CAPTAIN'S MANUAL

Chapter 1: Getting Started

Welcome, Recruit. Your journey begins with the Galactic Fundamentals. Follow these seven steps to secure your place in the stars.

Origin Stories & Starter Ships

When creating a new character, captains can select an Origin Story that defines their initial resources, ship class, and early-game challenges:

• The Smuggler: Starts in a swift, stealthy ship optimized for evasion and trading cargo. However, you begin with a 50,000 credit debt to Lenny, which must be paid off within 3 days to avoid repossession of your vessel.
• The Mercenary: Starts in a combat-ready fighter with basic armaments, also carrying a 50,000 credit debt to Lenny with a 3-day enforcement window.
• Standard Start: The classic start. Begins with standard starter ship classes and no specialized starting conditions.

Chapter 2: Navigation & Exploration

The galaxy is vast, consisting of thousands of sectors connected by warp gates. Navigating them efficiently is the difference between a successful captain and a drifting wreck.

Safe Zones vs. Wild Space

Federation Space (Sectors 1-10) is strictly policed. Attacks on other players here will result in immediate bounty and retaliation from Imperial Cruisers. Wild Space is everything else—here, the only law is yours.

Movement Costs

• Standard Warp: Costs 1 turn and fuel based on your ship's engine efficiency.
• Worm Drive: Allows instantaneous travel between distant gates. This costs the standard turn amount (usually 1 turn) but consumes 3 units of fuel per jump (hop) by default.
• Towing: Towing a disabled ship or a captured vessel doubles your turn cost per warp.
• Docking: Docking at ports is free (costs 0 turns).
• Undocking: Leaving a port costs 1 turn (disembark).

Navigational Hazards (Navhaz): Sectors with high Navhaz can damage your ship upon entry. A Helmsman crew member or a Gravity Scanner can help you avoid these dangers.

Autopilot Systems

The Nav Computer includes an advanced Autopilot for long-distance travel. Note that Autopilot can only route through sectors you have previously visited. If you enter an unknown sector number on the Starmap, the nav computer can set a course to the nearest known frontier sector, but it will not reveal or automatically plot the hidden route beyond your charted space.

• Standard Mode: The safe bet. Pauses at all points of interest (planets, ports, ships, mines). If your ship has a Nav Sentinel, Standard autopilot will also stop before any sector containing enemy fighters, sentry mines, or navigation hazards.
• Express Mode: High-speed travel that ignores stops. Warning: Use with caution, as it will not stop for hazardous sectors, enemy presence, or Nav Sentinel warnings.
• Next Unexplored: Starmap shortcut that routes to the nearest known sector with an unexplored outbound warp. If you are already at the frontier, it prompts you before warping into the unknown.

Exploration Tools

To chart the unknown, wise captains invest in scanning tech (available at the Circuit Emporium):

• Gravity Scanner: Detects identifying mass signatures in adjacent sectors. Running a gravity scan is free (costs 0 turns).
• Spectrographic Scanner: A more advanced scanner that provides detailed analysis of sector contents (anomalies, resources). Costs turns to execute.
• Subspace Probes: Long-range drones that map distant sectors. Scanned sectors appear Yellow on the Starmap. Note: Probes are destroyed if they encounter hostile forces.

Chapter 3: The Merchant Life

Trading is the lifeblood of the galaxy. Buying low at production planets and selling high at industrial ports is the fastest way to wealth.

The Economic Cycle

Prices fluctuate daily. Each port classifies goods as Buying, Selling, or Neutral. Aim for Class 0 ports (Stardocks) for the best deals on equipment and specialized items.

Banking & Loans

The Galactic Bank is the safest place for your credits. While it offers no interest on deposits, it protects your wealth from loss if your ship is destroyed. Good-aligned players (alignment > 0) with over 100,000 credits in their account are taxed daily at 5%, though this does increase your alignment reputation with the Federation.

Need credits fast? Take out a Bank Loan. However, failing to repay your loan will attract the Repo Man. He will first seize your experimental equipment; if that doesn't cover the debt, he might seize your ship entirely.

