Mod Example Suggestion no.1 (FTL)

After our dear developers have showed off the possibilities of the top-down Shipwrekt with the KAG engine it made me start thinking. I have no skills of coding or modding; and barely have currency of time to learn them but I just thought of several possibilities for a mod.

Fire The Lasers! or FTL
-inspired by spacerekt and of course Faster Than Light (FTL), its an attempt of making shipwrekt somewhat like the same multiplayer setting with modifiable spacecraft.

Basics
1. First off, the premise is that there would still be the same tetris block spawning just like Shipwrekt. As well as the core they're being drawn from and the objective of enemies to destroy.
2. The map is still empty save for 2 points of interests known as "Shops" which are the same size as the starting core bases, more about this later.
3. No space sharks, but any player not standing on a tile will suffer suffocation damage, akin to drowning in the original KAG.
4. Chairs now no longer automatically control everything attached to the ship, they must now be "linked" to the specific item in question, be it a weapon, engine, thruster, or detachable chain.
5. Teams now earn gold/credits/scrap. Scrap (in the spirit of FTL) is earned whenever you damage a tile, be it a solid block or floor (minimal scrap), turret, engine, power cell (medium scrap), a ship core (large scrap). Scrap is earned as a team, not by individual players, the amount of scrap earned will always be shown somewhere in the player's hud. Any tile will do, be it from the enemy or from the team's own tile provided they are the ones that destroyed it. In this way, a team can farm their own unwanted tiles by shooting at them with a turret.

New Item and Tile Functions
Solid Blocks - still the same, except for the fact that they're now more resistant to ramming by floors and solid blocks; as well as being resistant to turret fire.
Floors - still the same
Engine - AKA Rudders, same as well. While they can be activated manually, they must first be linked to a chair if they are to be controlled remotely.
Power Cell - Akin to Bombs. However they can no longer be activated. Collision, projectile damage or nearby detonations to them are the only way to cause destruction and detonation. It is now important to place them in a ship, because they will link and provide power to important systems. A Power Cell will change color from black to blue if it is already powering something. You can "unlink" the thing connected to the power cell by interacting with the cell. Useful for shuffling power throughout the ship.
Dual Thrusters - a double sided engine, which has a weaker thrust compared to the conventional engine. It is always spawned in 1 tile or 2 tiles only. Its compact size makes it good for placing at the sides allowing for Smaller Fighter Craft to have "turning" thrusters.
Defense Turret - akin to the shipwrekt turrets but now their range has been reduced to 2/3rds and as mentioned do barely little damage from Solid blocks. Animation-wise, they're like the laser turrets of Spacerekt (if you've played that mod). Their role is now reduced to anti-boarders as well as supportive broadsides, when opposing ships get close to each other. Their advantage is that they're free and require no energy from power cells. However, if one desires, by linking them to a power cell, they regain their original damage strength and original range, keep in mind one defense turret requires one entire power cell. This allows the team to have offensive turrets albeit being limited to the number of Power Cells they have. Defense Turrets auto aim and fire, but they can also be linked to chairs or manned by a crew.
Chair - Items must now be linked to specific chairs in order for that chair to control them. Engines and Dual Thrusters will only be controlled by the chair that is linked to them. Chairs can have as many multiple links. Similarly more than one chair can be connected to a certain item.
When a defense turret or a weapon is linked to a chair, then that weapon losses auto firing and will only fire when the person on the chair clicks LMB, and the turrets will also follow the cursor (provided that weapon has a turret)
Reinforced Block - while a solid block is resistant to ramming damage by another solid block, the reinforced block will plow through 2-3 solid blocks. What's it use? Torpedo Missile parts. Distinguished by looking more tougher than a solid block.
Chain block - a modified detachable chain. This time the chain is connected to a solid block (with a computer or terminal image) By interacting with the terminal image, the chain can be detached and afterwards, replaced. This allows for the possibility of building dedicated Missile racks or Missile decks on your ship. Detach and fire the missile, then replace and build a new torpedo. Chain blocks can also be linked to chairs allowing for remote firing of Missiles.

