pic somewhere.

Jetpack nerf I use: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1191589902

Scaffolding: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=717073267


Tier2 - advanced suit - created after a first trip into low orbit or after finding some deep ore on earth, current jetpack (still worse on the atmosphere for the balance), best possible crafting (for the character crafting, still limited compared to what assemblers offer), good fuel, power and O2, normal walking speed, some heat and radiation resistance, good pressure resistance (like a deep diving equipment), allows you to explore planets with dense atmosphere (=big pressure). Works like current one in space. Able to explore planets with more hostile gravity. Basic armor****

Tier3 - endgame suit - this has to feel like a halo/doom suit. Similar experience to creative mode. Some ancient/deep lore components required, rare ores to be mined etc. Current SE1 jetpack, because if you thought about a buff beyond that what we already have, you are weird. Crazy fuel, power and O2 capacity. Faster sprinting (25% increase). Better fall resistance. Heat resistance that makes you wanna walk on the sun. Radiation resistant to the level where you are welcome in all toxic biomes. Max pressure resistance. Can walk on black hole's singularity. Good armor. Antenna that allows us to access grids' contol panels wirelessly from bigger distances. Just like antenna would do, but from max 100m. That would probably be the main reason why people would grind for this armor, since thats such a quality of life feature.

*as said before, I heard that Keen plans to implement some level of inventory crafting

**I have few ideas how we could have some sort of toxic habitats, where such resistance would be required. Same with heat. You are too close to the sun, fire, lava or planet core, you are cooked without it.

***Would make sense since we are getting water in SE2, I heard that Keen plans to use it for some lore and exploration, deep ocean exploration would be impossible without a ship or a good suit, which I really like because as you read my beef with the jetpack, not needing to build ships to explore makes me sad since it deprives the whole point of building a ship. Game progression would be similar to what we see in terraria, which I think has one of the best progression systems in the industry - kill this boss to obtain this material needed to build a pickaxe to mine this ore. Here, find the ore that allows you to build a suit, that lets you dive deeper, or build a submersible instead. Same situation when it comes to space exploration, you cant explore space on foot unless you have a suit that allows you to.

****Armor - it would make complete sense that there is some external armor, that either is rechargable or repairable (or both, depending which suit you have) once you progress further.


A Halo suit would take a bullet a bit better than no suit


Now, when it comes to upgrades or mods, we could dump the whole idea of tiers. Instead, we could upgrade the suit by using mods such as scuba set, O2 tanks, fuel tanks, some boots or whole legs exoskeleton for gravity, walking speed and fall damage. Advanced lining for no air leaks and for better pressure resistance. Crafting mods. Heat and radiation resistant mods. Jetpack buffs, could be broken down in 3 parts: fuel efficiency, thrust power, fuel type/switch to power based. Armor upgrades. When it comes to ore detection tier list, we could break it down to the ore type detection (iron yes uranium no) and reach. Antenna from the tier3 as a mod would make sense too. All the more desirable or higher tier exclusives would be obviously harder to obtain.

When it comes to me, I prefer the mods, because the other benefit of them is that they can greatly improve exploration aspect of the game. In SE1, the only things you could've imagined you could find in an abandoned base was a component. Now, you can find some rare mods for your suits. Also, you could buy the mods in the trade stations or get them exclusively as a reward for a mission, which now makes us want to do them. Just like terraria does with the fishing - you gotta do it if you want to craft a cellphone or obtain biome items. It gives the game so much sense.


if you agree with this submission, check more of mine and give them a bump

Replies (17)

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great idea, bump

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I also like the idea of different suits/outfits for different purposes/playstyles. For example, you could have a basic uniform that doesn't have jetpacks or O2, but increases movement speed (or make the standard suit decrease movement speed). Another alternative might be the construction exosuit, which has jetpacks and a lot more carrying capacity but still no O2.

The more suits without O2, the better. I think it would encourage people to build with O2 in mind, as well as open a bunch of options for roleplaying/machinima.

