Cadet I/Floating technology
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When to grab that floating tech!
There are two steps in getting free technology for your team. First, picking it up from where it is floating in space. You will need an empty cargo mount to do this. Second, bringing it back to any dockable base without losing or using it. This is called "securing" the tech.
What should I grab?
A new player asks: "So tech is expensive, and it's good to pick up tech. When I'm picking up tech, I understand that it's good to let someone know. Should I tell the team or just the Comm? Till I learn the whole tech tree, any advice on what is a 'must-grab' and what's 'so-so'? That must be less than simple, since it would depend on faction and strategy..."
The Staff replies: iirc, with the exception of Belters, tech of any level can be used if you have the prerequisite base. With Belters, tech can be used anytime it's picked up and it is important to get ALL of it ASAP.
So this means that when the game begins, any Garrison level tech you should pick up ASAP, since it can be used by your team immediately. Other technology requires the construction of the techbase that it would be normally researched in. The randomly generated tech pickups which fall under this category are:
Garrison Tech
- Nan 2
- Seeker 2
- Quickfire 2
- Lt Boost 1
- Aleph Res 1
- Will give you $1000 when you bring it in (since that is how much these missiles cost to purchase)
Expansion:
- Prox Mine 2
- Minigun 2
- Retro Booster 1
- EMP Cannon 1
Supremacy:
- Dumbfire 2
- Gattling Gun 2
- Disrupter 2
- Booster 2
- Probe 2
Tactical:
- Sniper 1
- Hunter 2
- Util 2
If you know which path your team is going, it's always good to get tech that belongs to your path. Factions which either have expensive tech (Belters), or slow tech (Bios, TF, again Belters) benefit greatly from pickups.
Finding tech
If your team secures a piece of technology, and you have the prerequisite techbase, then everyone immediately has access to it. The next time you dock at either a base or a carrier all your equipment will be upgraded.
Even if your team doesn't have the prerequisite techbase you can still use any tech you find (assuming your ship can mount it). You will have it until you deploy it (in the case of items), you are podded (in the case of equipment), or you change ship. At that stage, since your team does not have the techbase to reproduce it (yet) you do not get a replacement part when you next dock.
Some tech, however, can only be used by the faction that creates it, for example the GT pulse laser. Securing this technology will not give any benefit to your team.
Note *You can mount things directly from space, no need to put it in cargo first. For example if you have no missiles mounted when you fly through a Seeker 2, then it will immediately be equipped and start arming. - Tech in cargo does not stay on your ship for reuse.
- If you lose the tech then you will have to put your old, default equipment back on.
- You keep the tech when transferring stations.
Example You find booster 2 while flying your interceptor. You dismount and eject your booster 1 and then pick it up.
Next time you dock you will secure it for the whole team. Next time you launch you will still have booster 2 for your own personal use, whether or not your team has a sup.
Now imagine that you get in a dogfight and lose. When your pod returns to base your next interceptor will not have a booster, you will need to put booster 1 back on.
Losing tech
As mentioned in the previous section, if you get some special tech for your own use then you will lose it when your ship is destroyed. The other way your team can lose tech is if your techbase is destroyed by the enemy team. Your team loses the ability to produce new ships and equipment corresponding to that base.
Players that were flying the ships still have them for their own use until they are destroyed, or they transfer station. However equipment reloads will be of poor quality - for example an adv sf will be reloaded with LRM Hunter 1s, even though you had Hunter 3s before the techbase loss.
Example Say your team is Iron Coalition and has an Advanced Expansion Complex and a Garrison. You can use Heavy Interceptors. Now let's say an enemy Stealth Bomber destroys the Advanced Expansion Complex, your team loses the ability to produce Heavy Interceptors. As such, all pilots without a Heavy Int can't have one.
However, those who still have their Heavy Int can dock them at a station, and relaunch at that same station with a reloaded and refueled Heavy Int. Whereas if they transfer to another station they immediately lose their Heavy Int. This is true for every piece of technology in the game.
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