Propulsion & Travel

Ship travel is governed by the propulsion system — the engine technology that determines where you can go and how fast.

Drives

Drive	Intra-System	Inter-System	Inter-Galaxy	H2 Factor
Combustion	×1.0	×0.1	❌ Impossible	×1.0
Ion	×2.5	×0.8	❌ Impossible	×3.0
Hyper	×3.0	×3.0	❌ Impossible	×2.0
Nexus	×3.0	×3.0	❌ Impossible	×1.5
Interdimensional	❌ Impossible	❌ Impossible	×50	×10.0

Distance Calculation

The universe uses the Pearl String model. Distance is calculated in Distance Units (DE):

DE = |slotΔ| × PLANET_STEP_DIST
   + EXIT_SYSTEM_COST + |systemΔ| × SYSTEM_STEP_DIST
   + EXIT_GALAXY_COST + |galaxyΔ| × GALAXY_STEP_DIST

Constant	Value
PLANET_STEP_DIST	5
EXIT_SYSTEM_COST	100
SYSTEM_STEP_DIST	20
EXIT_GALAXY_COST	2000
GALAXY_STEP_DIST	500

Flight Types

Type	Condition	Drives Available
intraSystem	Same system	Combustion, Ion, Hyper, Nexus
interSystem	Different system, same galaxy	Combustion (slow), Ion, Hyper, Nexus
interGalaxy	Different galaxy	Interdimensional only

H2 Fuel Cost

h2Cost = distance × totalShipH2Rate × driveH2Factor × flightTypeModifier

Fuel is deducted at launch. Running out of H2 means you can't fly.

Fleet Simulation

Use POST /api/fleet/simulate to calculate costs before committing. It tests all available drives and returns:

• Flight time per drive
• H2 cost per drive
• Whether the drive can make the journey at all
• Distance and flight type

This is the most API-efficient way to plan fleet movements.