Base and command post

A base is not scenery on a surface but a contract with the world: you get income and defence, and you pay upkeep every day. The command post is the centre of that contract.

Founding

• One base stands on one surface plot.
• A plot is a 32×32 grid of cells.
• Founding costs 5,000 cr.
• The capture beacon is consumed on founding; the next costs 2,000 cr, and the rack holds three.
• For the first 24 hours newcomer protection keeps the base from being captured.

No colony can be founded in a system with security above 60. That is a law of the world, not a quirk of the interface: the calmer the system, the easier the start.

The command post

The command post occupies 6×4 cells at (13, 14) and plays two roles at once:

1. Build anchor. It sets a radius of 12 cells. Every corner of a new structure or upgrade must fall inside it.
2. Upkeep collector. It charges the daily fee for every module on the base.

If the command post is destroyed, the radius disappears, construction is blocked and power is cut — but the base is not deleted. Modules stay on the map, and a grace period begins.

The build queue

A base runs one sequential queue. One module builds at a time; the rest wait.

• A module can reach level 3.
• Build time grows with the level.
• You can cancel or reorder, but spent time is not refunded.

Power

Power is the main constraint on a colony. In a deficit:

• production is halved;
• shields and defences switch off.

That is why a power plant is not “one more module” but a condition for the base to exist. A mining plant adds power too, but relying on it alone is a gamble.

Upkeep

Every 24 hours the command post charges credits:

• 40 cr for the command post itself;
• each module’s upkeep multiplied by its level.

For example, a base with a power plant, a mining plant and a turret at level one pays about 150 cr a day. Stay away and the world catches up on the debt — up to seven cycles in a row.

Arrears and RUINED

The chain of consequences when upkeep goes unpaid:

1. Modules stay on the map.
2. Power is cut.
3. Production and defence stop.
4. The base loses 15 integrity per missed cycle.
5. At zero integrity the plot becomes RUINED.

A destroyed command post grants 30 minutes of grace. After that the base loses 10 integrity an hour until it is restored. It is never deleted outright — but it does not work either.

Repair

• Repairing the command post costs 2,500 cr plus accumulated arrears.
• It restores integrity to at least 25.
• Rebuilding from rubble costs 50% of a new structure.
• Repair is available on the colony screen.

Shields

A shield protects the base from orbital bombardment while the command post runs.

A shield regenerates 5 points a minute. Once broken it opens a vulnerability window for 10 minutes, then needs 2 hours to recover.

Siege

A siege is not an instant win. Orbital fire strips the shield, but capture matters more than destruction.

• A siege window is open for two hours, then closed for four.
• Windows open at 00:00, 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00 UTC.
• Capture stops at 99% without a capture beacon.
• Capture is impossible in a system with security above 50.

The exact round maths is in Flight and combat.

Offline protection

You are not wiped around the clock:

• an offline defender’s integrity never drops below 25;
• capture never rises above 75;
• emergency relief costs 500 cr plus 10 cr per percent of capture, has a 30-second cooldown and gives +20 integrity and −20% capture;
• a captured base keeps at least 65 integrity.

Multiple bases

You can place a second base on another plot or another planet. That does not cancel upkeep: every base pays separately.

Sometimes one strong colony is cheaper than three weak ones. Count income minus upkeep, not the number of buildings.

What next

• Modules — twelve structures and their exact cost.
• Economy — where the credits for upkeep come from.
• Flight and combat — how a siege runs.