Classes and hulls
Four pilot classes, five platforms, ten hulls; a hull is bought at the shipyard with credits and, on the four heaviest, a warrant of work already done.
Classes
The class is chosen at the door and belongs to the character; one account holds up to four. It never decides which hull you may buy - it multiplies whatever hull you fly. The multipliers at level one, and what each level adds:
| Class | Hull | Shield | Hold | Thrust | Turn | Mining | Gun damage | Grows per level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard | 1.35 | 1.15 | 0.90 | 0.85 | 0.80 | 1.00 | 1.00 | hull +1.2%, shield +0.6% |
| Stalker | 0.85 | 1.00 | 0.80 | 1.30 | 1.35 | 1.00 | 1.10 | thrust +0.3%, gun damage +1.0% |
| Corsair | 1.00 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 1.05 | 1.00 | 1.00 | shield +0.8%, gun damage +0.6% |
| Warden | 1.10 | 1.30 | 1.40 | 0.90 | 0.85 | 1.20 | 0.85 | mining +1.0%, hold +0.8% |
A stat is the hull's own number × class × (1 + growth × (level − 1)), with the small lean of the colony you were raised in on top (colonies). Every class starts in the same issued Ageia G57-X carrying Pulse Cannon I, Mining Laser I and Cargo Bay I. Issued gear is lent, not owned: no counter buys it back.
Platforms
Every hull flies on one of five platforms, and the platform is read off the drawing’s own width - nobody types it. The platform is where the numbers live:
| Platform | Hold m³ | Hull points | Gun mounts | Top speed vs fighter | To 95% of top speed | Warp tank (hops) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter | 60 | 450 | 2 | 100% | 5.0 s | 10 |
| Corvette | 120 | 700 | 3 | ≈95% | 5.4 s | 8 |
| Frigate | 300 | 1,000 | 4 | 80% | 6.0 s | 8 |
| Hauler | 900 | 2,600 | 3 | 60% | 7.5 s | 6 |
| Capital | 2,200 | 6,500 | 4 | ≈53% | 9.1 s | 4 |
No step up is better at everything: hold and hull points climb, speed and warp tank fall, and the Hauler gives a gun mount back. Every hull has all eight mounts (equipment) except the gun mounts above its count - a fighter has no Precision and no Siege mount, a corvette or a hauler no Siege mount.
The shelf
Hulls are sold at the shipyard at the middle of your colony’s home, and nowhere else. Every pilot may buy every hull; there is no level gate. The gate is the price, and on the four heaviest a warrant - a counter the game already keeps. Banked is cubic metres of ore sold across any counter, cumulative; deep kills are hostiles destroyed in sectors of threat 3 or higher.
| Hull | Job | Platform | Price (cr) | Hold × | Thrust × | Hull × | Hold m³ | Hull pts | Guns | Warrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESC-3 | courier | Fighter | 8,000 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 60 | 450 | 2 | - |
| Ageia G57-X | fighter | Fighter | issued (worth 12,000) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 60 | 450 | 2 | - |
| Excalibur XIII | gunship | Corvette | 24,000 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 120 | 700 | 3 | - |
| Whale Tender | tender | Frigate | 38,000 | 1.25 | 0.90 | 1.10 | 375 | 1,100 | 4 | - |
| PRX Probe | prospector | Frigate | 45,000 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 300 | 1,000 | 4 | - |
| HAUL-35 | hauler | Frigate | 140,000 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 300 | 1,000 | 4 | - |
| C8X | freighter | Hauler | 320,000 | 1.15 | 1.00 | 0.95 | 1,035 | 2,470 | 3 | 25,000 m³ banked |
| HA-4 | transport | Hauler | 320,000 | 0.85 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 765 | 2,860 | 3 | 150 deep kills |
| Whale-24 Carrier | carrier | Capital | 480,000 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 2,200 | 6,500 | 4 | 15,000 m³ banked |
| Whale-23 Line | battleship | Capital | 900,000 | 0.85 | 0.95 | 1.30 | 1,870 | 8,450 | 4 | 500 deep kills |
Hold and hull points here are the hull’s own - before your class and before any Cargo Bay. Two hulls carry a bigger warp tank than their platform: the ESC-3 holds 15 hops and the PRX Probe 13, because their job is being somewhere else.
The hangar. You may own at most five bought hulls besides the issued one. Buying adds; the hull for the trip is chosen at the shipyard on departure. A hull sells back at 60% of its price. The issued Ageia and the hull you are sitting in cannot be sold.
Warp drive and engine
Each hull carries two levels stamped at the home yard, 1 to 5; level 1 comes with the hull. No roll, no failure. The credits are the same on every hull; the parts differ by drive:
| Level | Credits | Warp drive parts | Engine parts | Warp: hops one jump may cross | Engine: thrust and drag | Engine: turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | given | - | - | 1 | ×1.00 | ×1.00 |
| 2 | 6,000 | - | - | 2 | ×1.10 | ×1.04 |
| 3 | 7,500 | cryo_salt 1, focusing_lens 1 |
ferrite_dust 8, servo_array 3 |
4 | ×1.20 | ×1.08 |
| 4 | 11,000 | cryo_salt 1, field_coil 2 |
ferrite_dust 16, servo_array 4, field_coil 1 |
7 | ×1.30 | ×1.12 |
| 5 | 15,000 | void_glass 1, field_coil 3, singularity_core 1 |
iridium 1, field_coil 3, singularity_core 1 |
15 | ×1.40 | ×1.15 |
An engine level lifts thrust and drag together, so the ship answers the stick faster and its top speed does not move. A jump spends hops out of the tank and must fit the drive’s reach, so a warp level past the hull’s tank buys nothing - the yard refuses to sell it. A level can be unshipped into a 12 m³ part and carried to another hull.
Fitting
O opens the outfitting window; 1–6 select the firing mounts in flight. What goes in each mount, what it costs and where it is sold is on equipment; the second way to improve a piece is the forge.