Purchase and Maintenance Costs

Each month the management of the fleet requires some investment of the nation’s resources. These are tracked as Resource Points (RPs). The RPs represent the industrial and raw material capabilities of the member planets.

Purchase

Ships require RPs to be spent for the production of each vessel. The RP cost of each ship equals that of its SU amount divided by 10, multiplied by its Size (and then rounded). For example, an Ambassador class heavy cruiser uses 1,961 SUs and is of Size 8. In the initial construction of an individual Ambassador, 1,569 RPs are spent (1961/10*8 = 1,568.8 rounded to 1,569). Likewise, an Oberth class surveyor uses 1,013 SUs, is Size 4 and requires 405 RPs in construction (1013/10*4 = 405.2, rounded to 405). (Purchase prices for other facility/vessel types are similarly determined, per the below table.)

When ships undergo refits, the removal of outdated equipment and installation of updated equipment is ‘free.’ But, the construction/purchase of that newly installed equipment did involve the expenditure of RPs, which is usually in bulk amounts. In any case as to how it is purchased, the SUs of the equipment equal their price in SUs. (Can this be altered to reflect a reduction in cost after a certain number of years?)

Maintenance

Maintenance of ships require RPs, as well. In this case, the RPs are spent annually and equal the purchase amount (or current equivalent) divided by the number of operational years (representing the expected operational lifetime of the ship). The above Ambassador class ship, therefore, would cost 78.45 RP initially to maintain (1,569/20 = 78.45). Initial Maintenance Costs (IMC) are only rounded to the 2nd decimal, as the class of ship is tracked in toto and that number is rounded up. As that class ages, the maintenance costs rise. For each ship, each year following the delivery sees a percentage increase (see Maintenance in below table), with a jump at the 10 year mark (25 years for non-mobile stations). Once a ship is overhauled, it's 'counter' is reset to 0 year.

However, a class of ship (or station) produced in numbers does generate a savings due to an economy of scale. The more ships produced, the greater the maintenance base that must have been created to provide for them, decreasing the individual cost of a ship's maintenance. This Quantity Modifier only takes into account the number of ships active in that class at the end of the year and is computed by determining the square root of the number of units in service and subtracting the result from 100%. That new percentage is applied to the IMC for each ship, before the operational year modifier is determined. Therefore, if the above Ambassador class ship was one of 13 in service at the end of it's second year, it would enjoy a 3.61% (sqrt of 13 = 3.60555, rounded up to 3.61) decrease in its IMC, prior to the 1% increase of it's 2nd year of operations.

Refits/Overhauls

As stated above, a ship may undergo a refit/overhaul, which will extend its life. When this occurs, the ship reverts to a maintenance cost relative to its current SU amount, without the penalty of extra maintenance being required. A ship may undergo 2 full overhauls during its operational lifetime (usually one at the end of the first, and the second at the end of the next), resetting the clock each time. After that point, though, any further overhauls only keep the ship technologically-relevant; the maintenance increase for each year is unavoidable.

Ex: The USS Gallant, a Defiant class escort, is built in 2374, with an operational lifespan of 12 years and using 1,787 SUs (894 RP), Size 5. For each of the first 10 years following commissioning, the vessel receives a 1% increase in MRP (maintenance RPs), jumping to 5% the 11th year. When the vessel is 12 years, it is unable to get to a drydock for an immediate overhaul, so for that year it receives another 5% increase. Its travels take it to a drydock in 2387 (its 13th year). After the overhaul, the ship now uses 1810 SUs, and its maintenance requirement is re-set to the 1/12th of the current ‘purchase’ price (now 150.83 SUs). The ship now has an added 12 years of operational life. In 2399, the ship enters drydock on schedule and maintains its normal MRP amount and another 12 years is added to its lifespan. But now, at the end of the 3rd set of 12 years, the MRP will rise, no matter the status of overhauls, until the ship is mothballed or decommissioned.

Reserve Status/Mothballed

At various times, units can be in special states that can halve or eliminate their maintenance costs, such as being placed into a Reserve status or Mothballed. Calculate the maintenance costs for units in different states independently. If you have, for instance, 2 active Mirandas, 4 reserve Mirandas and 1 inactive Mirandas, your maintenance cost is the full maintenance cost for the actives, 1/2 the cost for reserves and 0 for the mothballs.

