Asteroids, ship combat and capture

Explanatory diagram based on the cited report; not an in-game interface or a spatial construction plan.

Hardpoint combat

Fit weapons through Ship Panel. Small weapons fit either mount size; Large weapons require Large mounts. Costs reserve FE, eligible fallback Pulse Cartridges or ammunition according to weapon type. The report’s compact constructor table is not a reliable basis for treating its range/cooldown text as player damage-per-second: its literal values are preserved in weapon records.

Ship damage and player HP differ. Exposed-player damage defaults to a 0.2 multiplier capped at 12 HP per hit. Ion Lance triples its remaining-shield damage component. Burst Driver reserves a three-round trigger, Scatter Cannon fires seven fixed-offset pellets and plasma/missiles combine direct and splash on a direct target. Missile lock needs a 15-degree cone for 30 ticks; flares decoy for two seconds with eight-second launch cooldown.

Finite mining targets

Asteroids are persistent and depletable. Ten kinds range from carbon rock, ironstone, copperstone, ice and volatile rock to rare Hollow Relics. Small/Medium/Large weights are 60/30/10 within each kind’s allowed sizes, and yield scales are 1/3/8. These are conditional weights, not global guaranteed percentages.

The Mining Laser preserves full mining yield and does four ship damage versus 20 asteroid damage. Explosive mining loses yield; volatile bodies add hazards. The hardpoint Mining Laser is distinct from the Utility Mining Beam, Prospector drill and handheld emitter. Hollow Relics draw from the closed ten-weapon pattern pool.

NPC encounters and captured ships

Encounters include hostiles, traders, escorts and patrols. Disable and board an eligible vessel to obtain its captured hull. Captured Mk I hulls have no fresh-cradle acquisition; their Mk II versions are refits. Sale requires packing the captured ship first.

Later ship simulation includes calibration ranges at repair shipyards, crew turret seats, towing and named captains. Parcel/passenger custody and Hidden Hold checks have their own state. NPC ships are explicitly not wind-pushed. None of these systems is certified in a fresh game by this wiki.

See hull generations, trade and custody and station law.