Shops and items
In the map can be found 2 Shop Cores. These 2 shops are completely impervious to damage, ramming a ship in it will destroy said ship to its very core. Also there is a no build zone 2 tiles away from the shop, which stops anyone from attaching it to their own ships.
Teams can buy valuable items in shops using the scrap they earned. Note their prices are still pending, but overall more powerful items will obviously be more expensive
Weapons! (inspired by their FTL counterparts)
1. Laser Turret - requires a power cell for energy, this is a powerful gun that fires one bolt of energy that will obliterate 2-3 blocks. Has a recharge time of 6 seconds. Auto fires, but can also be linked to a chair or manned by a crew member.
2. Heavy Laser - a more powerful but unfortunately turret-less weapon. It fires a plasma bolt. Either placed on the Fore or as a broadside weapon, the heavy laser when hitting leads to a blast radius smaller than a power cell explosion (3-4 blocks in a radius). Heavy Lasers have a recharge time of 9 seconds. They requires one power cell for energy. They will auto fire when they detect a target on its "straight" line of sight, but it is recommended they be linked to a chair since often mobile targets will usually be gone before the plasma bolt hits.
3. Flak Cannon - fires in a "shotgun-like" spread of 4 large pellets that usually destroys defense turrets, half damages solid blocks and obliterates several floors. As well as breaking through shields. The Flak Cannon is turreted, and is powered by one energy cell. It has a recharge of 10 seconds. While it fires automatically, it can be interacted and "turned off" due to dangers of hitting the ship. It is recommended that it is linked to a chair or manned always. A well placed Flak shot can save a ship from an incoming missile; this weapon becomes devastating on close range.
4. Defense Turret Array - need additional turrets? the Core spawn not being kind to you? This purchase gives you 3 defense turrets in a neat single line tetris block.
5. Pike Beam - Beam weapons are nasty, they eat through anything it hits. It takes about 2 seconds to completely eat through a solid block, and 0.5 seconds to eat through flooring. The Pike Beam is a fixed weapon (non turreted), it requires 2 power cells, has a recharge of 7 seconds and fire a continuous stream of beam for 4 seconds. The Pike Beam is cancelled by 1 shield.
6. Halberd Beam - the Halberd is a more powerful version of the Pike, with a recharge of 9 seconds, and a beam of 4 seconds. It eats through solid block in 1 second and just obliterates flooring. It requires 2 power cells. The Halberd eats through 1 shield for 2 seconds. So generally, 2 shields will stop it.
7. Glave Beam - the most powerful beam. It requires 3 power cells, recharges at 11 seconds and fires for 4 seconds. It completely obliterates any flooring and eats through 2 blocks per second, capable of sectioning off ships. It eats through 1 shield for 1 second, requiring several shields to stop this monster
Note: All beam weapons have the same range and do not auto fire, requiring manual activation or via chair linked control.
Note: All Weapons (except for defense turrets) are resilient to some extent and require a few hits to destroy, or a direct hit from a Glave Beam perhaps. Treat them like the KAG ballista/catapult/warboat/longboat rather than just a block. They have hitpoints. Though ramming or a power cell blast would most likely destroy it.
However, while weapons are resilient, anyone manning it can still be killed by a shot. So Defense turrets can still be useful in this regard.

Gadgetry and Supplies!
1. Shield Array - The Shield array when purchased, comes as a block that can be used to replace another block. Allowing it to be placed on the center of the ship. The Shield array requires 2 power cells and will project a shield with a radius of 10. So if you have a big ship you might need several shields or might wanna place them strategically. You can put several shield arrays next to each other to simulate stronger shielding. Beam weapons can only eat through 1 shield at a time, so if you're up against a Glave Beam, you might want to put 4 shield arrays next to each other, and pray you have 8 power cells to activate it. Shields will dissipates laser weapons and as stated resists beam weapons to some extent. The ballistic nature of defense turrets however means they will pass through shields, luckily they are very short ranged, unless the enemy has powered "offense" turrets. Missiles will also pass through the shield. Alternatively, a brave captain can drive his laser and beam weaponry past the shield rim and just fire inside. A powered shield array recharges itself in 6 seconds.
2. Missile Parts - Assorted selections where you can pick any. Missile parts come usually with a combination of power cells and reinforced blocks. They usually come in straight line tetris blocks viable for building missiles.
3. Locker - a block shaped like a locker, which can replace a solid block (allowing for building within the ship). The Locker allows the storage of 12 objects. Be it extra Missile part tiles, turrets you want to keep, power cells, or any other tile you feel you need to use. Destruction of the locker leads to the demise of the content (but luckily not the detonation of the things inside it).
4. Space Suit Locker - same placement principle as a locker. By sacrificing a tile here, you will create a space suit. The Locker can hold up to 3 space suits. When interacted, the player can wear a space suit and his avatar will change its look. Space suits allow you to go outside in the vacuum without taking any suffocation damage. It has power for 6 seconds of thrust. By pressing spacebar, the spacesuit will thrust you. Useful for getting to that enemy ship.
5. Shotgun - galactic convention disallows laser arms for crew members for having enough power to pierce through the ship armor. For boarding and defense actions, members are instead armed with a the ballistic shotgun. The shotgun from the shop does not damage anything but will kill an enemy crew member. It is loaded with only 3 shells. Shotguns can be kept in the locker. It can only be fired if the crew is not manning something else. (e.g. on a chair or turret)
6. Crew Pod - instead of creating a missile? Why not build a boarding pod? a crew pod comes with straight tetris block with a reinforced block in front and 2 "pod chairs". The Pod protects the crew from one collision damage or defense turret damage. Just once though, once the crew exits, the pod chair disappears forever.
7. Cell Overloarder - a portable gadget that when stuck to a power cell, will proceed to overload it until it blows up. This allows a boarder to interact with a power cell and "ignite" it. The Cell Overloader is a one use item. And an ignited "overloading" power cell can still be defused if a crew member gets there in time. They can be stored in a locker.
8. Single Tile Object - need a specific item? Buy a chair, power cell, solid block, floor, chain block or defense turret. With differing prices of course but they come as just single blocks of that said item.