Lenny's Repo Depot

Not everything Lenny confiscates disappears forever. Lenny's Repo Depot is a special port located somewhere in Ring 1 where players can buy repossessed items at 75% of market value. Stock depends on what Lenny has recently seized from delinquent captains, so inventory changes over time. It's a great place to find bargains on experimental equipment and ship components.

Union Voucher (End-of-Shift Bonus)

For hard-working starting captains, the Galactic Union offers an End-of-Shift Bonus on their first day in the galaxy. If your remaining turns budget drops below 20% of your daily limit on Day 1, the Union will automatically award you a Union Voucher. This voucher can be redeemed on Day 2 or later for a massive catch-up bundle consisting of 500 turns, 25,000 credits, and a random premium crew member to assist you.

Holo-Prediction Forecast

To help starting captains anticipate overnight progression, a one-time Holo-Prediction Forecast popup will appear when your remaining turns budget drops below 20% on your first day in the galaxy (available in galaxies with experimental features enabled). This holographic simulation calculates and displays what will happen while you are offline resting, including estimated credits generated by your active Trade Routes, colonist deliveries made by your Colony Routes, and fighters manufactured by your planetary Citadels during the upcoming Exturn. This allows you to plan your operations and look forward to the next day's rewards.

The Casino: Luck & Finance

For those seeking high stakes or a quick credit infusion, the Stardock Casino is more than just a place to gamble. It's a central hub for specialized banking and games of chance.

Trade Routes & Automation

Advanced captains utilize unused ships to maximize profit through automated Trade Routes. A trade route sends an unmanned ship back and forth along a set path each day, buying and selling goods at ports it encounters.

Colony Routes

Colony routes automate the delivery of colonists from Terra (Sector 1) to your planets. An unmanned ship picks up free colonists, follows a set path, deposits them on a target planet, and returns to Terra to repeat the cycle.

Chapter 4: Commanding Your Fleet

Your ship is your home, your weapon, and your shield. Different classes offer unique advantages in holds, combat odds, and special capabilities.

Core Statistics

• Holds: Capacity for fuel, organics, equipment, and colonists.
• Fighters: Your primary offensive and defensive strength.
• Shields: Protect your hull from direct damage.
• Offensive Odds: A multiplier for how effective your fighters are in combat.

Fleet Strategy: Repair or Sell?

When you tow a disabled ship — your own or a salvaged one — to the Stardock shipyards, you face a critical decision: repair it for your fleet, or sell it for credits?

• Repair Disabled Ships costs 50% of the vessel's base price (40% if your docked ship carries a Stellar Forge artifact). The ship becomes operational again with its cargo and equipment intact.
• Sell Unmanned Ships pays 50% of the vessel's base price. You receive credits immediately, but the ship and everything aboard it are gone.

Evaluate repair cost against the hull's long-term value before committing. For a full walkthrough of recovering your own disabled vessel, see Disabled Ships in the Combat chapter.

Special Systems

Upgrade your ship with specialized tech found at high-end stardocks:

• Quantum Tunneler: Allows you to bypass enemy blockades and mines.
• Cloaking Device: Makes you invisible to standard long-range scans, though it drains fuel every turn.
• Worm Drive: Essential for jumping across the galaxy without following standard warp paths.
• Nav Sentinel: Performs a real-time scan of each sector before you warp into it. Requires a Gravity or Spectrographic Scanner to function.
  • With a Gravity Scanner: warns of a vague "anomaly detected" if danger is present.
  • With a Spectrographic Scanner: shows specific threats — enemy fighter count, sentry mine count, and navigation hazard percentage.
  • Works on manual warps (sector display and starmap) and Standard autopilot. Does not activate during Express warps.
  • During Standard autopilot, the ship will automatically stop one sector before the danger and disengage autopilot with a warning.

Chapter 5: Planetary Management

Colonizing planets allows you to produce resources and build a sovereign base. Managing your population is key to productivity.

Colonist Growth & Production

Population grows based on birth rates but can be devastated by disease or hunger. Overpopulation (over 50% capacity) significantly increases death rates. A Medical Officer crew member halves these losses, accelerates growth below optimal production staffing, and slows growth once optimal production is reached.

Each planet class also has hard storage and colonist capacity limits. During Exturn, planets normalize fuel ore, organics, equipment, assigned colonists, and unassigned colonists back to their class caps. Excess population or goods above those limits are lost, so captured or neglected worlds should be rebalanced before the next cycle.

