A Mod Starbridge and a couple of Drones around Earth
Ships are the vehicles used for warfare, transportation, piracy, and personal travel through interstellar space. Such craft are the foundation of both modern commerce and war, and thus ships are generally considered in light of the two major classes of ship construction, freighters and warships. Of course, these are arbitrary distinctions and many ships can be considered as part of either class, depending on their outfitting. Governments are the major constructors of warships and naturally seek to exceed the capabilities of their opponents; this often results in an arms race.
Characteristics
Those inside () are not mentioned in game, and known only via observation or development tools.
Moving
| Speed | The top speed it can accelerate to. When the Accelerate key is released it slows down to about half that speed. If mishaps toss it faster, it will also slow to that speed. |
|---|---|
| Accel(eration) | How fast it build-ups speed. Todo : Conversion scale. |
| (Inertia) | Ships without inertia move only where they are headed, at their current speed. As a result : • They do not slow down on their own, except if above top Speed. • They can not fly backwards or strafe. • The Reverse Course key instead slows down, to eventually a completed stop. • They take almost no recoil from hits. Raven, all Vell-os Ships... |
| Turn | Rotating clockwise or opposite. Todo : Conversion scale. |
| Energy | Number of Hyperjumps without recharging. Also used by Afterburner and weapons Ion Cannon, Polaron Cannon, Capacitor Pulse Laser, all Vell-os and probably a few others. |
| (Jump speed) | Some ships Hyperjump differently : • Slow : IDA Frigate, Pirate Argosy, Enterprise, Abomination, Aurora Cruiser, Aurora Carrier, Thunderforge. • Semi-fast : Lightning, Star Liner, RAGE Gunboat, Rebel Thunderhead. • Fast : Cargo Drone, Mod Starbridge, Rebel Lightning, Zephyr, Raven, all Vell-os Ships. |
| Mass | Determines : • Hyperjump time. • Armor outfit mass and price. • Relative firer vs target movement with traction weapons. • Pushback when hit with weapons that do that. • Size on radar with Gravimetric sensors. • Duration and size of ship explosion. Not affected by Space & Cargo mass. |
Fighting
| Shields & (Shield regen) |
Protection that regenerates over time. (red bar in game) |
|---|---|
| Armor & (Armor regen) |
Structure that regenerates on docking. Polaris, Vell-os and Alien also regenerate over time. If under 25% (10% for some ships), the ship gets Disabled. Once all depleted, the ship explodes. |
| Guns | Maximum guns number mounted. |
| Turrets | Maximum turrets number mounted. |
| Crew | Determines Capture odds. |
| (AI) | Behavior when non-player or Escort. Among other things, it may swarm or gain Afterburner effect. |
| (Point target) | If it is targeted by Point Defense. (Basically all ships, except above 150 tons, Polaris or Alien.) |
| (Max Ion.) & (Deionize) |
The maximum Ionization build-up and recovery speed. |
Shopping
| Space (mass) | Maximum Outfit total mass installed. Excludes mass of Standard weapons and Included outfits, so bare space has to be hand-calculated. |
|---|---|
| Cargo (mass) | Maximum Mission cargo + Commodity total mass carried. |
| Standard weapons & Included outfits |
Outfits already installed when bought. Also on non-player ships, although there are many variants not for sale. |
| Requires | Some ships require Licences to be bought in the Federation, even if they are listed in the Shipyard. |
| Upgrade cost | Money to improve Escort to better variant. |
| Price | • Money to buy as main ship at Shipyard. Final Price deduces Trade-In of current ship (half the price of ship and all outfits). • Money to buy as outfit if it is also a Fighter Bay ship. • Escort hire price is 10% of this. Daily pay is 1% of this. |
Other
| Length | Not used ? |
|---|---|
| (Imprint) | The in-game graphic pixels determine : • Shot collision. • Asteroid debris scooping. • Docking proximity. (seems somewhat bugged) • Target selection box. (covers all possible orientations) |
| (...) | Ships may : • Not respond to communication : Cargo Drone, Wraith... • Disable at 10% instead of 25% armor. • Have blind rear spot for turrets. •Give Access to Bulk Missions: Pegasus Give access to Charter Flight missions : Star Liner. |
Notes
- If you have any gameplay tips, hints, or background information relevant to this topic, please post them here.
Take good care of your ship – your life and livelihood depends on it. Having a well-maintained, upgraded ship can be the difference between a quick death and riches…