8.7 Design Examples

Updated: v2026.01.30

This section provides complete ship designs for common roles (see Section 8.1 Design Philosophy for role-based design principles), with commentary explaining the trade-offs and reasoning behind each choice. These examples assume early-to-mid game technology (Nuclear Pulse or Ion engines, Duranium armor, basic sensor and weapon tech). Adapt them as your technology advances.

All tonnages and component counts are approximate and intended as starting templates. Adjust based on your specific technology level and strategic situation.

8.7.1 Survey Frigate

Updated: v2026.01.30

The survey frigate is typically the first ship a new empire builds. It needs to travel far, survey for extended periods, and return home without logistical support. Combat capability is deliberately omitted — if a survey frigate encounters hostiles, its job is to report and flee, not fight.

Design goals:

  • Long operational range (150+ billion km)
  • Both geological and gravitational survey capability
  • Reasonable survey speed
  • Sufficient speed to flee from threats
  • Minimal cost and crew

Example: Explorer-class Survey Frigate (~6,000 tons)

Component Size (HS) Qty Notes
Bridge \hyperlink{ref-8.7-2}{[2]} 1 1 Mandatory
Military Engine (low fuel mod 0.4) 12 1 Fuel-efficient, moderate speed
Geological Survey Sensor 10 1 Standard survey speed
Gravitational Survey Sensor 10 1 Standard survey speed
Fuel Tanks varies multiple ~30-35% of hull tonnage
Engineering Spaces 5 1 Long deployment support
Thermal Sensor 1 1 Basic threat detection
EM Sensor 1 1 Basic threat detection
Crew Quarters as needed - For total crew complement

Design rationale:

  • Engines: A single engine with 0.4 fuel consumption modifier. This makes the engine physically larger but dramatically reduces fuel burn. The ship will be slower than a warship (target: 1,500-2,500 km/s) but can operate for years without refueling.
  • Dual survey sensors: Both geo and grav at 10 HS each. This allows the ship to find jump points in a new system and then survey planets for minerals — all in one mission, with no return trips.
  • Fuel tanks: Generous fuel allocation (30-35% of hull). The ship’s entire purpose is to operate independently far from home.
  • Engineering: 5 HS provides enough maintenance capacity for multi-year deployments without component failures.
  • Passive sensors: Minimal 1 HS each for thermal and EM. Just enough to spot approaching threats and give the crew time to flee.
  • No weapons: Deliberately unarmed. Adding weapons would increase tonnage, reduce range, and add crew requirements. A survey frigate that tries to fight is a dead survey frigate.
  • No armor: Armor adds weight that reduces range. The ship’s defense is awareness (sensors) and speed (running away).

Operational notes:

  • Deploy in pairs for safety — if one ship has a maintenance failure, the other can relay its position
  • Assign officers with Survey bonuses for faster exploration
  • Set conditional orders to return home at 40% fuel to maintain a safe margin
  • This class can typically operate for 2-3 years continuously before needing resupply

Tip: Resist the temptation to add “just one laser” for self-defense. Every ton of weapon is a ton of fuel or sensor you did not bring. Survey frigates that encounter hostiles should run — and their passive sensors give them the detection range to start running early.

8.7.2 Beam Cruiser

Updated: v2026.01.30

The beam cruiser is a general-purpose warship designed to close with enemies and destroy them with direct-fire weapons. It balances firepower, protection, speed, and endurance. This is the backbone of a combat fleet.

