Fleet
SMALL DEEP SPACE FREIGHTER
The small deep space freighter is not the best pic for anyone except for the Lizards with their 30x ground combat force. Likely candidate for colonization.
RU25 GUNBOAT
A modestly effective anti-probe defender. With a crew of 10 and a cargo of 1, there isn’t much else it can do for the Empire.
MIG CLASS SCOUT
On a mission of scouting, this ship wouldn’t be bad if the Empire didn’t have access to the PL21 probe. Considering all the advantages that the PL21 has over the Mig, you’re better off without the Mig.
PL21 PROBE
The eyes and ears of the Empire. With a HYP range of 1086 LY + 30 fuel remaining, this ship can cross the cluster in little time and gain information on every race but the Rebels. For moving money long distances, there is no better ship…well, except for the Firecloud.
H-ROSS CLASS LIGHTCARRIER
At one time prior to v3.2 Hosts, the fighter resupply and storage vessel of the Empire. Holding 120 fighters, this ship could station over a base storing fighters protecting the base from probes and awaiting the arrival of much more powerful carriers.
NEUTRONIC FUEL CARRIER
Build a few to refuel your ships at the edges of your empire. The usefulness of this ship depends on how rich the game is.
MEDIUM DEEP SPACE FREIGHTER
If you are playing in a game where many of the planets you find will not be worthwhile, you may want to build an MDSF (Medium Deep Space Freighter) so that you can scout out the good planets. Once the MDSF’s job of scouting has been finished, it can be colonized or put to use in small cargo transport. If you plan to colonize it you may choose to build a Smallie (Small Deep Space Freighter) instead.
MOSCOW STAR CLASS ESCORT
Marginally more effective in combat than the H-Ross and has just over 50% of the cargo space. Look elsewhere for warships.
SUPER STAR FRIGATE
The only torper/minelayer in the Imperial inventory. It is sadly crippled by the 80 cargo and the 102 crew. It is not a ship that fairs well in combat often being captured. But the EE MUST have this ship if they intend to survive in a game of exceptional players.
SUPER STAR CARRIER
Second only to the Gorbie in cargo capacity for the Empire’s war fleet, this ship is often a necessary evil for the empire. It is somewhat hampered by the low mass and low fuel tank. But don’t discount this carrier early in the game.
LARGE DEEP SPACE FREIGHTER
The Medium and Small are too small, the Super Transport is too big, but the LDSF feels just right. This is actually the ship to build.
SUPER STAR DESTROYER
A solid replacement to the H-Ross for fighter storage. The Imperial Assault capability of the SSD is the added bonus and terror weapon of the Empire. Instead of having a dozen or two dozen H-Ross, build SSD’s and when it comes time, you’ll have a large number of terror weapons at your disposal as well. Few opponents enjoy seeing a wide front attack of a dozen or so SSD’s.
SUPER STAR CRUISER
Think of the SS Cruiser as the SS Carrier on steroids. The addition of 2 beams and 210 fuel at the cost of 70 cargo is a more than fair trade. This ship can tackle any non-base world and makes a nice front for a Gorbie in some situations.
NEUTRONIC REFINERY SHIP
The neutronic refinery ship is a tech 9 ship with 10 engines and 1050 KT of cargo room. Fuel tank will hold 800 KT of fuel. The hull is very massive, 712 KT. The ship is armed with 6 beam weapons. This ship can produce up to 525 KT of fuel per turn.
SUPER TRANSPORT FREIGHTER
To big for most purposes. With tech 10 engines and the cost involved it is much easier to build a few Large Deep Space Freighters. But I like to call it “Starbase in a Box”. You decide.
GORBIE CLASS BATTLE CARRIER
Hands down the biggest carrier in the game. Sending in Gorbies in multiples is often enough to scare many enemies into states of babbling confusion! Able to take out any ship in the game and not heavily damaged by minefields. A well developed Empire will enjoy the advantages this ship offers.
MERLIN CLASS ALCHEMY SHIP
The Merlin Class Alchemy Ship is a tech 10 ship with 10 engines and 2700 KT of cargo room. The fuel tank can hold 450 KT of fuel. The ship’s hull has a mass of 920 KT, which makes it one of the largest ships in any fleet. The ship is armed with 8 beam weapons and costs 840 megacredits to build. The ship can produce a maximum of 900 KT of minerals per turn ( 300 KT duranium, 300 KT tritanium and 300 KT molybdenum ).