☄️ Meteorite Showers: Catching & Heat Mechanics
Deep space sectors are continuously traversed by drifting meteorite clusters and salvage debris. They represent an outstanding source of free raw materials and valuable data discs!
🎯 How to Catch Meteorites
- Meteorites periodically float across your station view.
- Click on any visible meteorite with your tractor beam to pull it into the salvage bay.
- Meteorites yield:
- Valuable Metals (Iron, Nickel, Gold)
- Energy Crystals
- Corporate Log Discs — contain blueprints and research points.
🔥 The "Heat" Penalty Mechanic
The station's tractor beam emitter heats up rapidly under continuous fire:
- Base Cost: The initial catch costs only 5 Energy.
- Emitter Overheat: Each caught meteorite adds +1 to your Heat level.
- Rapid-Fire Penalty:
- Each heat level multiplies energy cost by 1.2x.
- Catching 5 in rapid succession raises the cost to ~12 Energy.
- Catching 20 without pause spikes the cost to an exorbitant ~191 Energy per catch!
- Cooling Rate: The tractor beam cools down by 1 level every 15 seconds.
Pro Tip
Space your catches 10 to 15 seconds apart. This maximizes your resource intake without burning through your station's energy reserves.
💤 AFK Accumulation
You do not need to stay glued to the screen:
- The server stores drifting meteorites in your private queue (up to 15 items).
- When you log back in, accumulated meteorites float across your screen in smooth 0.5-second intervals.