Pre-alpha codex — written from the build in internal testing. Systems, numbers and features can change before launch. · Create Your Commander
Codex Entry
Population
Why population matters and how to grow it.
Population gates almost every advanced building. If you ever see "Insufficient population" on a queue button, build a Residential Complex or Hydroponic Farm here.
Population buildings
| Building | Family | Metal L1 | Crystal L1 | Aeth L1 | Energy | Cost × | Time L1 | Pop Req |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Residential Complex Raises how many people the system can hold and how fast they settle. Housing employs nobody itself — its residents run it — and it is what lets a system staff more industry, since every other building hires from the people living here. | Population | 170 | 85 | 42 | -3 | 1.7^L | 13s | 0 |
Hydroponic Farm Futuristic farm producing food on top of a 250 baseline. Its output is derived from the Residential Complex housing curve, so a farm at the same level feeds a fully-housed system exactly: 115/h at L1, 4,045/h at L10, 32,733/h at L20. Every soul in the system eats 0.005 food/h — including the workers your buildings employ. Draws energy like a mine (10 · L · 1.09^L). | Population | 270 | 135 | 90 | -5 | 1.8^L | 17s | 400 |
How growth works
People arrive at a steady rate set by your Residential Complexes — how many already live here changes nothing. Housing sets the ceiling and Hydroponic Farms keep everyone fed, and both matter now that every building hires its workers from the people living here: housing is what decides how much industry one system can run.
Tip·Stack with the Population specialty
The Population specialty boosts growth and capacity on any orbit kind — even asteroid belts become Belt Habitats. Worth taking early: staffing grows faster per building level than housing does, so a system that stops buying housing stops being able to hire.