Stars' Empire

1.1. What is "Stars' Empire"?
This is a real-time on-line space strategy game. You are the Lord of the planet and by developing your world you can extend your influence to other planets and confront your rivals. Diplomacy, tactics, development, strategy and choice of allies are of great importance in the game. The great range of opportunities and the additions to the game make it one of the best around at the moment.

1.2. On whose behalf to play?
In the game you have the opportunity to play for a number of different races be it Plasmoids, Insectoids, Humanoids or Silicoids. Each race has its specific features: the Silicoids have an advantage in construction, the Insectoids - in population, the Plasmoids - in science, and Humanoids have a little of everything.

1.3. I didn’t receive the account activation link to my e-mail - why?
Please see p. 15.1.

1.4. How to get a new access code?
Please see p. 15.4.

1.5. I registered recently. What do I need to do first?
The first things you need to develop are: Raw Materials Base (to get materials), Solar Power Plant (to generate power) and Helium Isotope Separator (since helium-3 is required for the development of other units). You'll find all these items on Construction page.

1.6. What should I do at initial stages - concentrate inwards or make an effort to expand to a second planet?
Any civilization starts with its development on the main planet: Raw Materials Base, Helium Isotope Separator, Solar Power Plant, High-rise Building Construction, Industrial Complex and Revenue are critical for your development.

1.7. What is the meaning of the four icons on the top of the page?
From left to the right: Materials, Helium, Power and Population.

1.8. What is the meaning of the VIP icon next to my rating on the Main page?
The VIP membership is a 30 days subscription. It allows you to benefit of discounts on trade commissions, and also to unload cargo on foreign planets. Initially you get VIP membership as a registration bonus, after 30 days you may extend it for a fee.

1.9. How to extend my VIP membership?
Enter Settings section, click on "extend VIP membership" and chose a payment option - IC or bonuses.

1.10. Do I have to pay for playing?
No, the browser part of the game is free to play and includes all available game features, except for enhanced map options. For your own comfort you may subscribe for a downloadable full options map, which becomes available for a small subscription fee. As an option you may exchange e-money (PayPal, Monaybookers, AlertPay, WM) or credit card money (VISA, American Express, Master Card etc.) to imperial credits (IC) in order to speed up the development. You can also gain imperial credits by selling goods and services. You can buy goods and services for imperial credits or exchange them to your planet's currency.

Back to top

2. GENERAL QUESTIONS

2.1. How many worlds are in the game?
The game has 4 worlds - 2 of them are Russian, and 2 are English: one separate world contains the Humanoids, the Insectoids and the Silicoids, and the other is for Plasmoids. The English and the Russian galaxies are interconnected, and the flights between them are performed by means of hyperspace gates.

2.2. What makes the alliance rating go up and what can the founder and the members do to raise it?
Alliance rating is a cumulative rating of its members, the amount of their resources, ships, and the level of their science and construction. However, a certain formula won't be provided since it determines players to raise "artificially" their rating.

2.3. What is the meaning of the different colors on Statistics page?
The different colors mean the race affiliation:

Green - Humanoids

Red - Plasmoids

Blue - Silicoids

Yellow - Insectoids

2.4. Orbital dock and orbital base - are these one and the same, or different things?
These are two different things. The orbital dock is the place where ships are designed and assembled. An orbital base is a hyperspace gate.

2.5. What does it mean l.y. and p.u.?
Light Years and Planetary Units - these are distance units upon interstellar and planetary flights accordingly. For example, these unit measures are taken into account in fuel consumption formulas.

2.6. What military ranks are available in the game? How to get military rank?
Military rank is gained in battles. The following military ranks are available in the game:

1-Recruit

2-Master

3-Sir

4-Squire

5-Warrior

6-Commander

7-Baron

8-Lord

9-Warlord

10-Viscount

11-Count

12-Earl

13-Prince

14-King

15-Emperor

16-Elite

2.7. What can be attacked in the game? Are there any requirements for attacking? What is "newbies protection"?
You can attack other players and you can also be attacked in the outer space if your rating is above 1000. Before rating 1000 the player's fleet and his system is under "newbies protection". The planets in the newbies' systems cannot be destroyed until the player reaches the rating 5000. You cannot attack another player if the difference between his/her military rank and yours exceeds 6 points, except for the situations when both parties have declared war on each other. Ships boarding is possible only if the player’s rating is above 2000.

2.8. What can be lost in an attack? What can be damaged?
In case your ships are attacked you can lose the ships, their commanders, and all the cargo. In case your hypergate is attacked and destroyed, you may lose its population and all the stuff on it, including materials, helium etc. At this moment the only you can't lose is the stuff on your own planet, except for population, ships and weapon emplacements.

2.9. Why the item disappeared from the list?
The item disappears from the list when you develop it up to the maximum level. Polymetal disappears when you reach the rating 1000.

2.10. What advantages does an official alliance bring as opposed to just an informal agreement between players to cooperate?

- You have a common "bank" with the other members of the Alliance.

- If you are the Founder you will receive 30 IC from each new member that joined your alliance and you may also tax the alliance members.

- Your ship may "hang" in the orbit of another member's planet. If you're not a member, your ship automatically returns home.

- You can't attack members of the alliance during the battle.

2.11. How to create an alliance?
Enter the Diplomacy section and click on "Create alliance". The fee for alliance foundation is 10000 IC.

2.12. What are the requirements to enter an alliance?
In order to enter an alliance go to Diplomacy section, type the name of the alliance you intend to join in the corresponding box and click "Enter the alliance". The fee to enter an alliance is 50 IC.

