Ships

All spaceships are built in the Weapons factory. Every level shortens the build time per unit, and the Microsystem accelerator speeds things up even more. Which ships you can build depends on your weapons factory level and your research – every ship page lists its requirements.

Building in packages

The game calls a build order a package. A package may only run for a limited time – the weapons factory shows you how many hours. If you order more than fits into that time, the amount is reduced automatically. With the package amount you can queue the same package up to ten times at once.

Engines and speed

Every ship uses one of three engines. Each level of the matching engine makes it 10% faster:

• Rocket engine: Small transport, Large transport, Small fighter, Warship, Colony ship, Spy probe
• Diffusion engine: Transmitter, Starcruiser, Phoenix, Recycler
• Warp engine: Battleship, Stealth bomber, Destroyer, Imperial starbase

A fleet always flies as fast as its slowest ship. The fuel value shows how much spice a ship burns on its flights – the longer the trip, the more it costs. Your specialization and the Synth network can improve speed and fuel use even further.

Transport or combat?

Combat ships bring attack, shield and hull: they raid, protect your planets and fight aliens and black holes. Transport & support ships haul resources, found colonies, produce energy, spy or collect debris. They have hardly any firepower – with one exception: the Transmitter combines a huge cargo hold with decent weapons.

What matters in battle

A battle lasts up to six rounds, longer with the Synth network. Shields absorb damage first, only then is the hull hit. A unit's hull comes from the material it is built from – so expensive ships can take more punishment. Weapons technology, Shield technology and Defense systems raise attack, shield and hull by 10% per level each. There is no rapid fire: what counts are your ships' stats, your research and the right mix. Read more under Battle.

How to read the stat hexagon

Every ship page shows a hexagon with six axes – just like in the game. The further a point reaches outwards, the stronger the ship is in that area:

• Hull – how much damage the ship can take before it is destroyed.
• Attack – its firepower per round.
• Shield – how much damage is blocked before the hull suffers.
• Speed – the base speed without engine research.
• Cargo – how many resources the ship can carry.
• Economy – fuel efficiency: a long point means the ship is thrifty, a short one means it burns a lot of spice per flight.