Design goals:

  • Effective beam weapon battery
  • Enough armor to survive closing to engagement range
  • Speed competitive with likely opponents
  • Sufficient fuel for multi-system operations
  • Point defense capability against missiles

Example: Warrior-class Beam Cruiser (~10,000 tons)

Component Size (HS) Qty Notes
Bridge 1 1 Mandatory
Military Engine (10% boost) 15 3 Redundant propulsion
20cm Laser 3 4 Main battery
10cm Laser (reduced-size) 1 2 Point defense
Gauss Cannon 1 4 Point defense
Beam Fire Control (offensive) 1 2 Long range, moderate tracking
Beam Fire Control (PD) 1 1 Short range, max tracking
Active Sensor (resolution 100) 5 1 Fleet detection
Thermal Sensor 3 1 Passive detection
EM Sensor 2 1 Passive detection
Fuel Tanks varies multiple ~20% of hull
Engineering Spaces 8 1 8% of hull
Crew Quarters as needed - For total crew complement
Armor 4 layers Duranium - Solid protection

Design rationale:

  • Three engines: Redundancy. If one engine is destroyed, the ship retains 67% thrust. The 10% boost gives a speed advantage without crippling fuel economy.
  • 4x 20cm lasers: The main offensive battery. Four lasers split across two fire controls can engage two targets simultaneously. At early tech, 20cm offers good damage without excessive weight.
  • Point defense suite: 2 reduced-size lasers + 4 gauss cannons on a dedicated PD fire control. This provides solid anti-missile coverage for the ship and nearby task group members.
  • Two offensive BFCs: Allows splitting fire between two targets. Essential for flexibility — you do not want all four lasers locked onto a crippled ship while a healthy enemy fires at you.
  • Active sensor: 5 HS at resolution 100. Good detection range against destroyer-to-cruiser sized targets. Provides fleet-level situational awareness.
  • 4 layers Duranium armor: Meaningful protection without crippling speed. Each layer of Duranium stops 4 damage \hyperlink{ref-8.7-1}{[1]} — four layers means incoming fire must deal 16+ damage to reach internals.
  • Fuel: ~20% of hull for 30-50 billion km range. Enough for multi-system patrols but not infinite endurance.

Tactical employment:

  • Operates in groups of 3-6 for mutual support
  • Close to beam range (weapon maximum, typically 100,000-200,000 km with early tech)
  • Use offensive BFCs to focus fire on one target at a time, unless facing multiple threats
  • PD fire control handles incoming missiles automatically when set to “open fire”
  • Speed should match or exceed likely opponents — if slower, the enemy dictates engagement range

Tip: The beam cruiser is your workhorse. Do not over-specialize your first generation — you do not know what threats you will face. A balanced design with moderate weapons, armor, and speed handles most situations adequately. Specialize in later generations once you understand your opponents’ capabilities.

8.7.3 Missile Destroyer

Updated: v2026.01.30

The missile destroyer engages targets at extreme range, launching salvos of guided missiles from beyond beam weapon reach. It trades close-range durability for standoff firepower and relies on speed and distance for survival.

Design goals:

  • Long-range missile engagement capability
  • Enough magazine depth for sustained combat
  • Speed to maintain range advantage over beam ships
  • Basic point defense for self-protection
  • Minimal armor (distance is the defense)

Example: Archer-class Missile Destroyer (~7,000 tons)

Component Size (HS) Qty Notes
Bridge 1 1 Mandatory
Military Engine (10% boost) 12 2 Fast, redundant
Size-4 Missile Launcher 2 6 Main armament
Missile Magazine varies multiple 8-10 reloads per launcher
Missile Fire Control 1 2 6 links each
Gauss Cannon 1 3 Point defense
Beam Fire Control (PD) 1 1 Max tracking speed
Active Sensor (resolution 1) 3 1 Missile defense sensor
Active Sensor (resolution 80) 3 1 Ship detection
Thermal Sensor 2 1 Passive detection
Fuel Tanks varies multiple ~20% of hull
Engineering Spaces 5 1 ~7% of hull
Crew Quarters as needed - For total crew complement
Armor 2 layers Duranium - Light protection

Design rationale:

  • Two engines with boost: The missile destroyer needs speed to stay outside beam range. Faster than the beam cruiser example — the goal is never to be in laser range.
  • 6 size-4 launchers: Fires salvos of 6 missiles simultaneously. Size 4 missiles have enough volume for decent warheads, seekers, and fuel. Larger sizes offer more capability but fewer launchers fit on a destroyer hull.
  • Deep magazines: 8-10 reloads gives 48-60 total missiles. This is enough for 8-10 salvos — a reasonable engagement length before needing to withdraw and resupply.
  • 2 MFCs with 6 links each: Can guide 12 missiles simultaneously (though with 6 launchers, 6 are in flight per salvo unless reloads are very fast). The second MFC provides redundancy and allows engaging a second target.
  • Point defense: 3 gauss cannons and a PD fire control. Less robust than the cruiser’s PD suite — the missile destroyer relies on range rather than point defense for survival.
  • Resolution 1 sensor: Essential for detecting incoming missiles. Without this, point defense cannot engage until missiles are very close.
  • Light armor (2 layers): The missile destroyer should never be in a close-range fight. Two layers provide minimal protection against lucky hits or small weapons. If the enemy closes to beam range, this ship has already failed its tactical role.

Missile design considerations:

The Archer class works best with missiles designed for:

  • Speed of 25,000-40,000 km/s (fast enough to catch most targets)
  • Active seekers (for terminal guidance after MFC range is exceeded)
  • Adequate fuel for 100+ million km range
  • Warheads sized to penetrate expected enemy armor (5-10 damage per missile minimum)
  • Speed sufficient to achieve good hit chance against expected targets (v2.2.0+ speed ratio system)

Tactical employment:

  • Stay at maximum missile range (100-300 million km depending on missile design)
  • Fire salvos of 6 missiles every reload cycle
  • If enemies close, turn and run while continuing to fire
  • Pair with scout ships that provide targeting data (the Archer can fire on contacts detected by other ships in the task group)
  • Withdraw when magazines are empty — a missile ship without missiles is just a fast target

Tip: Missile ships live and die by their ordnance supply. Once your magazines are empty, you are defenseless. Always plan your withdrawal before the last salvo. Keep track of missile expenditure and break contact with 10-20% ammunition remaining as a reserve. Also ensure your shipyards and ordnance factories are producing replacement missiles — a victorious missile fleet with empty magazines is dangerously vulnerable to the next threat.

8.7.4 Colony Ship

Updated: v2026.01.30

Colony ships are large commercial vessels designed to transport significant populations between worlds. They need no weapons but require enormous colonist capacity and enough range to reach target worlds.

Design goals:

  • Maximum colonist capacity per trip
  • Sufficient range for typical colony routes (20-60 billion km)
  • Reasonable speed (not fast, but not painfully slow)
  • Minimal cost per colonist transported

Example: Mayflower-class Colony Ship (~50,000 tons)

Component Size (HS) Qty Notes
Bridge 1 1 Mandatory
Commercial Engine (standard) 30 2 Large, economical
Cryogenic Transport varies multiple ~70% of hull tonnage
Fuel Tanks varies multiple ~10-15% of hull
Engineering Spaces 5 1 Minimal — stays near safe space
Crew Quarters as needed - Small crew

Design rationale:

  • Commercial engines: Colony ships are civilian vessels. Commercial engines are mandatory for ships this size and reduce mineral costs significantly. Two large engines provide enough speed for 800-1,200 km/s when loaded.
  • Massive cryogenic capacity: The entire purpose of this ship is moving people. Devote as much tonnage as possible to colonist modules. A 50,000-ton ship with 35,000 tons of cryo modules can move hundreds of thousands of colonists per trip.
  • No weapons or armor: These ships operate on safe routes with military escorts if needed. Every ton of weapons is a ton of colonists not moved.
  • Minimal engineering: Colony ships typically operate on established routes between friendly colonies. They spend most of their time in transit or docked. Low maintenance risk due to short deployment cycles.
  • Moderate fuel: Enough for the round trip plus reserves. Colony ships usually shuttle between two points repeatedly.

Operational pattern:

Colony ships typically run a repeating cycle:

  1. Load colonists at the home world
  2. Transit to the target colony (days to weeks depending on distance)
  3. Unload colonists
  4. Return empty to the home world
  5. Repeat

The key efficiency metric is colonists per year, which depends on:

  • Colonist capacity per trip
  • Transit time (determined by speed and distance)
  • Loading/unloading time (minimal)

Commercial shipyard requirements:

Colony ships must be built in commercial shipyards. Plan your commercial shipyard size to accommodate these large hulls — a 50,000-ton colony ship needs a commercial yard of at least 50,000 tons capacity.