2.13. How to address a private message to another player?
Enter Diplomacy section and click "Compose a message". You can also answer a message by clicking on the name of the sender.

2.14. How to communicate with other players if I don’t speak their language?
You can use one of the following links to free translation tools:

http://dictionary.reference.com/translate/text.html

http://www.online-translator.com/text.asp?lang=en
You can also put a translation request on our forum at http://forum.stars-empire.com. In such cases we use to offer translation support a.s.a.p.

2.15. How to use the online translation tools if I get the Russian messages transliterated?
Enter the Settings page and switch to Russian. Then check the messages box again.

2.16. Where to look for the complete requirements for Construction, Science and other items?
Check the Technologies section. The requirements are also contained in items' description.

2.17. I cannot change the parameters on Settings page. I edit my info then click “submit”, but nothing changes. Is it a glitch?
Please, read carefully the footnote on the Settings page – you have to enter your access code in the corresponding field for the changes to take place.

2.18. What parameters influence pirate rating? I have successfully used gravity interference generators several times and have plundered at least 5 fleets lately, but my pirate rating has remained unchanged.
Pirate rating is calculated based on the weight of stolen items.

2.19. I can’t develop further any construction or science – it says "This planet has reached its development limit" - why? What can I do in such cases?
The game balance is designed in such a way, that you cannot develop all the constructions and sciences on the same planet. You have to colonize another planet for future development. Take note that on a new planet you’ll have to develop all the construction and science from the scratch.

2.20. I have bought license X and have built the License Factory, but after a while I decided to give up on license X and buy another one. In order to stop license X activity I have demounted my License Factory, but the license keeps operating and making purchases. How can I get rid of license X?
Be careful when purchasing a license. This is a strategic step in the game. When the costruction of the License Factory will get finished and the license will be activated, you will no longer be able to cancel the license. The license is removed only in case of hypergate dismantlement or destruction.

2.21. Who are the Forerunners and why are we trying to find them?
The Forerunners are a mythological race that existed long before the playing races appeared. Nobody knows where did they come from and where they disappeared to. The known coordinates of the Forerunners hyperspace gate (666:5) allows reaching a galaxy sector, which is populated by Plasmoids, by flying less than 300 l.y. The straight-line distance between sectors is 40 000 l.y.!

2.22. The requirements for technology discovery are: race Forerunners; how to gain access to their technologies?
Only through artifacts research! Generally you need an artifact searching module that has to be mounted on the ship. The ship is directed to an unsettled planet or to an asteroid field (including radioactive asteroid fields). After a time the ship will find an artifact. Transport the artifact to a planet having a level 6 academy of science and unload it. In the Science menu the explore artifact option will appear. Explore the artifact and you'll receive either the Forerunners technology, or a nuclear explosion - that's just the luck of the draw.

2.23. I found a bug in the game and reported it on the forum, but there is no response from the game developers!
In such case it is advisable to contact our technical support directly at imperz-help@ya.ru. In specific cases it may take some time before the bug is fixed. Please be patient.

Back to top

3. RESOURCES

3.1. What is titanite, arselil and maniron? How to collect them?
These are minerals that are required for the construction of most accessories, ships and other stuff. They are mined automatically on your main planet but supplies of these rare materials will eventually be exhausted. They can be found by processing asteroids.

3.2. What is the maximum amount of platforms on a planet?
The maximum "net" amount of platforms on a planet is 255.

3.3. What is the maximum amount of materials/helium that can be stored on a planet without additional units (depots)?
The maximum amount of materials/helium-3 stored on a planet is 10000. Each level of depot adds 5000 to the storage capacity.

3.4. Does planet ageing affect power generation?
No. Planet ageing phenomenon affects only the amount of generated materials and helium.

3.5. Why do I need population on a planet?
Population is required for construction, researching and for assembling ships and accessories. The size of your population influences the amount of income in local currency (the greater is the number, the larger is the income) that you generate each hour.

3.6. On what is depending population growth?
Mainly it depends on two factors:

1. The number of platforms on your planet - This random on the main planet, but you may choose the number when you colonize a new planet from scratch.

2. The level of Health care - this is the most important factor. The higher the level, the faster the growth.

3.7. How to increase population?
You may increase population by researching Health care (Science), by developing High-rise building construction (Construction) and by colonizing other planets.

3.8. My population indicates the following numbers: 57/96 - what does it mean?
This means that your current population is 57. The maximum allowed number is 96.

3.10. Cryonic station and cryocapsules - what are these for?
The cryonic station is used to build cryocapsules - capsules with frozen people inside. These are used to regenerate your population.

3.11. Upon every next level of development +5 to population requires more and more power. What is the relationship between power consumption and population?
The higher your population the more energy each new population requires. It's an exponential relationship between them.

3.12. Is power conservation available in the game?
No. You cannot preserve the power. I.e. the numbers 115/615 under the power icon indicate the following: 115 - the excess of power you have for the moment, 615 - maximum available amount that you can produce.

3.13. Is Raw materials base the only way to increase the amount of materials?
You can also increase the amount of materials by processing asteroids. To process them you have to mount an asteroid processor module on a ship and to compose the appropriate flight plan. See also p. 8.5.

3.14. How to manufacture polymetals and what they are used for?
Polymetal is used for building items, requiring the Forerunners' technologies. In order to manufacture them you have to research Polymetal science and develop Ship accessories factory. Also see p. 2.9.

