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*** Multi-Function Pod (Electrical) aside of combining Cloak and Jamming effects gives you Movement bonus (normally only two Mechanical components do).
*** Multi-Cargo Pod (Mechanical) gives Cloak and Armor (otherwise extra dp are provided ''only'' by things that go into Armor and Shield slots).
*** Multi-Contained Munition (Beam Weapon) has weak effects of a cloak, guidance system, minelayermine poddispenser plus decent penetrating scanner and bomb, with very modest mass. It's weaker than beam weapons you'll have, but now you can stop making ponderous bombers good for very little beyond their primary function and being an expensive mobile fuel tank, and instead build bombing warships - light enough to use stargates, with decent protection so the won't fall to the cheap interceptor fleets ''and'' even when not bombing they still scan and lay mines (at least you won't need to use up one more design slot for a dedicated minelayer)!
** They also circumvent component restrictions from racial traits: Langston Shell, Mega Poly Shell and Multi-Contained Munition are penetrating scanners you can build despite '''No Advanced Scanners''' LRT; Alien Miner is outperformed by the 2nd mining robot, and secondary benefits are of dubious usefulness for a miner ship<ref>except cloaking: not being noticed in the first place is the best defense, as miners remain slow even with these robots; and since most of the time they're orbiting and only visible to penetrating scanners (in shorter range), and cloaking about 50% for Mini-Miner gives a good chance</ref>, but it's still works 2.5 time better<ref>and since it's cheaper, you can build about twice as many ships</ref> than the only component available with '''Only Basic Remote Mining''' LRT.
* [[Jack of All Trades]]: A Primary trait allowing extra population and free scanner automatically upgraded to your Tech Level in any ship built with either of 3 small "scout" (Scout, Frigate, Destroyer) hulls, and a boost to starting Tech Levels.
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* [[Our Wormholes Are Different]]: They allow instant travel, but drift and are not entirely stable (though if one end of a wormhole is on your scan, you can see its current stability level).
* [[Planet of Hats]]: Every race has one Primary trait. Though "Jack of All Trades" is included. Most have exclusive ship/starbase components and multiple bonuses related to their area of expertise.
# Hyper Expansion (reproduce2x fasterreproduction, butcolonize toeasier, lowerbut pop1/2 population cap, colonize easier,and no stargates). Starting ships: Smaugarian Peeping Tom, 3x Spore Cloud.
# Super Stealth (masters of sneaking, ships start 75% cloaked<ref>i.e. detectable at 1/4 range</ref> for free)
# War Monger (better offensive capabilities, but only basic planetary defenses and no mines)
# Claim Adjuster (masters of terraforming)
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# Space Demolition (everything related to mines)
# Packet Physics (lobbing mineral packets and reaping various advantages from this. 2 starting planets in universes > Tiny)
# Interstellar Traveller (masters of stargates, but mineral packets are subpar. 2 starting planets in universes > Tiny)
# Alternate Reality (live on starbases, <ref>thus normal planetary buildings are unavailable, production, mining and colonization work differently; cantheir buildcolonies better starbases;are more vulnerable, except to packets</ref>, interstellarcan build better starbases; travel kills some colonists)
# Jack of All Trades (nothing outstanding, but free penetrating scanners on 3 small hulls, greater pop cap and higher starting Tech Levels)
* [[Point Build System]]: Custom races.
* [[Portal Network]]: Stargates - an Orbital type component (i.e. can be used only for Starbases). They have range and mass limits (only sending gate matters, not destination), which you may exceed up to 5x each, but gated ships may be damaged (it's not enough kill a ship, unless it's exactly 5x... or it was already damaged) or vanish (which is not the same as fatal damage), but it's indicated immediately upon adding the waypoint <ref>Travel Time shows '''Danger'''</ref>. Also, youcargo can't gatebe cargo,gated thusand shipsis will just dump itdumped at the sending colony.
** '''Interstellar Traveller''' primary trait among the other perks allows to transport minerals and colonists, reduces damage for exceeding safety limits and later allows to build exclusive stargate components, up to ∞/∞.
** '''Hyper-Expansion''' primary trait prohibits building stargates.
** Jump Gate ([[Imported Alien Phlebotinum|MT component]]) allows the equipped ships to jump from deep space and, with cargo. Andand sincestill fornot stargatesusing up any fuel<ref>of course, this matters only if the sender'sdestination limitsis mattera atSpace itFort doesnwith gate</ref>. In this case the destination startgate'ts havelimits any,apply jumpsrather arethan ∞/∞the sender's. You may need to move away from the colony for 1 year before jumping, however.