Planetary Crew Bonuses

Captains can permanently unlock powerful planet-wide bonuses by landing their ship on or claiming a planet while carrying specialized crew members:

• Medical Officer (Medical Bonus): Permanently halves colonist death rates, accelerates growth below optimal production staffing, and slows growth once optimal production is reached.
• Operations Expert (Production Bonus): Permanently increases the planet's resource production by 10% each Exturn.

Note: Once triggered, these bonuses are saved directly to the planet's database record and remain active permanently—even if the ship takes off, leaves the planet, or is destroyed.

Planet Classes & Specializations

Not all worlds are created equal. Choosing the right class for your colony determines its production efficiency and defensive capabilities.

Planetary Defense Strength

Planetary defenses are significantly more robust than ship-based systems. A key tactical metric to remember: 1 Planetary Shield is equivalent to 10 Ship Shields. This massive defensive multiplier makes established planets difficult to crack without specialized heavy weaponry.

Citadel Construction & Rush Production

Building a Citadel is essential for protecting your planet. Construction times vary by planet class and citadel level — harder planet classes and higher levels take longer to build. In general, expect anywhere from a few days for a basic Level 1 citadel up to about a week for higher-level fortifications.

Planetary Trade Agreements

A Trade Agreement lets one of your planets automatically trade with a port in the same sector during Exturn. You do not need to own the port. The agreement belongs to the planet, and its settings are saved on that planet.

Planetary Worm Drive (Citadel Level 4)

At Citadel Level 4, captains can equip their planet with a Planetary Worm Drive, allowing them to warp the entire planet (along with all docked ships) to another sector. Unlike ship worm drives, a planetary worm jump has distinct rules:

• Target Sector: You can only warp a planet to sectors you have previously visited.
• Fighter Beacon Required: You cannot blind jump a planet. The destination sector must contain a friendly Fighter Beacon (one of your own deployed fighters) to pinpoint the locating beam.
• Fuel Cost: Consumes 400 units of fuel ore per jump (hop) by default.
• Turn Cost: Consumes 40 turns by default to execute.

Chapter 6: Combat & Survival

Space is dangerous. Combat in Sectorum is fast, tactical, and often lethal.

The Landing Phase Sequence

When attempting to land on a hostile planet, the following occurs:

1. Ion Cannon Salvo: The planet fires its cannons first, damaging your shields and fighters.
2. Planetary Shields: The planet's shields absorb a portion of your incoming fire. 1 Planetary Shield = 10 Ship Shields.
3. Fighter Engagement: Your fighters battle the planetary defense force. Offensive odds and tactical officers play a crucial role here.

Specialized Weaponry

Ship Surrender

When you encounter hostile Toll Fighters or Defensive Fighters, you don't always have to fight. You can choose to surrender your ship instead. Surrendering transfers your entire ship — including all cargo, fighters, shields, and equipment — to the fighter owner. You will be placed in an escape pod in the same sector. Ship passwords are removed upon surrender, and the fighter owner receives a notification.

Attack Sector Fighters

You can now attack Offensive, Defensive, and Toll Fighters directly from the sector display, without needing to re-enter the sector. This uses the existing combat system.

Planet Surface Combat & Eviction

While planetary airspace is governed by automatic defenses, the surface itself has unique combat rules:

• Surface Combat: If two ships are landed on the same planet surface, they can attack or raid each other, provided neither ship is inside the citadel (i.e. both are on the open surface). Entering the citadel grants complete immunity to direct ship-to-ship combat.
• Conquest Eviction: If you clear all of a planet's defenses (fighters, shields, etc.) and land on the surface, you can claim the planet. A ship inside the citadel does not block you from claiming it. However, once you successfully claim ownership, any hostile ships currently on the planet (including those inside the citadel) are automatically evicted. They will be launched into space (orbit) in the sector, where they can be engaged normally.

