Modules

“The world has changed far more in the past 100 years than in any other century in history. The reason is not political or economic but technological — technologies that flowed directly from advances in basic science.”

-Stephen Hawking

Yesterday we discussed some of the harvestable resources in Infinite Horizon. Today, we’ll take a look at some of the research projects you can develop using those resources, in the form of shipborne modules. These modules are split into two categories, Utility and Tactical, and proper usage of either can give you a needed strategic edge over your opponents.

One thing to keep in mind is that these research options are only available in the full version of the game, and not the Fringewar skirmish game we’ll be releasing in February.

Utility modules occupy a 2×2 square, and are mounted directly to your ship. While their operation is varied, proper usage of these modules can be extremely helpful in certain situations. Bear in mind that a starship can only field one of each type of module at a time.

REPAIR DRONES

A canister of small, robotic drones. A starship with repair drones installed will automatically repair one point of armor damage at the beginning of every turn.

BREEDER REACTOR

A fuel recycler is added to a starship’s main engine. A starship with a breeder reactor installed will automatically generate one block of fuel at the beginning of every turn.

MINE DROPPER

Containing hundreds of homing mines, this canister can be placed in an unoccupied sector. Once another starship jumps into the sector, they immediately take two points of armor damage.

PRECISION JUMP DRIVE

Advances in jump theory allow a starship to calibrate its FTL jumpdrive faster. At the cost of two blocks of fuel, a starship may jump immediately at the end of its turn, waiving the usual one-turn waiting period.

CLOAKING DEVICE

This module literally bends light around a starship, rendering it immune to attack. It requires one block of fuel to activate, but once active, a starship equipped with a cloaking device cannot be attacked for one full round. However, the sensor distortion generated by the device also means the ship itself cannot attack any other vessel.

CARGO MODULE

This module, when installed, effectively acts as an additional cargo slot.

Tactical modules occupy a 1×1 square, and, like Utility modules, are mounted directly onboard a starship. These modules directly affect a starship’s combat capabilities, improving weapons output or damage mitigation. Tactical combat will be discussed later this week. However, like Utility modules, only one of each type can be mounted at a time.

WEAPONS BOOSTER MK 1&2

A series of basic tactical packages is installed into a ship’s weapon systems. The MK1 booster gives a one point bonus to weapons damage, while the MK2 booster gives a two point bonus. Furthermore, installation of a MK1 booster is required to destroy Outposts, which will be covered later.

DEFENSE BOOSTER MK 1&2

Countermeasures against offensive weaponry are developed, granting additional protection. The MK1 booster reduces incoming damage by one point, while the MK2 booster reduces incoming damage by two points.

COMBO BOOSTER

Offering the best of both worlds, the Combo booster grants a one point bonus to damage as well as reducing incoming damage by one point. By itself, this booster is fairly weak, but, like the name suggests, it synergizes well with other boosters.

SYSTEM OVERRIDE SOFTWARE

This highly illegal software package allows a starship to attack an Outpost’s electronic, rather than physical, defenses, transferring ownership of the station. Outposts will be covered later on.

While these modules can all help a savvy starship operator to expand their tactical horizons, the time will still eventually come when one needs to resort to simple, brute force to get things done. Next time in Spaceship week, we’ll be covering all the details of ship-to-ship tactical combat, and all the pew pew shooty action that entails. Stay tuned!