* [[Ramscoop]]: There are almost as many Ram Scoop engines as non-scooping. The scooping ones are rated for lower nominal speed (which affects fuel consumption and combat mobility) than normal engines of comparable [[Tech Level]], and they produce surplus fuel when moving another 1-2 notches slower than this, produce surplus fuel. ThereThe aredifferences trade-offs: consumption raises with warp speed much steeper than for normal engines, so usually it's impossible to exceed the nominal for more than one year; [[Space Mines]] inflict more damage on ships with scoops ''and'' on fleets including them. Also, they are heavier (which matters mostly on smaller ships or when gate-ability is important, and may reduces combat speed further) and more expensive. On the upside, ability to sustain moderate minimum speed for unlimited range makes scoops most useful for ships that can't carry enough fuel to reach objectives in reasonable time (unless the map is small) - scouts need to go far, while remote mining ships and bombers are massive. Which isadd one more way to break off [[Easy Logistics]] on big maps, creating niches for solutions like chains of fuel depots (which scoops also help to resupply).
** On the upside, ability to sustain moderate minimum speed for unlimited range makes scoops most useful for ships that can't carry enough fuel to reach objectives in reasonable time (unless the map is small) - scouts need to go far, while remote mining ships and bombers are too massive for their engine number and fuel reserve.
** This applies even more to Radiating Hydro-Ram Scoop, with lowest Tech levels of commonly available scoops, that gradually kills transported colonists ''in the same fleet'' unless the race got rather high radiation ''optimum'' (not even ''maximum'') value. This means not only freighters with rad-scoop are limited to hauling minerals, but e.g. armed escorts with scoops would have to dance around a transport or colonizer as a separate fleet without merging.▼
** There are trade-offs: combat speed tend to be lower (matters mostly for beamers and scouts), fuel consumption raises with warp speed much steeper than for normal engines, so usually only ships with particularly large fuel capacity can exceed their nominal speed for 2 turns in a row; [[Space Mines]] inflict more damage to ships with scoops ''and'' their fleets. They tend to be heavier (which matters on smaller ships or when gate-ability is important, and may reduces combat speed further) and more expensive.
▲** This applies even more to Radiating Hydro-Ram Scoop, with lowest Tech levels of commonly available scoops,; thatit graduallyalso kills some transported colonists ''in the same fleet'' unless the race got rather high radiation ''optimum'' (not even ''maximum'') value. This means not only freighters with rad-scoop are limited to hauling minerals, but e.g. armed escorts with scoops would have to dance around a transport or colonizer as a separate fleet without merging.
** '''[http://wiki.starsautohost.org/wiki/No_Ram_Scoop_Engines No Ram Scoop Engines]''' LRT makes most scoops unavailable, which means greater dependence on big starbases (that developing colonies cannot build before dozens of turns) and later Fuel Export ships (expensive and fragile). Though can be compensated with '''Improved Fuel Efficiency''' LRT (it gives a weak scoop early on, and two of the best engines much later).
* [[Space Mines]]: Three types - Standard (the lowest safe speed limit), Heavy (greater damage and hit probability, but the highest safe speed) and Speed Bump (no damage, only stops ships, even greater hit chance). Minefields attack enemy ships traveling above certain warp speed and thus prevent a sudden invasion—an important part of the game. Ships equipped with Ramscoop engines suffer more damage; those that aren't tend to rely on fragile fuel transports, and since mines damage like missiles (Shields only absorb half), unarmored ships are killed easily. Most races can build only one standard mine dispenser, '''Inner Strength''' can also build the weakest Speed Bump, and '''Space Demolition''' have access to every typeall.
** '''[http://wiki.starsautohost.org/wiki/Space_Demolition Space Demolition]''' PRT specializes in mines and have everything related to mines improved. They have all types of dispensers, specialized minelayer hulls that double output of all mine dispensers, can drop mines on the run, have minefields double as scanners, and are much more capable both of surviving mine attacks and using their own mines offensively. They also use minefields as detection arrays—if used correctly, this makes sneaking up on them almost impossible: move fast and get blown up, or move slowly and be detected early. Or run into normal and heavy mines, have surviving ships stopped by speed traps and detected—unable to repair without blown up supply ships or even run away due to still being stuck in the middle of 3 overlapping fields. '''War Monger''' PRT can't build minelayers at all.