Port Combat in Wild Space

While docking at a port in safe or policed sectors offers complete protection from hostile action, ports in wild space (non-safe, non-policed sectors) have different rules:

• Space-to-Port Combat: A ship in space (orbit) can attack or raid a ship docked at a port within the same sector.
• Docked Immunity to Attack: A docked ship cannot initiate attacks/raids on ships in space. If you want to engage hostiles, you must first launch your ship into space.
• Attacking the Port: You can attack the port itself from space if the sector allows port combat. The port fights back with its defensive fighters and shields, and your ship can be damaged, disabled, destroyed, or podded.
• Destroying a Port: If your attack destroys the port, the port is removed from the sector and leaves navigational debris behind. Destroying a port costs 100 alignment and awards 100 experience.

Survival Mechanics

If your ship is destroyed, you are dead. Unless you have an Escape Pod. Always keep one in your inventory—it's the only thing that will save your experience and alignment if your ship explodes. Escape pods come equipped with a Gravity Scanner by default, so you can still navigate safely while getting back on your feet.

Not every defeat is fatal. If damage is severe but below the destruction threshold, your ship may be disabled instead. See Disabled Ships below for how to recover your vessel.

Disabled Ships

When your ship takes heavy damage in combat but is not fully destroyed, it may become disabled instead. A disabled ship is not lost — but it cannot fight, move on its own, or be boarded until it is repaired at Stardock.

What happens when your ship is disabled

• The ship stays in the sector where it was hit.
• Fighters and shields drop to 0.
• You cannot pilot or board the ship while it is disabled.
• Credits on the ship are halved.
• The escape pod item is removed from that ship.
• You are ejected from the vessel — typically into an escape pod (if you had one or the galaxy uses easy-mode rules), or given a replacement starter ship in standard elimination mode. Galaxy rules determine which outcome applies.

The ship keeps its fuel, holds, and installed inventory (scanners, crew, artifacts, probes, and so on). With no fighters or shields, however, it is defenseless. Any captain can tow a disabled ship in open space — including yours — so act quickly.

Recovering your disabled ship

1. Secure your cargo — TRANSFER. Fly to the disabled ship's sector in another vessel. Open Ship Contact and use TRANSFER to move credits, crew, scanners, artifacts, and other valuables to the ship you are currently piloting.
2. Get a ship that can tow. Escape pods cannot tow. If you were ejected into one, return to Stardock (Sector 1) first and buy or swap to a tow-capable ship, then fly back to your disabled vessel.
3. Tow it — TOW. From Ship Contact, use TOW to attach a tractor beam. The disabled ship will follow you when you warp. Towing doubles your turn cost per warp.
4. Return to Stardock and dock. Warp to Sector 1 with the disabled ship in tow, then dock at the Stardock port.
5. Repair or sell. At the Stardock shipyards (Operations → Ship Ops), choose one of the options below.
6. Restore combat readiness. Repair only clears the disabled state. You must board the ship again, restock fighters and shields (buy at Sector 1, transfer from another ship, or find them elsewhere), and consider installing a new escape pod before returning to dangerous space.

Repair is often worth the investment for rare or high-end hulls. Selling is a faster way to recover credits if you do not plan to restore the vessel.

Salvaging disabled ships in the wild

Disabled ships you do not own can also be towed to Stardock. Salvaging transfers ownership to you when you begin towing a disabled vessel. You may then repair it for your fleet or sell it for profit — the same repair and sale rules apply.

Federation Flight Permit (Rookie Protection)

To prevent new captains from wandering into high-risk sectors and instantly losing their vessels, the Federation issues a temporary Federation Flight Permit (Rookie Protection) to starting players:

• Eligibility: The permit remains active for the first 48 hours of a player's existence, as long as their level remains under 5 and their alignment magnitude is under 100. (Available on galaxies with experimental features enabled).
• Defensive Buffs: Protected players cannot be attacked by other players. Additionally, automated offensive, defensive, and toll fighters in the sector will completely ignore them.
• Offensive Restrictions: While the permit is active, players cannot initiate attacks against other players, ports, planet colonists, or deploy destructive Red Matter devices. If you wish to engage in combat, you must wait for the permit to expire or exceed the level/alignment thresholds.

Chapter 7: Economy & Law

The alignment system tracks your actions. Every merchant you raid or planet you save shifts your standing between Good and Evil.

The Galactic Bank

The Bank is the safest place for your credits. While it offers no interest, it protects your wealth from destruction.

