transporters are slow by default (make them even a bit slower) but an upgrade can let them use energy to go way faster

metaheavens commented

2026-09-05 08:51:56 +00:00

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each transporter can carry a limited amount of energy (they need to fetch it from the closer place there's energy) that will be consumed on their way but make them faster

metaheavens commented

2026-09-05 08:52:11 +00:00

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upgrade for them to carry more energy can be unlocked in the ship lab

metaheavens referenced this issue from a commit

2026-09-05 17:09:40 +00:00

Build the logistics crews, and let them burn energy

metaheavens commented

2026-09-05 17:09:51 +00:00

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Implemented in commit 265e121 on main. Full suite: 164/164 passed.

Transporters are slower - 150 to 120 - and a two-level Burn Drive upgrade (x1.9 per level) lets them carry energy and spend it to travel far faster.

Fuel is a leg of its own. A refuelling transporter is visibly doing that and cannot be dispatched onto a cargo run halfway there, which a flag on the existing legs would have allowed.
It fetches its own. When idle and empty it flies to the NEAREST store with energy in it - not the fullest - measured from the transporter rather than its hub, since it is the one making the trip. The bank counts as one source among the buildings. It takes what is actually there, so a store drained while it was in the air means a shorter fill rather than a wasted trip.
A unit burns per leg, charged on arrival, so a leg is either paid for in full or not flown boosted at all. The trip to COLLECT fuel is explicitly not charged - otherwise it would burn the fuel it is flying to fetch.
Unresearched, nothing changes. The boost stat is 1.0 until the upgrade is bought, and that same value gates the detour, so an unupgraded transporter never goes looking for fuel and keeps the base crawl.

Verification
New test_transporter_burn.gd: no detour and base speed while unresearched; researched and empty, it flies to the nearer of two stores and draws the 4 that were there against a tank of 6; fuelled it is exactly boost x faster; each leg burns one and an empty tank drops it back to the crawl; the collection trip itself is free.

One existing test had pinned the old 150 speed as a literal window. Since these numbers are tuned - this is the second retune to break a literal - it now derives the expected progress from the stat, while keeping the "logistics must not rush" ceiling it was written to guard.

Implemented in commit `265e121` on `main`. Full suite: **164/164 passed**. Transporters are slower - 150 to 120 - and a two-level **Burn Drive** upgrade (x1.9 per level) lets them carry energy and spend it to travel far faster. - **Fuel is a leg of its own.** A refuelling transporter is visibly doing that and cannot be dispatched onto a cargo run halfway there, which a flag on the existing legs would have allowed. - **It fetches its own.** When idle and empty it flies to the NEAREST store with energy in it - not the fullest - measured from the transporter rather than its hub, since it is the one making the trip. The bank counts as one source among the buildings. It takes what is actually there, so a store drained while it was in the air means a shorter fill rather than a wasted trip. - **A unit burns per leg**, charged on arrival, so a leg is either paid for in full or not flown boosted at all. The trip to COLLECT fuel is explicitly not charged - otherwise it would burn the fuel it is flying to fetch. - **Unresearched, nothing changes.** The boost stat is 1.0 until the upgrade is bought, and that same value gates the detour, so an unupgraded transporter never goes looking for fuel and keeps the base crawl. **Verification** New `test_transporter_burn.gd`: no detour and base speed while unresearched; researched and empty, it flies to the nearer of two stores and draws the 4 that were there against a tank of 6; fuelled it is exactly `boost x` faster; each leg burns one and an empty tank drops it back to the crawl; the collection trip itself is free. One existing test had pinned the old 150 speed as a literal window. Since these numbers are tuned - this is the second retune to break a literal - it now derives the expected progress from the stat, while keeping the "logistics must not rush" ceiling it was written to guard.

metaheavens closed this issue

2026-09-05 17:09:52 +00:00

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transporters are slow by default (make them even a bit slower) but an upgrade can let them use energy to go way faster #217