When the quantum enforcement drive is exposed during use, will we be able to sub-target it and destroy it like we do with other components?

So it's actually a quantum enforcement device. We can't currently target it, but we are exploring ways in which you can sub-target the QED in particular and keep hitting it till it's destroyed, and then it will disable the device. That is something we're looking into. It is not currently available in 3.7, but we're hoping to be able to make that a reality soon.

With all subsystem targeting.

Sure, right. And it's an external item. In the very near future we want to introduce a concept that's going to be difficult: being able to sub-target internal items, things like power plants and shield generators and the like. That's difficult because of the differences between how we physicalize items on the exteriors of ships and on the interiors. However, because this is an external item, that should be something that we can solve for the QED.

It also goes with the fact that since Item 2.0, we've had everything basically be componentized. So the health, the physics: as long as you strap them onto these items, like this QED device, it will function. It's just that we have to add in those extra bits, like if the health's low, it has to do this behavior or that behavior. So of course, every time we do the tier zero requirement, we want to get the base functionality in and then add in those extra bits. So we could add a health component and then allow the sub-targeting system to target it, and then you could shoot it. But it wouldn't be fun as a player until we add in those extra bits where we notify you that your device got hit, and the gameplay changes because of it. So it's more like we have the ability to do it, but once we combine them all, we want to approach the behaviors and add those behaviors onto it before we release it.

Yeah, we want to complete the gameplay loop for that. Because yesterday, actually, Matt and Trueri, who I'm sure a lot of people know about, and I were messing around with physicalizing the rings that make up the QED. It's actually very visually impressive, because you get knocked about as the rings encircle you, and you can enter the middle of the rings and feel very godlike in the midst of the QED firing. So it's pretty cool. But we need to make sure that all aspects of the gameplay work before we release it.