Balancing · Colonization
Path to colonization
Two parallel tracks converge before you can claim an unowned world: map intel (scan + beacon occupation) and industry (colonizer ship). This page mirrors the live ruleset gates.
Colonization is a late-mid milestone, not an early-game click. Scouts handle recon, planet scans, and beacon deployment; a separate small-hull colonizer carries the colonization module.
The interactive flow below is the canonical order. Intel and industry steps can overlap, but every gate in the table must be satisfied before the colonize action appears.
When the 6-hour timer completes, the new colony is a blank slate: headquarters level 1 only. Unlike your homeworld, you receive no free starter buildings and no fair-start resource stock.
Progression flow
Pan and zoom the diagram. Select a step to read details. Arrows follow prerequisite order from the live ruleset.
HQ, pig-iron mine, construction center, wind plant - free on homeworld.
Intel track (scouts)
Espionage to advanced espionage level 5 unlocks planet scanning. Space occupation and beacon deployment I extend your claimed map tiles. Run scouts early while industry catches up - you need both a scan and occupation before colonize.
Industry track (colonizer)
Small hull design, the power chain, and colonization research gate the colonization module. Assemble a small hull with nuclear-thermal propulsion - scouts cannot substitute. Factory level 5 and research lab 4 are the hardest building gates.
Colonize action gates
All must pass when you tap Colonize on the fleet HUD.
| Gate | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Colonization module | Fleet ship fitted with colonization module (planet-colonize capability) |
| Fleet status | Fleet orbiting in the target system |
| Adjacency | Fleet tile adjacent to the planet body |
| Planet scan | PlayerPlanetIntel exists for the target planet |
| Occupation | Fleet tile inside your beacon occupation network |
| Ownership | Planet unowned and not already colonizing |
| Timer | 6 hours after confirm until colony is established |
Balancing bottlenecks
- Research lab 5 — Required for advanced espionage and planet scanning.
- Component factory 5 — Hard gate on colonization research.
- Small hull design 3 — Direct prerequisite for colonization research.
- Nuclear-thermal engines — Full power chain plus one built small hull.
- Beacon network — Cannot colonize outside occupied tiles.
- 6 hour timer — First colony is a commitment, not an instant claim.
- Blank-slate colony — Unlike your homeworld starter pack, a claimed world begins with headquarters level 1 only - no free buildings and no fair-start resource stock.
Scout before you commit
Density tier and archetype still decide what a new colony can mine. Scan and read the dossier before you spend the colonization timer.
Numbers and durations come from src/config/economy/ruleset.json and colonize command gates - this page updates when balancing changes.
New colonies receive headquarters level 1 only - no homeworld starter buildings, no fair-start resource stock, and no other free structures.
Scout planet scanners have 10 uses before burnout (maxScanUses in ruleset).