• Safety: If your ship is destroyed, you lose 50% of the credits in your hold. Banked credits remain safe.
• Taxation: Accounts with over 100,000 credits are subject to a nightly 5% tax to fund the war effort.

Police & The Commission

The Galactic Police enforce order in Federation space. Their headquarters serves as a hub for law-abiding captains.

• Entry Requirement: You must have a positive alignment of at least 100 to dock.
• Imperial Commission: Requires 500+ Alignment. Grants the title of Commissioner, an alignment boost to 1,000, and access to the Imperial Sovereign battleship.

Bounty Hunting

The Police HQ allows you to post and claim bounties on outlaw players.

• Posting: You can place a price on a rival's head for actions like theft or planet conquest.
• Claiming: Destroying a wanted player's ship allows you to claim their bounty at HQ.
• Port Auto-Bounties: If a player fails a robbery attempt and can't cover the credit penalty, the port will automatically post a bounty on them. The bounty reward is 2× the unpaid remainder, funded by the port, with a 7-day expiration. A galaxy news entry announces the bounty to all players.

Corporations

Corporations allow players to pool resources and dominate sectors together.

High alignment unlocks titles like Galactic Hero. Low alignment makes you a Foe of the People.

Subspace Communications

Staying connected is vital in a galaxy of rival captains.

• Email: Secure, private messaging between two captains.
• Subspace Broadcast: A public message sent to all captains in the galaxy. Useful for announcements, trade offers, or declarations of war.

Chapter 8: Quests & Artifacts

Beyond simple trading, the galaxy offers rare artifacts and skilled crew members to enhance your capabilities.

Artifacts of Power

Ancient relics found in Navhaz or through deep-space missions:

• Celestial Compass: Allows instantaneous travel to any known location in the galaxy by creating a wormhole.
• Gravity Sphere: Causes other ships to expend 25% of their fuel to escape from the holder's sector.
• Quantum Key: Remotely opens vaults in nearby passing ships, allowing the holder to teleport 25% of credits directly off any ships trying to leave the holder's sector.
• Solar Matrix: Generates an unlimited supply of solar energy, capable of powering an entire planet or spaceship.
• Mind Melder: Enables the user to read and communicate telepathically with any sentient being.
• Cosmic Resonator: Calms any hostile entity within its range, creating a peaceful resolution to conflicts.
• Stellar Forge: Can materialize objects or repair broken items using the raw materials of stars.
• Nebula Cloak: Renders the wearer invisible by bending light around them, perfect for stealth missions.
• Fortune's Beacon: Increases credits found by 10%, as it mysteriously draws wealth towards the user.
• Merchant's Amulet: Grants the user better trading prices at ports, leveraging the power of cosmic influence on local economies.
• Mimic Crystal: Increases the ship's ability to evade mines by deploying decoy projections that mimic the ship's heat and electromagnetic signature.
• Celestial Eyestone: Grants visions of alien homeworlds or reveals all citadels within a specified range of sectors, offering strategic insights.
• Nebular Prism: Temporarily boosts the energy efficiency of the ship's systems, leading to reduced fuel consumption and increased speed.
• Voltaic Stone: Automatically scans any nearby vessels.

The Artifact Exchange

Hidden deep in the outer rings of the galaxy, the Artifact Exchange is an ancient, mysterious port run by an enigmatic scholar. Only 1-2 exist per galaxy, always in Ring 2 or deeper, making them a rare discovery that rewards deep exploration. Look for ports named "THE RELIQUARY" or "ARCHON'S VAULT" on your starmap.

At the Artifact Exchange, captains can sell artifacts they've collected from adventures and Navhaz encounters for credits. The exchange pays based on the artifact's power and rarity:

The Void Market

The Void Market is a hidden black market port designed specifically for outlaws and criminals. It only appears in galaxies where experimental features are active. You might see names like "THE VOID MARKET", "NEMO'S EXCHANGE", or "BLACKDOCK 9" on your sensors.

