Spaceships
(The content of this page is based on Terra Invicta Dev Diary #14: Ship design.)
A spaceship is a vehicle used to travel around and between celestial bodies. A spaceship is made of multiple types of components.
Ship Components
Hull
The main thing the hull determines is the number of nose and hull weapon hard points, the number of utility modules, and the length of the hull.
Hull | Size | Nose Hard Points | Hull Hard Points | Utility Modules |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gunship | Small | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Escort | Small | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Corvette | Small | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Frigate | Medium | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Monitor | Medium | 0 | 4 | 3 |
Destroyer | Medium | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Cruiser | Large | 2 | 3 | 6 |
Battlecruiser | Large | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Battleship | Large | 2 | 6 | 5 |
Lancer | Large | 4 | 3 | 6 |
Dreadnought | Large | 3 | 8 | 6 |
Titan | Large | 4 | 6 | 8 |
Power Plant
The power plant generates electricity for your spaceship. Certain drives require certain types of power plants. Power plants will scale in output and mass depending on the power requirements of the drive, up to a maximum output limit. They also have a power value that determines their mass per unit of output, and an efficiency rating that determines how much heat they output to the radiators.
Power Plant | Class | Efficiency | Specific power (tons/GW) | Maximum Output (GW) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fuel Cell I | Fuel Cell | 70.0% | 2,800 | 0.2 |
Fuel Cell II | Fuel Cell | 70.0% | 450 | 0.6 |
Fuel Cell III | Fuel Cell | 72.0% | 120 | 1 |
Solid Core Fission Reactor I | Solid Core Fission | 75.0% | 40 | 2 |
Solid Core Fission Reactor II | Solid Core Fission | 75.0% | 34 | 6 |
Solid Core Fission Reactor III | Solid Core Fission | 75.0% | 28 | 15 |
Solid Core Fission Reactor IV | Solid Core Fission | 75.0% | 12 | 60 |
Solid Core Fission Reactor V | Solid Core Fission | 75.0% | 8 | 125 |
Compact Solid Core Fission Reactor I | Solid Core Fission | 80.0% | 6 | 1.5 |
Compact Solid Core Fission Reactor II | Solid Core Fission | 80.0% | 5 | 5 |
Compact Solid Core Fission Reactor III | Solid Core Fission | 80.0% | 4 | 12 |
Compact Solid Core Fission Reactor IV | Solid Core Fission | 80.0% | 3 | 20 |
Compact Solid Core Fission Reactor V | Solid Core Fission | 85.0% | 2 | 20 |
Molten Core Fission Reactor I | Liquid Core Fission | 85.0% | 3 | 1 |
Molten Core Fission Reactor II | Liquid Core Fission | 88.0% | 3 | 750 |
Molten Core Fission Reactor III | Liquid Core Fission | 90.0% | 2.5 | 1300 |
Vapor Core Fission Reactor I | Gas Core Fission | 90.0% | 13 | 6 |
Vapor Core Fission Reactor II | Gas Core Fission | 92.0% | 8 | 8 |
Vapor Core Fission Reactor III | Gas Core Fission | 92.0% | 4 | 14 |
Gas Core Fission Reactor I | Gas Core Fission | 90.0% | 15 | 5 |
Gas Core Fission Reactor II | Gas Core Fission | 91.0% | 10 | 33 |
Gas Core Fission Reactor III | Gas Core Fission | 95.0% | 3 | 150 |
Terawatt Gas Core Fission Reactor I | Gas Core Fission | 93.0% | 10 | 1700 |
Terawatt Gas Core Fission Reactor II | Gas Core Fission | 95.0% | 3.5 | 1700 |
Terawatt Gas Core Fission Reactor III | Gas Core Fission | 96.0% | 1 | 1700 |
Salt Water Core Reactor I | Nuclear Salt Water Core | 99.5% | 0.45 | 32000 |
Salt Water Core Reactor II | Nuclear Salt Water Core | 99.5% | 0.080 | 230000 |
Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Reactor I | Electrostatic Confinement Fusion | 95.0% | 2 | 5 |
Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Reactor II | Electrostatic Confinement Fusion | 95.0% | 1 | 25 |
Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Reactor III | Electrostatic Confinement Fusion | 95.0% | 0.25 | 80 |
