The Last Starship – Game Mechanics

Article covering game mechanics and systems. This can include objects that have significant game mechanics attached.

Ammo

Ammo is bought from traders or salvaged by Logistics Drones, and is required to use Weapons. All ammo loads the first round upon being placed on a weapon.

Bullets

• Bullets are used by Gatling Guns and come in stacks of 300.

Railgun Slugs

• Railgun Slugs are used by Railguns and come in stacks of 10.

Cannon Shells

• Cannon Shells are used by Cannons and come in stacks of 6.

Asteroid

Asteroids are stationary objects within Star Systems which can contain various Ores. They only appear in asteroid belts.

Ore is mined from asteroids by mining them with Mining Lasers and harvesting the mined ore with Logistics Drones.

Like asteroids, Ice Comets can be mined for ice.

Atmosphere

An oxygen-rich, CO2-poor atmosphere is required on all ships carrying a population. To create an atmosphere, an oxygen-generating system is required. The most basic of which is a Loader connected via pipes to an Airduct. However, players will likely want to set up a more advanced system.

A ship’s atmosphere can be split into multiple areas if walls and doors surround these areas. Open doors will cause the two atmospheres on either side to mix. The hull might rupture during combat, causing the atmosphere to escape into space. For this reason, it may be good practice to create a separate atmosphere for the Habitation Deck. Engines and weapons may be more likely targets for hostiles. Therefore, hull breaches may be more likely in those areas.

Civilian

A civilian is a member of the population who is not a crew member. They are generated as part of contracts, and are usually temporary occupants of your ship.

Civilians have the same life requirements as crew members, and are unable to wear spacesuits. Civilians will die in the habitation deck should oxygen levels in the main deck drop too low, CO2 or sewage levels get too high, or if there is not enough food and water in storage for a long span of time.

Upon boarding your ship, civilians will enter the habitation deck through the Ladder where they will remain until the contract that generated them is complete, at which time they will disembark your ship via a shuttle.

Colony

Colonies are Star Systems which are inhabited by a significant number of humans. Players can conduct Trade and engage with Contracts in star systems with colonies.

As the Void approaches a colony, the inhabitants will be increasingly likely to seek transport away from the star system. When the void has nearly consumed the colony, the colony will enter SOS, and many transport contracts will be created at a high price as the remaining population attempts to escape the anomaly.

Star Systems with colonies are more likely to have Shipyards, although many colonies do not.

All delivery and transport contracts are started and completed at colonies.

Crew Member

Crew Members perform all tasks assigned by the player, including building, moving cargo and changing fuel, oxygen, and deuterium containers.

The crew has the same survival requirements as civilians, except for being able to wear space suits in the absence of an oxygen atmosphere.

Derelict Ship

Derelict Ships are abandoned and often destroyed old ships which contain valuable salvage. Some pieces of equipment are only available by looting them from derelict vessels via logistics drones.

Derelict Ships are marked on the Sector Map.

FTL Jump

An FTL jump allows ships to travel between systems and sectors.

Before being able to perform an FTL jump, a ship requires a source of power, an FTL Drive, engines for aligning the ship, and fuel to power the FTL drive and engines.

Habitation Deck

The Habitation Deck is where crew and passengers live. It produces Sewage, which needs to be disposed of via a sewage system. For every nine squares of habitation, one cabin space is added. Habitation must be connected to the Main Deck with a Ladder to function.

The atmosphere passes into and out of the habitation deck via ladders. Walls built on the engineering deck extend into the habitation deck, meaning the habitation deck can be split into multiple atmospheres, so long as each section has a ladder for civilians to enter. Doors allow civilians to pass into other sections, but they seem to pass through the doors without activating them. If one section loses atmosphere, civilians will not automatically attempt to move to an adjacent section via a door. If they pass through a door to an adjacent section, the atmosphere does not equalize.

Ice Comet

Ice comets are moving comets made of ice that can be mined to gather Ice.

They seem to appear more commonly near and in asteroid fields. They change course and mass during mining. Ships do not collide with comets.

Ice can be processed into water using an Ice Grinder.

Main Deck

The Main Deck is the primary layer of the ship, and is where all equipment is placed and all resources are stored.

The main deck must be provided with an an oxygen-rich, CO2-poor atmosphere using airducts for long term survival.

Population

The population of a ship is the combination of civilians and crew members that reside on a ship, whether temporarily as part of a contract or permanently.

To survive, the population requires four things:

• An oxygen-rich, CO2-poor atmosphere
• 20 units of food each
• 4 units of water each
• The removal of sewage

The population will automatically use resources stored in tanks. When civilians die, crew members transport the bodies, and a shuttle arrives to pick them up.

Ratings

Ratings keep track of the player’s progress in various categories: Combat, Industry, Humanitarian, Logistics and Criminal.

As the player performs various actions, their ratings increase and open new opportunities for Contracts.

Shipyard

Shipyards are where Ships are created and modified. They are where additional ships can be added to your Fleet.

Star Systems with shipyards are more likely to have colonies, although many do not.

Wares

Usually shipyards sell ships of different Templates. It’s also possible to modify your ships by adding or removing different Construction Materials, such as:

• Habitation Deck
• Armour
• Scaffolding
• Interior
• Hull

Templates

At any given shipyard there are templates available for purchase. The selection is randomized, but one might find:

• Spindle
• Sleek Ship
• NewShip (a basic shell to start you off)
• Transport ship
• Hammerhead

Adding Templates

Steam Workshop ship hulls will be automatically added as shipyard templates if they meet the following criteria:

• $1M maximum value
• At least 1 docking port
• Less than 5 pieces of equipment, not including docking ports and doors
• There must not be any pipes, cables, resources, or crew.

Void

The void, sometimes referred to as the anomaly or the collapse, is a round blackness expanding from a collapsed star outwards into the universe.

Opinions on the void seem varied within humanity: some want to understand it and learn to counter it, some want to escape and focus on a nomadic existence, and others believe someone created it and should be brought to justice.

If the void overtakes the player, the game ends.

The void as seen in the main view.

The void as seen in the Sector Map.