• Criminals Only: Clean players (those with good alignment) are strictly prohibited from docking and will be turned away with a harsh warning on their comms. Only players with a negative alignment exceeding -100 can dock.
• The Rumor Hub: Currently, the Void Market does not sell standard goods or equipment. Instead, it serves as an underground rumor hub where outlaws gather to share intelligence and gossip.
• Leave a Tip: For a small fee ($1,000), players can leave tips, rumors, or warnings for other criminals to read. These tips are visible to anyone who manages to dock at the market.

Skilled Crew

Recruiting specialized crew members to your ship provides powerful passive benefits and active advantages.

How to Acquire Crew Members

You can acquire crew members in several ways:

• Hiring at Specialty Ports: Visit high-end ports or stardocks, such as "The Rebel Android", where you can hire crew members for credits.
• Space Adventures: Explore the galaxy and search sectors—sometimes you'll encounter and recruit crew members during random deep-space adventures.
• Quest Rewards: Complete tutorial campaigns or specific quests to earn skilled crew members as a reward.
• Union Voucher: Hard-working Day 1 players whose turns drop below 20% of their limit will receive a Union Voucher. When redeemed on Day 2 or later, this voucher grants a random premium crew member to assist you.

Crew Member Roles

• Captain: Reduces alien attack probability by 50%, grants a 50% discount on ship cloaking devices, and allows corporate/personal trade routes to run even if blocked (when stationed on the active trade ship).
• Chief Engineer: Reduces the turn cost per move by 1 turn, increases ship shield regeneration by 10% daily, and increases fighter growth by 5% daily.
• Tactical Officer: Increases your ship's combat odds by 0.5 (representing a 50% combat advantage).
• Helmsman: Automatically maneuvers your ship to avoid navigation hazards (Navhaz) upon entering a sector.
• Navigator: Allows your ship to safely use the Wormdrive without needing escort fighters and reduces Wormdrive fuel costs by 50%.
• Cargo Specialist: Grants a 10% discount on all cargo hold expansion purchases.
• Bounty Hunter: Earns a 50% bonus credit payout on all bounties collected.
• Importer / Exporter: Boosts trade route profitability by 30% when assigned to an active trade ship.
• Scavenger: Doubles the chance of successfully searching Navhaz, ensures the minimum adventure/search success chance is at least 25%, and reduces the likelihood of finding "nothing" during space adventures.
• Security Chief: Halves (50% reduction) the success odds of hostile raids against your ship and prevents pirate ambushes during adventures.
• Communications Officer: Decodes alien transmissions instantly (bypassing scramble decay), improves alien relations, and scans for distress signals, adventures, and enemy ship signatures within 2 jumps.
• Diplomat: Significantly improves alien relations, preventing neutral and friendly alien factions from initiating attacks against you.
• Science Officer: When a new planet is created with a Science Officer aboard the ship, the planet starts with 50% more raw materials.
• Medical Officer: Halves colonist death rates, accelerates growth below optimal production staffing, and slows growth once optimal production is reached. Landing on a planet once with a Medical Officer permanently unlocks the planetary Medical Bonus.
• Operations Expert: Boosts general planet productivity by 5%. Landing on a planet once with an Operations Expert permanently unlocks the planetary Production Bonus (providing +10% resource yield each Exturn).

Alien Communication

Alien encounters are more than random events — how aliens respond to you depends on your relationship, reputation, and what you're carrying.

First Flight (Tutorial Campaign)

New captains arriving in galaxies with experimental features enabled are welcomed by Dockmaster Jax at Stardock. He offers a brand-new 5-step tutorial campaign, "First Flight", which replaces the old training simulation. This campaign guides recruits through basic navigation, port docking, commodity trading, and ship outfitting, providing valuable starting rewards upon completion.

Chapter 9: Tips from the Universe

Wisdom collected from seasoned captains across the Sectorum. Review these regularly to stay alive and profitable.

