Ship Modules

• Cargo Bays
  Cargo Bays are used to carry commodities from planets that produce them to planets that consume them.
  
  
• Sleeper Pods
  Sleeper pods can be used to carry colonists from homeworlds to colonies, or to carry troops.
  
  
• Engines
  Engines propel your ship around the solar systems. A ship with a higher ratio of engines to payload (other modules) will receive more movement points each day.
  
  
• Railgun Sections
  Railgun sections are used to propel explosive shrapnel charges towards formations of enemy fighters and missiles. Railgun sections must be configured into individual guns. If you have 100 gun sections, you may configure them as 10 guns of length 10, 5 guns of lenghth 20, or any other valid combination. Longer guns can open fire at greater range, giving them a better chance to hit an incoming fighter or missile, but a greater number of guns can target a greater number of incoming fighters. In general, more experienced gunners will make better use of longer guns.
  
  Your guns and fighters may be reconfigured at any starbase. Your gun crews and pilots gain experience each time they fight, but casualties will have to be replaced with inexperienced recruits.
  
  
• Fighter Bays
  Fighter pilots steer a vehicle which consists mostly of fuel and a missile carrying an explosive warhead. Fighters are similar to guns, as 100 fighter fuel sections can be configured into 4 size 25 fighters, 1 size 100 fighter, or any other valid combination. There is an additional configuration decision for fighters, as the captain must decide what percentage of the fighters' fuel will be used for fighter propulsion and what percentage will be used for warhead propulsion. Fuel used for fighter propulsion allows the pilot to close in on his target more quickly, and maneuver to evade enemy fire. Fuel used for warhead propulsion allows the pilot to fire his missile from farther away and remotely steer the warhead to its target. In general, more experienced pilots will make better use of additional fighter fuel.
  
  
• Cloaks
  Cloaks are devices which hide ships from other ships' scanners. In theory, the effectiveness of cloaks would depend upon the ratio of cloaks to engines. Cloaks have never been proven to exist, and basic research into their development is outlawed on every known homeworld.