Suggestion: Device installer/remover

[Yugi]

There should be a device (possibly single-use) that can install or uninstall devices from/into your ship.

This could be useful in some emergency situations when you need to quickly uninstall a device that is troubling you. You might also need to quickly install a device that you'll need to get away from particular enemies.

This device would probably be single-use and very costly, but could be a life-saver.

[SparcMan]

What about an "emergency jettison" option that allows you to remove any installed device (other than reactor and armor) with the penalty that
1. You lose the device permanently
2. Your armor takes damage in the process (you basically just ripped the device from your ship and set it adrift)

[Yugi]

Both good ideas, though:

I don't think it would damage your armor. I also think you should be able to remove your armor. I can't think of any rational reason why you would want to, though.

You might also be able to pick up the device as a cargo crate (maybe). The problem would be that the device would be completely unusable and only useful for a mod i'll be making in a while that allows you to turn anything into money (credits or rins).

[Clear Air Turbulence]

I think the ability to uninstall a device outside of a dock should be available, as long as there is some cost to doing so, but anything that allows you to install devices in the field is going to be unbalancing because it negates the advantage of ships that are allowed to install more weapons or more devices - the disadvantage of only being able to have one weapon on a freighter isn't such a disadvantage if you can remove that weapon and install one from your cargo hold outside of a base.

The way I'd work it is make it so that the player can, at any time, remove an installed device, but it then turns to a "damaged" whatever to reflect that it was not uninstalled properly. After all, the player can apply patches to armor in the field, they should be able to remove devices if they are willing to accept that the device will be unusable afterwards. If you allow people to install in the field, though, freighters will be too powerful because they can carry a bunch of different weapons and switch to whichever one is situationally useful.

[dvlenk6]

I like those disposable launchers early on...Can't think of the name of them right now and am too lazy to look .

Maybe it would be nice to have some more disposable stuff that could be installed outside of base dock. Only limited use/short term items though.

[Czert]

Mayby field installed device runs at 70% efficiency, instead of 100% dock installed.

[george moromisato]

I've been thinking about creating an engineer auton that you can dock with to install/remove devices. But I agree that there are some game-balance challenges.

Not sure if someone suggested this already, but perhaps there is a small chance that the installation will fail and the device will be damaged?

[OddBob]

I've been thinking about creating an engineer auton that you can dock with to install/remove devices. But I agree that there are some game-balance challenges.

I like it as an auton. You have to let it follow you around if you want to use it, and it runs the risk of getting blown away or annoying the player. Plus it's cool to have an entourage of support craft.

If you give the auton either a fixed number of uses, or a chance every time to break or otherwise become unusable then you can avoid major freigher abuse.

Also, perhaps a chance (a small one) it will damage an existing device, by attempting to install in the same slot or something.

[Clear Air Turbulence]

You could make an auton that looks like a tiny little guy in a spacesuit that represents the pilot coming out to install/uninstall devices or possibly even to repair armor. If it gets destroyed, game over.