Z-Pinch Fusion Reactor I | Z-Pinch Fusion | 96.0% | 13 | 110 |
Z-Pinch Fusion Reactor II | Z-Pinch Fusion | 98.5% | 5 | 220 |
Z-Pinch Fusion Reactor III | Z-Pinch Fusion | 99.0% | 2 | 3500 |
Hybrid Confinement Fusion Reactor I | Hybrid Confinement Fusion | 97.0% | 4 | 2.5 |
Hybrid Confinement Fusion Reactor II | Hybrid Confinement Fusion | 98.0% | 2 | 2000 |
Hybrid Confinement Fusion Reactor III | Hybrid Confinement Fusion | 99.0% | 1 | 20000 |
Fusion Tokamak I | Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 85.0% | 28 | 30 |
Fusion Tokamak II | Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 88.0% | 14 | 30 |
Fusion Tokamak III | Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 92.0% | 10 | 212 |
Fusion Tokamak IV | Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 93.5% | 4 | 1200 |
Fusion Tokamak V | Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 98.5% | 1 | 4800 |
Flow-Stabilized Z-Pinch Fusion Reactor | Z-Pinch Fusion | 99.5% | 0.0068 | 300000 |
Mirror Cell Fusion Reactor I | Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 93.0% | 13.4 | 60 |
Mirror Cell Fusion Reactor II | Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 95.0% | 6.5 | 360 |
Mirror Cell Fusion Reactor III | Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 98.0% | 1.2 | 1400 |
Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactor I | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 85.0% | 17.6 | 5 |
Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactor II | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 87.0% | 12 | 30 |
Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactor III | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 89.0% | 10 | 200 |
Heavy Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactor | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 97.5% | 20 | 650 |
Inertial Confinement Terawatt Fusion Reactor I | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 95.0% | 1 | 10000 |
Inertial Confinement Terawatt Fusion Reactor II | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 99.0% | 0.068 | 22000 |
Inertial Confinement Terawatt Fusion Reactor III | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 99.9% | 0.002 | 3000000 |
Antimatter Plasma Core Reactor | Plasma Core Antimatter | 99.8% | 0.45 | 1200 |
Antimatter Plasma Core Reactor | Plasma Core Antimatter | 99.8% | 0.05 | 7300 |
Antimatter Plasma Core Reactor | Plasma Core Antimatter | 99.8% | 0.005 | 42000 |
Antimatter Beam Core Reactor | Beam Core Antimatter | 99.8% | 0.00002 | 3000000 |
Drive
The drive propels the spaceship. The main stats for the drive are thrust and exhaust velocity. Thrust combined with mass determines the ship's acceleration. Exhaust velocity determines how efficiently the drive uses each unit of propellant.
Drive | Required Power Plant | Thrust Rating (single engine) | Exhaust Velocity Rating | Propellant (Propellant/Tank) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Apex Solid Rocket | N/A | 14.9 | 1.4 | Volatiles (1) |
Meteor Liquid Rocket | N/A | 14.9 | 1.6 | Water (0.6), Volatiles (0.4) |
Neutron Liquid Rocket | N/A | 15.3 | 1.6 | Volatiles (1) |
Venture Liquid Rocket | N/A | 14.2 | 2.2 | Water (1) |
Diana Superheavy Rocket | N/A | 15.3 | 1.9 | Water (0.6), Volatiles (0.4) |
Nova Liquid Rocket | N/A | 13.9 | 2.5 | Water (1) |
Super Kronos Liquid Rocket | N/A | 12.3 | 4.4 | Volatiles (0.998), Fissiles (0.002) |
Resistojet | N/A | 1.0 | 1.5 | Water (1) |
Tungsten Resistojet | N/A | 4.3 | 3.3 | Water (1) |
Arcjet Drive | N/A | 1.0 | 4.3 | Water (1) |
Plasma Wave Drive | N/A | 1.3 | 6.3 | Anything (1) |
Lorentz Drive | N/A | 5.3 | 6.8 | Water (0.75), Metals (0.25) |
Helicon Drive | N/A | 5.3 | 8.3 | Water (0.9), Metals (0.1) |
Hall Drive | N/A | 2.7 | 4.3 | Metals (1) |
Ion Drive | N/A | 1.5 | 6.3 | Water (0.9), Metals (0.1) |
Grid Drive | N/A | 4.3 | 7.7 | Water (0.9), Metals (0.1) |