Tip: Build colony ships as large as your commercial shipyard allows. A single 80,000-ton colony ship moves more population per year than two 30,000-ton ships because it spends the same transit time but carries more per trip. The limiting factor is usually your shipyard size, not your design ambition. Expand your commercial yard early if you plan aggressive colonization.

8.7.5 Fuel Harvester

Updated: v2026.01.30

Fuel harvesters collect Sorium from gas giant atmospheres and convert it into ship fuel. They are essential for maintaining fuel supplies, especially in systems far from Sorium-rich bodies that can be mined conventionally.

Design goals:

  • Maximum fuel harvesting rate
  • Sufficient fuel storage to accumulate meaningful quantities before transfer
  • Ability to reach gas giants in-system
  • Self-sufficient operation (minimal maintenance needs)

Example: Siphon-class Fuel Harvester (~20,000 tons)

Component Size (HS) Qty Notes
Bridge 1 1 Mandatory
Commercial Engine (standard) 15 1 Gets to gas giant, then stays
Sorium Harvester varies multiple ~50-60% of hull tonnage
Fuel Tanks varies multiple ~25-30% of hull (storage)
Engineering Spaces 5 1 Long-deployment support
Crew Quarters as needed - Small crew

Design rationale:

  • Commercial engine: The harvester only needs to reach the gas giant once and then park in orbit indefinitely. Commercial engines are sufficient and much cheaper. Speed is irrelevant for a ship that sits in one place.
  • Maximum harvester modules: The ship’s entire purpose is fuel collection. More harvester modules = faster fuel accumulation. Devote as much tonnage as possible to harvesters.
  • Large fuel tanks: The harvester needs somewhere to store collected fuel before transferring it to tankers or the colony. More fuel tank capacity means less frequent pickups needed.
  • Engineering: The harvester operates continuously for months or years. Adequate engineering prevents breakdowns during long orbital operations.
  • No weapons or armor: A fuel harvester in a contested system has bigger problems than its own armament can solve. Escort it if the system is dangerous.

Harvesting mechanics:

  • Sorium concentration varies by gas giant — check before deploying
  • Harvest rate = module size * gas giant Sorium accessibility
  • Higher-accessibility gas giants produce fuel faster
  • Multiple harvesters on the same gas giant each collect independently

Fuel distribution:

Once a harvester fills its tanks, the fuel needs to reach your fleet or colony:

  • Tanker pickup: Send a tanker to the harvester, transfer fuel, tanker distributes to fleet/colony
  • Colony orbit: If the harvester orbits a colonized gas giant moon, fuel can be transferred to the colony directly
  • Fuel depot: Transfer fuel to an orbital fuel depot for ships to refuel from

Scaling fuel production:

For a growing empire, fuel needs scale with fleet size. Plan your fuel infrastructure:

  • Each warship consumes fuel proportional to engine power and operating tempo
  • Survey ships consume modest fuel but operate continuously
  • Freighters and colony ships consume fuel on their routes
  • Build additional harvesters as your fleet grows

Tip: Deploy fuel harvesters early, even in your home system. Earth’s system typically has gas giants with reasonable Sorium concentrations. A pair of 20,000-ton harvesters operating from game start will build up a comfortable fuel reserve before you need it. Running out of fuel mid-campaign is one of the most frustrating — and preventable — problems in Aurora. Pre-position fuel supplies along your likely expansion routes by sending harvesters to gas giants in newly surveyed systems.

8.7.6 Freighter and Colony Ship (Copy-Class Workflow)

Updated: v2026.01.30

This example demonstrates both the freighter design procedure and the copy-class technique for creating a related colony ship variant. Designing both ships at similar tonnage allows a single shipyard retooling to cover both classes.

