PILOT PRIMER
The vocabulary behind your ship. Read once, then use it to compare hardware.
Release 175 · 0.68.0 Alpha · September 28, 2026
Distance in the game world. Hull dimensions, weapon reach, sensor radius and waypoint distance use Rz. Screen resolution and camera zoom change how much detail you see, not the underlying distance.
260 Rz/s means traveling 260 Rz each second. 110 Rz/s² means speed changes by about 110 Rz/s each second while accelerating, until the ship reaches its cap.
Loaded mass includes the hull frame, installed cores, fitted modules, carried items and resources. A heavier ship takes longer to accelerate, brake and build up a turn. Its drive’s maximum cruise speed stays the same, while loaded inertia also lowers its maximum turn rate.
Acceleration = thrust ÷ loaded mass. In item details, kt means a thousand tonnes and Mt a million tonnes; these prefixes keep large thrust and torque figures readable. For everyday fitting, compare the resulting acceleration.
A hull’s usable internal capacity. Its six core items consume CU; the remainder is the cargo hold. Larger, more powerful cores generally leave less room for cargo. Compactness rolls can improve that tradeoff.
Weapon hardpoints and optional system bays are fixed hull reservations. A smaller engine does not create another gun mount. Carried equipment uses compact storage CU, separate from its installed size: propulsion 3 CU; reactor, capacitor and shields 2 CU; most other items 1 CU. Hull upgrades are Forge services. Each started resource stack of 1,000 units uses one CU. Slugs stack to 1,000 and missiles to 200; empty ammo stacks reserve their CU for replenishment until released.
Durability plus any integrated repair. Lattice cores include powered hull repair; Bulwark cores favor durability. The hull frame also has its own intrinsic durability.
Reactor and capacitor are separate items. Reactor fitting output limits what hardware you can install; generation produces operating energy. The capacitor stores that energy and limits how quickly it can accept charge.
“Fitting power 38” reserves 38 reactor points while installed. It does not spend 38 energy every second.
Cruise speed, thrust and turning torque are drive properties. Loaded mass sets acceleration and braking; loaded inertia sets turn acceleration and the fitted turn ceiling. Ordinary flight and steering have no recurring capacitor cost.
Capacity, recovery and energy efficiency. Shields recharge continuously when enabled, clear to arm, and supplied with energy. Moving the balance toward capacity trades away recharge speed.
Active shields use the bubble for collisions. Disabled or depleted shields use the hull. Re-arming waits until there is room for the bubble.
The live detection radius around your ship. Factory Horizon sensors see 12,000 Rz out: a 24,000 Rz diameter. Other bases and rolls change that range. Explored geography stays charted; live ships and loot still require sensor coverage.
The base determines its strengths and tradeoffs. The size class sets its scale. Independent rolls determine relevant outputs, compactness, weight efficiency and fitting efficiency where applicable. Overall quality summarizes those meaningful rolls; it adds no hidden universal multiplier.
An item keeps its identity and stats when moved to another hull. Compare its CU, mass and fitting draw with the resulting ship performance. Forge previews show the exact rolled stock you receive.
Weapons, repair, shield recovery and active abilities use operating energy. Basic propulsion and sensors continue working with an empty capacitor because their installation already reserves reactor output.
Combat, Defense and Repair presets change which consumers get priority. Shield and capacitor balance changes apply gradually and never create free charge.
Normal travel uses your propulsion item’s cruise speed. Optional Emergency Overdrive hardware gives a deliberate escape or travel burst: 25 energy to activate, an 8-second window, and a 60-second cooldown from activation. Actual boosting also consumes energy.
Activate it through its fitted action-bar control. It must be fitted; there is no permanent built-in boost toggle.
I → Cores inspects your hardware and exposes live balance controls. Replace core items at an Orbital Forge. The replaced equipment returns to your vault; hull structure is serviced at the Forge and is not carried as cargo. An overfull cargo hold or insufficient reactor output blocks the refit.
A mining laser supplies work every 20 seconds. Divide its power by ore resistance to get average units per cycle: Alloy 4, Iridium 7, Plutonium 24, Depleted Uranium 12. Fractional work carries while the target remains assigned. More valuable ores take more work; better lasers and multiple mining hardpoints improve throughput.
Anchor pirate alerts offer short starter fights with Burst and a chance of usable hardware. Shared Frequency, sensor locks, energy and ammunition rules apply to those ships too. The related civilian Wayfarer is weaker than a modern Viper, but its local responders are not.
These are the alpha’s current mechanics. The rules are explicit; their balance will evolve through playtesting.
Vector balances the job; Slipstream favors cruise; Impulse favors acceleration and braking; Pivot favors turning; Compact saves fitted CU, mass and reactor capacity. Six independent 1–100 property rolls determine the drive, with their average as quality. The Forge compares the actual fitted result and can swap drives you own in Cargo or Vault.
Torque divided by fitted inertia gives angular acceleration. Maximum turn rate is one second of that acceleration, so heavier cargo also lowers the turning ceiling.
Frigate, Destroyer, Cruiser, Battleship and Dreadnought describe fixed frame sizes, separately from roles such as gunship or mining. Current player hulls occupy Frigate and Destroyer; ordinary hardpoint guides are 2–4, 3–5, 4–6, 5–7 and 5–10 respectively.