Combat and pirates
Ambushes, pulse lasers, shield and hull, pirate bounties and insurance.
Pirates hunt ships with cargo far from stations. The lower a system’s security, the more often they attack.
Ambushes
Every 25 seconds of flight outside station zones the game checks whether you get intercepted:
| System security | Chance | Group size |
|---|---|---|
| High (Kyrin, Ilex) | 3% | 1–2 |
| Moderate (Vesper, Tarn, Morrow) | 10% | 1–2 |
| Low (Sable) | 30% | 2–3 |
With an empty hold the chance is three times lower. There are no ambushes near stations. You can break away from pirates at 9 km or leave with a hyperspace jump.
Your weapons
Twin pulse lasers, firing while you hold Space.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Rate of fire | ~7 shots/s |
| Damage | 7 per shot |
| Range | 1.6 km |
| Heat | +7 per shot, cooling 24/s |
At heat 100 the guns lock until they cool down to 35. Fire in bursts.
Defence
- Shield (100) takes damage first. It regenerates 5 points per second if nothing hits you for 5 seconds.
- Hull (100) can only be repaired at a station.
Shield hits light the screen edges blue, hull hits light them red and shake the camera.
Pirates
- Shield 30, hull 45, speed up to 260 m/s.
- They make attack runs, break off at 300 m and turn around for another pass.
- They fire when you are in their sights within 1.3 km. Each hit takes 1.5 points. Lateral movement and distance reduce their chance to hit.
- They are marked on screen with red diamonds and their distance.
The Frontier Authority pays 180 CR for every pirate destroyed and adds +1 reputation.
Insurance
If your ship is destroyed, the insurer issues a new one in the dock of the station where you last docked. The cargo is lost and the active contract fails. The fee is 500 CR, or all your credits if you have less.