I'm posting this update because, for me, engineering is the biggest change across the whole 4.x cycle right now - even bigger than the Nyx release in 4.4. I know a lot of you (myself included) were on edge about this system, especially the solo pilots with no org to lean on. Some has been loud with fears that engineering would become a punishing, "do-or-die" micromanagement mess. That's why I think the new video chat with Thorsten is so important to watch.
The vibe? Engineering isn't meant to take something from you. It's meant to give you more control, more survivability, and - yes - a longer lifespan for the ship you poured time into. As Thorsten puts it:
"Engineering gameplay is there to extend the lifetime of the ships rather than making your life miserable on a ship." 00:02:47
There's prep work involved (fuses, RMC canisters, spare components). It's the kind of "plan ahead and you're fine" thing that fits nicely into a haul run. And once you're flying, you can actually repair damaged components from inside the ship, even while they're actively taking hits.
For solo pilots who've been worried about mid-sized ships becoming unusable:
"We had before like the direction of things have to happen... We noticed that this is not particularly fun... so engineering gameplay is there to extend the lifetime of the ships." 00:02:14
Fire can break out, relays/fuses matter, and wear-and-tear exists - but all of it has counterplay (extinguishers, venting, and repair). The entire system should being tuned so that "keeping your ship going" is part of the fun, not punishment.
See you in the verse.