What's the point in alien (wreckage) ships?

[Deon]

Greetings!

Currently implemented alien ships are 1 str 1/1 movement turtles which are outmatched very quickly even on maraphon speed. What is the point in their existance at all?

I think it would be fair to allow to upgrade them at some tech to a better counterpart (as though as you "studied" them and turned their full power on) or even have a serie of upgrades, at first for movement, then for strength et cetera, which would mean that you research necessary technologies to restore different parts of a ship.

 

[deanej]

They use to be stronger, but their purpose has shifted around quite a bit. The use to be for random events (before they got delayed). Then they were used only as a barbarian spawning. Then they got added as the wreckage bonus as it was unrealistic to find ships for your own civ in the wreckage. Each time they have been rebalanced - if they are too weak now they can be easily adjusted; they're meant to be around the level of Warp 5 Ships, but perhaps Warp 7 Ships would be better?

 

[Deon]

Why don't you think that a "rebuilding" of them is a good idea? Just let them start as warp 5 and upgrade as you develop, maybe to a weaker versions of a current "tier" but a bit more specialized. It would add some interest to them.