This is to encourage you to actually use different parts and play styles. That and simply "seeing" parts doesn't mean you actually "saw" them as a player. There can be tons of parts on the screen and you could miss some, then later you find things in your gallery that you still have no idea exist, or where you found them
In the end though the main goal is to get you to use different parts. You don't need to attach everything right away just for the gallery--as you play different styles and more runs, you'll naturally end up using all kinds of stuff, and the gallery will reflect that in the long run, making it a more accurate representation of what you've done.
I definitely get the point, and I was a bit provocating. It is fine to me. But this is correlated to the "attach an item from the floor" issue below.
You'll have to give me a concrete example of "in lots of situations I swap with a completely different item type," because I'm pretty sure you're mistaken--this is not how it works . Unless the new part is outright better, it will opt to make no change, in which case you have to make the decision.
I must have confused you. When I wrote "in lots of situations I swap with a completely different item type" I meant "in lots of situations I
WANT TO swap with a completely different item type"
Let's say : I have a Thermal Converter. I find on the floor a triangulator (+ not in my gallery : I need it !!!), or a lyr. armor plating, or whatever : a new utility not the same type of the one I have currently attached (and that I will attach back the turn after if it is just to populate my gallery. I know, silly idea but achievements + gallery + lore to unlock = silly players).
Or maybe I will keep the triangulator attached. Then how do I precise I want to replace my thermal converter and not my remote shield or whatever ?
But ok I admit this is theoretical. I should test more thoroughly the existing algorithm