Balanced Progression: How We Unlock Blocks
Hi Keen,
1st off your doing awesome! this is a lot to balanced and your guys love for this game shows!
SE1&2 are my all time favorite games so thank you! Also I am confident I will be very happy with whatever path SE2 development takes as there are may ways to engineer a great experience.
Idea I would like to Share:
Issue: community is divided on block unlocking via contracts VS just starting with all the blocks
Both sides are correct here (progression --> Solid FTUE VS No-progression --> FREEDOM! :D) Ideally if a system can be crafted that makes room for BOTH then we get the best of both worlds.
Possible Solutions: Here are a few attempts at sharing ideas to tackle this
1) Introduce Persistent Engineering Rank: If a player is NEW to SE2 his rank is 0 and he must earn his blocks (somehow...likely through contracts). as he progresses his "rank#" increases granting him more access to blocks. If this "Rank" can be persistent across servers then an engineer will feel like 'OK I just need to earn it once I can do that'. Veterans of SE1 may find it an acceptable to pay that tax one time and newer players may be able to feel pride in becoming a "Max Rank" engineer who now gets to boss around the Rank 0 newbies :P
2) Alternate Unlock Mechanics: Part of the fun of Engineering is doing things that you WANT even if they are not "approved". There may be value in adding a few different ways to unlock a block. several examples here below
a) Scrap Based Research: If you want to build a block find it in the wild Collect resources that you sacrifice to your "Tech Station" to work towards unlocking that ability to build that block. This could work VERY well if paired with the ability to "Merge" grids. this would give the player a logistical question of "I found the block I want Do I grind it for research OR do I attach it and use it for a while"?
b) Resource Based Research: if you have a "Tech Station" that needs Ore + Energy to unlock block blueprints we could then allow a player to just live off the land and progress as needed
c) Black Market Pirate: capture a ship and sell it to pirates to be scrapped down. this is technically a lot like a contract but if GTA games proved anything its that being bad is fun
d) [WARNING THIS IDEA IS NOT FOR EVERYONE]: make it very hard to unlock new blocks but very EASY to Steal a block blueprint from another player. If I steal it form your database you lose access to the block. this would make competitive play centered around grid collecting and harvesting.
e) PVE Unlocks: If I assault an enemy NPC base and grab their loot I would love to find plans for a block I don't currently have access to.
f) Exploration Unlocks: allow players to stumble across blue prints naturally via data pads while exploring
3) Start With All Block TYPES & unlock Upgrades: Currently If I load up Vanilla SE2 and want to build a drill ship or dig rig I cant due to the fact that every ship drill (Including the smallest one) is locked behind a contract wall. Instead have the Engineer start with the smallest/weakest version of every block (Smallest version of the drill, welder, grinder, insert block type here, etc). This way a veteran CAN engineer the types of systems they want and they have "CONSTRAINTS" to engineer around (I only have the smallest drill block and want to make a dig rig) as apposed to (I want to make something that does "X" and I cant because I have not yet spent time on the contracts). this might help a fair bit for many players. additionally if this idea is paired up with some of the other ideas above then you may get a strong sense of progression as you go from starting with the weakest versions of blocks to unlocking the full versions of all the blocks. I feel that it is odd I cant just pop into a game build a ship that digs in the first 15 min and get to work collecting resources. Its almost as though the intent is for us to use the hand drill for an extended time rather then engineer a way around doing work :P.
Also Total Side Note: You guys NAILED it with the asteroid fields I honestly was extremely skeptical going in but now that I have been playing in it they are my favorite feature, visually stunning views looking out at the planets partially obscured by the dust and rock. Terrific being able to find patches of various ores with some looking. feels exciting to explore with the random mining stations you can find and good ore all over to be located and acquired.
Sorry this is a question not a suggestion: I am always confused by the dynamics between hand tool upgrades and ship block tools. For example it FEELs like the top tier hand drill is Harder to unlock then the top tier ship drill. My 1st guess would have been that all hand tools are inferior to ship blocks but maybe that is not the intent? As a player I am always confused as the FEEL or VIBE is never established solidly by the game. Thoughts?
Also: I am NOT confident I am using your forum correctly. I clicked on the "Give us feedback" link in steam and saw the "Give feedback button" in the top right corner of the screen when I arrived on this page so I clicked it and started typing. now that it is posted I'm not sure If I did this right or very very wrong. Apologies for my ignorance.
I like this feedback
Hmmm...
Sand - All blocks unlocked. No progression contracts. Contracts are just random, and for the completion rewards. No story, no faction story requirements.
