Kervoran
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Posted - 2006.11.24 00:20:00 -
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Just did a bit of testing on wrecks/salvaging. This is from a tier 1 mission that generated 35 wrecks, one of which i shot to see how much ammo/time would be used. I salvaged with a catalyst with 4 Salvager I's fitted, Salvage 3 skill as given automatically for testing, and no other modifiers I know about (no rigs for this for instance). This is still a viable combat ship for T1 missions as I also had 4 guns fitted etc.
Salvage method i used -
1) Target, approach to within 5000 meters and activate salvagers
2) If error "You fail to salvage from the Serpentis Small Wreck because your salvaging equipment cannot be engaged until all loot has been removed from it." approach to within 1500 meters and loot, trying to salvage another target while doing so where another is in range. Salvage first one after looting.
Points I want to make:
1) 35 wrecks in a 30 km radius, more or less, were just too many to keep track of if you just want to find loot and not salvage. It also really complicated targeting by the overview until i filtered them out. Anyone without salvaging skill & equipment fitted is going to have a really hard time - and it's going to be a long time till a new player gets this (see point 2). An option to treat them as cans - i.e. destroy on looting automatically, or some way to tell the ones with loot inside from the ones that don't, is definitely necessary IMO. I'd prefer a color difference to an icon difference. Shooting them up takes too long and too much ammo, not a winner. In my opinion this is a showstopper and MUST be addressed.
2) Prereqs - The prereqs for the skill are way too high in my opinion. WIth a new character I'd tend to concentrate on learning and base skills needed for combat and better ships. I already have 60+ trains planned for the character I'm going to start with Kali's release, all directed at learning and preparing for L2 missions. Mechanic 5 isn't in the list, and Survey 5 is even further. I'd suggest Mechanic 4 and Survey 3?
3) Mechanics - Working just fine IMO. Salvage 3 gives 15% bonus to chance of finding something and the Salvager I gives 5% bonus for a total 30% bonus. From 34 wrecks (I shot one) I got 12 components, 12/34 = 35.29% salvage rate. I concluded (admittedly working from too small of a sample here) either:
base chance is 15%, with bonuses 35% with my skills and equipment, and salvagers do not stack, or;
base chance is 0% plus 35% and multiple salvagers do stack.
Whether or not 4 salvager I's on one target up the odds - you will salvage in 1 cycle 80% of the time, 2 cycles 20% of the time. This seemed well balanced!
If the second option is the case and salvagers on one target stack, and I have 2 Salvage Tackle II rigs installed (15% bonus each), Salvage 5, and 8 Salvager I's equipped, the bonus would be 8*5% + 2*15% + 5*5% = 95% chance. Given this, I would think that variants of the base Salvager I, when introduced, would reduce fitting needs and give a small improvement on cycle time.
If salvagers don't stack, and frankly I think this would be a better option (multiple salvagers almost always getting the job done in 1 cycle is a great timesaver and probably enough of a bonus)then you have room to play with the bonus to chance to salvage to differentiate them.
In general I like the system - but I think dealing with large amounts of wrecks for months before you can even start salavaging is a non-starter. Personally I'd have no interest in being a specialized salvager, i.e. doing this as a mini-profession. Trading, mining, research and manufacturing and combat operations are enough variants for me. THis is not suited since we need to loot our kills and the current setup will make this very hard.
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