Pre-alpha codex — written from the build in internal testing. Systems, numbers and features can change before launch. · Join the waitlist
Orbit Development
Zone bonuses plus orbit specialties, gated by the System Administration building.
Every settled orbit grants two bonuses at once: an automatic zone bonus based on its position, and a player-chosen specialty.
Zone bonus
Orbit index (0..8) determines the zone. Inner = hot/dense, Mid = habitable band, Outer = cold and resource-rich. The bonus activates the moment the orbit is settled — no further action needed.
| Zone | Orbits | Bonus per settled orbit |
|---|---|---|
| Inner (orbits 0–2) | 0, 1, 2 | +10% metal · +10% energy |
| Mid (orbits 3–5) | 3, 4, 5 | +10% population cap · +10% population growth |
| Outer (orbits 6–8) | 6, 7, 8 | +5% crystal · +10% aetherium · +10% research speed |
Body bonus
Each settled orbit also grants a tiny +1% based on what physically sits there: volcanic worlds and asteroid belts favor metal; desert, ice and barren worlds favor crystal; gas giants, shattered worlds and water worlds favor aetherium; terran worlds, jungles and stations on empty orbits favor habitation, which lifts food production and population growth together. Terraforming moves this bonus — a built station keeps its own.
Specialty
Once your system has a System Administration building (L1), each settled orbit can pick one specialty: a single-resource focus — Metal, Crystal, Aetherium, or Population. The cosmetic name of the orbit ("Mining Colony" vs. "Mining Rig" vs. "Refinery Station") depends on the orbit kind, but the mechanical bonus is the same.
| Specialty | Bonus per Level | On Planet | On Asteroid Belt | On Empty Orbit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal | +10% per level to metal production (cap +30% at L3) | Mining Colony | Mining Rig | Refinery Station | Stacks with the inner-zone metal bonus. |
| Crystal | +10% per level to crystal production (cap +30% at L3) | Crystal Works | Crystal Harvester | Crystal Refinery | Stacks with the outer-zone crystal bonus. |
| Aetherium | +10% per level to aetherium production (cap +30% at L3) | Aetherium Wells | Aetherium Siphon | Condenser Station | Stacks with the outer-zone aetherium bonus. |
| Population | +10% per level to population cap and growth (cap +30% at L3) | Habitat Colony | Belt Habitat | Habitat Ring | Works on every orbit kind, including asteroid belts (Belt Habitat). |
Specialty levels
Picking a specialty is free; deepening it costs resources from the system's own stockpile and grows alongside your System Administration building. You can re-roll an orbit to a different specialty whenever your plans change — the panel shows exactly what each step costs and grants.
Sub-orbits
Every system also has nine sub-orbits (moons and station extensions) distributed across the nine orbits. For now they inherit a share of their parent orbit's zone bonus.
Placement synergies
- Stack with the zone: Aetherium or Crystal specialties on outer orbits, Metal on inner orbits, Population on mid orbits — the zone bonus and the specialty add up on the same resource.
- Or complement it: put Population on an inner orbit to offset the hot zone's lack of habitability bonuses — every specialty is legal on every orbit.
- Develop Admin early: the System Administration building is the key to the whole layer — Admin L3 unlocks fully upgraded orbits everywhere in the system.