It might be cool to lock consumables behind crew skill. So for example a coma kit may require level 2 medicine to equip and use, while IVs can be used by level 1 doctors. That gives more uniqueness to each crew, so they have things they're good and bad at and unique skills to go along with it.
If special abilities are locked behind skill levels, then the crew can use more generic items, but the items have abilities depending on skill level. Each generic item could have 3 potential skills attached to it, but a crew needs to be level 3 to have all the skills available. This will reduce inventory clutter while placing a high importance on crew skills. If the system works that way it might look like:
- Med kit: uses medical skill. Level 1 adrenaline, level 2 coma, level 3 field kit
- Explosive: Uses weapons skill. level 1 grenade, level 2 incendiary, level 3 breaching
- Tool kit: Uses industry skill. Level 1 deployable, level 2 foam grenade, level 3 hacking kit
- Adrenaline: Sleep another day! In every meaning of the phrase. A powerful boost of +50-80 energy today, but -50-80 energy tomorrow.
- hacking kit: Allows a crew member to hack a derelict shuttle, claiming it for your own. Probably not very useful because shuttles are currently very cheap to build and don't break down or anything. But it might be cool if there are extra shuttle types, with extra speed or cargo. They'd be worth stealing.
