Exploration vessel on a deep-space mission

Research & fleets

22 technology branches and 53 ship types unlock progressively — from day-one scouts to prototype battleships and alliance-exclusive hulls.

Research is empire-wide but queued per planet — one lab job at a time. Administration research raises administrative capacity by +1 per level. You cannot skip to cruisers without Warp Drive, or to colonies without Administration and Colony Technology.

Fleet travel consumes gas from the departure world. Formations (Balanced, Aggressive, Defensive) alter damage trade-offs. Named ship instances gain veterancy from rookie to legendary — destroying a legendary hull triggers Galaxy News.

Key tech paths
Energy (+2%/level), mining (+5%), cargo (+10%), fleet speed (+20%), weapons (+5%), habitability (+2% passive from terraforming). Chains: laser → missile → plasma; experimental weapons unlock at plasma L12.
First colony timeline
Typical day 2–4: Admin L1 (~30 min) + Colony Tech L1 (~40 min) + Lab L2 + Shipyard L2 + colony ship (1,800s build, 10k/8k/4k M/C/G). Habitability ≥25 required for standard colonization.
Ship classes
Scouts, cargo ships, fighters, mining vessels, colony ships, cruisers, battleships, stealth freighters, station builders, and 31 blueprint-exclusive faction hulls. Example L1 scout: 600M/200C/50G, speed 45.
Experimental prototypes
VX-91 Battleship class: 120k/45k/12k cost, 4,200s build, ATK 1250. Only one active prototype per project galaxy-wide. +15–25% vs standard class; destroyed prototype is gone until re-unlocked.
Travel & fuel
Travel time = max(60s, 60 + (distance/speed) × 900) — minutes to hours. Slowest hull sets fleet speed. Every launch draws gas from the origin planet.
Fleet missions
Scout, explore, raid, attack, conquer, colonize, transport, escort, blockade, smuggle, mine, salvage, boss attack, scan, deep scan, alliance supply, subjugate, integrate, and ark colonize.
Characters
Recruit admirals (attack, defense, speed, siege) and governors (mining, research, loyalty) via rare contracts. Scientists interpret geological surveys with per-field star ratings.
Boarding & capture
Disabled battleships, cruisers, and carriers may be captured within ~2 hours. Prototype wrecks offer 30% salvage chance. Captured ships can carry foreign-tech flags.