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Different tiers of suits would be awesome! Especially starting without a jetpack. Having no suit as an option would make custom scenarios interesting where players start on a ship with no suit and have to find/craft a suit to be able to leave the ship.

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I'm not opposed to upgrading stuff, but you do you. I'll keep my jetpack thank you. Also idk what game you're playing but you're not getting across a planet on a single bout of hydrogen. You're going to need several refills and several bottles to do a full circle. I'm not opposed to this being an option for people who want it. Otherwise this is largely a pass from me.

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I definitely want suit upgrades, especially if more suit types means more ability in different ways. (More suit storage, Armor durability, Efficient energy storage). I know we will bet more suit options in time, so I'd like to see more style types. I added a few images, so all credit to those artists, they have some awesome ideas.

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these are fire

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Except for the first three, these are more like the pastry chef's ideas about the spacesuit...

Almost all seem to lack power supplies, spacesuit ventilation and air conditioning equipment, and a breathing mixture delivery system.

They pretend to be "brutal armour", but in this role they'd be pretty dysfunctional - they have too many exposed and unprotected areas... And I certainly can't imagine them as work clothes that an individual is supposed to spend eight or more hours in...


Many of the authors were obviously inspired by the armour of motorcycle riders and racers.... And they completely forgot that riders sit on motorcycles - and for that's what their protective clothing is tailored for.

Note the exaggerated knee and calf protection, the massive upper chest protection, the shoulder and forearm pads, reinforcement around the pelvis, which is wide and quite fragile... Mostly typical points of first contact between the biker and the terrain... But almost no belly protection - in a motorcycle sit-up, it just doesn't fit there. For crashes it works quite well - but for shelling it doesn't work at all

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It is neither pretty nor elegant, but therefore functional (bomb-sit for EOD/pyrotechnics)


Note - the helmet is almost immovable, because the neck can not withstand impact of a more powerful projectile into the helmet. Therefore helmet is not fixed on the head, but carried on the structure of the suit. The head is "free" in the helmet.


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And this is what these guys are wearing under their protective suits:

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External shield and plate system Mehler on exoskelet (Exo-M offerd for GIGN)


For an idea of the real external armour of the fighter

Note that the abdomen and crotch are thoroughly covered

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It's also not quite perfect protection - it protects the fighter mainly from the front, the back of the thighs and the buttocks are not very protected...

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LOL looks like one of those attack dog training outfits. now all we would need is a cyber dog to sick-em!

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I think we need a few variations of Pilot, Miner, Combat, Explorer, and whatever else pops up. I do like the NASA style images for aesthetic the best tho.

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Plumber.

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the inscriptions are not NASA, but NASV...

Probably for the game.

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https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/character/man/scifi-space-soldier

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Agree with the tiered suit progression, but would love to see modularity taken further—where suits support swappable modules that enable specialized functions. This would let players tailor their suits to playstyles (explorer, engineer, combat) while maintaining progression. Below are suggested modules that could be unlocked/mixed across tiers:

Module Slots Scale with Suit Tier

  • Tier 1: 4 slots (basic functions)
  • Tier 2: 8 slots (specialized builds)
  • Tier 3: 12 slots
  • and more

Example Suit Modules


Mobility & Utility

  • Grappler Shoes – Walk on blocks without gravity, ideal for zero-G repairs.
  • Water Jet Module – Enhanced underwater movement (faster swimming/diving).
  • Exoskeleton – Improves sprint speed and carry weight at a power cost.
  • Jetpack Module – Tiered thrusters (T1 = weak hover, T3 = spaceflight-capable).


Exploration & Scanning

  • Ore Scanner – Short-range mineral detection (upgradable for range/accuracy).
  • Block Scanner – Analyzes unknown blocks for components/weaknesses.
  • X-Ray Vision – See through armor blocks (limited by thickness/material).
  • Thermal/Night Vision – Navigate dark or extreme environments.
  • Zoom (Binocular) Lens – Long-range inspection/aiming.
  • Damage Analysis HUD – Highlights damaged blocks with color-coded severity.