Box - Progression. Contracts required. Story required. Progression locked behind story progression.
Sandbox - Different type of Progression. Basically...what would it be like to continue playing in a world after the Main Quest complete...? What if the Progression and different Factions and gameplay dynamics were dynamically changing encounters? What if the world reacted logically to how it was setup? What if the world was alive?
I like all your ideas...except Point 1) and Point 2)d...isn't that how a mafia 'protection' racket is started...?
Hmmm...
Sand - All blocks unlocked. No progression contracts. Contracts are just random, and for the completion rewards. No story, no faction story requirements.
Box - Progression. Contracts required. Story required. Progression locked behind story progression.
Sandbox - Different type of Progression. Basically...what would it be like to continue playing in a world after the Main Quest complete...? What if the Progression and different Factions and gameplay dynamics were dynamically changing encounters? What if the world reacted logically to how it was setup? What if the world was alive?
I like all your ideas...except Point 1) and Point 2)d...isn't that how a mafia 'protection' racket is started...?
Pro tip: try not to mix too many ideas into a single feedback topic. People might read everything, but they’re less likely to vote if they disagree with even part of it.
I gave you a vote - not because I agree with everything (in fact, I disagree with quite a few points), but because you raised an important question about progression.
That said, I wouldn’t treat progression and block unlocks as the same thing. Progression is a much broader concept. Block locks feel somewhat arbitrary to me and can actually limit the ways players progress, rather than support them.
What I find more engaging is natural progression driven by player motivation and immediate needs. At the start, you have access to basic resources - iron, nickel, and silicon - which, with the official balance mod, can be found almost anywhere on Verdure. Iron is the core material for most things, nickel enables atmospheric thrusters, and silicon unlocks batteries and cockpits. Simply gathering resources is already a progression.
Then you have the production chain. It is pretty simple and most definitely incomplete yet, but production blocks gates you fro accessing more advanced blocks. In essence, the game becomes a loop: you build grid A to obtain resource or capability B, which allows you to build grid C, and so on. That’s real progression, and honestly, it might already be enough.
Importantly, this progression isn’t strictly linear. It depends on your starting conditions, your decisions, and your playstyle. Everyone’s path is different.
Sector unlocks, on the other hand, feel like an additional gate tied to the contract system. It would be great to have alternative options—like paying a significant amount of credits to travel between sectors. That would make sense, since jumping should require energy. Or you could build your own jump drive and explore independently, without relying on NPCs at all—especially if you’re playing as a pirate or just prefer a different style.
Even if you follow the intended colonization path and complete contracts, I don’t think block unlocks are necessary. Different contracts already require different preparation, so you still go through the same loop: gather resources, build the right grids, complete the objective. There are many ways to reward players without forcing progression through artificial unlocks.
To summarize:
Pro tip: try not to mix too many ideas into a single feedback topic. People might read everything, but they’re less likely to vote if they disagree with even part of it.
I gave you a vote - not because I agree with everything (in fact, I disagree with quite a few points), but because you raised an important question about progression.
That said, I wouldn’t treat progression and block unlocks as the same thing. Progression is a much broader concept. Block locks feel somewhat arbitrary to me and can actually limit the ways players progress, rather than support them.
What I find more engaging is natural progression driven by player motivation and immediate needs. At the start, you have access to basic resources - iron, nickel, and silicon - which, with the official balance mod, can be found almost anywhere on Verdure. Iron is the core material for most things, nickel enables atmospheric thrusters, and silicon unlocks batteries and cockpits. Simply gathering resources is already a progression.
Then you have the production chain. It is pretty simple and most definitely incomplete yet, but production blocks gates you fro accessing more advanced blocks. In essence, the game becomes a loop: you build grid A to obtain resource or capability B, which allows you to build grid C, and so on. That’s real progression, and honestly, it might already be enough.
Importantly, this progression isn’t strictly linear. It depends on your starting conditions, your decisions, and your playstyle. Everyone’s path is different.
Sector unlocks, on the other hand, feel like an additional gate tied to the contract system. It would be great to have alternative options—like paying a significant amount of credits to travel between sectors. That would make sense, since jumping should require energy. Or you could build your own jump drive and explore independently, without relying on NPCs at all—especially if you’re playing as a pirate or just prefer a different style.
Even if you follow the intended colonization path and complete contracts, I don’t think block unlocks are necessary. Different contracts already require different preparation, so you still go through the same loop: gather resources, build the right grids, complete the objective. There are many ways to reward players without forcing progression through artificial unlocks.