Colloid Drive | N/A | 4.0 | 5.4 | Volatiles (1) |
VASIMR | N/A | 1.0 | 7.2 | Water (1) |
Pondermotive Drive | N/A | 2.2 | 7.2 | Water (1) |
Pulsed Plasmoid Drive | N/A | 1.1 | 8.7 | Anything (1) |
E-Beam Drive | N/A | 3.2 | 4.3 | Anything (1) |
Amplitron Drive | N/A | 4.6 | 3.3 | Water (1) |
Mass Driver | N/A | 4.4 | 3.3 | Anything (1) |
Superconducting Mass Driver | N/A | 5.3 | 4.9 | Anything (1) |
Kiwi Drive | Solid Core Fission | 6.0 | 3.1 | Water (1) |
NERVA Drive | Solid Core Fission | 6.6 | 3.0 | Water (1) |
Snare Drive | Solid Core Fission | 7.2 | 3.1 | Water (1) |
Rover Drive | Solid Core Fission | 7.8 | 3.2 | Water (1) |
Cermet NERVA | Solid Core Fission | 8.1 | 3.3 | Water (1) |
Advanced NERVA Drive | Solid Core Fission | 9.4 | 3.0 | Water (1) |
Dumbo | Solid Core Fission | 9.6 | 3.1 | Water (1) |
Advanced Cermet NERVA | Solid Core Fission | 9.8 | 3.3 | Water (1) |
Heavy Dumbo | Solid Core Fission | 12.8 | 3.0 | Water (1) |
Pulsar Drive | Solid Core Fission | 7.6 | 4.0 | Water (1) |
Advanced Pulsar Drive | Solid Core Fission | 8.5 | 5.0 | Water (1) |
Pebble Drive | Solid Core Fission | 8.4 | 3.3 | Water (1) |
Particle Drive | Solid Core Fission | 9.4 | 3.3 | Water (1) |
Lars Drive | Liquid Core Fission | 7.6 | 4.3 | Water (1) |
Fission Spinner Drive | Liquid Core Fission | 10.1 | 4.9 | Water (1) |
Pegasus Drive | Liquid Core Fission | 10.6 | 5.3 | Water (1) |
Vortex Drive | Gas Core Fission | 9.4 | 4.3 | Water (1) |
Super Vortex Drive | Gas Core Fission | 10.0 | 4.3 | Water (1) |
Cavity Drive | Gas Core Fission | 6.8 | 4.3 | Water (1) |
Advanced Cavity Drive | Gas Core Fission | 9.4 | 4.6 | Water (1) |
Quartz Drive | Gas Core Fission | 7.9 | 3.4 | Water (1) |
Lightbulb Drive | Gas Core Fission | 9.7 | 4.2 | Water (1) |
Pharos Drive | Gas Core Fission | 9.8 | 4.4 | Water (1) |
Fission Lantern | Gas Core Fission | 14.4 | 5.0 | Water (1) |
Fission Frag Drive | Gas Core Fission | 3.2 | 8.3 | Fissiles (1) |
Dusty Plasma Drive | Gas Core Fission | 1.5 | 11.9 | Fissiles (1) |
Burner Drive | Gas Core Fission | 7.8 | 6.1 | Water (0.98), Noble Metals (0.01), Fissiles (0.01) |
Flare Drive | Gas Core Fission | 12.8 | 5.1 | Water (0.98), Noble Metals (0.01), Fissiles (0.01) |
Firestar Drive | Gas Core Fission | 13.3 | 5.6 | Water (0.98), Noble Metals (0.01), Fissiles (0.01) |
Neutron Flux Drive | Nuclear Salt Water Core | 14.7 | 6.0 | Water (0.5), Fissiles (0.5) |
Neutron Flux Torch | Nuclear Salt Water Core | 14.7 | 12.2 | Water (0.5), Fissiles (0.5) |
Z-Pinch Microfission Drive | N/A | 4.6 | 7.3 | Water (0.5), Fissiles (0.5) |
Neutronium Microfission Drive | N/A | 6.6 | 7.3 | Water (0.99), Fissiles (0.01) |
Antimatter Microfission Drive | N/A | 8.5 | 7.0 | Water (0.99)*, Fissiles (0.01)*, Antimatter (1 × 10−12) |
Minimag Orion | N/A | 10.3 | 6.5 | Metals (0.4), Noble Metals (0.4), Fissiles (0.2) |
Advanced Minimag Orion | N/A | 11.9 | 7.3 | Metals (0.4), Noble Metals (0.3), Fissiles (0.3) |
Orion Drive | N/A | 15.0 | 5.4 | Metals (0.4), Noble Metals (0.3), Fissiles (0.3) |
H-Orion Drive | N/A | 15.6 | 6.9 | Metals (0.3), Noble Metals (0.35), Fissiles (0.35) |
Triton Pulse Drive | N/A | 9.6 | 7.6 | Water (0.995), Fissiles (0.05) |
Firefly Torch | Z-Pinch Fusion | 10.7 | 16.6 | Water (1) |
Lithium Fusion Lantern | Electrostatic Confinement Fusion | 7.1 | 4.3 | Water (0.5), Metals (0.5) |
Hybrid Fusion Drive | Hybrid Confinement Fusion | 4.8 | 5.7 | Metals (1) |
Icarus Drive | Hybrid Confinement Fusion | 10.0 | 10.2 | Water (1) |
Icarus Torch | Hybrid Confinement Fusion | 11.4 | 12.1 | Water (1) |
Triton Torus Drive | Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 7.1 | 6.1 | Water (1) |
Triton Reflex Drive | Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 6.6 | 10.9 | Water (1) |
Helion Torus Drive | Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 5.2 | 8.4 | Water (1) |
