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[SCC]

The way to help new players learn that salvaging ships you don't plan on using isn't to make them worth more to sell - it's to make them *unsellable*.

On one hand, it would work. You can't lose money from selling ships, if you can't sell ships. On the other hand, it's heavy handed and bizarre (you can buy ships, but not sell them?). I don't think the issue is big enough to warrant such a drastic action.

[Eji1700]

This, I'm not so sure is a problem.  The post-battle salvage screen literally lists your current supplies, supplies to be used for repairs, and how many extra supplies would be needed to repair each and every salvaged ship, along with crew availability and needs, and even has graphical bars and go red if you start taking stuff beyond your means.  It is explicitly answering the question interactively as you click different ship combinations.

As for future upkeep, in terms of monthly supplies, that is something you need to be aware of anyways.   You'd have the exact same issue sitting at a station contemplating frigate purchases or planning a trip into deep space.  It is fundamental part of the game, and you're better off learning that sooner rather than later.  Once you've internalized it, it tends to be a minimal hassle to keep sufficient supplies on hand.

Everyone i've introduced this game to has messed it up repeatedly.  Knowing "oh it's going to take X more per day" is totally useless when you don't have a good feel for how long your average trip is.  One of the hardest things for me starting out was trying to figure out what was a reasonable amount of supplies to bring for a bounty trip, and salvaging makes that math harder.  I have watched multiple people screw it up for a ship that wasn't worth it.

It only gets harder when they learn that "oh yeah 9/10 times for anything good you can ALWAYS get it, just need to insta mothball it".  I know the tutorial shows you some of this in theory, but again, it's a totally absurd process to be dumping on players every single combat.

It is telling to me that we've got so many "well i play this way" posts going here. Of course we all do.  It's not people sitting on a forum with 100's of posts who are bouncing off the games weird mechanics. 

[SafariJohn]

Everyone i've introduced this game to has messed it up repeatedly.  Knowing "oh it's going to take X more per day" is totally useless when you don't have a good feel for how long your average trip is.  One of the hardest things for me starting out was trying to figure out what was a reasonable amount of supplies to bring for a bounty trip, and salvaging makes that math harder.  I have watched multiple people screw it up for a ship that wasn't worth it.

I wish vanilla displayed days of supply instead of supplies per day. It would really help new players. Supplies per day often has spikes that hide how long your supplies will really hold out. Like the screenshot for my Logistics Notifications mod that shows "412 supplies at -10 / day" really means >500 days of supply because of repairs and CR recovery.

[Hiruma Kai]

I wish vanilla displayed days of supply instead of supplies per day. It would really help new players. Supplies per day often has spikes that hide how long your supplies will really hold out. Like the screenshot for my Logistics Notifications mod that shows "412 supplies at -10 / day" really means >500 days of supply because of repairs and CR recovery.

A display of days until no supplies strikes me as a solid suggestion, even if it was just added to the fleet screen on the left.  We are already provided with supplies per day for repairs as well as total supplies for repairs.  An expected time until out of supplies on the same screen would let you toggle repairs on and off for individual ships, as well as mothball ships and see a live update of that estimate.  I already have to go to that screen if I want a good estimate of total repairs costs.

Of course, unlike fuel, supplies can be consumed at a greater than initially expected rate due to engaging in combat, encountering hyperspace storms, using transverse jump, using emergency burn, founding a colony, and so on. I suppose it might confuse new players when their estimated supplies at the start of the trip end up not being sufficient because of costs which can't be predicted, but I'm not sure there's a way to convey that well other than experience.

[Twilight Sentinel]

A display of days until no supplies strikes me as a solid suggestion, even if it was just added to the fleet screen on the left.  We are already provided with supplies per day for repairs as well as total supplies for repairs.  An expected time until out of supplies on the same screen would let you toggle repairs on and off for individual ships, as well as mothball ships and see a live update of that estimate.  I already have to go to that screen if I want a good estimate of total repairs costs.

