Propulsion Systems

This page describes the various methods of getting a ship from one place to another. Includes:

Thruster Modules

Thruster Modules are the standard Propulsion System utilized by ships in StarMade, practically required on any ship greater than a couple of blocks in size. Although a core does provide a small amount of thrust, enough so that a core, on its own, is adequately agile, this small quantity of thrust quickly becomes negligible as ship size increases, and so any larger ship should be equipped with an adequate number of Thruster Modules.

Thruster Modules are used for short-range movement and maneuvering.

Jump Drive

The Jump Drive system enables a ship to rapidly "jump" a distance of up to 8 sectors. This process is not instantaneous - a jump takes approximately 5 seconds to complete. The Jump Drive must also be charged for a certain time before it can be activated.

A working Jump Drive system is composed of a Jump Drive Computer linked to at least one Jump Drive Module.

Combined with waypoint navigation, the Jump Drive is the usual way for advanced ships to get around in or between systems. With an average speed of more than one system per minute (depending on ship size and the amount of Jump Modules) it excels the normal thrusters in terms of mid- to long-range flights.

Detailed information on the operation of a Jump Drive system, including formulas for calculating the various numbers involved, can be found on the Jump Drive Computer page.

Warp Gate

Warp Gates are paired structures built in space as space stations (therefore fixed in position). When a ship enters one warp gate, it is teleported, or "warped", to the second warp gate. These warp gates must be within 128 sectors of each other. This equals a span of 8 systems.

Because of the fixed position, the main purpose of Warp Gates is the connection of certain sectors, for example the sectors claimed by one faction.

See Warp Gate Computer for more information.

Defensive Effects

Effects Systems, when unlinked to other systems, can provide defensive effects. In these cases, the effects are related to the movement of the ship. The Push Effect Computer and Pull Effect Computer, when used defensively, can provide a ship with short bursts of motion either forwards or backwards, respectively. The Stop Effect Computer will reduce the effect of a planet's gravity on a ship when it is active. The Overdrive Effect Computer increases a ship's maximum speed when active.

For information on the usage of these effects, see the Effects page.