3.15. What are asteroid fields used for?
Asteroid fields are a great source of resources (materials, minerals and helium) and can be mined means of converter ships. For that you have to study the transporter hull and the asteroid processing module. You will also need to research engines, otherwise your ship won't leave the orbit. See also p. 8.5.

3.16. What is the meaning of the radiation sign on asteroid fields?
These are special asteroid fields, which recover over time and can also grow larger. The collateral effect of this process is radiation, which damages the hull of the ship operating in the field. The damage is quite insignificant, but constant, so take care!

3.17. Do asteroid fields regenerate?
The regular asteroid fields don't regenerate. Only radiation asteroid fields can regenerate.

3.18. What happens when launching a hypergate near a radioactive asteroid field?
The radioactive asteroid field becomes a regular one and stops growing.

3.19. What happens to an asteroid field when it increases considerably?

When the field increses up to 3000000 or more the matter collapses and a vacuum planet is created.

3.20. What is the difference between imperial currency (IC) and local currency (by default - C$)?

1. The imperial currency allows you to buy goods and resources at the shopping centre. Moreover, it is used for large research projects (i.e. terraforming) and accessories (terraformer and colonizer).

2. The local currency is used for construction, researches, assembling of accessories and spaceships on planets and hyperspace gates.
Think of it like this, you can pay the workers on your planet with C$, but if you need anything major build, or need to trade with others, you use IC.

3.21. What is the meaning of "gross product"? Who/what is involved in its production?
The gross product is the aggregate expression of all the work performed by planet population. So it involves your entire population. The lack of power also decreases the amount of generated income.

3.22. How to increase the amount of local currency? How to increase taxes?
To increase the amount of local currency increase your population, so you can tax them, and develop the Revenue science, this improves financial management and brings you more money.

3.23. Is it possible to increase taxes through Distribution?
You may increase taxes through Distribution, but this applies only during construction and research. When nothing is under development even if taxes are set to "0", the gross product that isn't spent in branches is automatically charged to taxes.

3.24. How to gain IC in the game?
You may earn ICs by selling goods and services on the market. These can be materials, minerals, or even local currency. You just have to make your bid in the corresponding Trade section.

3.25. How to collect artifacts and how to research them?
Artifacts can be found on asteroid fields, and are collected by ships provided with archeological modules. Artifacts can be found on regular asteroid fields in a small amount, and in a greater amount on radiation asteroid fields. For artifact research Academy of Science lvl. 6 is required.

3.26. What do I need to start manufacturing ergopacks?
Power Converter is required for ergopacks manufacture. Power Converters are built on hyperspace gates.

Back to top

4. CONSTRUCTION

4.1. On what depends the construction speed?
It depends on the following factors:

- the number of population;

- the development level of the Industrial Complex;

- the level of the commander entrusted with planet management.

4.2. If I have a lvl. 5 Raw Material Base and I click "Disassemble" - will it degrade to level 4 or it will disassemble entirely? Also in this case the population number is increasing. Is this increase above the maximum allowed level or within these limits?
In will degrade to level 4. Population growth is +5 above the maximum allowed level. Therefore we suggest you to decrease population beforehand if the available power is limited.

4.3. Does the Industrial Complex accelerate construction? I increased the level, but the timing for the Fusion Power Plant and the Orbital Dock remained the same - 1 hour.
The process of developing large machine production accelerates the construction of advanced structures. Advanced structures have a level above 1.

4.4. How to demolish structures that have been developed at maximum? They seem to be unavailable.
Through Technologies section.

4.5. If the maximum amount of materials stored on a planet without requiring a depot is 10000, than why the red numbers indicate overload when I have a Large Materials Depot lvl. 2?
Don't forget about the materials put on sale. These are stored on your planet until picked up for delivery.

4.6. I have developed Solar Power Plant up to lvl. 5 and researched Living Module lvl. 1, but I still can't build it. What is wrong?
The Living module is built on hyperspace gates (see also p. 2.4.).

4.7. I've developed Helium Isotope Separator up to lvl. 8 and the Power Converter in the Technologies section turned green, but it didn't appear on the Construction page - why?
Power Converter is raised only on orbital bases. You need a Hyperspace gate in order to build it. See also p. 2.4.

4.8. Some structures unlock certain technology paths. What happens if I build a structure to unlock a technology path and then disassemble it?
For example if you develop Light laser up to lvl. 5 and gain the Kinetic gun technology and develop it, then by disassembling the Light laser, you will keep the already developed Kinetic gun, but you won't be able to develop it further.

Back to top

5. SCIENCE

5.1. What are the requirements for science development?
You need to develop the Academy of Science.

5.2. On what depends the research speed of a new science?
The speed of researching a new science depends on the following factors:

- the level of the Academy of Science;

- the number of population;

- the planet commander, if he has a bonus in science development;

- the race you're playing for.

5.3. I've started to research a new science, and I have the required amount of materials, population, helium-3, money etc., but it says "Stopped" and I can't activate anything else on this page - why?
Go to the Distribution section and set 100% of gross product and power for Science.

5.4. How much space the climate Control adds?
Each level of Climate Control adds from 10 to 30 platforms, depending on the planet dimension. This doesn't apply to artificially created planets.

5.5. Does the development of the Cold Nuclear Fusion science influence the development of Fusion Power Plant?
No. It only opens the path for new technologies, but has no influence on Fusion Power Plant.

Back to top

6. ACCESSORIES

6.1. What do I need to start assembling accessories?
You need Ship Accessories Factory. Check the Technologies section for requirements.

