# Planetary Mechanics
## Planet Types & Descriptions
**Class M – Earth Type**
Thick Oxygen/Nitrogen atmosphere, gravity 0.7‑1.3 g. Fertile soil, good for Organics and Equipment, chemical elements favor Fuel Ore. Population grows well; over‑population can cause unrest.
**Class K – Desert Wasteland**
Thin atmosphere, gravity 0.5‑1.5 g. Hot, dry climate; excellent Fuel Ore, very poor Organics and Equipment. Requires specialized colonists; higher fatality rate.
**Class O – Oceanic**
Dense atmosphere, gravity 1.1‑1.8 g. No land mass; excellent Organics, poor Equipment, moderate Fuel Ore. Entire surface habitable with proper gear.
**Class L – Mountainous**
Thin atmosphere, gravity 1.0‑2.2 g. Wet climate; excellent Fuel Ore and Organics, limited Equipment. Requires colonist specialization.
**Class C – Glacial**
Extremely thin atmosphere, gravity 0.5‑1.7 g. Violent weather; low Organics, modest Fuel Ore and Equipment. Often used as prison colonies.
**Class H – Volcanic**
Extremely thin atmosphere, gravity 0.8‑2.6 g. Very hot, no soil; no Organics, excellent Fuel Ore, modest Equipment. High risk of colony loss.
**Class U – Vaporous/Gaseous**
Heavy to very thin atmosphere of helium/hydrogen, gravity 0.2‑8.0 g. Production impossible; only thin‑air colonies survive.
## Production Statistics
| Class | Fuel Ratio | Org Ratio | Eq Ratio | Max Colonists | Max Daily Fuel | Max Daily Org | Max Daily Eq | Max Fuel Planet | Max Org Planet | Max Eq Planet | Fighter Formula |
|-------|------------|-----------|----------|----------------|----------------|----------------|--------------|-----------------|----------------|----------------|-----------------|
| M (Earth) | 3 | 7 | 13 | 30,000 | 5,000 | 2,142 | 1,153 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | n/10 |
| K (Desert) | 2 | 100 | 500 | 40,000 | 10,000 | 200 | 40 | 200,000 | 50,000 | 10,000 | n/15 |
| O (Oceanic) | 20 | 2 | 100 | 200,000| 5,000 | 50,000| 1,000| 100,000 | 1,000,000| 50,000 | n/15 |
| L (Mountain) | 2 | 5 | 20 | 40,000 | 10,000| 4,000 | 1,000| 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000| n/12 |
| C (Glacial) | 50 | 100 | 500 | 100,000| 1,000 | 500 | 100 | 20,000 | 50,000 | 10,000 | n/25 |
| H (Volcanic) | 1 | – | 500 | 100,000| 50,000| 0 | 100 | 1,000,000| 10,000 | 100,000| n/50 |
| U (Vap/Gas) | – | – | – | 3,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | — |
*Maximum daily production occurs at **50 %** of the maximum colonist count.*
**Fighter Formula** expresses the number of colonists required to generate one fighter (e.g., **n/10** means 10 colonists → 1 fighter).
### Fig Factor Definition
The *Fig Factor* is the number of colonists needed to produce one fighter for each commodity type. It is derived directly from the “n/ x” values in the *Fighter Formula* column.
## Citadel Advancement Requirements
Citadel levels progress from 0 (no defenses) to 6 (Interdictor Generator). The tables list total colonists, required product amounts, and turn cost for each level. Values correspond to default settings (Gold extensions disabled).
