Simple heiarchy structure in the ship designs: a design can have a designated "child" model, and when the child is retrofitted it is replaced with the parent design. This is mainly useful if you like to build mobile ships, deploy them, and then retrofit them into the state you were intending to use.


Current system:

Ark->Ark2(mobile)->Ark3(other modules)->Ark4(mobile)->Ark5(other modules)-> etc

To deploy Arks quickly while using their other modules, you have to change the schematic twice per new ark.


Proposed system:

Ark has child design Speedboat. Ark is the intended final design, Speedboat is all movement and combat modules. Both can be constructed from the queue (ideally with some UI thing to indicate the heiarchy), then Speedboat is built, moved to a new system, and retrofitted into Ark. Their designs only have to be manually changed when you want to improve one of the designs; any number of arks can be efficiently deployed without changing either design.


Arks obviously benefit from this the most, but garrison ships can be deployed faster under this system too.


Details:

Child designs are created from a window in the design stage. A child design cannot itself have a child design. For all practical purposes, the upgrade from child to parent is a simple retrofit with less hassle.


Btw props for the EL DLC