A really good idea, I'm doing this.
Thank you for taking this into consideration.
Please allow me to share some notes, after a most recent playthrough. I find that the only viable costs for Zrbite extraction are around 400-600. Otherwise, even with two large workshops, the extraction becomes so time-consuming that it hardly ever finds use until the Zrbite becomes available for regular purchase.
I also found that the presence of the reasonably priced (time-wise) extraction options enables an advantageous use of both X-Com sonic weapons (actually, sonic cannon mostly) and the dropship vessel.
I also did a further experiment with replacing Elerium with Zrbite for the TORMENTOR vessel, and found that the general mission Zrbite usage had still been reasonable even then, and the 400-600 Zrbite extraction operations had provided just enough compensation, until the finding of Hydro Dynamics.
I also found that editing heavy sonic cannon focused charge to contain 10 shots, even if it costs 40 Zrbite to produce (scaled from the original 4 Zrbite per shot) still fits within this economics, though perhaps just barely enough, if the cannon gets used regularly on the then-common Lobsterman missions. I think, it would be more reasonable to have the focus module use 1 Zrbite per shot. This is more consistent with how Elerium is treated (e.g. in case of a plasma cannon).
Finally, replacing the Elerium guided rocket with Zrbite powered guided rocket (same explosive damage type, with type 3 uniform distribution), costing 3 aqua plastics plus 1 Zrbite yields a very useful result. Now, I'm thinking that a 3 aqua plastic plus 3 tritanium plus 1 Zrbite shrapnel guided rocket, at 200 damage, would be a great addition. In general, guided rockets are indispensable for base defense and other general offensives.
I would like to experiment with a gas rocket. It should cost 3 aqua plastics, but I'm not sure if it should also include any Zrbite costs.
