While playing for a few hours the other day, I had an idea for two new mods.
1. The Auto miner.
works kinda like the beacon except it pops out both rocks and sometimes metal. it would be about the size of the geothermal generator. it would be expensive to build, require a lot of power, take damage over time so it would need maintenance and it'd have to be researched. it would also only run so long. an upgrade to it would be The Deep Auto Miner. this would add a way to get renewable metal and rock.
2. Weapon Smith Bench.
a new work table to convert metal into weapons. new weapons would have to be researched as would the table it's self. damaged weapons could be repaired here as well.
between these two mods it would give players new ways to earn money by trading with merchant ships.