Been tooling around a bit modding the game in a terrible main-file altering sort of way. If people are keen on my changes as a proper mod I can do it, but if its just for myself its several times faster than normal modding.
Based on my experimentation, I have a set of recommendations for balance.
Rework Penetration/Resistance Values
Currently resistance is setup with the following pattern:
Armor and Weapons except Ion: Infinite
Everything Else: 1
Corridor: 0.5
I recommend scaling resistance depending upon how major a weapon or weapon-supporting part is.
Something to the effect of:
Ion Beam: 1
PD: 1.5
Small Laser: 2.5
Electro Bolt: 3.5
Small Cannon: 4
Large Cannon: 5
Shield Generator: 3
Factories and Storage Parts: 1.5
Armor: 100
Such a wide Range of values might seem unusual, but it makes more sense combined with my recommendations for cannons - a simple +1 pen.
Small Cannon: 3 Pen
Large Cannon: 5 Pen.
This is a buff to cannons, but it is especially a change to how they feel compared to each-other. Large Cannon having this dangerous ability to penetrate weaker parts feels good and remarkable.
To go along with this, as far as durability/damage changes are concerned, I recommend:
Small Laser HP: 4000 to 5000.
Small Cannon Damage: 1000 to 900
Shield Nerf
Also, incidentally, shields are simply too good. There are truthfully many ways to nerf them that would work out. The margins the game works on are pretty robust, so you could even just halve their efficiency, but I don't think you need to go that far.
I recommend:
Energy Storage: 6000 to 7000.
Ammo per Damage: 0.5 to 0,6
Electro Bolt Rework
Electro Bolt has a massive issue with its current mechanics and how the AI focuses fire. It will just hit a location and quickly and easily reduce that one part to 0 energy. It is strong because it counters the strongest part - shield- but it is very one dimensional because of how it interacts with focus fire.
I recommend adding some form of AoE to it. For my purposes, I used Penetration, but many things can work.
Penetration: 6 (penetrates everything except armor at least once)
Penetration Speed: 15 (penetrates many things, but not too deep)
Ammo Damage: 900 to 500 (including on Penetration)
Damage: 100 to 60 (none on pen)
I personally think an AoE based effect would likely be more interesting, as it would also counter stacked shields and be more physical in many ways, but this is what I have tested.
Missile Rebalance
Currently missiles are a bit swingy and very easy to counter using PD. I recommend rebalancing them a bit so that they use more missiles with less damage and have a better chance of chipping away at pieces of the enemy, without a salvo just destroying that enemy too easily.
I recommend:
Missile Launcher Cost: 12k to 10k
Missile Damage: 1600 to 1000
Missile Factory: Double missile production rate to 4 parts/second. Increase energy use to 200 energy/second.
Missile Storage: Cost 1.5k to 1k.
Ammo/missile storage re-balance
Currently these areas are a bit weak. They add an additional stop for reloads and are not any more defensive than factories. I recommend at least making them a bit safer a place to store the ammo.
I recommend:
Missile Storage On Destroy Explosion:
Damage vs Operational: 5 Tile, 1500 Max (from 6, 3000)
Fire Radius to 5 from 6.
Damage vs Structure: 4 Tile, 750 Max. (I don't value this number so w/e here really)
Ammo Storage On Destroy:
Damage vs Operational: 3 Tile, 1500 Max (from 4, 3000)
Fire Radius to 3 from 4. Fire chance to 15% from 25%.
Damage vs Structure: 2 Tile, 750 Max. (I don't value this number so w/e here really)
I also recommend changing conveyor, but haven't determined the numbers for it yet.
Comments and criticism are interested. If people care I can make this into a proper mod, but until then its something much more hackjob on my computer.