6.2. I have researched Astrophysics, Remote Observation and Espionage, and Exploring Probe science, but I still can't build it. What else do I need?
You also need an Orbital Dock - the place where all the ships are assembled, includng the probes. Check the Technologies section for requirements.

6.3. I've built an archeological module - how to use it?
Mount it on a ship and in the flight plan will appear the search option. You can search on asteroid fields.

6.4. Whenever I have more than one ship in a fleet with an archeological ship, the dig time goes from 1 hour to 6 hours, even if the second ship is another arch ship. Is this proper behavior?
It is reasonable to assign to the fleet only one ship equipped with archeological modules. Taking into account that the amount of artifacts in the galaxy is limited, it was designed as a measure which should ensure equal artifact searching opportunities for all the players.

6.5. I am playing for the X race - can I use other race's engines? What about weapons and armor?
You can use any of them without limitations. Any stuff created within the game has no racial background. This does not apply to technologies; they can be discovered only by the races to which they are available.

6.6. What is Terraforming used for?
It transforms the atmosphere into your population's native atmosphere for subsequent colonization.

6.7. If I colonize a new planet, do I need to research all the basic items in order to build the advanced ones?
When colonizing a new planet you have to research and develop everything from the very beginning.

6.8. How many levels of anti-radiation cover can be mounted on a ship?
There is no point to mount more than lvl. 6, since the maximum radiation absorbed is 90%.

6.9. What does a Ship Radar?
The Ship Radar allows gathering information about fleets.

Lvl. 1 - the level shows fleet ownership

Lvl. 2 - additional: ship type

Lvl. 3 - additional: freight

Lvl. 4 - additional: engines and modules

Lvl. 5 - additional: weapon and defense.
The Ship radar lvl. 16 breaks the maximum level of radio-optical masking (lvl. 15). The Targons' radio-optical masking may exceed the maximum known level, and cannot be broken by any ship radar.

Back to top

7. TRADING

7.1. What do I need to start trading?
To start trading you have to build a Galactic shopping center. Check the "Technologies" section for requirements.

7.2. How to sell/buy currency?
Go to "Trade", then "currency". On the left you'll see people who want to buy local currency and who are willing to pay IC for it. You enter a bid for sale and if the price is right the system will match your order against someone’s buy order, also being taken into account the closest buy order location on the star map. You can then sell your local currency to gain IC almost instantly. But currency is sold only within a range of 300 l.y. from your Galactic Trade Center.

7.3. How to sell/buy materials, goods, helium-3, ergopacks etc. in the game?
At the bottom of each section there is some input fields. In the dropdown list, choose what you want to sell, "Quantity" is how much of it you want to sell. And finally you enter your desired price. Hit the button just below and voila, you have created a sell order for all to see. For purchase you have to choose the bid you're interested in, and indicate on the right the amount of items you want to buy, and then click the "Purchase" button next to the box.

7.4. Is there a limit for the number of bids? What about the amount of items in a bid?
You can make only one bid per item. Only local currency amount has a limit per bid - up to 20 000 C$.

7.5. Terms and price of cargo delivery
There are three options of cargo delivery:

- automatically by your merchant fleet;

- by means of your guided fleet (other than merchant fleet);

- by means of the Seller's / Buyer's fleet (in case you don't have your own available fleet);
You must also have the VIP status in order to deliver and unload cargo on another player's planet. The price for cargo delivery can be set in your Merchant fleet's options.

7.6. One of my sale bids has won and I have the VIP status, however the system has charged a 20% tax instead f 7%. Please fix the error!
Your membership status is accounted at the moment you place the bid in trade. If you had no VIP status when you placed the sale bid in trade, the tax will amount 20% regardless of your status at the moment the bid has won.

7.7. I bought some items and paid them. Then I wrongly canceled the shipment. Now I haven't neither items nor money. Is that regular?
The warning under the shipment cancellation option states:
In case of shipment cancelation its cost and conveyance fee are withheld
It means that:

if the Buyer decides to cancel the purchase/shipment the purchase price will be kept by the Seller;

if a player conveys stuff to another player on ex-works terms and the recipient decides to cancel the shipment, the sender will lose the conveyance fee and will keep the stuff.

7.8. I have bought X goods and have ordered their delivery be means of the merchant’s trade fleet. I have got a system message stating that the merchant’s fleet has accepted the delivery, but it’s flight will last 2 weeks. It’s far too long and it doesn’t fit my plans; I’d rather prefer to refuse this delivery and order the goods at some other merchant, but I know I’ll lose all the money I’ve spent for the purchase. What should I do now?
Before you order goods delivery by means of the seller’s trade fleet we strongly suggest you to contact the seller and make sure he/she has an available trade fleet of appropriate configuration.

7.9. How to set up a merchant fleet?
Enter the "Trade" section and check the merchant fleet settings under the trade menu. You can assign any available ship from the warehouse to your trade fleet. Each trade fleet is assigned to a specific Galactic Trade Center and performs deliveries only for the given planet/hyperspace gate.

7.10. What are the requirements for barter trade?
You may trade resources on barter terms, providing both players have the VIP status and their own fleets. In this case you may both fly and unload materials on each other's planets. The only things that players can't borrow from each other for free are: local currency, commanders and ships - these are considered imperial monopoly in the game.

7.11. I have a commander that was dropped on my planet, but I still can't use it - it says the commander doesn't belong to you. What is wrong?
The commander wasn't duly conveyed to you. Being a matter of imperial monopoly, commanders and ships can be acquired only upon trade, or being conveyed to another player on ex-works terms, provided a game commission is imposed on such transactions.

