Fleet Mechanics

This page explains the detailed mechanics of fleet travel, including fuel consumption, travel time, and cargo requirements.

Fuel Consumption

Fleet fuel consumption is calculated based on distance traveled, ship types, and speed settings.

Base Fuel Values

Each ship has a base fuel consumption value. See individual ship pages for specific values.

Ship Type	Base Fuel	Cargo
Light Fighter	30	100
Heavy Fighter	100	250
Cruiser	450	1,750
Battleship	750	4,000
Battlecruiser	250	1,500
Bomber	1,000	1,000
Destroyer	1,500	5,000
Deathstar	1	1,000,000
Small Cargo	15	10,000
Large Cargo	75	50,000
Colony Ship	150	250,000
Recycler	300	50,000
Espionage Probe	1	10

ACS Timing

ACS (Alliance Combat System) fleets synchronize to a shared arrival time:

Slower joiners are allowed. A new ACS fleet can arrive later than the current group time.
Delay cap: The added delay cannot exceed 30% of the current group travel time (including any prior delays).
Group arrival updates: When a slower fleet joins, the arrival time updates for all ACS fleets.
Return timing unchanged: Each fleet returns using its original launch duration, even if the ACS arrival was delayed.

Fuel Calculation Formulas

Galaxy Travel Cost

When traveling between galaxies, fuel cost is calculated as:

galaxy_cost = fleet_base_fuel × 10 × galaxies_crossed

Where:

fleet_base_fuel = sum of (ship_base_fuel × ship_count) for all ships
galaxies_crossed = absolute difference in galaxy coordinates

Example: 100 Light Fighters crossing 1 galaxy:

fleet_base_fuel = 100 × 30 = 3,000
galaxy_cost = 3,000 × 10 × 1 = 30,000

System Travel Cost

When traveling within the same galaxy across systems:

efficiency_penalty = 1 + (0.01 × systems_crossed)
system_cost = fleet_base_fuel × systems_crossed × efficiency_penalty / 30

The 1% efficiency loss per system represents fuel inefficiency over longer distances. The divisor of 30 ensures ships can travel meaningful distances without cargo support.

Example: 100 Light Fighters crossing 50 systems:

fleet_base_fuel = 3,000
efficiency_penalty = 1 + (0.01 × 50) = 1.5
system_cost = 3,000 × 50 × 1.5 / 30 = 7,500

Combined Galaxy + System Travel (Triangle Method)

When traveling involves both galaxy AND system changes, the costs are combined using the Pythagorean theorem:

total_cost = sqrt(galaxy_cost² + system_cost²)

This "triangle method" represents the geometric nature of space travel—you're not traveling two separate legs, but a diagonal path.

Example: 1 galaxy + 50 systems with 100 Light Fighters:

fleet_base_fuel = 3,000
galaxy_cost = 3,000 × 10 × 1 = 30,000
system_cost = 3,000 × 50 × 1.5 / 30 = 7,500
total_cost = sqrt(30,000² + 7,500²) ≈ 30,923

Pure Travel (No Triangle)

If traveling ONLY between galaxies (same system), ONLY between systems (same galaxy), or ONLY between positions (same system), use linear calculation:

# Pure galaxy travel
total_cost = galaxy_cost

# Pure system travel
total_cost = system_cost

Position Travel Cost

When traveling within a system, the position component adds a flat fuel cost:

position_cost = fleet_base_fuel

If you travel across galaxies and systems, the game uses the triangle method for galaxy + system costs and then adds the position cost linearly.

If you travel across galaxies and positions (same system) or systems and positions (same galaxy), the game uses the triangle method for those two components:

# Galaxy + position travel
total_cost = sqrt(galaxy_cost² + position_cost²)

# System + position travel
total_cost = sqrt(system_cost² + position_cost²)

Speed Factor

Fuel consumption is reduced when traveling at slower speeds. This includes both:

User speed setting - Manually selecting a lower speed percentage
Mixed fleet slowdown - Fast ships slowed by slow ships in the fleet

ship_speed_factor = actual_fleet_speed / ship_max_speed
ship_fuel = base_fuel × speed_factor

Speed	Factor	Fuel Used
100%	1.0	100%
50%	0.5	50%
10%	0.1	10%

Example: A trip costing 10,000 fuel at 100% speed:

At 50% speed: 10,000 × 0.5 = 5,000 fuel
At 10% speed: 10,000 × 0.1 = 1,000 fuel

Mixed Fleet Fuel Savings

When you combine fast and slow ships, the fleet travels at the slowest ship's speed. Fast ships that are forced to travel slower use proportionally less fuel.

Example: 100 Light Fighters (speed 15,000) + 1 Deathstar (speed 1,000)

Fleet travels at Deathstar speed: 1,000
Light Fighter speed factor: 1,000 / 15,000 = 0.0667 (6.7%)
Light Fighter fuel: 30 × 0.0667 = 2 per ship
100 Light Fighters use only ~200 fuel instead of 3,000!
Deathstar uses full fuel (1)

This means adding a slow ship to escort fast ships dramatically reduces total fuel costs, at the expense of much longer travel time.

Hold Time Fuel Cost

When a mission includes holding time (like ACS Defend), additional fuel is consumed:

hold_cost = (fleet_base_fuel / 10) × hold_hours

Example: 100 Light Fighters holding for 2 hours:

hold_cost = (3,000 / 10) × 2 = 600

Total Fuel Calculation

total_fuel = travel_cost + hold_cost
minimum_fuel = 1 (fuel never goes below 1)

Cargo Capacity and Range

Fuel Must Fit in Cargo

Important: Your fleet can only travel as far as it can carry fuel. The total fuel cost must fit within the fleet's cargo capacity.

can_fly = (total_fuel_cost <= total_cargo_capacity)

If fuel exceeds cargo capacity, the mission will be blocked.