Advanced Helion Torus Drive | Toroid Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 6.6 | 12.9 | Water (1) |
Helion Reflex Drive | Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 5.7 | 8.3 | Water (1) |
Advanced Helion Reflex Drive | Mirrored Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 7.2 | 9.9 | Water (1) |
Zeta Helion Drive | Z-Pinch Fusion | 9.4 | 11.8 | Water (1) |
Zeta Boron Fusion Drive | Z-Pinch Fusion | 10.4 | 10.3 | Water (1) |
Mag Protium Fusion Drive | Any Magnetic Confinement Fusion | 8.6 | 13.0 | Water (1) |
Triton Hope Inertial Drive | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 3.5 | 9.4 | Water (1) |
Triton Vista Inertial Drive | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 8.9 | 7.4 | Water (1) |
Helion Inertial Drive | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 6.8 | 9.2 | Water (1) |
Daedalus Torch | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 10.4 | 13.2 | Water (1) |
Boron Inertial Drive | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 6.0 | 7.3 | Water (0.5), Volatiles (0.5) |
Boron Inertial Torch | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 7.6 | 14.1 | Water (0.5), Volatiles (0.5) |
Protium Inertial Torch | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 9.1 | 13.3 | Water (1) |
Protium Converter Torch | Inertial Confinement Fusion | 17.6 | 13.3 | Water (1) |
Antimatter Pulsed Plasma Core Drive | Plasma Core Antimatter | 11.6 | 7.9 | Water (0.99997)*, Antimatter (0.00003)* |
Antimatter Plasma Core Drive | Plasma Core Antimatter | 12.8 | 9.2 | Water (0.99991)*, Antimatter (0.00009)* |
Advanced Antimatter Plasma Core Drive | Plasma Core Antimatter | 13.3 | 11.5 | Water (0.9999), Antimatter (0.0001) |
Pion Torch | Beam Core Antimatter | 14.3 | 13.8 | Water (0.5), Antimatter (0.5) |
*Rounded
Propellant
Propellant comes in 100-ton tanks, and have no hard limit to the number that can be placed on a ship. However, each tank of propellant adds mass to the ship, which reduces its acceleration and gives diminishing returns for delta-V. The resources used to make propellant is determined by the drive.
Radiator
The radiator expels waste heat from the power plant. More advanced radiators can expel more heat per unit of mass. Radiator mass scales up to match the waste heat of the power plant. Radiators can be more or less vulnerable depending on the type.
Radiator (Incomplete) | Combat Vulnerability When Deployed | Waste Heat (tons/GW) |
---|---|---|
Aluminum Fin | Very High | 400 |
Titanium Array | High | 181.8 |
Molybdenum Pipe | Moderate | 222.2 |
Ionic Dust | Very Low | 333.3 |
Cobalt Dust | Very Low | 200 |
Nanotube Filament | Moderate | 153.8 |
Ionic Dust | Very Low | 333.3 |
Cobalt Dust | Very Low | 200 |
Tin Droplet | Very Low | 125 |
Alien Exotic Spike | Low | 83.3 |
Batteries
The battery stores power for weapons and other systems.
Batteries | Mass (tons) | Capacity (GJ) | Time to full charge (minutes) |
---|---|---|---|
Lithium-Ion | 30 | 15 | 50 |
Lithium-Sulfur | 35 | 21 | 56 |
Molten Salt | 80 | 40 | 89 |
Salt Water | 20 | 20 | 33 |
Graphene | 120 | 48 | 32 |
Quantum | 80 | 80 | 27 |
Superconducting Coil | 2 | 40 | 9 |
Exotic Nanowire | 10 | 60 | 10 |
Armor
Armor protects your ships from damage. There are three armor slots: Nose, tail, and central hull. More advanced armor material will require less mass per unit of armor, with some materials having extra resistance to certain damage types. Armoring the hull will add much more mass than armoring the nose and tail.
Hardpoints
Nose hardpoints fire in a limited arc, but are generally more powerful than hull hardpoints. Hull hardpoints come in pairs placed on opposite sides of the ship, and can fire in all directions around the ship. Weapons come in the following types:
- Guns: Good old-fashioned cannon (chemical slugthrowers) with performance characteristics similar to modern naval weaponry. Low-tech, cheap, and don't drain your battery.
