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Impulse Drive

Impulse Drive

Impulse Drive technology provides faster propulsion than combustion engines and boosts the speed of all ships.

Overview

Property Value
Type Propulsion Technology
Lab Notes Research Lab level affects speed only
Effect +20% speed per level (all ships), +5% fuel per level (all ships)
Prerequisites Research Lab 2, plus the section 2 unlock requirement (8 cumulative section 1 levels)

Description

Impulse Drive uses controlled matter-antimatter reactions for propulsion. Every level boosts the speed of all ships, but it also increases deuterium consumption across your fleet.

Effect

Speed Bonus

All ships gain the Impulse bonus, regardless of their primary drive.

Speed = Base Speed * (1 + 0.1 * Combustion Level + 0.2 * Impulse Level + 0.3 * Hyperspace Level)

Fuel Consumption

Impulse and Hyperspace research increase fuel usage for every ship:

Fuel = Base Fuel * (1 + 0.05 * Impulse Level + 0.10 * Hyperspace Level)

Impulse-Only Speed Multiplier

Add Combustion and Hyperspace bonuses on top of these values.

Level Speed Multiplier
0 100%
1 120%
2 140%
5 200%
10 300%

Ships Using Impulse Drive

All ships benefit from the Impulse bonus, but these ships list Impulse as their primary drive:

Speeds below show the Impulse bonus only; add Combustion and Hyperspace on top.

Ship Base Speed At Impulse 10
Heavy Fighter 12,000 36,000
Cruiser 18,000 54,000
Colony Ship 5,500 16,500
Bomber 6,000 18,000

Drive Upgrades

Some ships switch to Impulse at certain levels:

  • Small Cargo: Uses Impulse at Impulse Level 5
  • Recycler: Uses Impulse at Impulse Level 15

The +20% Impulse bonus applies to all ships even before these upgrades.

Research Costs

Formula

Metal = 2,000 * 2^Level
Crystal = 4,000 * 2^Level
Deuterium = 600 * 2^Level

Cost Table

Level Metal Crystal Deuterium
1 2,000 4,000 600
2 4,000 8,000 1,200
5 32,000 64,000 9,600
10 1,024,000 2,048,000 307,200

Strategy

Mid-Game Priority

Impulse Drive benefits:

  • Key combat ships (Cruiser)
  • Colony operations
  • Bombing runs

Critical Levels

  • Level 5: Small Cargo upgrades to Impulse
  • Level 15: Recycler upgrades to Impulse

Faster Missions

20% per level adds up quickly (plus the Combustion and Hyperspace bonuses on top):

  • Level 5 = 2x speed
  • Level 10 = 3x speed
  • Significant time savings

Fuel Tradeoff

Impulse Drive increases deuterium consumption by 5% per level for all ships. Hyperspace adds another 10% per level, so long-range missions get more expensive as you level both.

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