Engineering & Construction

  • Remote Terminal – Access ship/base controls wirelessly (distance-limited).
  • Projector Module – Display holographic blueprints for on-site building.
  • Drone Controller – Deploy a disposable tiny repair/construction drone when it controlled by player (camera and control switch to drone ) it can reach areas player can't reach to do action on behalf of player including building , repairing , accessing terminal or even scouting.
  • Power Override – Boost tool performance (e.g., faster weld/grind) at suit power cost.


Survival & Defense

  • Oxygen Generator – Slowly refills O₂ from carried ice/water (or while submerged).
  • Hose Tether Module: When connected to a charge station, this module provides continuous power/O2/fuel supply to the suit via a limited-length physical hose that restricts movement range but eliminates resource consumption.
  • Solar Recharge – Passive power regeneration in sunlight.
  • Armor Plating – Tiered defense (light/medium/heavy) against bullets/explosives and direct energy.
  • Anti-Radiation Shielding – Reduces toxicity/radiation damage.
  • Force Shield Generator
  • Stealth Module – hide player from enemies turrets.


Storage & Power

  • Backpacks– Expands inventory slots.
  • Battery Pack – Increases suit power capacity.
  • O₂/Fuel Tanks – Additional consumable storage.



Implementation Notes

  • Modules Are Tiered – Basic versions unlock early; advanced variants require rare resources.
  • Trade-Offs – Equipping a jetpack might reduce armor slots, encouraging specialization.

This modular approach would:

Deepen progression without rigid tiers

Reward exploration (find/buy rare modules)

Enable hybrid builds (e.g., a "Technician" suit with drones + scanners)

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Space Suits should be tiered and improved and upgraded throughout the game - in terms of increasing the suit's durability, increasing the range of operating temperatures, increasing oxygen and energy reserves, increasing working and handling capabilities - including the size, volume and weight of the inventory.


But!

There cannot be any activity and any capability that exists only for higher level suits and is directly prohibited or impossible for lower level suits.

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Hmmm.....


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Stylish.

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I'm more inclined to the idea of ​​modules. Which can be hung on the character in the form of slots (like in RPG games).

1) Torso, here you can install a jumpsuit. If we have the simplest jumpsuit, some T1, then it only slightly protects from the cold at night.

2) Back, here you can install a small, medium, large backpack (which provides capacity for inventory). You can install a jetpack on the back (the jetpack by default has the functionality of a backpack, but only a small backpack. The type of fuel decides how far and how fast the jetpack can fly without stopping (here the Satisfactory mechanics would not hurt). Hydropack (analogous to a jetpack, allows you to quickly move underwater, but is useless in the atmosphere. Hello Subnatika). Multipack (a hybrid of a jetpack and hydropack, but slower than both, but universal).

3) Head, here you can initially install a helmet. As an alternative, these are engineer's augmented reality glasses. But then there will be no tightness.

4) Belt, you can install a belt here. You can organize very interesting mechanics with belts. The more advanced the belt, the more fast slots it gives.

5) Legs, you can install regular boots here, as well as boots with magnetic soles, as well as boots with spikes (to walk on ice without slipping), as well as fins (for more efficient scuba diving), maybe even boots with built-in micro-motors to run faster.

6) Hands (left and right). You could install engineer's gloves in one slot (they improve the efficiency of hand tools, reduce their wear). Medical analyzer (monitors the character's condition).

7) Additional slot: for an exoskeleton (increases running speed, jump height), for a portable force field generator (improved protection).

8) Additional slot: for a drone (allows you to release and return it).


Total. This gives a good customization of the character for certain tasks. Need to explore the depths of the sea: Put on a diving suit, scuba gear, a diving mask, fins, hang a harpoon on your belt. Need to climb a mountain? Put on a suit reinforced with plates, an exoskeleton, boots with spikes, and a jetpack to quickly and reliably climb steep surfaces. Need maximum protection? Put on a suit resistant to high temperatures, put on a portable force field generator to repair a ship near the Star. In general, you can assemble an "equipment build" for each type of task.

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