Habs

Habitats, or habs, are space-based facilities operated by factions. Factions may build two types of habs: stations, which go in an orbit, and bases, which go at a hab site. Both types of habs come in three sizes.

Habs are composed of modules. All modules have a core module; the size of the core determines the size of the hab. The size of the hab determines both how many modules you can have (4, 12 or 20, plus the core), and the maximum size of each module.

Most hab modules consume power. You must build sufficient power-generating modules to accommodate your other modules. Modules may be turned off to reduce power consumption, although certain modules must remain on if there is power to support them in the hab. Modules also have a maintenance cost in space resources, which can be paid with boost and money if sufficient space resources aren't available. Some modules also have a mission control cost, as well.

Habs may be founded in three ways. One is to launch the core module from Earth, using boost. This can take a lot of time if the location is far from the homeworld. A second is to develop and build kits that ships can deploy when they arrive in an orbit or land on a space body. A third is to found habs from other habs in the same planetary system that have a construction module.

Hab modules are added to habs either by shipping them from Earth using boost or building them out of space materials. Some modules have upgrade paths to larger versions; upgrading a module in this way is done at a discount.

Habs may be assaulted and captured by Marines from ships, although building barracks modules helps defend it. A councilor with a high command attribute leading an assault mission gives it a much greater chance of success.

Habs, like fleets, belong directly to a faction. Your hab may be nominally operating under NASA or the United Nations, but what matters is that its people are really working for The Academy, The Resistance, Project Exodus, etc.

Stations

Station

Stations are built in an orbit. They use the following core modules:

Module	Tier	Crew	Mass (tons)	Build Time (days)	Support Costs	Build Cost (from Earth)	Build Cost (from space)
Platform Core	1	3	15	30	1 Mission Control 2 Money 0.087 Water 0.087 Volatiles	11 Money	1 Volatiles 1 Base Metals
Orbital Core	2	15	120	60	3 Mission Control 10 Money 0.44 Water 0.44 Volatiles	90 Money	4 Volatiles 4 Base Metals
Ring Core	3	75	960	90	5 Mission Control 20 Money 2.2 Water 2.2 Volatiles	720 Money	48 Volatiles 48 Base Metals

Bases

Base

Bases are built at a hab site. Hab sites are discovered by launching a prospector probe after the required technology has been researched. They use the following core modules:

Module	Tier	Crew	Mass (tons)	Build Time (days)	Support Costs	Build Cost (from Earth)	Build Cost (from space)
Outpost Core	1	5	20	30	1 Mission Control 3 Money 0.15 Water 0.15 Volatiles	15 Money	1 Volatiles 1 Base Metals
SettlementCore	2	25	160	60	3 Mission Control 10 Money 0.73 Water 0.73 Volatiles	120 Money	8 Volatiles 8 Base Metals
File:Base T3 SettlementCore.png ColonyCore	3	125	1280	90	5 Mission Control 21 Money 3.6 Water 3.6 Volatiles	960 Money	64 Volatiles 64 Base Metals

Modules

Habs need power generating modules for all non-core modules to work. Initially only solar power modules are available, but you can develop fission and fusion modules as the game goes on. It’s important to note that solar power output decreases dramatically the further you go from the Sun – and are unlikely to be useful beyond Mars, but the panels will have huge output if located near or on Mercury.

Many modules can be built both at stations and bases, although some are hab-type-specific. Most need a project completed to unlock them. A few are faction-specific. Several are upgrades of prior ones: The materials lab can become a materials research center, which can become a materials institute at the largest hab.

There are hab modules for research, hab modules for money and influence production, and hab modules that grant engineering project capacity. Most modules have a support cost, which is drawn from your space resources, if you have them, otherwise from your boost. And if you are out of both, or have insufficient mission control, your hab is much more likely to suffer accidents, and be much more willing to switch allegiance to another faction.