7.12. In the "Trade" menu I see the message "waiting for you to deliver 1000 helium-3"? I've already delivered 5000 units but the message is still there!
The freight waiting to be delivered by your merchant navy will be transported automatically, provided that you have at least one ship in the navy. The payment for delivery is also charged automatically as soon as the merchant navy makes the delivery - you cannot stop or control the navy. The merchant navy consumes helium in customary regime and doesn't use hyperspace gates, so be careful!

7.13. How to sell/deliver ships to another galaxy?
See p. 8.10.

Back to top

8. STAR MAP. FLEETS. FLIGHTS. COMMANDERS.

8.1. On what depends the range of visibility of the Star map?
It depends on the level of the Astronomy laboratory, Astrophysics, Remote observation and espionage, as well as on the player status (VIP member or not).

8.2. I see a ship and numbers on the star map - what does it mean?
This is the ship's number. The ship is drifting out of fuel.

8.3. How does a hyperspace gate look on the map?
It looks like a small blue dot on your star system.

8.4. I've assembled a hypergate. How to launch it?
Find the assembled hypergate on the Main page and click "manage". Then click the link "launch hypergate".

8.5. How to process asteroids?
In order to process asteroid fields you need: any type of ship (except ships with low carrying capacity) and an asteroid processing module of any level. Send the ship with the module on board to the field and wait until the hold is filled.
The flight plan is drawn up as follows (for example, the coordinates of the field are aaaaa:b)

1. Send fleet to target aaaaa:b

2. Asteroid field processing

3. Return to base

4. Unload all

5. Equalize fuel in tanks to...

6. Indicate the No. of repeats in the corresponding box.
The last two steps are optional.

8.6. Why can't I process another player's asteroid field?
The player and his star system is under "newbies protection" until rating 1000 is reached. Your ship will fly to that asteroid field and will return back without processing anything - his system cannot be accessed. See also p. 2.7.

Weight * distance * Helium-3 consumption / 40000

The weight includes ship and cargo mass.
For example, for helium-3 consumption the numbers 36 / 36 / 0 mean the engine power for interplanetary/interstellar/hyperflights accordingly.

8.8. I have mounted a hypergalactic engine lvl. 8 on a ship, however the flight speed didn't increase - why?
The maximum flight speed in the hyperspace is 65535, consequently hypergalactic engines lvl. 7 is the maximum level that is reasonable to mount. Hypergalactic engines of higher levels can be assembled and mounted on ship hulls lvl. 14 and above (taking into account that the difference between the level of the ship hull and the level of the accessories cannot exceed 6).

8.9. Is it possible to change/cancel the flight plan during the flight?
Yes. The flight plan can be modified during the flight. Nevertheless, hyperpassage flights can't be canceled during the flight.

8.10. How to deliver ships/fleets to another galaxy?
First of all, you should remember that you can't deliver ships/fleets directly to another user in another galaxy and you should have your own base (hyperspace gate or planet) in that galaxy, to which the ships will be delivered. And there are two ways to make the delivery:

1. You can mount hypergalactic engines to the ships you intend to convey, create a fleet, and send them to the new galaxy through hyperpassage.

2. You can mount a hypergalactic engine only on the aircraft carrier, which will deliver the ships to your base in the new galaxy. Be aware that the aircraft carries only fleets, and not separate ships. So you have to create a fleet from the ships you want to be delivered to the new galaxy in order to load them on the aircraft.
After being delivered to your base in the new galaxy, you have to unload them at your warehouse, and only then you may convey them to other players.

8.11.On what depends the amount of daily fleet expenses?
The fleet expenses depend on the ship weight (the weight of the hull and the mounted accessories) and the number of ships of the given type.

8.12. Fleet commanders and Commanders' school - what are these for?
The Commanders' school is designed for training and retraining of fleet commanders. The fleet commander has unique qualities allowing for more efficient use of the fleet. The commander learns during the working process, and it gives the following bonuses:

Accessories (commander's skills lvl.5) +25%

Accessories (lvl.7) +35%

Accessories (lvl.10) +50%

Orbital Dock (commander's skills lvl.1) +5%

Orbital Dock (lvl.2) +10%

Orbital Dock (lvl.4) +20%

Construction (commander's skills lvl.5) +25%

Construction (lvl.10) +50%

Science (commander's skills lvl.2) +10%

Science (lvl.4) +20%

Science (lvl.6) +30%

Fuel consumption (commander's skills lvl.1) -3%

Fuel consumption (lvl.3) -9%

Asteroid processing (commander's skills lvl.1) +5%

Asteroid processing (lvl.3) +15%

Flight speed (commander's skills lvl.3) +15%

Flight speed (lvl.6) +30%

Archeological dig (commander's skills lvl.3) +15%

8.13. The commanders start ageing and losing skills after 8 months from graduation. I put my commander in a cryocapsule in an aim to rejuvenate him at a later time, but it keeps losing skills - what can I do?
The cryocapsules are used only for trading commanders or for conveying them to another player.
The commanders will start losing their skills after 8 months regardless of the state they are kept in. There is no reason to keep them in cryostasis; the only you can do to stop this process is to bring them to a Gerontological Station. Please take note that the commanders can be delivered for rejuvenation only if you are a VIP member (that allows unloading cargo on other players' planets) and they stop ageing only when the rejuvenation process is over.