Only ground units, ships and small vessels (shuttlecraft, fighters) may be deactivated and placed in reserve status. Units under reserve status may not be given any orders other than to activate. Units remain active on the turn they are ordered to deactivate (they cost full maintenance) and are not in reserve status until the end of this phase. Reserve units cost half the maintenance of a normal unit. Units cannot be deactivated if they are carrying cargo. Small vessels may only be deactivated on a planet or if its basing unit is being deactivated as well. Activating a reserve unit requires that the unit be ordered to activate during the Turn Orders Phase. Units given the order to activate remain in reserve status (costing half maintenance) until the Construction phase and full maintenance cost will need to be paid on the next turn. Units that are basing other units, such as a reserve status carrier and its fighters, may only be reactivated if all based units are also reactivated. Units in a reserve status may be used in-system within that month's turn without being reactivated, but at reduced captain and crew skill levels of 2/3rds their fully active levels (to represent the lack of a full crew).

Mothballing is the method of taking a ship out of active duty. The ship is not lost but is instead kept for possible use in the future. A ship must be at an established shipyard in order to be mothballed, with the exception of atmospheric capable ships which can be mothballed at a planet that is capable of basing them. It does not “cost” anything to mothball a ship. Any small vessels on a ship can be mothballed with it. A mothballed ship or small vessel pays no maintenance costs each turn. If the player wants to restore the ship (and any small vessels it is carrying) from inactive service to active service, it must pay the full maintenance cost using the same procedure as activating reserves (above). The ship will require dock space like new construction during the activation process. Units given the order to activate remain in mothballed status (costing no maintenance) until the Construction phase.

Inactive units may be scrapped (see below), which does remove them from the shipyard they were mothballed in. Bases, ground units and other defenses (including shipyards) may not be mothballed.

Scrapped

Any unit may be scrapped to recover 50% of its original economic points. Units must be scrapped at a place where they could be constructed, but scrapping does not count against the construction capacity for that facility. Scrapping takes 1/3rd the time it would take the facility to build a similar vessel. Once a unit has begun construction, the economic points can be regained at a value of 50% of the economic points already spent if the unit’s construction is canceled. Small vessels that can no longer be based or carried as cargo can be scrapped no matter where they are. This may seem counter intuitive as they are technically “destroyed”, but the infrastructure required to support their existence is still in place on the unit that based them.

Table

A fleet is more than just its ships and many items require purchase and maintenance. The following table lists the expense of both:

Purchase and Maintenance RP Amounts

Type	Purchase	Maintenance (not including Quantity Modifier)
Starship	SUs/10*Size	Purchase RPs/(intended lifespan years) + 1% increase every year (first 10 years), 5% increase every year after (until overhaul)
Shuttlecraft (non-warp)	SUs/20*Size	Purchase RPs/20 + 1.5% increase every year (first 10 years), 7.5% increase every year after
Shuttlecraft (warp)	SUs/10*Size	Purchase RPs/20 + 1.5% increase every year (first 10 years), 7.5% increase every year after
Fightercraft (non-warp)	SUs/15*Size	Purchase RPs/20 + 2% increase every year (first 10 years), 10% increase every year after
Fightercraft (warp)	SUs/10*Size	Purchase RPs/20 + 2% increase every year (first 10 years), 10% increase every year after
Space Station*	SUs/25*Size	Purchase RPs/20 + 0.5% increase every year (first 25 years), 2.5% increase every year after
Orbital Drydock*	SUs/25*Size	Purchase RPs/20 + 0.2% increase every year (first 25 years), 1% increase every year after
Academy Campus*		Purchase RPs/20
Camp*		Purchase RPs/20
Planetary Shipyard*	SCUs/1000	Purchase RPs/20
Spaceport*	SCUs/1000	Purchase RPs/20
Warehouse*		Purchase RPs/20 + 1% increase after set years

*These purchase formulas will need to be re-evaluated when first utilized.

**To determine the necessary SUs and building costs for these planetary structures, see 'Facilities'.