Construction

Construction is a fundamental core mechanic in GC, Its function in combination with other systems is what allows the expansion of your empire. It covers from design, construction and eventual refitting of starships, to larger projects such as the deployment of orbital stations.

During construction you maintain a post count, This is (Current/Total) posts for progress, Such as the following. (EXAMPLE SHIP: 1/8) With each post afterwards, the count would increment by one. Once the count reaches the total, the project is complete. You can find the rules for construction of starships under the DP System. You can find the rules for construction stations under the Station Construction System.

There are specific times that the construction times are increased significantly. This generally is in reference to during combat, where all construction times for those involved are changed by a factor of 10 upward. After the combat ends, the count drops to normal, rounded down. Character control in proximity to shipyards may do this as well.

For refitting craft, it generally takes half the time it would to construct that same vessel, but cannot be done when an extremely massive superstructure change is desired.

Constructors
As per the rules in the DP system, it is possible to design various construction vessels. These can range in size from small Corvettes (Cor) to grand Battleships (BB). The larger vessels have several advantages compared to smaller vessels. The foremost of these is the enhanced construction speed for Orbitals and Shipyards. However due to workload, each ship past the first only reduces by half its normal amount, then half again for each additional. Always round UP for decimals.

1 Battleship = Reduce posts by 25% (EX: 30*.75 = 7 posts)

1 Battlecruiser = Reduce posts by 20% (EX: 30*.80 = 6 posts)

1 Cruiser = Reduce posts by 15% (EX: 30*.85 = 4 posts)

1 Destroyer = Reduce posts by 10% (EX: 30*.90 = 3 posts)

1 Frigate = Reduce posts by 5% (EX: 30*.95 = 1 posts)

Corvettes are the basic constructors

In addition to this, larger vessels can also construct vessels two sizes smaller then them. Acting as a lesser version of shipyards in their own right, This required a steady supplyline to the vessels. This makes it nearly impossible to run production outside your own systems. The following lists what size vessels can be produced by each class.

Battleship, Constructs: Cruisers, Destroyers, Frigates, Corvettes

Battlecruiser, Constructs: Destroyers, Frigate, Corvettes

Cruiser, Constructs: Frigates, Corvettes

Destroyer, Constructs: Corvettes

Shipyards
Shipyards are another part of the backbone that makes up an empires industrial might. The birthplace of many grand starships throughout its life. The standard shipyard is a space based facility, meaning that under most conditions, it can be built anywhere you could build a normal station. Though the actual effectiveness of doing so is debatable.

The Standard Shipyard takes 30 posts to build. its construction time may not be reduced bellow 10 posts. nothing special about them, just your ordinary shipyard.

In the absence of surviving constructors or shipyards, the most industrialized planet in a civilization may be used as a corvette shipyard.

Mobile Shipyards
Constructors are not always the best option for field construction, for example it can be very expensive to have a constructor dedicated to replacing craft on the front line due to the size limitations of these craft. The Mobile Shipyard template was created to replace the wasteful use of constructors in field roles of various types. They are capable of constructing any craft the same size class as the constructor and smaller

Frigate MSYs are able to build other frigates or corvettes; destroyers can build other destroyers, frigates, and corvettes; and so on. These are incapable of constructing anything except for ships, making them a less versatile template but one that is in general more useful to fleets operating at extreme ranges.

Defense Platforms
Defense Platforms compose the primary 'static' defense of virtually all core worlds in GC, and are handled under the DP system for design. They are notably able to use their RCS to maneuver for intercepting interplanetary bombardment with their own shields. These are the most effective line of defense a planet may construction to defend itself with and while technically can be built anywhere a normal station, they are best used in orbit of a planet.

These are built directly by construction vessels, and are able to be one size class bigger than the largest ship available. All DP system costs apply as these rely on the Defense Platform templates to create. They benefit from the same reduction in posts as would a normal station, though are technically classified as a ship.

Vessel Refits
Refitting a vessel is a cheap alternative to scrapping and replacing it. This action does require sending it to an open shipyard or a comparable drydock equipped vessel however, but it has only half the cost of time as it would to replace it. Everything except for the armor, engines, and reactors of a vessel can be changed out, added, or removed completely; but these three may only be replaced one for one due to the amount of superstructure reworking would be required to add or remove them.

A destroyer costing 24 BP would take 12 posts to refit systems of. For example, replacing three thrusters with three newer, more efficient versions and changing out a 6 railgun turret fit with a laser armament on a destroyer would only take 12 posts if it took 24 BP to initially assemble - 50% of the initial cost for the upgrade.

Variable Shield Systems
Changing the shield pattern on a variable shield generator with the aid of a shipyard would take the BP equivalent of the shield system in posts. A 20 DP shield system would take two posts. Doing so without the aid of a shipyard takes the typical time of a refit at 50% vessel BP.