8.14. My commander has started to get older, I have put it in a cryocapsule and sent it for rejuvenation. My fleet with the cryocapsule onboard has successfully reached the Gerontological Station and I have been charged the amount for commander’s rejuvenation, but a few hours later I got a system message stating my commander has lost one more skill. How is it possible?
The commander will stop getting older ONLY AFTER the rejuvenation process is over.

8.15. How to attack a foreign fleet? The simple command "attack all" doesn't seem to work.
Upon patrol and "attack all" command it will attack only those ships, which reached these coordinates later than the patrol - this is a convenient method of protection. For direct attack you have to declare war in the Diplomacy section.

8.16. I have set my ship to patrol for 3 hours, but after 1 hour it stopped patrolling, even if it had enough helium and ergopacks on board – what is wrong?
The ships use exclusively helium for patrol. Ergopacks aren’t used for this command.

8.17. My fleet was flying from planet X to planet Y and suddenly it got caught into a gravity disturbance, wasted all its fuel and is now drifting in the middle of nowhere. How is it possible when it's been conveyed through trade and all the ships in the fleet are equipped with hyper. engines instead of hypergalactic engines?
Any fleet may get caught in a gravity disturbance during a long-lasting flight. This kind of space anomaly isn't generated by gravity interference generators.
This feature is designed as a measure against "unintended" long trips.

Back to top

9. SHIPS

9.1. What is required for ships' assembling?
You need an Orbital Dock and Ship Accessories Factory.

9.2. How to speed up ships' assembling?
In order to increase the speed of ships' assembling, develop the Orbital Dock, or entrust planet management to a commander having such skills.

9.3. What is the difference between different spacecraft hulls (transport hull, fighter hull, battleship hull etc.)?
Different spacecraft hulls have a different weight, different payload capacity and different number of places for modules and weapons. Upon ships assembling don't forget that the difference between the level of the ship hull and the level of used accessories cannot exceed 6.

9.4. How to create a fleet?
Enter Fleet section of the Menu, then click on "CREATE FLEET" and add ships from the warehouse to the fleet.

9.5. What is the difference between merchant fleet and other fleets?
Your merchant fleet, if available, will make the delivery automatically and will return to base. For other fleets you'll have to compose a flight plan manually.

9.6. How to use the refilling module? How to Top up a drifting fleet?
It has to be mounted on a ship. Then the "Top up" option will appear in the flight commands list.
Send the fleet with a mounted refilling module according to the following flight plan:

1. Top up

Fleet number: xxxxx (the blue numbers under the drifting fleet on the Star map) helium-3: 200 (it should be enough for a flight of about 50 l.y.)

2. Return to base

Target: aaaaaa:b
Don't forget to pick up enough fuel for both fleets before starting the flight.

9.7. How to disassemble a ship?
In case the ship is included in a fleet, you'll have to remove it from the fleet first. For this, enter "Fleet" and click on the fleet name. Then write the number of ships you intend to remove in the box "Available", click "clear" and then the "submit" button. Then find the ship on the Main page, click "manage" and disassemble it.

9.8. How to rename a fleet?
In order to rename a fleet you have to disband the existing one and create another fleet.

9.9. How to disband a fleet?
In order to disband a fleet you should remove all the ships contained in this fleet first, than disband the fleet itself. To disband the fleet enter the Fleet section, click on the fleet name, then on "disband" link.

9.10. I want to build a new ship, but there is no free space in the Orbital Dock - what should I do?
The space in each Orbital Dock is limited to 5 designs. If you want to create a new ship design, then you have to remove an old one. Please notice that you may cancel an existing design only if you have no ships built upon this design in the fleet, in the warehouse, or for sale.
You can build a new Orbital Dock in your colony. This will give you space for up to 5 more ship designs.

9.11. How to remove a ship design?
Disband the fleet, dismantle the ships, and then remove the ship design. To disband - look in Fleet options, to dismantle - on the Main page, and to remove the design - look in the Orbital Dock options.

9.12. If engine capacity is 500 - does it mean that I can transport 500 units of cargo by using it?
No. Just like in real life, engine capacity primarily influences the ship speed - the more is the engine capacity, the faster the spaceship will fly. A heavier ship will, however, consume more helium-3 as fuel than a lighter ship.

9.13. How to repair a ship? How to send it to Repair Workshop?
If the ship was already at your base when you built the Repair Workshop, you'll have to send it to perform a flight. Upon return the ships will be repaired automatically.

Back to top

10. WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION

10.1. What is weapon emplacement used for? What can be mounted on it?
Weapon emplacement is used for planet/hypergate defense. Each level of development adds one weapon emplacement. You can mount on it any type of weapon, one defense and 3 modules (antimissile system, ballistic calculator etc.).

10.2. I decided to refit the weapon emplacements on a hypergate and have demounted the old weapons and accessories, but they didn’t show up on the Storage list. I should have got a few units of kinetic guns and steel fiber concrete. Please, could you get back the lost items?
Depending on how you launch your hypergate (directly from the planet or from a ship on the orbit), it will get 3 or 4 weapon emplacements equipped by default. The default weapons and armor will disappear upon disassembling, as stated in the note under the list of mounted items on default weapon emplacements.

10.3. Can I add weapons to the already existing ship or do I have to disassemble it and assemble again?
You have to disassemble the ship.

10.4. Does ballistic calculator influence missile accuracy?
No, it has no influence on missiles. Missile accuracy depends on the level of the rocket launcher.

10.5. Does ballistic calculator lvl. 6 influence weapon accuracy, or is this used only for merchant fleets?
Ballistic calculators lvl. 6 are manufactured under license and are used only for merchant fleets route calculation. For weapon accuracy use ballistic calculators up to lvl. 5 inclusively.

