The 16 technologies
Research happens at the Academy Core and applies to every planet at once —
unlike buildings, you never repeat it per planet. Costs follow the same
base × factor^(level−1) formula as buildings.
| Research | Metal | Crystal | Gas | Factor | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core Theory | 0 | 800 | 400 | ×2.0 | Energy handling. The root of almost every higher technology. |
| Beam Refining | 200 | 100 | 0 | ×2.0 | Focused-beam weapons. Basis of beam turrets and higher armament. |
| Ion Etching | 1,000 | 300 | 100 | ×2.0 | Ion acceleration. Used by the Ion Etcher and the Wanderer. |
| Fold Theory | 0 | 4,000 | 2,000 | ×2.0 | Subspace physics. Required for jump navigation and large hulls. |
| Plasma Forging | 2,000 | 4,000 | 1,000 | ×2.0 | Weaponized plasma. The core of plasma turrets. |
| Combustion Drive | 400 | 0 | 600 | ×2.0 | +10% speed per level for light hulls. The first drive you take. |
| Impulse Drive | 2,000 | 4,000 | 600 | ×2.0 | +20% speed per level for medium hulls. |
| Hyperspace Drive | 10,000 | 20,000 | 6,000 | ×2.0 | +30% speed per level for large hulls. |
| Shadow Network | 200 | 1,000 | 200 | ×2.0 | Espionage depth. Higher levels reveal more. |
| Neural Core | 0 | 400 | 600 | ×2.0 | Raises how many fleets you can run at once. |
| Astrophysics | 4,000 | 8,000 | 4,000 | ×1.5 | +1 colony cap every 2 levels, up to 11. |
| Weapons Forging | 800 | 200 | 0 | ×2.0 | +10% attack per level for ships and defenses. |
| Shielding | 200 | 600 | 0 | ×2.0 | +10% shields per level. Required for force domes. |
| Armor | 1,000 | 0 | 0 | ×2.0 | +10% structure per level. |
| Stellar Engineering | 20,000 | 20,000 | 10,000 | ×2.0 | Megastructure research for star-scale power. |
| Graviton Tech | 0 | 0 | 300,000 | ×3.0 | Gravity control. Required for the Doomstar, and it costs accordingly. |
Drives — which ships actually get faster
A drive only speeds up its own hull class. Research the wrong one and the fleet you care about does not move any faster.
| Research | Per level | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Combustion Drive | +10% | Cargo Runner, Heavy Hauler, Spark, Scavenger, Watcher |
| Impulse Drive | +20% | Ember, Wanderer, Arkship, Fallen |
| Hyperspace Drive | +30% | Steel Bastion, Shatterer, Doomstar, Custom Warship |
The three combat technologies
Weapons Forging, Shielding and Armor each add 10% per level to attack, shields and structure. They apply to ships and defenses alike, which regularly makes them a better buy than more hulls.
All three at level 10 roughly doubles your combat power — far cheaper than building twice the fleet.
Astrophysics — the only way to more colonies
Every 2 levels raises your colony cap by 1, up to 11 excluding the homeworld. More planets means more mines, so this is the spine of long-term growth. Its factor is 1.5 — lower than the 2.0 of most research — so it stays affordable to the end.
Its factor is 3.0, the only one that high, and level 1 already costs 300,000 gas. Level 2 is 900,000; level 3 is 2,700,000. Unless the Doomstar is your goal, there is no hurry.