Spacecraft
A spacecraft is designed by players at a Design Studio and constructed at a Spacecraft Factory.
Depending on the design, a spacecraft can be of 4 different classes.
- Spaceship
- Starship
- Spaceport
- Starbase
Spaceship
Spaceships are the primary way of navigating the universe.
A spaceship is able to travel at sub-light speed, mostly used to travel between planets in a system. But since they lack a FTL Drive they have to rely on deadheading to reach distant systems.
A starship is a spaceship with a FTL Drive, this means that the ship is able to travel between system faster than light.
Private vs. Subsidized
Privately owned spacecraft can not be switched to subsidized spacecraft and vice versa.
Private
Private spacecraft are owned by a player.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Can be respawned | Have to pay for repairs, fuel and munitions |
| Can not be captured | Costs money from the player to make |
| Personal effects, items and animals not lost when destroyed | |
| Trade transactions not subject to subsidy tax |
Private spacecraft are made when a spacecraft is purchased at a Spacecraft Factory. Privately owned spacecraft are not subject to subsidy tax.
Subsidized
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free Repairs, Fuel and Munitions | Can not be respawned |
| Free for the player to make | Can be captured |
| Everything aboard lost when destroyed. | |
| Trade transactions subject to subsidy tax. |
Subsidized spacecraft are made at a Spacecraft Factory using mass production processes.
Spaceport
Spaceports are spacecraft with very low speed and therefore can do nothing but keep an orbit over a city. They act as the first line of defense for a planet and as a trading and docking station for spaceships.
Spaceports act as a trade hub for a solar system. Every city in the system that has an Airport Terminal can be traded with while in range of a spaceport. This makes it possible to buy from any city and sell to any city without moving. You can also load and unload crew and passengers with those cities.
The trade range of a spaceport is indicated by a rotating beacon, visible when you are flying a vehicle or piloting a spacecraft. This is the service area of the station. Visiting space ships and vehicles must enter the service area of a station to moor there, get repairs and fuel, and use the station as a trade hub. The size of the station's service area is based on the tech level of the Command and Control module installed into the station.
Starbase
A starbase is a rare sight. They are in theory just spaceports with a FTL Drive, but since they can't use the FTL Drive for anything, they are rarely designed.
It is however rumored that once the Tractor Beam Module is implemented, a starbase will be able to be pulled along with the pulling ship into FTL thanks to its FTL Drive, while spaceports will not be able to use FTL when pulled.