• When you first create a new planet, it has no defenses. Populate it with colonists and start working on a Citadel as soon as possible!
• Warps leading to sectors you have visited will be marked in green; if they are red, it means you have never been there before!
• Wormhole warps are colored blue. Wormholes can lead to ANYWHERE in the Sectorum. Be careful!
• You need a Quantum Tunneler to enter a wormhole, which is different than a Worm Drive. You can buy one at Stardock.
• Some ships have an autopilot, allowing you to travel many sectors at once.
• When using the autopilot, you can skip sectors marked with yellow/red markers.
• If you see an alien that doesn't like you, you have 2.5 seconds to warp away before they attack.
• Some ships have stealth capability, which uses fuel on movement but prevents other players from seeing you for 2.5 seconds after sector entry.
• There are many kinds of jobs you can do in the Sectorum! You can be a Trader, Alien Diplomat, Artifact Dealer, Taxi Driver. You can even be an Archaeologist!
• You can attempt to board enemy ships and steal from them. But make sure you have stealth capability or you will likely be attacked.
• You can mark dangerous sectors on the starmap by clicking on the circle in the top right of the sector.
• When zoomed in, the starmap displays color-coded dots in the top-left of sector boxes to show where your personal or corporate planets (left), fighters (middle), or mines (right) are located (Green = Personal, Blue = Corporate, Cyan = Both).
• If you do not have an Escape Pod when your ship is destroyed, you will be killed, and cannot come back into the game until after the next Exturn (12AM EST).
• Pulse Explorers are the fastest ship in the game. And they come with Stealth capability. But they do not have an Escape Pod!
• When another ship in your sector has the Gravity Sphere artifact, movement will cost an extra 25% of your fuel!
• When another ship in your sector has the Quantum Key artifact, it will steal 25% of your credits!
• Stealing from ports is looked down upon by the Imperial Police. But it can be a good way to get money, for an evil trader.
• Each alien species produces a unique Trade Good which is desired by other alien species. Trading between aliens is one of the most lucrative ways to earn money in the Sectorum.
• Some aliens will attack you on sight. But if you have an alien crew member or passenger on board belonging to their species, they will leave you alone.
• Some aliens will attack you on sight. But if you have Trade Good they want, they will leave you alone.
• Once you trade with an alien, their species will consider you friendly. Unless you attack them in any way. In which case, they will always hate you.
• If you attack an alien, they will always hate you.
• ABC: Always Be Cloaking. If you have a cloaking device, use it. It will prevent other players from seeing and attacking you.
• Gravity scan is a good way to prevent being blown up. If a sector is higher than 100, it *might* be dangerous.
• Always explore the galaxy! You never know what you might find. Adventures await and rare prizes can be found.
• A few ships are Worm Drive capable, which allows you to travel to any previously explored sector at the cost of fuel rather than turns.
• Each crew position has a unique ability. Some are more useful than others, depending on your style of gameplay.
• If you are going the traditional trader route, buy low, sell high, and trade with aliens to maximize your profits.
• The police can grant you a commission if you are a good player. This will allow you to purchase one of the most powerful ships in the game.
• Spectro scanning, unlike gravity scanning, is a precise way to find out exactly what is in a sector before you enter it.
• Trade routes are a great way to make money while you are offline. You can set up a trade route by clicking on the "Trade Route" button on the starmap.
• Casino gambling is a great way to make money. But it is also a great way to lose money. Be careful, you don't want to end up owing money to Lenny.
• If you're desperate for money, you can always take out a loan at the casino. But be careful, you will have to pay it back with interest!
• If your own ship is disabled, transfer valuables off it immediately, tow it to Stardock, and use Repair Disabled Ships in Ship Ops — see Disabled Ships for the full recovery guide. Salvaged disabled ships in the wild can be repaired or sold the same way.
• Aliens speaking gibberish? Certain artifacts and crew members can help you understand them.
• Password your ship! If you don't, other players can steal it from you.
• Gravity scanning is free (costs 0 turns), whereas spectrographic scanning consumes turns.
• Marker beacons are a great way to leave messages for other players in a particular sector. Think of them like intergalactic billboards.
• If you are in an escape pod, you should immediately return to Stardock and purchase a new ship or swap it for the pity ship.
• Shields, Fighters, and Holds can be purchased at the port in Sector 1. But you can also find them in adventures, or steal them from other players using stealth.
• If you're going to use the Worm Drive, make sure you have a fighter in the destination sector as a beacon. While not necessary, it will make trip life safer.
• You will pay tax on money in the bank over a certain amount. If you don't want to pay tax, store it in your planet citadel and make some interest too!
• If you owe money to the casino for too long, they'll send Lenny to collect. While he may seem like a nice guy, he always gets his money one way or another.
• When you buy a new ship, all cargo that can be transferred to the new ship will be transferred, including credits. Some installed items, like gravity scanners and quantum tunnelers, are not transferrable.
• Crew members are vital to your success due to their myriad of abilities. You can hire them at "The Rebel Android". You can also find them in adventures, and sometimes as rewards for quests.
• When you attack another ship, attack strength is determined by fighters committed to the battle * combat odds. Shields absorb incoming damage but do not add counterattack strength. Some crew members and artifacts can change the odds as well.
• All ships have a maximum number of bloom missiles, sentry and tracking mines, and marker beacons. Scanners, drives, and tunnelers have a max of 1 (extras don't do anything for your ship).
• You can see all your active quests on the "Operations" screen!
• You can see all your planets, ships, ports, mines, trade routes, and trackers on the "Operations" screen!
• Artifacts have special powers that can give you an advantage over your competitors. They are scattered throughout the galaxy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Does "upgrading a port" only increase its security?

