Quote:
Originally Posted by JimSB
disassembling is the easiest way to find new crafting recipes. If you pick up 2 of an item, and or get a lot of "build it cheaper" skills, you should disassemble at least one of them instead of selling them.
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I've been experimenting with this, tracking exactly which of the 25 sub-components make up each item when disassembled (for this current game). If you craft exactly those sub-components in the recipe, you re-create that item, exactly so far. Though some items have identical parts: i.e. "Generic Rifle" and "Laser Shotgun", so far it always seems to be the lesser item. (I have not acquired any Officer crafting skills as yet.)
However, if you put everything in a known recipe in the lab and add an additional item, or simply vary one known sub-component, you not only won't get the known item recipe, you may get something completely unrelated. For instance, if trying to make an improved Laser Pistol from a known recipe, you might wind up with an Analysis Suite Device instead.
(I should make clear: these have been "known recipes" from disassembling in this game, but some Lab tests were performed after reloading prior to the actual disassembly. So the recipes are only "good" once either "discovered" in the Lab or by actual disassembly.)
So, it seems the Lab is a crap-shoot. There is apparently no rhyme or reason to the results. So you will have to trial-and-error your way through all 25 separate components until you hit a successful recipe. And then you will still need 5 of each to build the item (without any crafting skills).
I have noted that "devices" (at least in the early game) have only four components. The rest of the 50+ items (but no Generators so far) I've disassembled seem to consistently have five.
My rule of thumb on acquiring items is: if it costs less than the profit I made on the trip, I buy it unless I am building up funds for something in particular ASAP.
-Dubious-