Calculating Cargo Capacity

total_cargo = sum(ship_cargo × ship_count) for all ships
available_cargo = total_cargo - fuel_required

Planning Long-Distance Missions

For very long trips:

Check total cargo capacity
Calculate fuel required
Ensure fuel < cargo_capacity
Remaining cargo = resources you can transport

Example: 10 Large Cargo (50,000 each) + 100 Light Fighters crossing 1 galaxy:

total_cargo = (10 × 50,000) + (100 × 100) = 510,000
fleet_base_fuel = (10 × 75) + (100 × 30) = 3,750
fuel_required = 3,750 × 10 × 1 = 37,500 (galaxy travel)
Result: SUCCESS - 510,000 cargo > 37,500 fuel
Available cargo = 510,000 - 37,500 = 472,500

Travel Time

Base Duration Formula

Travel time is calculated based on distance and fleet speed:

base_duration = round((35000 / speed_factor × (distance × 10 / max_fleet_speed) + 10) / fleet_speed_setting)

Where:

speed_factor = speed percentage (1-10, where 10 = 100%)
max_fleet_speed = speed of the slowest ship in the fleet
distance = calculated distance units
fleet_speed_setting = server fleet speed multiplier

Linear Duration

Travel time sums each component directly:

total_duration = galaxy_time + system_time + position_time

Speed Settings

Setting	Duration	Fuel Factor	Effect
100%	1x	100% fuel	Fastest travel, full fuel cost
50%	2x	50% fuel	Double duration, half fuel
10%	10x	10% fuel	10x duration, 10% fuel

Slower speed = Less fuel: Reducing your fleet speed trades travel time for fuel savings. At 50% speed, you use half the fuel but take twice as long. This can extend your effective range when fuel would otherwise be a limiting factor.

Drive fuel penalties: Impulse Drive increases fuel consumption by 5% per level and Hyperspace Drive increases fuel consumption by 10% per level, both applied to all ships. The examples below assume Impulse and Hyperspace level 0.

Distance Calculation

Galaxy Distance

galaxy_distance = galaxies_crossed × 6,000

System Distance

system_distance = 2,000 + (systems_crossed × 95 × 0.5)

Position Distance

position_distance = 1,000 + (positions_crossed × 5)

Fleet Speed

Slowest Ship Rule

Fleet speed is always determined by the slowest ship:

fleet_speed = min(speed of all ships in fleet)

Example: A Deathstar (base speed 1,000) in a fleet with Light Fighters (base speed 15,000) will slow the entire fleet to Deathstar speed.

Ship Base Speeds

Ship Type	Base Speed	Role
Espionage Probe	1,000,000	Fastest - scouting
Cruiser	18,000	Fast attack
Light Fighter	15,000	Fast raider
Battlecruiser	12,000	Interceptor
Small Cargo	18,000	Quick transport
Large Cargo	14,500	Bulk transport
Battleship	10,000	Heavy assault
Heavy Fighter	12,000	Balanced combat
Destroyer	7,000	Capital ship
Bomber	6,000	Siege weapon
Colony Ship	5,500	Colonization
Recycler	8,000	Debris collection
Deathstar	1,000	Strategic weapon

Note: Some ships change listed drives when certain research is completed. For example, Small Cargo switches to Impulse Drive at level 5, but the speed boost already comes from the global drive bonuses.

Strategic Implications

Send fast ships separately for time-critical missions
Slow ships (Deathstar, Recycler) dramatically increase travel time
Consider splitting fleets by speed for efficiency
Small Cargo is faster than Large Cargo—use it for quick transports

Practical Examples

Example 1: Short Raid

Fleet: 50 Light Fighters Distance: Same galaxy, 10 systems away

fleet_base_fuel = 50 × 30 = 1,500
efficiency_penalty = 1 + (0.01 × 10) = 1.10
system_cost = 1,500 × 10 × 1.10 / 30 = 550

Cargo capacity: 50 × 100 = 5,000
Result: SUCCESS - 5,000 cargo > 550 fuel
Available cargo for loot: 5,000 - 550 = 4,450

Example 2: Cross-Galaxy Transport

Fleet: 20 Large Cargo + 10 Light Fighters Distance: 2 galaxies + 50 systems

fleet_base_fuel = (20 × 75) + (10 × 30) = 1,800
galaxy_cost = 1,800 × 10 × 2 = 36,000
system_cost = 1,800 × 50 × 1.5 / 30 = 4,500
total_cost = sqrt(36,000² + 4,500²) ≈ 36,280

Cargo capacity = (20 × 50,000) + (10 × 100) = 1,001,000
Result: SUCCESS - fleet can easily cross 2 galaxies!
Available cargo: 1,001,000 - 36,280 = 964,720

Example 3: Nearby Fleetsave

Fleet: All ships, 5 systems away, speed 10%

Distance is short, fuel is minimal
Speed 10% = 10x travel time
Perfect for overnight protection

Tips

Check fuel before launching - The game shows fuel cost in the launch pad
Long trips need cargo - Cross-galaxy missions require significant cargo capacity
Slow speed saves fuel - Reduce speed to extend range or save deuterium
Triangle method is efficient - Diagonal travel is faster than two straight legs
Slowest ship matters - Remove slow ships for time-critical missions
Fleetsave efficiently - Use 10% speed to fleetsave longer with 90% less fuel