Station Siege FAQ
When is Station Siege coming?
A few months after the Early Access launch.
How is the size class of a station or capital ship decided?
The size class will be around the volume of the station/capital ship. We'll figure out the exact numbers during the process, but the key idea is that stations are much larger than capital ships, so the same size class means a different size for stations than for capital ships.
How close to the station does the capital ship travel when the siege starts?
We're thinking something around 4-10 km, i.e. a distance where neither side can use direct weapons efficiently but are required to use ships in-between.
Can you coordinate multiple capital ships on one attack?
Eventually yes.
Can you pick the exact location where the ship(s) fast travel?
To some extent yes. The navigation system is based on accurate coordinates, but on the other hand there is some leeway in order to allow multiple ships to travel to the same location.
Do the attackers know where the capital ship(s) are coming to?
To certain degree, yes. Right when the ship is coming there is also a warning for the ships near the location.
How is the station capture area decided? Can station builders influence which these are?
By default it's the most far points on the station. The number of the locations is based on the size of the station. While the designer of the station can build the initial capture points to be very unwelcoming to the attacker it's good to remember that the attacker is not forced to begin their attack from these locations, but they can go anywhere on the station and destroy any parts of the station as they like. The capture order is only for transferring the ownership of the station. It is possible for the attacker to simply destroy all defender forces and not claim ownership of the station.
Can the attacker know these points beforehand?
The capture points are most likely visible to anyone visiting the station. However station owners also control who can access the station and enter its safe zone, so anyone not allowed inside the safe zone needs good binoculars. Joking aside, for a truly private station, the answer is 'no'.
Is espionage allowed to get to know the station better?
Yes. Social engineering rules are mainly intended to prevent new player harassment and ban the stealing of civilian capital ships and stations/ships inside the permanent safe zones.
How large is the warzone?
It's the same size as the no-build protective area of the station being attacked, which usually is between 5 km in diameter up to 50 km in diameter for massive stations. This area size will also be visualized in the future.
What happens to civilian capital ships inside the warzone?
Nothing. However they also can't be exited nor entered with regular ships or on foot/jetpack, so they can only stay as they are or fast travel away. Ship owner(s) are able to use the respawn machines inside their civilian capital ship. The civilian capital ships stay invulnerable in any case. Fast travel can be initiated even if the siege would have already begun. In some cases there may also be a possibility for faster charge time when leaving from inside a warzone.
What about civilian capital ships outside the warzone?
They function normally. They can also send and receive normal ships from the warzone.
What prevents people abusing civilian capital ships for attacks?
Civilian capital ship shield allows only a certain low number of entries/exits per hour when it's outside of a warzone. While it still can be exploited it's quite inefficient to do so. Also station siege requires one military capital ship to start the initial siege. It's likely that large sieges will draw a number of civilian capital ships on the border every time, and this is intended.
What about normal ships inside the warzone?
They function normally. When the station safe zone turns into a warzone, the ships however won't have any kind of protection left, so they might get shot at.
Can neutral stations be stuck inside the warzone?
Since the warzone is the station's no-build zone, there can't be other stations built inside that area.
What are the reasons for attacking a station?
The universe will have a lot of hotspots in addition to the asteroid belt of Eos (the gas planet), and some of these hotspots may be relatively small while containing very valuable minerals. The attackers may want to both cut their enemy from that resource and gain access to the resource for themselves.
Does the mineral cloud harvesting make station siege profitable on its own?
Direct siege profitability is mostly tied to how much intact loot the winning side gets. If a lot of endo oil is spilled and the destruction is massive the winner also needs long term gains to make the siege profitable. Mineral cloud and recycling of the wrecks however always guarantee some kickback for the winner. For the losing side though, there's nothing to gain.
Is the siege worth the risks for the attacker?
Not every station is worth the risk, especially small and poor stations pose massive risks with no real gains for the attackers. Destroying small stations which have no means to fight back may seem like a fun way to spend the afternoon, but attackers should remember that their capital ship is vulnerable to attacks from anyone during the siege. Small station valuables can also be packed to a civilian capital ship before the attack, so once the attackers come, there might be just a frame of a station left.
Wouldn't everyone just pack their things to a civilian capital ship when a siege is launched on them?
Retreating is a fair option, and if the attacker is looking to control the area they most likely are happy to get the area without a fight.
How are attacking capital ships aligned when they arrive?
They are aligned based on the direction they come from.
How is the siege charge time determined?
While the attacker's properties (the distance they travel, etc.) have some effect, the majority of the charge time is determined by the defender's properties. Smaller stations get to choose whether they like longer charge times or more specific time slots, while very large faction stations get less options for the timeslots but longer charge time by default. 24 to 72 hours is our current estimate for the timeframe, but it may turn out to be closer to 48 to 72 hours for example.
How is the siege timeslot preference chosen?
Station owner(s) will have safety options in their station control panel.
Can the siege time be changed or siege cancelled once countdown begins?
No. A military capital ship is locked to initiate the siege once the countdown is started.
Can a sieged station be attacked again right after the previous attack?
Most likely there will be some extended "no attack" bonus timeframe for the station that has survived an attack, in addition to the normal charge time for the attackers. However, an ongoing siege can be joined by other attackers, and the station will not gain its safe zone back if there's an ongoing battle.
What if someone builds a lot of very small stations to slow down attackers with the charge times?
Such tactics can be countered with small capital ships, or with a mechanic specifically allowing large capital ships to group small stations from the same area to the same siege.
Can military capital ships attack each other? Can a military capital ship be intercepted during its siege fast travel?
Both are intriguing options, so we will definitely look into them. No plans yet though.
Why can't smaller military capital ship class attack larger class stations?
It's to prevent unnecessary harassment and to prevent tactics where a station would face "pseudo" attacks made with junk ships.
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Please remember that we will balance the mechanics and add exploit preventions as the siege features progress and we get data from actual sieges.
See also Capital Ships FAQ