Five module types deserve further note:

Mines. Buildable only on bases, of course, these produce space resources based on the hab site’s profile. These are built with electromagnetic catapults that fling material into space and into your resource pool.

Supply Depots. These let your fleets take on propellant and reload weapons by drawing down your space resource supply, or boost. These can go on the smallest habs; we expect you’ll need a network of them around the Solar System to keep your fleets moving.

Shipyards. These let you build and repair your warships. Larger yards speed construction of the ships. You’ll have a shipyard manager interface with build queues so you can coordinate construction across your holdings.

Barracks. These hold Marines to defend your hab from enemy assaults. From stations in an interface orbit, the Marines can also drop to assault surface bases, as long as one of your councilors is present to lead them. Councilors can similarly lead Marine assaults from one of your bases against a nearby enemy base.

Defense modules. These mount antiship and point defense weaponry for space combat. If a station is involved in combat, the enemy’s objective is to destroy these modules. After the battle, the station can be boarded or destroyed. Defense modules on bases fire back when the base is being bombarded form orbit.

List of all Hab Modules

Power Modules

Module	Tier	Support Cost	Requirements	Effect
Solar Panel	1			Base output is 10 power in Earth Luna system Vastly more efficient closer to the sun Vastly less efficient further from the sun
Solar Array	2			Base output is 42 power in Earth Luna system Vastly more efficient closer to the sun Vastly less efficient further from the sun
Solar Complex	3			Base output is ? power in Earth Luna system Vastly more efficient closer to the sun Vastly less efficient further from the sun
Fission Pile	1	1.6 water  ? volatiles 0.1 Fissiles		10 power
Fission Reactor Array	2	? water  ? volatiles  ? Fissiles		42 power
Fission Reactor Complex	3	? water  ? volatiles  ? Fissiles		? power

Science Modules

Module	Tier	Support Cost	Requirements	Effect

Resource Modules

Module	Tier	Support Cost	Requirements	Effect
Outpost Mining Complex	1	1 Mission Control Variable power  ? water  ? volatiles	Mining access	Space resource extraction based on colony site resources
Settlement Mining Complex	2	2 Mission Control Variable power  ? water  ? volatiles	Mining access	Space resource extraction based on colony site resources 25(?)% more yield than tier
Colony Mining Complex	3	3 Mission Control Variable power  ? water  ? volatiles	Mining access	Space resource extraction based on colony site resources (?)% more yield than tier
Tourist Berth	1	0.3 boost  ? water  ? volatiles	Earth Interface Orbit	? Funds 1 Influence
Space Hotel	2	1.5 boost  ? water  ? volatiles	Earth Interface Orbit	80 Funds 2 Influence
Space Resort	3	? boost  ? water  ? volatiles	Earth Interface Orbit	? Funds 3 Influence
Broadcast Center	2	? water  ? volatiles		8 Influence
Nano Forge	2	? water  ? volatiles  ? base metal 1 noble metal		80 funds when not currently constructing other modules around the local body Increases build speed for modules around local body Allows direct founding of t2 platforms and settlements
Industrial Atomic Assembler	3	? water  ? volatiles  ? base metal  ? noble metal		? funds when not currently constructing other modules around the local body Increases build speed for modules around local body Allows direct founding of t3 stations and colonies

Utility Modules

Councilor Missions

You can also send councilors to habs, either by spending boost to launch from Earth to somewhere in the Earth-Moon system, or by hitching a ride on a ship. Councilors may only board enemy human ships or the smallest habs if they have the “undercover” trait. But second- and third-tier habs are large enough that councilors may board freely.

Once aboard, councilors can run a number of missions, including sabotaging a particular module or persuading the hab’s leaders to switch sides and join your faction.

Finding the UI

Once you have the prerequisites of a Hab space station, deselect (click x) on any agents. Zoom out until the boarders and icons on Earth aren't shown. Then click on Earth, it will zoom in a bit and a small icon of a space station with a + will appear at the bottom where commands normally are.

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