To summarize:
I'm not sure I'm a fan of the mission based progression for being too much of a time sink, but also find the test mod where you 'start with everything' to be kind of boring as well. I think my middle ground would be twofold, and I have old feedback (archived) that expresses me preferences. Specifically gain in progression should come from two things.
1) Grinding a block from 100% functional to learn how to build that block. This could in theory require more than one block as an option if you want to slow it down. Find a functional reactor, grind it to spare parts and you have learned how to make that reactor. If you find a damaged one, then you can learn a % of how to make one depending on how damaged it is. i.e. you would need to find two reactors at least 50% to learn 100% of the skill to make one yourself.
2) datapads should contain blueprints (for things like the grasshopper, or sledge, or...). If you find the blueprints for something, that includes all the into on how to guild the parts to put it together. i.e. If you didn't know how to make a large ion thruster yet and find a blueprint for a ion mining ship that includes one, the info on how to make it is on the datapad and is added to your skill tree. Likewise, missions that you keep being sent on as part of your colonization efforts might have a step 'fix the reactor", and as prep for the mission you are given a datapad with reactor blueprints on it. That way you gain the skill as part of doing the mission, as it's currently backwards in a way. 'go fix a reactor and as a reward you'll understand how reactors work' How did you fix it in the first place if you had no skill in working on reactors. The assumption being (to prevent just accepting the mission and never finishing it to gain the knowledge) to give a similar mission-based as now for the campaign, they give you the datapad, but it's encrypted and will unlock while you're doing the mission and once done, the datapad remains yours and unlocked. i.e. you now have your full reference on how to make them in your digital library. The point being that you could also find these as loot in unknown signals or wherever that could be bought, sold or traded on the market in a multiplayer game. "Hey I have an extra reactor 2 datapad, 10K credits it's yours."
In either case, you shouldn't be able to weld/repair something if you don't know how it works. Currently it seems like if you find some complex part on a derelict ship, you can just put your welder up and fix whatever like a magic welding wand if you have the parts. Your hero character was an engineer on a ship and thus should have some knowledge of its systems as a basic start, I'd just assume he had to abandon his library of technical manuals and blueprints on the ship and has to start over.
I'm not sure I'm a fan of the mission based progression for being too much of a time sink, but also find the test mod where you 'start with everything' to be kind of boring as well. I think my middle ground would be twofold, and I have old feedback (archived) that expresses me preferences. Specifically gain in progression should come from two things.
1) Grinding a block from 100% functional to learn how to build that block. This could in theory require more than one block as an option if you want to slow it down. Find a functional reactor, grind it to spare parts and you have learned how to make that reactor. If you find a damaged one, then you can learn a % of how to make one depending on how damaged it is. i.e. you would need to find two reactors at least 50% to learn 100% of the skill to make one yourself.
2) datapads should contain blueprints (for things like the grasshopper, or sledge, or...). If you find the blueprints for something, that includes all the into on how to guild the parts to put it together. i.e. If you didn't know how to make a large ion thruster yet and find a blueprint for a ion mining ship that includes one, the info on how to make it is on the datapad and is added to your skill tree. Likewise, missions that you keep being sent on as part of your colonization efforts might have a step 'fix the reactor", and as prep for the mission you are given a datapad with reactor blueprints on it. That way you gain the skill as part of doing the mission, as it's currently backwards in a way. 'go fix a reactor and as a reward you'll understand how reactors work' How did you fix it in the first place if you had no skill in working on reactors. The assumption being (to prevent just accepting the mission and never finishing it to gain the knowledge) to give a similar mission-based as now for the campaign, they give you the datapad, but it's encrypted and will unlock while you're doing the mission and once done, the datapad remains yours and unlocked. i.e. you now have your full reference on how to make them in your digital library. The point being that you could also find these as loot in unknown signals or wherever that could be bought, sold or traded on the market in a multiplayer game. "Hey I have an extra reactor 2 datapad, 10K credits it's yours."
In either case, you shouldn't be able to weld/repair something if you don't know how it works. Currently it seems like if you find some complex part on a derelict ship, you can just put your welder up and fix whatever like a magic welding wand if you have the parts. Your hero character was an engineer on a ship and thus should have some knowledge of its systems as a basic start, I'd just assume he had to abandon his library of technical manuals and blueprints on the ship and has to start over.
