Ship Classes
Planetia has six standard ship classes and four specialty ships. Standard ships are trained at your Shipyard; specialty ships require specific tech prerequisites.
Standard Classes
| Class | Role | Metal | Crystal | Deuterium | Attack | Defense | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Scout/swarm | 200 | 50 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 10 |
| Corvette | Fast raider | 350 | 80 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 9 |
| Frigate | Balanced | 600 | 150 | 30 | 18 | 14 | 7 |
| Destroyer | Anti-Cruiser | 900 | 250 | 60 | 22 | 20 | 6 |
| Cruiser | Heavy | 1,800 | 500 | 120 | 35 | 38 | 5 |
| Battleship | Capital | 4,500 | 1,200 | 300 | 70 | 80 | 3 |
Zikoan fighters get +20% attack above these base values. Capital Weapons tech applies +20% to Battleship and Cruiser attack specifically. Some ship classes may also carry an Energy upkeep cost — exact figures are pending a balance pass.
Specialty Ships
| Ship | Function | Prereq tech | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pod | Colonizes uninhabited planets | None | 800M / 200C |
| EMP | Disables enemy Planetary Shields for 3 ticks | Signal Intercept | 2,000M / 800C / 400D |
| SK (Shield Killer) | Strips 50% of enemy Planetary Shield HP | Fortress Doctrine | 2,500M / 1,000C / 500D |
| Steal | Raids enemy resources; does not engage combat normally | Shadow Network | 1,200M / 400C / 200D |
Steal ships only work if Anarchy government’s +30% steal effectiveness bonus is active, or if you have Shadow Network tech. Without these, Steal ships are cost-inefficient.
Fleet Composition Guidelines
There is no single best fleet composition. Context matters:
- Early aggression (ticks 1–30): Fighter swarm. Cheap, fast to replace, good for raiding weak planets.
- Mid-game (ticks 30–80): Mixed Corvette + Frigate. Better damage per resource than pure fighters.
- Late-game (ticks 80+): Cruiser + Battleship core with Destroyer support to handle enemy Cruisers.
- Defense: Stack Planetary Shield + Defense Platforms + 20% of your fleet kept home. Theocracy gets +15% planetary defense.
Always include at least one Fighter in any fleet for scouting return. Fleets without a scout class cannot send targeting data after combat.
Fleet Movement
Open Galaxy Map and click any system. Click Send Fleet to dispatch. You choose:
- Mission type — Attack, Defend, Colonize, Scout, or Transport
- Ships to send — choose from home fleet; specialty ships require mission type match
- Speed — Full speed (default) or half speed to conserve fuel (reduces Deuterium cost by 40%)
You cannot recall a fleet once dispatched. Plan carefully.
Travel Time Formula
Travel time (ticks) = distance_lightyears / (ship_speed × fleet_speed_modifier)
Where fleet_speed_modifier includes:
- Advanced Targeting tech: -5%
- Fortress Doctrine tech (own territory): -20% reinforcement
- Galaxy Map distance measured in lightyears (each hex = 1 LY)
At base speed a Fighter (speed 10) travels 1 LY per tick. A Battleship (speed 3) takes 3.3× longer to cover the same distance.
Fleet Management UI
Fleet List (Fleet menu → My Fleets) shows all dispatched and home fleets with:
- Current mission and ETA
- Composition (ship class counts)
- Cargo (if Transport mission)
- Recall option (greyed out after departure)
Incoming Alerts appear in the notification bar when an enemy fleet’s arrival is projected within 6 ticks. You have until that fleet lands to reinforce or negotiate.
Continue to Combat & Mechanics for battle resolution details.