Full transparency since it’ll be pretty obvious anyway: most of this suggestion is just a straight rip off of Eve Online.
So, in Eve each faction has about 6 different frigates that fulfill different roles; snaring, electronic warfare, dps, etc. Then a few destroyers, then some cruisers, and so on and so on. But then they have “Navy” ships, T2 ships, and even T3 ships that all have better stats but cost a lot more resources than the base ships.
What I’m thinking is that the current ship system should be reworked so that white outline hulls are just base T1 ships, Pink become T2, then have other tiers that are basically the same hulls with a different color. I don’t know how to program or make models, but I would be more than willing to sit down and balance the numbers all out.
I also think, and keep in mind 99% of my time is spent mining, that with the ores and salvage that currently exist, the Patrolled Core region should be limited to silicate, ferrite, and not much veridium as well as pretty much just salvaged hulls and salvaged circuitry with only a rare chance to get the other stuff. T1 and T2 ore sites in the Patrolled Core should spawn asteroids with higher quantities of ore but not any of the more advanced ore.
The Marches should get some silicate and ferrite, but mostly veridium and aurilium and primarily higher chances to get alloy plating and such.
Then The Deep should be were voidglass, esharite, and high tier salvage are found. And these materials really should be needed for most crafting. This is the domain of the corps and fleets. This is where items are taken out of circulation to be replaced through the gameplay loop (along with missions).
Wormhole space should have whatever, along with special wormhole space items that the highest quality items use.
I would be more than happy to sit down and make a spreadsheet with potential balance numbers and such. Farside is by far one of my most anticipated games (well even though I’m already playing it). The base that’s here is amazing.