Energy Sciences

This Technology Tree covers the topics of shipboard power and sub-light propulsion systems

Basic Nuclear Fission Reactor
Post count 10 | Prerequisites: None

The most basic and inefficient of ways to pull atoms apart. this device exploits the strong nuclear force to release energy rapidly, causing both massive loss to heat and radioactive nuclear byproducts. A stockpile of Radioactive Uranium-238 and a method of enriching it to Uranium-235 is required. A basic nuclear reactor can produce an average of 17.25 MW/m³.

Basic Chemical Reactor
Post Count 10 | Prerequisites: None

If it can burn, you can use it for fuel. Traditionally Coal is used to create power, gaining on average 8.5 MW/m³ this however has the downside of producing mass quantities of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and other hazardous materials, both in the form of airborne particulate and ash.

Basic Solar Power
Post Count 10 | Prerequisites: None

Slow, but clean, power. Photo-voltaic (PV) Cells produces on average 1 W/m² but only in direct sunlight. These PV cells cannot be stacked on top of each other, for obvious reasons.

Advanced Fission Reactors
Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: N/A

The first advance in fission technology, more power for less waste in a smaller space. The power output of the Nuclear reactor is dependent on the size of the reactor. A standard reactor produces 35.5 MW/m³.

Advanced Chemical Reactors
Post Count: 10 | Prerequisites: N/A

The advances in Chemical technology are somewhat slow, Chemical power now producing only 11.5 MW/m³.

Photonics
Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: N/A

PV cells don't advance quickly. The new technology has multiplied your production to 5 W/m².

Basic Electrothermal
Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: N/A

[To be fluffed]

Basic Capacitors
Post Count: 10 | Prerequisites: N/A

While batteries and such have existed for ages, development of a reliable and efficient capacitor for power storage has always been a challenge. Now it’s a thing. They can store up to 100 MegaJoules of Energy. This object is 125 m³

High Endurance Cables
Post Count: 10 | Prerequisites: N/A

Impacts happen, be it from an attack or a bad pilot. The last thing anyone wants is lack of power; as such new cables have been developed specifically to reduce breakdowns when struck.

Gen II Fission
Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: Fission

Upgrades the Fission power generation from 35.5 MW/m³ to 54.75 MW/m³.

[To be fluffed]

Gen II Chemical
Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: Chemical

Upgrades the Chemical power generation from 11.5 MW/m³ to 17.5 MW/m³

Gen II Photonics
Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: Photonics

[To be fluffed]

Gen II Electrothermal
Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: Electrothermal

[To be fluffed]

Enhanced Capacitors
Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: Basic Capacitors

Improvements of capacitors now allow even more power storage than before, because no one wants to replace batteries. They can store up to 1 GigaJoule of Energy. This object is 125 m³

Basic EMP Hardening
Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: Basic Capacitors, High Endurance Cables

Taking to mind the methods with which you can harden something against EMP’s, new equipment is designed to these specifications, resulting in much better protection against such a deadly force.

Improved Thrust Handling
Post Count: 15 | Prerequisites: Any Drive Tech

Advanced thruster designs allow standard drives to better control and refine movement, enabling higher maneuverability with ships along with better thrust efficiency.

Gen III Fission
Post Count: 25 | Prerequisites: Gen II Fission

Upgrades the Fission power generation from 54.75 MW/m³ to 75 MW/m³.

Nuclear Pulse Propulsion
Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: Gen II Fission

Monstrosities of nuclear might, these engines ride the blast created by nuclear devices. Suffice to say they have insane levels of thrust, though the thrust does make the ship hard to maneuver under most conditions, this along with the face the drive is only variable thrust in the form of different nuclear payloads.

Fusion
Post Count: 35 | Prerequisites: Magnetic Repulsion Barrier

[To be fluffed]

Gen III Chemical
Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: Gen II Chemical

Upgrades the Chemical power generation from 17.5 MW/m³ to 26.5 MW/m³

Gen III Photonics
Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: Gen II Photonics

[To be fluffed]

Wireless Power
Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: Infrared Lasers, Gen II Photonics

With wireless power ground-based powerplants and starships are now able to divert power to one another (in the form of microwave radiation) over vast distances. It is rather inefficient, but it still can be helpful.

Gen III Electrothermal
Post Count: 25 | Prerequisites: Gen II Electrothermal

[To be fluffed]

Reactor Arrays
Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: N/A

Modified to enable the direct coupling of reactor turbines, the reactors actually generate more power while in sync with other reactors than if separate.

