Resources

“Unless people can see broad vistas of unused resources in front of them, the belief in limited resources tends to follow as a matter of course. And if the idea is accepted that the world’s resources are fixed, then each person is ultimately the enemy of every other person, and each race or nation is the enemy of every other race or nation. The extreme result is tyranny, war and even genocide. Only in a universe of unlimited resources can all men be brothers.”

— Robert Zubrin

Welcome once again to Spaceship Week! Today and tomorrow we’re going to be covering all the fancy minerals and gizmos you can bolt onto your starship over the course of Infinite Horizon.

In Infinite Horizon, a player’s starship has a multitude of slots built in for storage of certain kinds of resources. Each of these resources is represented by a different type of brick attached to a ship; in turn, each ship chassis presents a different layout for attaching these resources. For example, a Vanguard-chassis ship, generally focused on battles of attrition, favors Armor over Fuel, whereas the light Courier-chassis, focused on resource exploitation, features an additional cargo slot. Utilizing these resources effectively in battle is the key to victory out on the fringe.

ARMOR

The “health” of your spacecraft, armor is represented as 1×1 tiles. Each tile represents how much damage a ship can take; once all armor tiles have been removed, the ship is destroyed. Armor can also be replenished by spending a block of Aetherium, one of the cargo blocks you can harvest from celestial objects.

The maximum amount of armor your ship can support is dependent on which chassis you pick; the Vanguard carries the most, while the Courier carries the least.

FUEL

Fuel is perhaps the most important resource in the game, represented as 1×1 round studs. Almost every action in the game requires fuel, from moving around the board to attacking and counterattacking other players. Fuel can be replenished by spending a block of Water. If your ship runs out of fuel and is unable to harvest water, it is considered “dead in the water.” Onboard emergency systems kick in, disabling all actions (including movement and combat) for your turn. This generates 2 units of emergency fuel, but leaves you vulnerable to enemy attack, so keep an eye on your fuel levels at all times!

The maximum amount of fuel your ship can support is dependent on which chassis you pick; the Courier carries the most, while the Vanguard carries the least.

 

As well as Armor and Fuel, the mineral wealth of the galaxy can be harvested as cargo, represented as 2×1 bricks. Each different mineral resource confers certain benefits when spent, from repairing your armor to granting bonuses during combat. Cargo also has more long-term benefits; retrieving cargo and depositing it at your Cradle, or mothership, allows you to research advanced technologies that range from cloaking devices to improved targeting systems. We’ll be covering these technologies tomorrow, but the fact remains that effective tactical use of cargo can make or break your chances of survival in the Infinite Horizon!

WATER

Plain ol’ water is perhaps one of the most important resources you can find out in space, and can be obtained from either Comets or Ice Planets. H2O is the basic foundation for many of your research projects, as well as the creation of Outposts (which will be discussed at a later date). Likewise, a water block attached to your ship can be processed into two blocks of fuel.

PLATINUM

This precious metal is valued for its utility in superconductors, and is primarily used in the research of defensive technologies. At the same time, your starship’s onboard systems can process a platinum block for a one-round reduction of incoming damage. Platinum is found mainly in Gas Giants and Debris Fields.

URANIUM

While radiation can be hazardous to your health, this glowing green ore is prized for offensive technology research. Similarly, your ship’s material processing systems can utilize a uranium block for a one-round boost to your ship’s damage output. Uranium is found mainly in either small Planetoids or Asteroids.

AETHERIUM

Discovered late into the 21st century, the exotic material later named Aetherium possesses incredible qualities without which the expansion into the Infinite Horizon would’ve been impossible. Used for the most advanced of research projects, Aetherium can also be spent to instantly repair two points of armor damage. Aetherium can be found in Stars and certain celestial anomalies.

Keep in mind, the colors and pieces used here are merely guidelines. Thanks to the customizable nature of any given player’s starship, all these pieces can be pretty much whatever you want them to be, so long as you can remember which is which!

Tomorrow we’ll be covering some of the technology these resources will be used to realize, in the form of utility modules and tactical addons, so stay tuned!