Was also thinking that in the starting areas of the tutorial, you find an almost perfectly complete atmos ship, I would prefer it if you instead found a blueprint for that ship that you could then instruct how project and build. You'd need to build more of the ship obviously, needing more resources, but at that point, your library for that game would include the blueprint to build a grasshopper from scratch. Then repeat that finding a datapad with the blueprint for the sledge, and then you need to salvage parts off of the crashed ship, some of the discovered station, and ore from the mines, to build it. So instead of handing finished parts, you hand datapads with plans to build. Feels like it would be more satisfying than just doing 10 seconds of welding on something that's already put together.
Was also thinking that in the starting areas of the tutorial, you find an almost perfectly complete atmos ship, I would prefer it if you instead found a blueprint for that ship that you could then instruct how project and build. You'd need to build more of the ship obviously, needing more resources, but at that point, your library for that game would include the blueprint to build a grasshopper from scratch. Then repeat that finding a datapad with the blueprint for the sledge, and then you need to salvage parts off of the crashed ship, some of the discovered station, and ore from the mines, to build it. So instead of handing finished parts, you hand datapads with plans to build. Feels like it would be more satisfying than just doing 10 seconds of welding on something that's already put together.
One additional thought after a half dozen recent playthroughs of the intro, it was kind of jarring in fact when I got to Vallation and the colonization authority AI proclaims something along the lines of 'you will be allowed to use more complex blocks', i.e. you'll start to unlock the block tree.
This yanked me right out of the narrative in the game, 'allowed?' I can't learn how to build something unless an AI in a space station gives me permission? (this concept is jarring for gameplay, and I'm bringing it up as added feedback for the already under consideration thread above) If I hadn't gone to the space station at all, why would my ability to make or learn new blocks be limited at all? If the space station is blown up (I know, safe zone) and the AI eliminated, does my ability to unlock blocks suddenly become unlimited?
That mostly sarcastic bit above is basically requesting that this concept of the colonization authority as some sort of knowledge gatekeeper go away as part of the above feedback. It might dole out info on how to build new blocks (see some of my thoughts above in other comments) as part of the mission progress, but the concept of it being somehow able to restrict/limit your access to the same knowledge through personal discoveries or research seems very problematic to me.
One additional thought after a half dozen recent playthroughs of the intro, it was kind of jarring in fact when I got to Vallation and the colonization authority AI proclaims something along the lines of 'you will be allowed to use more complex blocks', i.e. you'll start to unlock the block tree.
This yanked me right out of the narrative in the game, 'allowed?' I can't learn how to build something unless an AI in a space station gives me permission? (this concept is jarring for gameplay, and I'm bringing it up as added feedback for the already under consideration thread above) If I hadn't gone to the space station at all, why would my ability to make or learn new blocks be limited at all? If the space station is blown up (I know, safe zone) and the AI eliminated, does my ability to unlock blocks suddenly become unlimited?
That mostly sarcastic bit above is basically requesting that this concept of the colonization authority as some sort of knowledge gatekeeper go away as part of the above feedback. It might dole out info on how to build new blocks (see some of my thoughts above in other comments) as part of the mission progress, but the concept of it being somehow able to restrict/limit your access to the same knowledge through personal discoveries or research seems very problematic to me.
I would like to have a research-driven unlock system where you have to find certain materials in the world and put them into a research device (some kind of scientific instrument).
The materials could be any imaginable item found in all sorts of places: starting with flowers and rocks on the surface, ores and rare crystals found underground, dark matter from remote places in space, or special loot from defeating enemies, etc...
This research can unlock individual blocks, entire technologies (a collection of blocks with a similar function) or abilities to do something specific.
It sounds simple, but the system is very flexible, easily expandable, and offers a credible progression through all blocks and capabilities of the game.
Of course this can be combined with other methods of unlocking things.
I would like to have a research-driven unlock system where you have to find certain materials in the world and put them into a research device (some kind of scientific instrument).
The materials could be any imaginable item found in all sorts of places: starting with flowers and rocks on the surface, ores and rare crystals found underground, dark matter from remote places in space, or special loot from defeating enemies, etc...
This research can unlock individual blocks, entire technologies (a collection of blocks with a similar function) or abilities to do something specific.
It sounds simple, but the system is very flexible, easily expandable, and offers a credible progression through all blocks and capabilities of the game.
