Reverse engineering

Reverse Engineering
Reverse Engineering or RE is a skill granted to shipwrights (Post-NGE: Structure Traders). It enables them to extract the best aspects of several different components and create a new "reverse engineered" component. The necessary parts are; a component analysis tool, raw space loot of the same "RE level".

Mechanics
To reverse engineer, the Structure Trader should perform the following:
 * 1) Open their Component Analysis Tool
 * 2) Drag the items they want to modify into that window. In the above example, the trader would drop both armor pieces into the inventory.
 * 3) Right-click on the Component Analysis Tool (not the contents window) and choose "Analyze"

The trader will be able to name the result as if they'd created a new item.

RE Quality Bonus
The following table describes the bonuses applied when factoring the final attributes of the item being engineered.

Lvl 10 = 6%

Lvl 8, 9 = 5%

lvl 6, 7 = 4%

lvl 4, 5 = 3%

lvl 2, 3 = 2%

lvl 1 = 1%

Note that if the desired number is higher (e.g. "Max Damage") then the bonus adds to the final number. If a lower value would be better (e.g. "Mass") then the bonus is subtracted from the lowest value.

Some RE rules
RE levels must be the same to combine; a level 5 piece can only go with another level 5

You can only RE together the same type of component (armor with armor, shield with shield, etc)

The RE level bonus does not affect reactor energy drain for caps.

Level X re jobs require X number of parts (to re a level 7 gun you need 7 level 7 guns)

Equipment certification levels may not match the RE level, but you can only re with similar re levels, regardless of the cert level. In these cases, the cert of the final product will be the cert of the first piece of raw loot placed in the tool.

The weapon graphical effect that results from re'ing will be the graphic of the first gun placed in the component analysis tool.

There is a random chance for a KSE Firespray disc to pop out with every RE (around 1:300)

Example
Armor #1: Mass 2016, armor hitpoints of 200, RE level 2.

Armor #2: Mass 4210, armor hitpoints of 610, RE level 2.

After placing both of these pieces of raw space loot in the component analysis tool and analyzing them, the final product will take the low mass from #1 and combine it with the high armor hitpoints of #2. It will then add a RE level bonus, in this case 2%.

RE Armor: Mass 1975.68 (2016*.98), armor hitpoints 622.2(610 * 1.02).