The Analysis of Infinite Space, Part 3: Interstellar Drives and Sublight Thrusters
This is a continuation of my analysis of starships and equipment in Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars, but for the first time, I will be describing something which is of no use in combat but is vital for interstellar travel. Specifically, while interstellar drives do not affect movement speed in combat, they determine how quickly your flotilla can traverse the vast distances between stars, which may include a nebula. Although normally your flotilla can only travel at the speed of light through a nebula, some star drives can negate this fact altogether. Sublight thrusters, on the other hand, affect a ship's acceleration, maximum combat speed, and maneuverability.
The top six images of the ten shown above are of standard star drives. While they do not work well in nebulae, they always function normally in normal space. From top to bottom, they offer increasingly greater vacuum speeds. The last two of these are sought after since they are the fastest drives in normal space, so it will certainly be worth the effort obtaining them. The bottom four are of special star drives; the first three offer increasingly greater travel speeds through a nebula, and the last one (the Hyperdrive) will cause a whole year to elapse when it is engaged, regardless of the distance to the destination. As such, you will need the last three of these later in the game; you will eventually have to fly through a nebula, or go to a very distant star system, and the only way to do this is to use these drives.
In addition, when you have multiple capital ships in your flotilla, star drives are more effective when assigned to larger ships. For example, in a flotilla containing three corvettes and one frigate, any high-end drives will be more effective when assigned to the frigate due to its greater mass. A hyperdrive will significantly increase the travel time, however, and as such it is best used on smaller ships, preferably Ripcord O'Reilly's fighter, if you can find it; it is the smallest ship with any room for an interstellar drive.
In short, precise knowledge of star drives and ship sizes is required to explore the whole of Sector Prime in the shortest amount of time, given that the more powerful star drives (except for the hyperdrive) are most efficient when installed on larger ships.
Sublight thrusters, on the other hand, determine a ship's maneuverability, acceleration and top speed during combat. Unlike star drives, thrusters are most efficient when placed on smaller ships. A fast thruster on a big ship will thus provide average top speed and agility (at best), while a fast thruster on a small ship will make it so fast and agile that enemy fire will rarely be a threat if your micromanagement is good enough.
The screenshots above are of the four most commonly available thrusters in the game. Chemical Rocket, Pulse Detonation and Nuclear Plasma thrusters are the cheapest of the seven types available, specializing in thrust, agility and speed respectively, but are the least effective and should be replaced as soon as possible. The latter also has the additional drawback of providing less thrust and agility than any other thruster - it is basically the opposite of the other two in terms of statistics. On the other hand, Fusion Tube thrusters are well-balanced, with an emphasis on agility, and are very useful up until the middlegame. The next three screenshots are of the "elite" thrusters, which are more expensive but provide higher speeds.
The last two "elite" thrusters also drastically increase thrust and agility. However, the Ion Impulse thruster is best seen as an improved version of the Nuclear Plasma thruster, with better agility and an even greater top speed. The Reactionless thruster, on the other hand, is basically a Quantum Corkscrew thruster turned up to 11 (and that thruster is effectively an enhanced Fusion Tube thruster); both are especially effective on corvettes and scouts, as well as being surprisingly useful when assigned to a Garthan frigate, which has a higher sublight travel speed than other ships of similar size. Therefore, correct selection of thrusters for various ship types is a must if you are to improve and fully utilize their combat effectiveness.
In short, understanding the relationship between ship size, sublight speed and interstellar travel speed is essential not only to fully exploring Sector Prime before the deadline, but also for maximizing your ships' mobility during combat.
In short, precise knowledge of star drives and ship sizes is required to explore the whole of Sector Prime in the shortest amount of time, given that the more powerful star drives (except for the hyperdrive) are most efficient when installed on larger ships.
Sublight thrusters, on the other hand, determine a ship's maneuverability, acceleration and top speed during combat. Unlike star drives, thrusters are most efficient when placed on smaller ships. A fast thruster on a big ship will thus provide average top speed and agility (at best), while a fast thruster on a small ship will make it so fast and agile that enemy fire will rarely be a threat if your micromanagement is good enough.
The screenshots above are of the four most commonly available thrusters in the game. Chemical Rocket, Pulse Detonation and Nuclear Plasma thrusters are the cheapest of the seven types available, specializing in thrust, agility and speed respectively, but are the least effective and should be replaced as soon as possible. The latter also has the additional drawback of providing less thrust and agility than any other thruster - it is basically the opposite of the other two in terms of statistics. On the other hand, Fusion Tube thrusters are well-balanced, with an emphasis on agility, and are very useful up until the middlegame. The next three screenshots are of the "elite" thrusters, which are more expensive but provide higher speeds.
The last two "elite" thrusters also drastically increase thrust and agility. However, the Ion Impulse thruster is best seen as an improved version of the Nuclear Plasma thruster, with better agility and an even greater top speed. The Reactionless thruster, on the other hand, is basically a Quantum Corkscrew thruster turned up to 11 (and that thruster is effectively an enhanced Fusion Tube thruster); both are especially effective on corvettes and scouts, as well as being surprisingly useful when assigned to a Garthan frigate, which has a higher sublight travel speed than other ships of similar size. Therefore, correct selection of thrusters for various ship types is a must if you are to improve and fully utilize their combat effectiveness.
In short, understanding the relationship between ship size, sublight speed and interstellar travel speed is essential not only to fully exploring Sector Prime before the deadline, but also for maximizing your ships' mobility during combat.