- Missiles and Torpedoes: Will chase the target. Constrained by ammo limitations. Nuclear weapons are among the warhead types. The difference between missile and torpedo in this context is mass; missiles go fast faster and have larger magazines while torpedoes carry heavier warheads. Also doesn't drain your battery.
- Magnetic weapons: Covers railguns and coilguns that launch high-speed projectiles that can be dodged or shot down. Can be used in orbital bombardment.
- Lasers: Never miss. Damage falls off over distance. Higher input power, larger optics and higher frequencies lead to more damage. Can be used in orbital bombardment, with some limitations for high-frequency weapons trying to bombard through an atmosphere.
- Particle weapons: Short-range weapons that can do severe damage to a ship’s internal components if it penetrates a ship’s armor. Also effective point defense weapons.
- Plasma cannon: These are essentially high-speed, low-mass projectile weapons; their design is based on what descriptions are available of the real-world Shiva Star and Marauder projects. In practice, we’re modeling them as long-range, low rate-of-fire weapons to give them a distinct role in combat. Deep in the tech tree.
Lasers
Lasers | Mass (tons) | Fire Modes | Wavelength (nm) | Cooldown (s) | Base Shot Power (MJ) | Targeting Range (km) | Shot Battery Consumption (GJ) | Build Cost | Can Bombard |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Point Defense Laser Turret | 20 | Defense | 1,080 | 3 | 50 | 250 | 0.2 | No | |
60 cm Infrared Laser Battery | 150 | Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense | 1,080 | 30 | 100 | 600 | 0.4 | Not through Atmosphere | |
120 cm Infrared Laser Battery | 200 | Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense | 1,080 | 30 | 150 | 700 | 0.6 | Not through Atmosphere | |
360 cm Infrared Laser Battery | 400 | Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense | 1,080 | 30 | 225 | 850 | 0.9 | Not through Atmosphere | |
480 cm Infrared Laser Battery | 500 | Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense | 1,080 | 30 | 250 | 900 | 1.0 | Not through Atmosphere | |
720 cm Infrared Laser Battery | 700 | Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense | 1,080 | 30 | 300 | 950 | 1.2 | Not through Atmosphere | |
60 cm Green Laser Battery | 150 | Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense | 540 | 30 | 100 | 600 | 0.5 | Yes | |
120 cm Green Laser Battery | 200 | Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense | 540 | 30 | 150 | 700 | 0.75 | Yes | |
360 cm Green Laser Battery | 400 | Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense | 540 | 30 | 225 | 850 | 1.1 | Yes | |
720 cm Green Laser Battery | 700 | Focus Fire, Attack, Guardian, Defense | 540 | 30 | 300 | 950 | 1.5 | Yes |
Utility Modules
Utility modules contain everything else the ship might need, such as heat sinks, additional batteries, space marines, a science lab, systems that improve drive or weapon performance, space station and outpost kits, and ISRU modules
Heat Sinks | Mass (tons) | Capacity (GJ) |
---|---|---|
Water | 250 | 100 |
Heavy Water | 500 | 200 |
Potassium | 205 | 110 |
Heavy Potassium | 410 | 220 |
Sodium | 230 | 370 |
Heavy Sodium | 460 | 740 |
Lithium | 128 | 525 |
Heavy Lithium | 256 | 1,050 |
Molten Salt | 485 | 900 |
Heavy Molten Salt | 970 | 1800 |
Exotic | 250 | 1800 |
Heavy Exotic | 500 | 3600 |
Ship Roles
Ships also have roles, which informs the game on whether the ship is a combatant or noncombatant, what range it should engage in during combat, and what its strategic range is (so how much delta-V it can carry). The role affects the autodesigner behavior and where the ship is placed in a combat formation.
Role | Combatant | Strategic Range | Preferred Combat Engagement Range |
---|---|---|---|
Troop Carrier | No | N/A | N/A |
Explorer | No | N/A | N/A |
Inner System Colony Ship | No | N/A | N/A |
Outer System Colony Ship | No | N/A | N/A |
Transport | No | N/A | N/A |
Strike | Yes | Long | Short |
Interdictor | Yes | Long | Medium |
Attack Bomber | Yes | Long | Long |
Fighter | Yes | Medium | Short |
Space Superiority | Yes | Medium | Medium |
Standoff | Yes | Medium | Long |
Interceptor | Yes | Short | Short |
Patrol | Yes | Short | Medium |
Defense Bomber | Yes | Short | Long |