In brief, the feature permits cargo containers or debris objects to sometimes "drop" from destroyed ships. These objects can be picked up by players and then either used or sold, as appropriate. While most of the development team's attention has thus far been focused on usability and interface for this feature, its inclusion in JGE will have two major sets of gameplay repercussions - psychological and economic. Psychologically, of course, the process of "looting" is not only expected - it even existed in Elite, the granddaddy of all spaceflight simulation games - it's considered an extremely rewarding and satisfying activity. It's much more interactive than simply being automatically awarded credits and xp for a kill (which the addition of loot doesn't necessarily eliminate), and the hope is of course that being able to salvage things from destroyed ships will add appeal to the game.

Economically, of course, the salvage objects represent an input to the overall commodity flow, and must be regulated and balanced with that in mind. We're still working out both the economic implications, and deciding on any subtypes and features of salvage objects beyond just the obvious basics, such as existing commodity and equipment types. Some of the gameplay we're considering is that salvaged materials might be needed in JGE's variant of a player-based equipment crafting system, or that some kinds of salvage might need to be taken to a kind of recycling facility so as to convert them into something else of value. These and other ideas will largely be dependent on the final form that the economy itself takes.