No. There are three separate port actions:

• Upgrade Port (the main UPGRADE PORT button) does not increase security. You pay credits and add pending upgrades (a percentage). Over time, that increases the port's max holds (fuel, organics, equipment) and productivity % (up to 100%). Anyone docked at the port can do this; you don't need to own the port.
• Upgrade Port Security is owner-only and directly raises Security Level (up to 50).
• Upgrade Port Defense is owner-only and directly raises Defense Level (up to 50).

The main "Upgrade Port" action is about capacity and productivity; security and defense are separate, owner-only upgrades.

Is there a way to see which port I upgraded (without purchasing it)?

Not in a dedicated list. When you use "Upgrade Port", the server adds a galaxy log entry (e.g. "[Your name] upgrades [Port name]."), so you can check the galaxy log. When you visit a port that still has pending upgrades, the port screen shows "PORT IS UPGRADING: X DAYS REM". There is no in-game "my upgraded ports" list—only the log and what you see when you dock.

What are the benefits of purchasing a port?

When you buy an unowned standard port (outside Imperial space and safe zones):

• Ownership: Only you can use Upgrade Port Security and Upgrade Port Defense (capped at 50).
• Economics: You see and control Credits on Port and Productivity %. The port gains credits over time from productivity and trade; that money is visible and usable by you as owner.
• Combat / bounties: Your port can be the target of bounties (rob credits, steal holds, destroy port). Defending it is your concern; attackers may lose alignment and you can gain XP/alignment when defending.
• Selling: You can sell the port later for a fraction of its value.

Do planetary trade agreements require me to own the port?

No. A planetary trade agreement is controlled from the planet, not the port. You must own the planet, and the planet must be in a sector with a port, but the port can be unowned or owned by someone else.

The agreement runs during Exturn. Your planet first sells selected percentages of its daily production to the port for goods the port is buying, then spends selected percentages of those proceeds on goods the port is selling. Any remaining credits go to the citadel treasury if the planet has one. The agreement will not run if enemy presence blocks the sector.

Is there a way to resume autopilot?

No. When autopilot stops (e.g. enemy mines, fighters, ion cannons, navhaz, Nav Sentinel warnings, or stopping at a port/planet in Standard mode), the path and destination are cleared. There is no "Resume autopilot" button. To continue to the same place: open the starmap, set the autopilot target again (same sector if you want), and engage autopilot (EXPRESS or STANDARD) again.

Can we access the list of tips?

Yes. The tips are in the game manual. Open the Manual in the game and go to the section called Tips from the Universe.

Can we see our crewmembers?

Yes. Crewmembers appear in several places:

• Ship Inventory (Status MFD, Page 3): The main place to see them. Cycle through the Multi-Function Display (MFD) pages on the main screen until you reach "SHIP INVENTORY" (Page 3). Crew are listed there as Role (LastName).
• Transfer / Jettison screens: When transferring items to another ship or jettisoning cargo, crew show up in the list (if they are not essential/locked).
• Port / Planet shops: When hiring crew (e.g. at "The Rebel Android"), they appear in the shop list with portrait and details.

Crew are treated as special inventory items, so they appear on most inventory-related screens.

Technical Reference

Player Ranks

Crew Member Bonuses