~Note: a possible tactic would be to build turrets around the shop creating an area of denial for others. 2 shops are suggested so that things won't turn into a king of the hill around the 1 shop.


Linking and how you can actually recreate pilot houses with Startrek like chair seating.
-Chair have 3 options now: Man, link, clear. To link, select the link then go to the item you wish to link and interact with it; there would be a "link" option when that happens. Click to confirm. By clicking the "clear" on the chair, you will unlink it to everything. To quickly man the chair, just stand on it and tap E.
-Power Cells, have link and unpower options. To link, select link, then go to the item you wish to power, interact with it and click link. By clicking unpower you brake the link. Take note that some items require more than 1 power. And yes, Power cells do blow up.
-Now that engines have to be linked first (albeit time consuming) you can now feel more safe that your ship will not easily be unbalanced with the addition of engines on the side.
-In this way you can build missiles on the sides without consequence of listing the ship whenever it fires its main engines.
-Detached and dragged "fighter craft" will no longer affect your engine system in this way.
-More powerful weapons can be remotely controlled in relative safety. Even the captain can manually control it.
-Missiles can be controlled by a "Torpedo Officer" - build a chair and only link the engines of the torpedo and the chain blocks attached to it. The Torp Officer merely press forward then spacebar, and the missile will fire.
-Similarly if you want a guided missile, by building a chair on the missile itself - a crew can man it, and can just automatically detach. Double Thrusters and Crew Pods are recommended here :)
-A "Gunnery Officer" can control all the turrets and cannons (heavy laser, beam weapons) on one broadside of the ship and can proceed to time their firing. He can then switch to another chair (or have another crew man) that controls another set of weapons.
-When you sit on a chair you will see all the linked items, are highlighted, making it easier to identify.
-When you interact with a power cell, and hold E, you will see the item it powers, which will be highlighted.
-imagine creating an area where all the chairs are, all that Spacetrek feels in it. Or make different rooms with functions, such as the pilot room, laser room, missile room.


Others
1. If possible, to stop making ramming as a tactic - this is space for goodness sake, make it so that block to block hitting, pushes the ships to some extent instead of immediately grinding the parts. The Power cells can still be used as prow bombs though, like the original shipwrekt.
2. Very fast ships often lead to very laggy situations. I was thinking if it could be that there will be a speed cap for the game. While lighter craft will gain speed with few engines, and large ships require more engines to reach the same speed. There should be a cap, hard to determine yet, but should be tested.
3. Remember you can store bought stuff on the Locker, so aim to purchase it first.
4. Albeit hard, it is possible to win the game with just defense and offense turrets. But it is still good to purchase one weapon.
5. With the focus for crews now, I think its okay to start with 2 members per team now.
6. At the start of the round there will be a 1 min "planning phase" wherein no one take anything from the core, alot this time to ascertain if your team mate is competent and start formulating a plan.
7. After the planning phase are 3 mins of constructing phase. Teams are not allowed to start their engines in this duration. Afterwards, the game begins fully.
8. Any member of the team can write a "welcome message" by pressing Esc and clicking on team options. A welcome message can have up to 150 letters. And it'll pop up on the screen whenever the player joins said team. Its a useful way of orienting new crew members.