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Holding Types And Upgrades

This page explores the layered model for stellar object holdings and how players move from one layer to the next.

It does not describe final game behavior. It captures the current direction and unresolved design choices.

Goal

The goal is to define the different kinds of holdings players can establish on stellar objects and make each layer feel distinct.

The model should:

  • keep claims useful without making them too strong
  • make frontiers feel like meaningful upgrades
  • keep colonies rare and special
  • make upgrades feel intentional rather than automatic

Current Direction

One promising direction is:

Surveyed
  -> Claimed
  -> Frontier
  -> Colony

This progression is mainly a way to think about increasing commitment and increasing value.

Claims

A claim is the first real foothold on a stellar object.

It is not only paperwork. A claim implies that the player has physically reached the object and established a small site.

One strong direction is that a claim should require an active ship, expedition, or establishment unit to travel to the object.

Claims likely allow:

  • a small initial infrastructure footprint
  • limited extraction of simpler resources
  • basic support structures such as beacons, storage, or light defenses
  • future upgrade into a frontier or colony path

Claims likely do not allow:

  • major industry
  • fleet production
  • the full infrastructure set of a larger site

Frontiers

A frontier is a developed site built on top of a claim.

It represents a stronger and more valuable expansion layer than a claim, but it is still not a full colony.

Frontiers likely unlock:

  • heavier extraction
  • broader logistics support
  • stronger defenses
  • staging and repair support
  • more developed site infrastructure

The current direction is that claims already allow lightweight infrastructure, so the real difference is not whether the player can build anything at all.

The real difference is which infrastructure categories unlock only after upgrading to a frontier.

Colonies

A colony is a permanent settled world.

It should feel meaningfully different from a frontier.

Colonies likely include:

  • permanent civilian population
  • broad civil and industrial development
  • long-term economic specialization
  • stronger self-defense
  • deeper integration into the empire

One strong direction is that colonies should not be removable by hostile action once founded, although they can still be damaged, blockaded, raided, or voluntarily abandoned by their owner.

Upgrading Holdings

The current direction is that upgrades should be explicit actions rather than automatic state changes.

Survey to claim

Likely requirements include:

  • surveying the object
  • sending a ship or expedition there
  • deploying an initial claim structure or beacon

Claim to frontier

Likely requirements include:

  • an existing claim
  • additional dedicated frontier structures
  • a deliberate upgrade action

Frontier to colony

Likely requirements include:

  • an existing frontier
  • colony capacity available
  • the object being colonizable
  • a major settlement investment

Open Questions

  • Which exact structures belong to the claim-only infrastructure set?
  • Which infrastructure unlocks only at frontier level?
  • Which structures should be required to promote a claim into a frontier?
  • Which exact thresholds should promote a frontier into a colony?
  • Which stellar object types can become colonies, and which should stop at claim or frontier level?