On the right side of the designer, one can select options for different subsystems of the ship. Most of them are required and it is not possible to design a ship without some version of them, but few of them are optional, having the option to install no subsystem in its slot.
A ship's reactor generates power for its other systems, and a new ship design cannot be created if it has negative power. Excess power slightly increases a ship's evasion, movement speed, and damage.
This subsystem is optional, although without an FTL drive the ship is incapable of moving between systems.
Jump drives allow the ship to make a direct jump within a limited range, indicated by a yellow dotted circle. Initiate a jump by selecting the fleet, clicking the "Initiate Jump" button and left-clicking the target. After jumping the fleet spends 200 days recharging, during which time it suffers −50% sublight speed and weapons damage.
The Subspace Drive creates microtears in spacetime, allowing vessels to jump to nearby systems. The process becomes incredibly unstable if longer jumps are attempted.
Ships equipped with Hyper Drives travel swiftly between the edges of star systems along interstellar hyperlanes.
Jump Drive
20
30
1
−70% Charge time
Jump Drive
25 years earlier
The Jump Drive tears ship-sized holes in the very fabric of reality, allowing for near-instantaneous movement between systems. The nature of the space the ship passes through on this journey is still poorly understood.
The Psi Jump Drive harnesses the psionic potential of the ship's crew to warp the local space-time continuum, eliminating the distance between the point of origin and the destination. Supposedly.
Computer system[]
This component predominantly improves fire-rate as well as various performance, like evasion, tracking, accuracy, or weapons range, depending on behavior type.
When in combat, every military ship will advance to within a certain distance of its target and fire its weapons. The engagement range is determined by the ship's designated role and the effective range of the ship's weapons. Weapon range modifiers will also increase this range. Ships that have similar roles will typically cluster together, stay in formation with each other and attack in groups.
Swarm: The ship will charge straight at enemies and try to deal as much damage as possible from the range of their shortest range weapon.
Torpedo: The ship will charge straight at enemies in strafing runs.
Picket: The ship will advance to medium range and attempt to intercept incoming enemies.
Line: The ship will hold advance to medium range and hold formation.
Artillery: The ship will stay at long range, firing its longest range weapons on the target.
Carrier: The ship will stay at the maximum engagement range of its hangars.
Platform: The defensive platform will remain stationary and fire at any enemies in range.
Colossus: The ship will ignore any attackers and carry on with its current task.
Level
Effects
Swarm
Torpedo
Picket
Line
Artillery
Carrier
Platform
Starbase
Colossus
Basic
0
5
Default for corvette
Default for frigate
Default for destroyer
Default for cruiser Default for star-eater
Default for battleship Default for titan
Default for juggernaut
n/a
+5% Fire rate
+10 Tracking
Only option
Specialized
5
10
+5% Fire rate
+5% Evasion
+5% Explosive weapons damage
+5% Fire rate
+10 Tracking
+5% Fire rate
+5% Chance to hit
+5% Fire rate
+5% Weapons range
+25% Engagement range
+25% Fire rate
+15 Tracking
+10% Fire rate
+20 Tracking
n/a
Advanced
10
15
+10% Fire rate
+10% Evasion
+10% Explosive weapons damage
+10% Fire rate
+20 Tracking
+10% Fire rate
+10% Chance to hit
+10% Fire rate
+10% Weapons range
+50% Engagement range
+30% Fire rate
+20 Tracking
+15% Fire rate
+30 Tracking
n/a
Sapient Autonomous
20
25
+15% Fire rate
+25% Evasion
+15% Explosive weapons damage
+15% Fire rate
+30 Tracking
+10% Evasion
+20% Fire rate
+20% Chance to hit
+20% Fire rate
+20% Weapons range
+100% Engagement range
+35% Fire rate
+25 Tracking
+10% Chance to hit
n/a
n/a
Precognitive
20
25
+15% Fire rate
+15% Evasion
+20% Sublight speed
+15% Explosive weapons damage
+10 Tracking
+20% Fire rate
+40 Tracking
+15% Fire rate
+15% Chance to hit
+10 Tracking
+15% Fire rate
+15% Weapons range
+10 Tracking
+75% Engagement range
+10 Tracking
+35% Fire rate
+35 Tracking
n/a
n/a
Allowed ship types
Corvette
Frigate
Cruiser
Corvette
Destroyer
Cruiser
Destroyer
Cruiser
Battleship
Star-eater
Frigate
Destroyer
Cruiser
Battleship
Titan
Juggernaut
Star-eater
Cruiser
Battleship
Titan
Juggernaut
Star-eater
Defense platform
Ion Cannon
Starbase
Colossus
Sublight thrusters[]
The sublight thrusters determine how fast the ship maneuvers within a star system and increase its Evasion.
A planet-bound technology adapted for use in deep space, the radar system provides basic detection and tracking capability for interstellar vessels.
Gravitic Sensors
4
10
+5
2
3
Gravitic Sensors
These sensors have been tuned to look for any gravitational changes in space, such as those produced by the presence of a starship.
Subspace Sensors
6
15
+10
3
4
Subspace Sensors
Sensors that detect subspace fluctuations left in the wake of traveling starships. Their sensitivity and range are greater than that of a gravitic sensor array.
Tachyon Sensors
8
20
+15
4
5
Tachyon Sensors
Advanced sensors that rely on rotating tachyon beams to detect ship movements even at extreme distances.
Aura[]
All offensive auras apply a debuff to all enemy ships that are in the system. A titan's defensive aura gives a buff to allied ships in the same fleet while a starbase, juggernaut, offspring ship's defensive aura gives a buff to all allied ships in the system. Multiple instances of same aura do not stack.
Aura
Ship
Target
Effects
FTL Inhibitor
Starbase (Starport and above)
Hostiles
+100% Emergency FTL Jump Cooldown
Enemy ships can only leave the system via the hyperlane they arrived through
Quantum Destabilizer
Titan
Hostiles
−10% Fire Rate
Shield Dampener
Titan
Hostiles
−20% Shield Hit Points
Subspace Snare
Titan
Hostiles
+100% Emergency FTL Jump Cooldown
−20% Combat Disengagement Chance
Inspiring Presence
Titan
Fleet
+5% Fire Rate
Ancient Target Scrambler
Titan
Fleet
+5% Chance to Evade
Nanobot Cloud
Titan
Fleet
+5% Daily Hull Regen
+15% Daily Armor Regen
Targeting Grid
Titan
Fleet
+10 Tracking
ECM Emitters
Juggernaut
Hostiles
−30% Point Defense Damage
−30% Point Defense Firing Rate
Munitions Plant
Juggernaut
Allies
+30% Orbital Bombardment Damage
Strike Command
Juggernaut
Allies
+20% Strike Craft Damage
+20% Strike Craft Speed
Subspace Amplifier
Juggernaut
Allies
−40% Hyper Jump Charge Time
−40% Hyper Jump Cooldown
−40% Jump Drive Cooldown
Target Acquisition Array
Juggernaut
Allies
+40% Ship Weapons Range
Offspring Oversight
Offspring ships
Allies
+55% Accuracy
+55% Evasion
+55% Ship Fire Rate
+55% Sublight Speed
Bulwark Battlefield Repairs
Battlewright construction ship
Allies
+0.25% Daily Hull Regen
Electromagnetic Disruptor
Arctrellis science ship
Hostiles
Only applies to ships if they're owned by a Machine Intelligence empire or using a Sapient or Autonomous combat computer