* [[Spiritual Successor]]: Very likely to be inspired by ''VGA Planets'' - it uses many of the same concepts, but has a competent AI.
* [[Starting Units]]: There are several hardcoded starting designs chosen depending on PRT and LRT.
** Starbases: Starbase - Space Station half-full of weak shields and lasers<ref>which means it can be beaten with impunity using wimpy starter torpedo, thanks to its greater range</ref>; '''Packet Physics''' has it equipped with mass driver and '''Interstellar Traveller''' with gate; "Accelerator Platform" orbital fort with mass driver on the 2nd planet for '''Packet Physics'''; "Porthole to Beyond" orbital fort with gate on the 2nd planet of '''Interstellar Traveller'''; "Starter Colony" empty orbital fort created when '''Alternate Reality''' race colonizes a planet<ref>help says Orbital Construction Module does this, but in fact standard Colonization Module does the same for AR, while OCM works like a normal CM for everyone else, and even shares its bug.</ref>
** Startbases are '''not''' upgraded to the available technologies, you'll have Starbase half full of lasers and starting shield, no matter what you can build.
** Ships: "Santa Maria" colony ship - everyone have one, except those with other colonizers: '''Alternate Reality''' ("Pinta" - the same, but with AR-specific colonizer module), '''Hyper Expansion''' (3x "Spore Cloud" mini colony ships) and '''Interstellar Traveller''' ("Mayflower" - exactly like "Santa Maria" except chosen picture, possibly at some point was intended to be something else). "Smaugarian Peeping Tom" basic scout; advanced scouts are downgraded to Peeping Tom if they don't meet tech level prerequisites. "Long Range Scout" - exactly like "Smaugarian Peeping Tom", except chosen picture. "Armed Probe" - scout with beam weapon (Weapons 3+, or downgraded to Peeping Tom). "Stalwart Defender" hybrid destroyer (Construction 3+). "Teamster" - medium freighter with <s>chain and ball</s> armor (Construction 3+). "Swashbuckler" - hybrid privateer (Construction 4+, or downgraded to Teamster). Shadow Transport ('''Super Stealth''' exclusive) - small freighter with shield and cloak. Shadow Sleuth ('''Super Stealth''', Electronics 5+, or downgraded to Peeping Tom) - scout with cloak. Gadfly mini-bomber ('''War Monger''', Construction 1+, Weapons 2+). Change of Heart orbital terraformer ('''Claim Adjuster''' exclusive). Little Hen and Speed Turtle mini-minelayers for normal and speed trap mines ('''Space Demolition''' exclusive). Cotton Picker - basic mini miner ('''Jack of All Trades''')- "Potato Bug" - midget miner (2x, '''Advanced Remote Mining''' exclusive). And hardcoded, but apparently [[Dummied Out|not used from v. 1.x]] "Lilliputian Freighter" - basic small freighter.
** Startbases are '''not''' upgraded to the available technologies, you'll have basic Starbase half full of lasers and starting shield, no matter what you can build. Ships are upgraded, but preserving narrow classes of components rather than filling slots with the "best" that fits: if you start with Tech Level 3-4-5 in all fields (with JoAT+IFE), "Stalwart Defender" destroyer (Beam Weapon and Torpedo) upgrades to better beam weapon and armor, but retains its mostly-useless starting torpedo; "Teamster" armored freighter with new scanner and better armor (which still slows it down to uselessness) in Armor/Shield slot, never shield; Armed Probe with better beam weapon and scanner, etc and all ships have your best engine (including Fuel Mizer scoop, if you have '''Improved Fuel Efficiency''').
* [[Tactical Rock-Paper-Scissors]]: The result: Missile Capships > Beamer Capships > Beamer Capships + Chaff > Missile Capships + Chaff > Missile Capships.
* [[Tech Level]]: 6 fields.
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* [[Wiki Rule]]: http://wiki.starsautohost.org/
* [[Worker Unit]]: Mining ships and freighters. And colonizers, of course, but they are single-use.
* [[You Require More Vespene Gas]]: In early game the bottleneck is Germanium (for factories and ships), later Ironium (mostly for ship hulls, armor and armormissiles). The green stuff is necessary for most weapons, but still almost always ends up piling up until lobbed at some unlucky planet as mineral packets or sold to Mysterious Traders.
 
 
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