10.6. How to use ammunition? It can't be mounted on ships or Weapon emplacement.
It should be stored in the ship's hold; for planet or hypergate defense - at the warehouse (Main page).

Back to top

11. INTELLIGENCE AND COUNTERINTELLIGENCE

11.1. What is required in order to develop your own intelligence and counterintelligence system?
You have to build a Security Service on the planet. Check the Technologies section for requirements. Upon construction of the Security Service a new section "Espionage" will appear in your main menu. This section allows developing, training and managing new agents.

11.2. There are 3 types of spies in the game – special agents, intelligence officers and counterintelligence officers – what is the difference between them? What is each specific type of agents used for?
Each type of agents has its specific skills: vitality, reticence, acuity, marksmanship, information espionage and propaganda. Depending on these skills the agents can be used for different purposes. For example, in order to combat enemy agents on your planets it is advisable to use counterintelligence officers (since their acuity is initially higher than that of the other types of agents); the intelligence officers can be rather used for information gathering from other planets (their level of reticence is initially higher); the special agents are good at fleet defense in case of attacks and ship boarding because their level of vitality and marksmanship is higher.

11.3. Why do agents have different skills listed? Where can I check, for example, the acuity level of my special agents?
If the agent’s skill is null it won’t show in the list. The special agents’ acuity is null and won’t be shown in the list since they cannot train such skill.

11.4. Why can’t I develop agents above lvl. 10?
Similar to commanders leveling up scheme, the agents can be trained up to a certain level (lvl. 10). After lvl. 10 the agents learn and develop in the process of their activity. Their skills are also improved depending on their occupation.

11.5. How to move agents to another planets?
In order to send your agents to someone you have to embark them on ships equipped with habitation modules, send the given fleet to the point of destination and use "land passengers" command.
The higher is the level of the used habitation module, the more passengers (by weight) you can transport. The transport spacecraft hull has one habitation module by default. The higher is the level of the transport spacecraft hull, the more passengers by weight you can embark to the ship. The rest of the ship hulls aren’t equipped with habitation modules, which have to be purchased and mounted on ships separately.

11.6. What are the consequences of the enemy agents’ activity on my planet?
Successful operation of enemy agents may result into:

- sending information on your planet and its resources to the owner of the spies;

- they use your local currency. A part of these funds are transferred to the balance of the spies’ owner;

- organization of revolutions on the planet;

- loyalty index decrease;

- trade sabotage (impossibility to place bids for planet purchases).

11.7. What would happen if I land my agents on a planet of a member of my alliance, where a counterintelligence service is operating?
The operating counterintelligence officers of your alliance member will take the efforts to detect and annihilate your agents. In terms of intelligence service the matter of state security has a higher priority than diplomatic alliances.

Back to top

12. RELIGION

12.1. How to accept religion?
First of all you need a Temple (please check the Technologies section for requirements). After Temple construction is finished the "Accept religion" link will appear in the Diplomacy section on the corresponding planet. Follow the link to view the list of religions and the requirements for their acceptance.

12.2. What opportunities religion acceptance provides?
Religion acceptance and Temple development up to lvl. 3 gives the opportunity to train Monks, who increase the chances to get lvl. 20 artifacts during archeological dig.
Besides, religion followers get the following advantages:

- Terrocism: +2 platforms

- Chaosism: +2000 material and helium depots

- Astrozoo: +1 to maximum population

- Targonism: +2% to power supply
The parish can also elect their religious leader. The religious Leader can invest the chosen followers with certain powers and can administrate the financial assets cumulated on the religion balance.

12.3. What expenditures implies religion acceptance?
The main religion expenses are consisted of:

- application fee ; the amount (in IC) of the application fee is set be the religious leader.

- daily tax (from 3 to 30 IC) - the amount is also established by the religious leader.

12.4. How to train a monk’s archeology skill?
A monk may learn archeology only during a special mission.

Back to top

13. LOYALTY

13.1. What affects the loyalty index on a planet?
Loyalty index depends on the following factors:

- the volume of construction, science development and accessories manufacture - all these factors increase the planet loyalty index;

- the amount of currency traded. Selling local currency decreases your population loyalty and the purchase of intergallactic currency increases its index;

- the political system on the planet. The more developed is the political system, the higher is the loyalty index. Revolution temporarily decreases loyalty.

13.2. I have noticed that selling local currency from planet Õ actually decreases the loyalty index on all my planets - why is that?
Currency is accounted on per player basis, not per planet, consequently this factor indirectly affects the loyalty index on all the player's planets.

Back to top

14. PAYMENT

14.1. What is the price for VIP subscription?
The price for a 30-days VIP subscription is 3000 IC or 5 bonuses.

14.2. What are the advantages of the VIP status?
VIP allows:

- to unload resources and accessories on foreign planets

- to have a minimal commission for trade operations (7% against 20% for non-VIP members)

- the flight plan may contain up to 30 commands

- construction queue containing up to 3 tasks

- up to 50 ship designs per VIP player

- a map in a range over 80 l.y. becomes available.

14.3. How can I get bonuses?
1 bonus is awarded for each 1000 IC uploaded to your account. Bonuses cannot be exchanged to IC or transferred to another player.

