1. The Golden Rule of Ship Building
Mass is everything. Every module you add increases your ship's mass. A ship that handles beautifully when empty may be completely uncontrollable when fully loaded with ore. Always design for your loaded state, not your empty state.
⚠️ Build Order Matters
Build in this order: Core systems (reactor, cockpit) → Functional modules (storage, refinery) → Engines LAST. Engines must be sized to your final total mass, so you need to know the weight before adding thrust.
2. Center of Mass (CoM)
Your ship rotates around its Center of Mass. If thrusters are misaligned relative to the CoM, your ship will drift, spin, or become uncontrollable under thrust.
- Use the builder overlay to see your CoM marker.
- Place heavy modules (refineries, large storage) as close to the CoM as possible.
- Symmetrical designs are more stable — asymmetrical builds cause rotational drift, especially when cargo weight shifts.
- Test your ship empty and full before taking it into dangerous space.
3. Thruster Placement
| Principle | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Place thrusters far from CoM | Greater distance = more rotational leverage. Thrusters near the center provide almost no turning power. |
| Symmetrical pairs | Always place thrusters in mirrored pairs. A single off-center thruster creates spin. |
| Align thrust axis with CoM | Forward/reverse thrusters must push through the CoM line, not above or below it. |
| Don't just add more engines | Eventually your reactor power becomes the limiting factor, not thruster count. Upgrade power first. |
4. Mass Management
- Heavy cargo shifts your CoM — as you mine and fill storage, the weight distribution changes. Plan for it.
- Spaced armor — leave a gap between armor plates and vital modules. Provides high defense at much lower mass than solid armor.
- Keep ships to ~5-6 hulk spheres long — longer ships won't fit inside the mothership docking bay.
- Specialize, don't generalize — a mining ship, cargo transport, and combat ship should be separate builds. A "do everything" ship does nothing well.
5. Power & Energy Grid Design
- Daisy-chain micro-reactors — never rely on a single reactor. If it goes down, your whole ship is dead.
- Capacitor banks let you fire weapons that exceed your reactor's continuous output by storing burst energy.
- Solar panels as backup — even combat ships should have minimal solar for emergency power if reactors fail.
- Energy priority system — set life support and dampeners to highest priority. Weapons and mining lasers get lower priority.
💡 The Capacitor Trick
Build capacitor banks to store energy, then link them to weapons. You can fire salvos that draw more than your reactor produces — as long as the capacitors have charge. Critical for combat ships with power-hungry weapons.
6. Ship Specializations
| Ship Type | Core Modules | Design Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Mining Ship | Mining Lasers, Scanner, Haulers, T1/T2 Refinery, Metal Storage | Efficiency, cargo capacity, low heat |
| Cargo Transport | Large Metal Storage ×2-3, minimal weapons, T2 Refinery | Mass capacity, fuel efficiency, straight-line speed |
| Combat Ship | Weapons, Capacitor Banks, Shields, Thermal Radiators | Firepower, maneuverability, heat tolerance |
| Scout / Explorer | Advanced Scanner, low-heat modules, extra fuel | Speed, low thermal signature, long range |
| Mobile Station | T2/T3 Refinery, Research Lab, Habitats, Drill Nodes | Self-sufficiency, multi-role, heavy power |
7. Common Ship Building Mistakes
| Mistake | Result | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Adding modules before engines | Under-thrusted ship can barely move | Build modules first, then size engines to total mass |
| Asymmetrical thruster placement | Constant rotational drift | Always use mirrored pairs |
| Overbuilding too early | Power starved, overheated, broke | Expand one module at a time, test after each |
| Ignoring CoM shift when loaded | Ship handles fine empty, spins out full | Test with simulated cargo weight |
| Single reactor dependency | One hit = dead in space | Daisy-chain 2-3 micro-reactors |
| Ship too long for mothership | Can't dock | Keep under 6 hulk spheres long |