Adv Strikecraft Engines
Post Count: 20 | Prerequisites: Improved Thrust Handling

The design of strikecraft engines has been a bit of a complication sense the start of space, due to the fuel needs. Utilizing advanced thrust control principles though, strikecraft once again are maneuverable nightmares.

Gen IV Fission
Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: Gen III Fission

Upgrades the Fission power generation from 75 MW/m³ to 96.25 MW/m³.

Gen II Nuclear Pulse Engine
Post Count: 35 | Prerequisites: Nuclear Pulse Propulsion

[To be fluffed]

Gen II Fusion
Post Count: 40 | Prerequisites: Fusion

[To be fluffed]

Cold Fusion
Post Count: 40 | Prerequisites: Fusion

The safest way to run fusion power was discovered to be Cold Fusion, which with but a simple change to the design of fusion reactors you’ve traded power generation for reliability and safety, no more miniature suns on board the starship.

Metallic Hydrogen
Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: Gen III Chemical

Metallic hydrogen motors provide about as much thrust as a conventional chemical drive while being more than three times as efficient, remaining entirely non-nuclear, and using a propellant that is more-or-less readily abundant so long as you have a source of, say, water and a compressor on hand. While not exactly the best drive system for starships, metallic hydrogen engines are an ideal propulsion system for strike craft.

Gen IV Photonics
Post Count: 25 | Prerequisites: Gen III Photonics

[To be fluffed]

Gen IV Electrothermal
Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: Gen III Electrothermal

[To be fluffed]

Adv Capacitors
Post Count: 25 | Prerequisites: Enhanced Capacitors

Even higher energy compression and efficiency allows these capacitors to run a starship for days before needing recharged, that is assuming they don’t start any combat systems.They can store up to 10.4 GigaJoules of Energy. This object is 125 m³

Dual Core Engines
Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: Any Gen III Drive Tech

Development of engine coupling has come to the point where multiple engines can be linked to each other, enabling “Dual Core” engines, which while taking slightly more space are more economical than two separate engines for production. This however comes at the cost of maneuverability. (Enables Dual Core option)

Gen V Fission
Post Count:35 | Prerequisites: Gen IV Fission

Upgrades the Fission power generation from 96.25 MW/m³ to 118.5 MW/m³.

Gen III Nuclear Pulse Propulsion
Post Count: 45 | Prerequisites: Gen II Nuclear Pulse Propulsion

[To be fluffed]

Gen III Fusion
Post Count: 45 | Prerequisites: Gen II Fusion

[To be fluffed]

Gen V Electrothermal
Post Count: 35 | Prerequisites: Gen IV Electrothermal

[To be fluffed]

Quantum Capacitors
Post Count: 35 | Prerequisites: Adv Capacitors

These extremely strange capacitors do not hold energy in a standard way; rather the energy is trapped inside a high intensity state within the capacitor using a few tricks of quantum tunneling. The result is these capacitors could run a starship for weeks before needing a recharge, though combat charge would only last a very short time.these can store 10.4 TeraJoules of energy. This object is 125 m³

Adv EMP Hardening
Post Count: 30 | Prerequisites: Basic EMP Hardening

With advanced tricks of EMP hardening known, the standardized specs of equipment have been updated such that they are even more resilient to EMP than before.

Gen IV Fusion
Post Count: 50 | Prerequisites: Gen III Fusion

[To be fluffed]

Gen II Quantum Capacitors
Post Count: 40 | Prerequisites: Quantum Capacitors

These next generation capacitors are capable of storing truly massive amounts of power, a single cell capable of running a small outpost for a few weeks before needing recharged, Starships themselves could run off them in combat if its kept short enough. The time to recharge them is fairly immense now. They can store up to 10.4 PetaJoules of Energy. This object is 125 m³

Twin Core Reactors
Post Count: 40 | Prerequisites: Reactor Arrays

Twin Core Reactors enables the ability to fit two reactors within a single frame, a rather complicated system but a useful one all the same. The overall result enabling much higher power generation without much increase in space, though at the cost that both reactors are in the same location and co-dependent.

Quantum Thrusters
Post Count: 50 | Prerequisites: N/A

[To be fluffed]

Gen II Quantum Thrusters
Post Count 55 | Prerequisites: Quantum Thrusters

[To be fluffed]

Quantum Shadow Drive
Post Count: 55 | Prerequisites: Quantum Thrusters

This drive flies straight into the face of science, while active the drive appears to create a "Shadow" of the ships mass in a quantum state separate from the physical mass. As this shadow moves in one direction, the ship moves at an equal velocity in the other direction. What truly makes this drive insane however is that it's practically frictionless, though it does suffer in that the drive can only operate so fast, creating a rather low top speed.