## Universe Overview
The galaxy consists of numbered **sectors**. A sector may contain any combination of the following entities:
- Planets
- Ports
- Other players
- Empty ships
- Aliens (Ferrengi, Federation Starships, etc.)
- Mines
- Message beacons
- Fighters (your own, other players’, rogue mercenaries’, or Ferrengi‑controlled)
## Starting Ship and Defenses
- Every new player begins with a ship that carries **30 fighters**.
- These fighters are available immediately for defense.
## Alignment, Ranks, and Commission
**Alignment points** determine a player’s standing with the Federation and unlock advanced assets.
| Rank | Title | Experience Required |
|------|----------------------|----------------------|
| 1 | Private | 2 |
| 2 | Private 1st Class | 4 |
| 3 | Lance Corporal | 8 |
| 4 | Corporal | 16 |
| 5 | Sergeant | 32 |
| 6 | Staff Sergeant | 64 |
| 7 | Gunnery Sergeant | 128 |
| 8 | 1st Sergeant | 256 |
| 9 | Sergeant Major | 512 |
| 10 | Warrant Officer | 1,024 |
| 11 | Chief Warrant Officer| 2,048 |
| 12 | Ensign | 4,096 |
| 13 | Lieutenant J.G. | 8,192 |
| 14 | Lieutenant | 16,384 |
| 15 | Lieutenant Commander | 32,768 |
| 16 | Commander | 65,536 |
| 17 | Captain | 131,072 |
| 18 | Commodore | 262,144 |
| 19 | Rear Admiral | 524,288 |
| 20 | Vice Admiral | 1,048,576 |
| 21 | Admiral | 2,097,152 |
| 22 | Fleet Admiral | 4,194,304 |
**Commission**
- A player becomes *commissioned* at **1,000 alignment**.
- The **Imperial Star Ship (ISS)** becomes purchasable at **1,000 alignment**.
**Alignment‑gain methods (credits per point)**
| Method | Credits per alignment point |
|--------------------------------------|----------------------------|
| Posting rewards on evil players | 1,000 |
| Cross‑pod with an evil partner | 0 (no credit cost) |
| Paying taxes | 1,500 (most expensive) |
| Building planets | 2,000 (slow) |
| Killing evil traders/aliens (‑250 align, 200 figs) | ≈ 400 |
| Upgrading ports | 5,000 (high upfront) |
> **Note:** Posting rewards is cheaper than paying taxes for alignment.
## Alignment‑Related Night‑Time Survival
- With **good alignment** and **< 1,000 experience**, you may stay overnight in Federation space if the **ships‑per‑sector limit** is not exceeded and you carry **fewer than 99 fighters**.
- Exceeding either limit triggers an automatic tow at Extern.
- **Cloaking devices** provide an alternative safe haven: cloaked ships cannot be attacked directly, but cloaks may fail after 24 hours (appearing as a density anomaly). Photon torpedoes decloak them.
## Home Sectors and Base Placement
- Choose an **out‑of‑the‑way sector** (often a dead‑end) for early bases to reduce exposure to traffic and hostile ports.
- Avoid building bases directly between **Class 0** and **Class 9** ports.
### Bubbles and Tunnels
- **Bubbles** are clusters of interconnected tunnels that have a single entry point.
- **Tunnels** are linear chains allowing **2‑warp** movement.
- For expansion, locate a bubble or tunnel and develop a **dead‑end sector** (no port) to place new planets.
- Good‑aligned corporations typically develop bubbles containing **H**, **O**, and **L** planets to maximize daily credit generation and fighter production.
## Planet Mechanics
### Planet Types, Ratios, and Production Limits
| Class | Ratio (Fuel/Org/Equ) | Max Colonists | Max Daily Fuel | Max Daily Org | Max Daily Equ | Max Daily Fighters |
|-------|-----------------------|---------------|----------------|---------------|----------------|--------------------|
| M (Earth) | 3 / 7 / 13 | 30,000 | 5,000 | 2,142 | 1,153 | 829 |
| K (Desert) | 2 / 100 / 500 | 40,000 | 10,000 | 200 | 40 | 682 |
| O (Oceanic) | 20 / 2 / 100 | 200,000 | 5,000 | 50,000 | 1,000 | 3,733 |
| L (Mountain) | 2 / 5 / 20 | 40,000 | 10,000 | 4,000 | 1,000 | 1,250 |
| C (Glacial) | 50 / 100 / 500 | 100,000 | 1,000 | 500 | 100 | 64 |
| H (Volcanic) | 1 / ‑ / 500 | 100,000 | 50,000 | 0 | 100 | 1,002 |
| U (Vapour/Gas) | ‑ / ‑ / ‑ | 3,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- The **daily production** of FOE products follows a bell curve; maximum output occurs at **50 %** of the maximum colonist count.
- Colonist counts **below 50 %** tend to increase, while those **above 50 %** tend to die off proportionally.
- **Maximum planet population** is **twice** the optimal colonist count; excess colonists reduce production efficiency.
### Fighter Production Factors
Fighters are generated indirectly from the daily FOE production. Each planet class defines a **Fig factor** – the number of colonists required to produce one fighter for a given commodity.
| Class | Fuel Fig Factor | Organics Fig Factor | Equipment Fig Factor |
|-------|-----------------|---------------------|----------------------|
| M | 30 | 70 | 130 |
| K | 30 | 1,500 | 7,500 |
| O | 300 | 30 | 1,500 |
| L | 24 | 60 | 240 |
| C | 1,250 | 2,500 | 12,500 |
| H | 50 | 0 | 25,000 |
| U | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
**Formula (illustrative)**