This is a serious, not-intending-to-be-a-downer thread. :)
I've put 5-10 hours into the game and I'm just not enjoying myself. I love roguelikes (clocked a few thousand hours in DCSS) but this one just isn't clicking. I don't like wanting to run from every fight. I don't like my stuff getting so easily destroyed, particularly when 'stuff' is what defines my dude. I don't like having to fight scavengers for dropped parts.
What keeps you coming back to Cogmind?
I've also played a sickening amount of DCSS, which happens to be my favourite game. My favourite part about Cogmind is when I've got most of the key items in a stealth build and I'm able to carefully weave paths through the complex without disturbing enemies, loot more items and ascend further. Like a SpEn of Ash but with less stabbing and more ninja. Few roguelikes do even a half decent job of stealth and Cogmind goes much further than that. You also lose very few items this way unless you make mistakes, get caught in a stasis trap, or are forced to fly through enemies. I've just reached this point in a current game where I've taken a screenshot (notice how none of my items are damaged): (https://i.imgur.com/BHXLZ1H.png)
It sounds like you're trying to fight your way through. I'm more of a fan of the stealthy approach but I know a lot of people prefer combat, like Happylisk, Decker, and Adraius (not to mention Kyzrati himself). Taking damage is unavoidable that way and losing/replacing parts is simply a fact of life. This is extremely different from most roguelikes where your power level is more stable and continually growing over time.
Your job is to minimise the damage you take while maximising the loot you find. Don't get too attached to your parts, especially in the first few floors, as there are always better items to be found as you progress. Weapons in particular become much stronger as you progress. Simply put on what you've got, destroy robots and take their items if they're better than your current gear or have more integrity.
I sure agree about civilian robots clearing items from the floor - it's super annoying and nasty, but it does make the complex feel more like a 'living world'.
I hate the feeling this game gives me of being fragile and scared. It just takes too much work to get anything done. I want to put treads on and a ton of guns and be able to tank my way to floor 5 but thats not remotely possible it seems.
You're definitely not fragile (at least your core integrity isn't), and if you're scared, that's a good thing. You can totally tank your way to -5. If it's hard, well that's a good thing too. There's a lot of info floating about on this forum and discussions around how to do just that. E.g. http://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=267.0 is a long and interesting discussion with all sorts of ideas on how best to approach combat, including a lot of thoughts on exactly this topic of 'item attrition'. Check out Happylisk's excellent combat articles as well: http://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=277.0 and http://www.gridsagegames.com/forums/index.php?topic=338.0