Decay

Decay is the system by which ship components break down over time. Decay has to be counteracted with Repairs.

Global Functionality

Every component that can decay has a Decay Rating that goes from 0 to 1000. As components decay with use, this rating increases. The rate at which this happens is determined by the individual component.

Thresholds

When repairing a component, the Decay Threshold is important to determine cost and speed of repairs. A full repair action will reduce the Decay Rating of a component back to 0, restoring it to pristine condition. A partial repair however will only reduce the Decay Rating back to the nearest Threshold. Thresholds are set at 200, 400, 600 and 800 Decay Rating. So a component with a Decay Rating of 245 will be repaired only back to 200 with a partial repair.

Decay Level

Thresholds are used to set a Decay Level for any given component. The level is equal to the current amount of thresholds passed. A component at 236 Decay Rating is considered at Decay Level 1. At 82 Decay Rating it is at Decay Level 0 and 844 is Decay Level 4 and so forth.

Decay Levels are a simplified way of representing the amount of decay that has accumulated on the component and are mainly used to quickly display information to the player and make things more readable.

Individual Components

Each component has a different reaction to decay and accumulated Decay Rating. Before the first threshold is reached, the component functions normally. Each threshold crossed will diminish the functionality of the component in some way. A component that has reached a Decay Rating of 1000 stops functioning entirely. Final values are to be determined by playtesting.

Decay Effects Overview

Component	Type of Use	Effect
Ship Thrusters	Prolonged Use	Fuel Efficiency is reduced
Ship Thrusters	Stop and Go Flight	Max Thrust is reduced
Scanner	Regular Use	Longer Scan Time
Scanner	Front Scanner	Power Consumption increases
Drone Drill Head	Mining Asteroid Resources	Mining Frequency is reduced
Power Generator	Regular Use	Minimum production reduced
Power Generator	Overuse	More Coolant needed
Drone	NotIdle	Increased Probability to lose a random attachment module
Refinery	Regular use	Temperature needed increased
Refinery	HighTemp(1500°C+)	Refining Speed lowered
LifeSupport	RegularUse	WasteProducts increased
LifeSupport	Overuse(High Filtering)	Filter life decreased
Power Generator	Energy Spikes	Reactor Radiation leakage percentage increased
PowerController	Regular use	Power available decreased
PowerController	Overuse(draw more then available)	Fire Hazard possibility/Damage
ConveyorBelts(In/Out)	Regular use	Lowered speed
CoolantPumps	Regular use	Coolant efficiency decreased
CoolantPumps	Overuse(emergencydump etc)	Coolant drain increased
CraftingStation	Regular use	Craft time increased
CraftingStation	Prelonged use	Crafting efficiency decreased
Doors	Not used	May get stuck in current mode
Doors	Regular Use	decreased speed for opening and closing
Vents	Regular use	Efficiency decreased
Vents	Pressure Low to Pressure normal	Can get damaged
Vents	Notbreathable for extended time	Can get cloged
DroneDocking	RegularUse	Drone may get stucked

Visual Feedback

Decay is invisible until it reaches the fourth threshold at 800 points. Once a component is damaged beyond this point, a visual indicator of the accumulated damage should be visible on the component. A different indicator should exist for a component that is broken down upon reaching the full 1000 points.