Of course, unlike fuel, supplies can be consumed at a greater than initially expected rate due to engaging in combat, encountering hyperspace storms, using transverse jump, using emergency burn, founding a colony, and so on. I suppose it might confuse new players when their estimated supplies at the start of the trip end up not being sufficient because of costs which can't be predicted, but I'm not sure there's a way to convey that well other than experience.

At least if the number updates in real time the player has a chance to look at their changing situation and react accordingly.  It isn't a difficult number to calculate either.

(Current supplies - supplies for repairs) / supplies consumed per day

[SafariJohn]

(Current supplies - supplies for repairs) / supplies consumed per day

It is a little more involved than that, but totally doable. IIRC the only thing my mod doesn't calculate accurately is when you are losing supplies because you are over your cargo limit. That's a reductive function that I don't feel like trying to figure out.

Of course, unlike fuel, supplies can be consumed at a greater than initially expected rate due to engaging in combat, encountering hyperspace storms, using transverse jump, using emergency burn, founding a colony, and so on. I suppose it might confuse new players when their estimated supplies at the start of the trip end up not being sufficient because of costs which can't be predicted, but I'm not sure there's a way to convey that well other than experience.

I think it would be pretty self-explanatory if supply-days were displayed on the main screen: fight a battle or get hit by a storm -> lose X days worth of supplies. More straightforward than the current spike in consumption.

[Thaago]

I would love for the supply bar to show, perhaps in parenthesis, how many supplies are needed for repairing/recovering CR on ships in the fleet. Every time I am even a bit worried about supplies, I need to flip to the fleet screen to check.

I wouldn't object to 'days remaining' also being shown for supplies, but I wouldn't want the current supplies/day replaced by it. Supplies per day lets me easily know how many days of operation surveying or fighting a battle costs me, while just knowing days remaining decouples that info. Similarly for buying supplies: if I know I spend 2/day, then if I want to go on a 3 month exploration mission I know I need at minimum 180 (plus storm, survey, and combat allowance, minus expected salvage but its not a great idea to rely on that).

[intrinsic_parity]

I think the base upkeep in supplies/per day seems like something that would make sense on the fleet screen where the repair costs are shown. Then you could easily see the two numbers together to calculate how many days of supplies you've lost and things like that. It's a number that doesn't change except when you add or lose ships so you don't need to see it constantly updated IMO. I would prefer a days remaining to be displayed on the campaign UI, because it is more relevant to decision making in real time.

[SCC]

I would want to see a couple of new indicators. Days until supplies run out at current rate. Days until supplies run out at maintenance rate. How many times could you deploy all your ships with current supplies. Hope many times could you deploy all your combat ships with current supplies.

[Twilight Sentinel]

I wish vanilla displayed days of supply instead of supplies per day. It would really help new players. Supplies per day often has spikes that hide how long your supplies will really hold out. Like the screenshot for my Logistics Notifications mod that shows "412 supplies at -10 / day" really means >500 days of supply because of repairs and CR recovery.

Since this has evolved into a good suggestion discussion in its own right, do you want to make a new thread for it?  Since you originally proposed the idea, I think it's only fair you get the first chance to post that thread.

[SafariJohn]

I have already suggested it. Multiple times IIRC

[Goumindong]

Maybe an option(default on) so that when you salvage a ship that wasn’t in your fleet to begin with its always mothballed.

[Thaago]

The issue with that is that there are skills that give all salvaged ships 20-40% CR and hull on salvage, which would be nullified partially by the mothballing.

[intrinsic_parity]

Skills are totally changed to be fair, but even if that skill was still a thing, it could be changed to give ships +20-40% CR when they are un-mothballed instead, which would be better.

[SCC]

The issue with that is that there are skills that give all salvaged ships 20-40% CR and hull on salvage, which would be nullified partially by the mothballing.

I don't typically lug around all kinds of weapons with me, so there isn't really a difference. I have to go back to my base and if I don't do that immediately, the ship is just going to eat supplies for no gain.