### Class M – Earth Type
| Level | Total Colonists | Fuel (F/O) | Org (Org) | Eq (Equ) | Days |
|-------|-----------------|-----------|-----------|----------|------|
| 1 | 1,000 | 300 | 200 | 250 | 4 |
| 2 | 2,000 | 200 | 50 | 250 | 4 |
| 3 | 4,000 | 500 | 250 | 500 | 5 |
| 4 | 6,000 | 1,000 | 1,200 | 1,000 | 10 |
| 5 | 6,000 | 300 | 400 | 1,000 | 5 |
| 6 | 6,000 | 1,000 | 1,200 | 2,000 | 15 |
### Class K – Desert Wasteland
| Level | Total Colonists | Fuel (F/O) | Org (Org) | Eq (Equ) | Days |
|-------|-----------------|-----------|-----------|----------|------|
| 1 | 1,000 | 400 | 300 | 600 | 6 |
| 2 | 2,400 | 300 | 80 | 400 | 5 |
| 3 | 4,400 | 600 | 400 | 650 | 8 |
| 4 | 7,000 | 700 | 900 | 800 | 5 |
| 5 | 8,000 | 800 | 400 | 1,000 | 4 |
| 6 | 7,000 | 700 | 900 | 1,600 | 8 |
### Class O – Oceanic
| Level | Total Colonists | Fuel (F/O) | Org (Org) | Eq (Equ) | Days |
|-------|-----------------|-----------|-----------|----------|------|
| 1 | 1,400 | 500 | 200 | 400 | 6 |
| 2 | 2,400 | 200 | 50 | 300 | 5 |
| 3 | 4,400 | 600 | 400 | 650 | 8 |
| 4 | 7,000 | 700 | 900 | 800 | 5 |
| 5 | 8,000 | 300 | 400 | 1,000 | 4 |
| 6 | 7,000 | 700 | 900 | 1,600 | 8 |
### Class L – Mountainous
| Level | Total Colonists | Fuel (F/O) | Org (Org) | Eq (Equ) | Days |
|-------|-----------------|-----------|-----------|----------|------|
| 1 | 400 | 150 | 100 | 150 | 2 |
| 2 | 1,400| 200 | 50 | 250 | 5 |
| 3 | 3,600| 600 | 250 | 700 | 5 |
| 4 | 5,600| 1,000| 1,200| 1,000| 8 |
| 5 | 7,000| 300 | 400 | 1,000| 5 |
| 6 | 5,600| 1,000| 1,200| 2,000| 12 |
### Class C – Glacial
| Level | Total Colonists | Fuel (F/O) | Org (Org) | Eq (Equ) | Days |
|-------|-----------------|-----------|-----------|----------|------|
| 1 | 1,000 | 400 | 300 | 600 | 5 |
| 2 | 2,400 | 300 | 80 | 400 | 5 |
| 3 | 4,400 | 600 | 400 | 650 | 7 |
| 4 | 6,600 | 700 | 900 | 700 | 5 |
| 5 | 9,000 | 300 | 400 | 1,000| 4 |
| 6 | 6,600 | 700 | 900 | 1,400| 8 |
### Class H – Volcanic
| Level | Total Colonists | Fuel (F/O) | Org (Org) | Eq (Equ) | Days |
|-------|-----------------|-----------|-----------|----------|------|
| 1 | 800 | 500 | 300 | 600 | 4 |
| 2 | 1,600| 300 | 100 | 400 | 5 |
| 3 | 4,400| 1,200| 400 | 1,500| 8 |
| 4 | 7,000| 2,000| 2,000| 2,500|12 |
| 5 |10,000| 3,000| 1,200| 2,000| 5 |
| 6 | 7,000| 2,000| 2,000| 5,000|18 |
### Class U – Vaporous/Gaseous
| Level | Total Colonists | Fuel (F/O) | Org (Org) | Eq (Equ) | Days |
|-------|-----------------|-----------|-----------|----------|------|
| 1 | 3,000 | 1,200 | 400 | 2,500 | 8 |
| 2 | 3,000 | 300 | 100 | 400 | 4 |
| 3 | 8,000 | 500 | 500 | 2,000 | 5 |
| 4 | 6,000 | 500 | 200 | 600 | 5 |
| 5 | 8,000 | 200 | 200 | 600 | 4 |
| 6 | 6,000 | 500 | 200 | 1,200 | 8 |
> **Note:** Citadel construction proceeds sequentially; each level builds on the previous one and adds the listed defenses.
## Fighter Production Formula
*(The source material does not define an additional formula beyond the “n/ x” values already presented in the production tables.)*
## Base Discovery
**Key Concepts**
- **Zero‑Turn Mapping (ZTM)** – Perform a comprehensive ZTM on day 1 to acquire an accurate map of all warps.
- **Dead‑End Identification** – Extract sectors with no outgoing warps from the ZTM; these are the most likely base locations.
- **Ether Probes** – Deploy ether probes to each dead end. Record which probes are destroyed; add those sectors to an *avoid list* and re‑probe after updating the list.
- **Avoid List Sharing** – Exchange avoid lists with allies to prevent redundant probe loss.
- **CIM Port Scan** – After probing, run a CIM script to capture visible ports for later reference.
**Typical Discovery Workflow**
1. Execute a full ZTM on the first turn.
2. Generate a list of dead‑end sectors (`dead_ends.txt`).
3. Within 3–4 days, send ether probes to every sector in `dead_ends.txt`.
4. For each destroyed probe, add the sector to `avoid.txt` and re‑probe the target dead end.
5. If a probe cannot find a path within **X** hops, log the sector for manual inspection later.
6. Once all dead ends are probed, optionally probe all remaining unexplored sectors if credits allow.
7. Run a CIM script to save the current port visibility (`ports_snapshot.txt`).
**Macro for Automated Fighter Clearing**