Navigation and Survival

The star map is both a route planner and a record of what your captain knows. Stations are connected by lanes, but discovery, range, reputation, tolls, and story clearances can change which paths are usable.

Plotting a route

Select a discovered station to inspect its region, faction, category, hazard profile, distance, fuel cost, and estimated travel time. A plotted route may span several connected lanes when an open path exists.

The map distinguishes:

• Your current station
• The selected destination
• The plotted path
• Unknown or scanner-revealed locations
• Locked, tolled, or reputation-controlled lanes
• Hostile destinations and dangerous jumps

If a direct lane is closed, the route planner can use another open path when one exists.

Fuel, speed, and time

Distance and ship performance determine travel cost. Effective speed is based on thrust divided by total weight, then modified by relevant crew skill. Installed modules and every tonne of cargo contribute to that weight.

Before jumping:

• Confirm the route's total fuel cost.
• Leave a reserve for the next leg or an expensive frontier refuel.
• Check any lane toll.
• Compare the event window and environmental warnings with your protection.
• Avoid assuming that the destination sells fuel.

Scanning and discovery

Scanner range reveals nearby locations; scanner depth and navigator expertise help penetrate more difficult discoveries. Revealed does not always mean reachable. Some locations or routes require a story flag, standing, or a paid pass.

The sector roster is useful when the visual map becomes crowded: search for a known station, select it, and let the map focus and plot.

Transit events

Events can offer opportunity, impose damage, change reputation, consume fuel, or alter cargo. Each response lists its immediate intent, but the safest choice depends on the ship:

• Protection modules counter environmental hazards.
• Repair systems reduce accumulated damage over repeated jumps.
• Cargo and credits make some responses possible or more costly.
• Prior story decisions can unlock rare faction-reactive encounters.

Use number keys to select a response. Escape declines only encounters and opportunities that permit refusal.

When a route goes wrong

Do not compound the problem. Dock at the nearest serviceable station, repair before the hull reaches zero, sell nonessential cargo if working capital is trapped, and choose a lower-risk route home. An exported save is the strongest protection against browser-data loss, not against an ordinary bad trade.