Of course this can be combined with other methods of unlocking things.
two archived thread on a similar topic:
https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers2/pc/topic/49161-localized-technology-research-forget-research-when-you-die
https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers2/pc/topic/49077-start-game-spawn-option-escaping-interrogation-no-tools-start
two archived thread on a similar topic:
https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers2/pc/topic/49161-localized-technology-research-forget-research-when-you-die
https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers2/pc/topic/49077-start-game-spawn-option-escaping-interrogation-no-tools-start
I like those ideas. Maybe just give us a bunch of world config options with a selection of possible mechanics so that we can tune the game to our personal needs. This way everybody can get satisfied.
I like those ideas. Maybe just give us a bunch of world config options with a selection of possible mechanics so that we can tune the game to our personal needs. This way everybody can get satisfied.
-- "My idea on that is to have block progression tied instead to all the different resources, using a 'research block' type(s), using the length of research time and specific resources gathered to the 'research block', be needed to initiate the research timer to unlock the block(s), all of which is customizable from the main menu for a quick play(zero research time and minimum amount of resources gathered) or more difficult start that requires more time and effort."
-- "Survival Kits should be, well, a survival kit. It should be incorporated into your suit backpack, and hydrogen thrusters (old style that work on all biomes) to start off with, then with the ability to slot in atmo thruster/water thruster/ion thruster that are electric. Progression and stone mining should be based off of that.
What do I mean? First identify what is different to see how it relates to production blocks.
1. How does a Survival Kit heal you? It is a 3d printer. Which means, if your backpack is a Survival Kit, it is -not- a Smelter production block. It should be much slower with components, since they are 3d printed. Also, stone/sand/regolith would work fine with your backpack. A Smelter and production blocks needs ore.
2. Why have a Survival Kit block? That is your respawn point, and it is much faster. The backpack Survival Kit only provides trickle charges for health and power and 3d printing. The power comes from a softball sized radio-isotope thermo-electric generator (RTG) that's inside, (edit) for your suit battery.
3. Progression is tied to transportation. So, for a random survival suit-only start, your backpack will be able to create the first set of transportation suitable to your environment. That is the balance. Different dirt types for different biomes give different trace minerals, and your backpack can use these to slowly 3d print your first transportation. Boats in water from sand, rover in atmo from dirt/stone, and hydrogen(edit: or ion) shuttle from asteroid or moon regolith. Or your first base.
4. We need better ore scanning mechanics. That would eliminate a lot of player's frustration with the current method, and why they are pulled to an easier system of dirt mining.
5. Keen want's to favor an exploration gameplay. They have plans for things to see and find. Ore deposit scarcity will drive that move to other sectors. Gate that with transportation mode availability based on biome ore seeding scarcity.
6. I only want to mine dirt for a suit-only survival start. Ores seams for production. I don't want to travel half-way across the solar system to mine higher percentage dirt. (concrete ideas excluded)"
...combine those two, and there is progression system.
Wilhelm, your point on grinding down existing blocks to unlock tech, would rely on random flying to get random unknown signals to get random blocks...which could quickly become frustrating as a barrier to progressing with your game. The faction idea blueprint is great, maybe a single use blueprint system...? Might break the flow of logic, but easier to manage consistency for gameplay balance, SP or MP?
4Peace idea of specific components to gate the 'purpose' of faction specific rewards being limited, would be a good solution to balance, as well.
BTW Wilhelm, your idea on moving the FTUE to the actual travel to Algamest, is echoed in several different threads. Lot's of support, and on the Steam forums from people. The 'hydrogen engine' room, where you fix the plumbing and see it visually and understanding how it all works together, more things like that for different systems. And the dev's can show massive set-pieces on the trip to Algamest, i.e. leaving Earth, stops on the way where you learn the mechanics of SE2 with different 'emergencies' that come up. You care for the passengers, ensuring their safety, enables a weight to your decisions. You would see 'end-game' stuff, to see what SE2 is truly capable of accomplishing, to show the player what they are able to do, eventually. Then, you can have a 'random' escape-pod start, to kick things off as usual. I think adding retro-rockets for moons, floats for oceans, and parachutes for atmo, would be a great addition, too. (Edit: slowly descending to a random planet and trying to decide if you should start panicking yet, is an iconic experience to the SE game. ...and I hope they add lava to the planets lol)
-- "My idea on that is to have block progression tied instead to all the different resources, using a 'research block' type(s), using the length of research time and specific resources gathered to the 'research block', be needed to initiate the research timer to unlock the block(s), all of which is customizable from the main menu for a quick play(zero research time and minimum amount of resources gathered) or more difficult start that requires more time and effort."
-- "Survival Kits should be, well, a survival kit. It should be incorporated into your suit backpack, and hydrogen thrusters (old style that work on all biomes) to start off with, then with the ability to slot in atmo thruster/water thruster/ion thruster that are electric. Progression and stone mining should be based off of that.
