itch.io

Thanks for trying it out! I noticed similar annoyances on my initial play throughs. There is a modifier that increases the chance of getting higher tier life support, chassis, and reactor upgrades in the shop if your current tier is lower, but it could probably use some tuning. 

I've had some other ideas regarding items that might smooth out the loot table. Maybe doing something like a "bag of loot" where random items are pulled one-by-one from a shuffled set of items (so I can guarantee that essential upgrades will eventually be pulled). However, if you can't afford the essential upgrade when it's pulled from the bag, you might not see it again for a while. Another idea is to always allow life support, reactor, and chassis to be upgraded in a shop, but maybe make them more expensive so you actually have to plan ahead to purchase them.