14.4. What options in the game require IC?
The following options require IC:

- VIP status (3000 IC);

- colonization (9000 IC);

- terraforming (500 IC);

- hyperspace gate (1000 IC);

- destruction of your own gate (100 IC);

- commanders (1000 IC) and their rejuvenation (100 IC per level);

- special agents (11 IC), intelligence officers (18 IC), counterintelligence officers (22 IC), monks (90-100 IC);

- psy-records installation on Forerunners' commanders (500 IC);

- licenses (4000-20000 IC, depending on license);

- commercial announcements: "buy", "sell", "collect" (20 IC);

- official announcements (100 IC);

- alliance foundation (10000 IC);

- alliance entry (50 IC);

- religion acceptance fee (50 IC);

- any type of trading, except barter;

14.5. What are bonuses used for?
The bonuses are used:

- for missions acceptance;

- as payment for VIP membership and partly for map client subscription

- as payment for other additional services.

14.6. What is the official exchange rate for funds upload?
The official exchange rate is 1USD = 1000 IC + 1 bonus.

14.7. What payment options are available in the game?
There are several payment options:

- electronic money, i.e. Moneybookers, PayPal, AlertPay or Webmoney;

- credit card money (Visa, American Express, MasterCard etc.) - through our payment forms in the game (PayPal, Alertpay, Moneybookers).

14.8. How to upload funds to my game account?
First you have to build a Galactic Trade Center. Then enter the Trade section, click on "deposit" and choose one of the available payment options.

Back to top

15. TECHNICAL ISSUES

15.1. I didn’t receive the account activation link to my e-mail - why?
In order to make sure that our server's message won't be considered spam by your mail service, we recommend you to add info@imperz.com to your contact/white list.
In case you didn’t receive our message within 5 minutes, it has been blocked by your mail server. Try to register again with a different e-mail address.
Additionally we strongly suggest you tu use a permanent e-mail address for registration. In the future all passwords and codes will be sent exclusively to the e-mail you indicated upon registration; this address cannot be changed by the player.

15.2. I've got your server message, but it doesn't contain any activation link. Could you send me another confirmation message?
The activation link is an automatically generated message. Most probably, an error occurred during your registration processing. Please, register again.

15.3. I've got your activation message, but when I click the activation link I get "activation impossible". What is wrong?
The newly registered accounts that haven't been activated are automatically removed from the game database every 24 hours, at 00:00 MSK (GMT +03:00). Please, register again.

15.4. How to get a new access code?
Enter the Settings page, then find "Access code" in the list and click on "change and send" link. The new access code will be automatically sent to the e-mail that was initially indicated upon registration.

15.5. I have ordered a new access code to my e-mail, but I didn't receive it. What should I do now?
Please make sure you have added info@imperz.com to your contact/white list. If you don't get our message within 5 minutes - it has been blocked by your mail server. Please contact your mail service provider.

15.6. I canot access the e-mail I indicated upon registration any longer and I would like to change it to a new one. Is it possible?
The registration e-mail change costs 10 bonuses. In addition you'll have to provide some specific information that would confirm you're the true owner of the account you like to change the e-mail for.

15.7. What time zone is set on the server?
The server is set on Moscow time, which is GMT+03:00.

Back to top

16. BUG REPORTING GUIDE

16.1. I have found a bug in the game that I want to report. How should I describe it?
If you have detected an error, please, be as descriptive as you can on the core of the problem.
Describe what specifically have you noticed and under what circumstances, the game state (the amount of resources) before and after detecting the error: materials, helium, population, currency, accessories at the warehouse/in the ship holds; what specific actions have you performed immediately before and during the problem occurrence (construction/science development/cancellation, accessories assembling, ships construction/cancellation etc.).
When describing a specific situation, the following information is required:

- the player’s login and rating;

- VIP membership: yes/no;

- the date and the time of error detection;

- the place in the game, where the error was detected – the name and the number of the planet or the hyperspace gate, the exact coordinates of the event (in case of battles, boarding, drifts etc.).

In case of errors concerning fleets and flights, please, provide the following data (if relevant in the given situation):

- the number of the fleet(s);

- ships design;

- fleet settings (upon unloading, use ergopacks as fuel, repair in workshops, patrol tactics, the number of battle cycles, paramount attack line);

- flight plan (cycled or not);

- flight time;

- the amount of cargo in the ship holds (helium, ergopacks, materials and accessories);

- VIP membership: yes/no.

In case of glitches in battles, please, provide the following information:

- the time and the place of the battle;

- the rating (including military) of the players, participating in battle;

- the diplomatic situation of each player, participating in the battle;

- the battle log;

- the design of ships, participating in the battle;

- the amount of cargo in the ship holds (helium, ergopacks, materials and accessories);

- fleet settings (upon unloading, use ergopacks as fuel, repair in workshops, patrol tactics, the number of battle cycles, paramount attack line);

- the configuration and the level of the Weapon Emplacement and of the Global Missile Defense.

In case of trade errors, please, indicate:

- the amount of currency (local and intergalactic) before and after performing the transaction;

- are the trading parties VIP members;

- the nickname of the seller and/or the buyer, if possible;

- the name and the number of the seller’s and/or the buyer’s planet, the flight distance;

- the type and the amount of cargo;

- the availability of the merchant fleet;

- the adequacy of the ship designs in the fleet for the specific task;

- the availability of the required amount of fuel for the flight of the merchant fleet.

In addition, please, provide all the system logs, directly or indirectly concerning the reported problem. In particular cases it is also important to mention the availability of a commander and its skills, and the political system on the given planet.

Upon the description of a detected (supposed) error, please, remember that the numbers and the screenshots are very useful, as against the emotions, which complicate the developers’ job ;)

Back to top

Last updated: 01/10/2010


GMN BBS 2005-2009. Translated by Dennise