What do I mean? First identify what is different to see how it relates to production blocks.
1. How does a Survival Kit heal you? It is a 3d printer. Which means, if your backpack is a Survival Kit, it is -not- a Smelter production block. It should be much slower with components, since they are 3d printed. Also, stone/sand/regolith would work fine with your backpack. A Smelter and production blocks needs ore.
2. Why have a Survival Kit block? That is your respawn point, and it is much faster. The backpack Survival Kit only provides trickle charges for health and power and 3d printing. The power comes from a softball sized radio-isotope thermo-electric generator (RTG) that's inside, (edit) for your suit battery.
3. Progression is tied to transportation. So, for a random survival suit-only start, your backpack will be able to create the first set of transportation suitable to your environment. That is the balance. Different dirt types for different biomes give different trace minerals, and your backpack can use these to slowly 3d print your first transportation. Boats in water from sand, rover in atmo from dirt/stone, and hydrogen(edit: or ion) shuttle from asteroid or moon regolith. Or your first base.
4. We need better ore scanning mechanics. That would eliminate a lot of player's frustration with the current method, and why they are pulled to an easier system of dirt mining.
5. Keen want's to favor an exploration gameplay. They have plans for things to see and find. Ore deposit scarcity will drive that move to other sectors. Gate that with transportation mode availability based on biome ore seeding scarcity.
6. I only want to mine dirt for a suit-only survival start. Ores seams for production. I don't want to travel half-way across the solar system to mine higher percentage dirt. (concrete ideas excluded)"
...combine those two, and there is progression system.
Wilhelm, your point on grinding down existing blocks to unlock tech, would rely on random flying to get random unknown signals to get random blocks...which could quickly become frustrating as a barrier to progressing with your game. The faction idea blueprint is great, maybe a single use blueprint system...? Might break the flow of logic, but easier to manage consistency for gameplay balance, SP or MP?
4Peace idea of specific components to gate the 'purpose' of faction specific rewards being limited, would be a good solution to balance, as well.
BTW Wilhelm, your idea on moving the FTUE to the actual travel to Algamest, is echoed in several different threads. Lot's of support, and on the Steam forums from people. The 'hydrogen engine' room, where you fix the plumbing and see it visually and understanding how it all works together, more things like that for different systems. And the dev's can show massive set-pieces on the trip to Algamest, i.e. leaving Earth, stops on the way where you learn the mechanics of SE2 with different 'emergencies' that come up. You care for the passengers, ensuring their safety, enables a weight to your decisions. You would see 'end-game' stuff, to see what SE2 is truly capable of accomplishing, to show the player what they are able to do, eventually. Then, you can have a 'random' escape-pod start, to kick things off as usual. I think adding retro-rockets for moons, floats for oceans, and parachutes for atmo, would be a great addition, too. (Edit: slowly descending to a random planet and trying to decide if you should start panicking yet, is an iconic experience to the SE game. ...and I hope they add lava to the planets lol)
I like the alternative unlock mechanics. Not all of them, but I have a few ideas for refinement.
2a (scrap-based research): A special research block that has to be connected to a grinder. You can switch the grinder into reverse engineering mode, then no components are retrieved but the block gets unlocked.
2e and 2f could be combined into one. You find data pads with blueprints in wrecks or loot them from the cargo of captured ships. A possible extension would be that those data pads get destroyed on use, but can be traded while unused. That would make them valuable as trading goods, especially between players.
In general I advocate to make basic parts free in general. Unlocks should only be required where it is plausible the block to be unlocked contains more advanced technology. That is close to your approach #3, namely unlocking all the basic blocs. I would, however, keep some advanced tech locked if it can be substituted with other, less efficient designs.
I like the alternative unlock mechanics. Not all of them, but I have a few ideas for refinement.
2a (scrap-based research): A special research block that has to be connected to a grinder. You can switch the grinder into reverse engineering mode, then no components are retrieved but the block gets unlocked.
2e and 2f could be combined into one. You find data pads with blueprints in wrecks or loot them from the cargo of captured ships. A possible extension would be that those data pads get destroyed on use, but can be traded while unused. That would make them valuable as trading goods, especially between players.
In general I advocate to make basic parts free in general. Unlocks should only be required where it is plausible the block to be unlocked contains more advanced technology. That is close to your approach #3, namely unlocking all the basic blocs. I would, however, keep some advanced tech locked if it can be substituted with other, less efficient designs.
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