Freighter Design Procedure:

  1. Open Class Design, click “New,” and change the ship type dropdown to “Freighter.”
  2. Assign a class name and select a naming theme (see Section 8.1.6 Class Naming).
  3. Add components in the following order:
Step Component Qty Notes
1 Auxiliary Control \hyperlink{ref-8.7-7}{[7]} 1 Allows secondary officer assignment; recommended for large ships
2 Commercial Engine (CE96, thermal, size 30) 3 ~1,250 tons each; provides adequate speed for commercial operations
3 Standard Cargo Hold \hyperlink{ref-8.7-5}{[5]} 1 25,000 units capacity
4 Cargo Shuttle Bay 3 Reduces load time from ~23 hours to under 1 hour
5 Small Maintenance Storage 1 100 MSP vs. ~50 max repair needed
6 Standard Fuel Tank \hyperlink{ref-8.7-4}{[4]} 4 ~30 billion km range
  1. Set deployment time to 36 months on the Miscellaneous tab for maintenance planning.
  2. Verify resulting speed: approximately 435 km/s loaded, ~2,700 km/s empty.

Colony Ship via Copy-Class Technique:

Rather than designing from scratch, use the Copy function to create a variant:

  1. Select the completed freighter class and click “Copy.”
  2. Change the ship type dropdown to “Colony Ship.”
  3. Remove the Standard Cargo Hold (double-click in the Installed list).
  4. Add 2x Large Cryogenic Transport (100,000 berths total).
  5. Replace Small Maintenance Storage with a Standard Maintenance Bay (handles ~400-point max repair requirement for colony modules).
  6. Result: ~33,000 tons, similar enough to the freighter that one shipyard retooling covers both.

Tip: When designing commercial ship pairs (freighter/colony ship, tanker/fuel harvester), target similar tonnage so a single commercial shipyard can build both classes with minimal retooling time. The copy-class technique preserves shared components (engines, fuel, auxiliary control) and lets you swap only the payload.

Operational notes:

  • Freighters and colony ships share the same route patterns — load, transit, unload, return
  • Cargo shuttle bays dramatically improve turnaround time at colonies without orbital infrastructure
  • Auxiliary Control allows a secondary officer to train, improving crew quality over time

8.7.7 Jump Scout / Exploration Ship

Updated: v2026.01.26

The jump scout combines a jump drive with survey sensors, allowing it to independently transit non-stabilized jump points and begin surveying new systems without waiting for a dedicated jump tender. It typically operates as the lead ship of a small exploration squadron.

Design goals:

  • Jump drive capable of transiting the ship (and ideally 1-2 companions)
  • Both geological and gravitational survey capability
  • Speed of 1,300+ km/s for practical survey operations
  • Fuel range of 80-100+ billion km for multi-system exploration
  • Deployment time of 3-4 years without resupply
  • Low annual failure rate (target ~0.08 AFR)

Example: Pathfinder-class Jump Scout (~5,500 tons)

Component Size (HS) Qty Notes
Bridge 1 1 Mandatory
Jump Drive (6,000-ton capacity) ~20 1 Transits ship + companions up to 6,000 tons each
Military Engine (Nuclear Pulse, 25 HS) \hyperlink{ref-8.7-3}{[3]} 25 1 Single powerful engine; ~1,400 km/s
Geological Survey Sensor 10 1 One sensor (companions carry 2 each)
Gravitational Survey Sensor 10 1 One sensor (companions carry 2 each)
Active Sensor (small) 1 1 Basic detection
Fuel Tanks varies multiple ~30-35% of hull; 80+ billion km range
Engineering Spaces 5 1 Extends maintenance life significantly
Maintenance Storage 3 1 MSP to cover max repair cost for several years

Design rationale:

  • Jump drive: At ~1,000 tons, the jump drive is a major portion of this small ship’s mass. The 6,000-ton capacity means the Pathfinder can transit itself and escort companion survey ships of similar size through non-stabilized jump points.
  • Single large engine: One powerful engine (e.g., 100 EP Nuclear Pulse at 25 HS) is more mass-efficient than multiple smaller engines for this hull size. Speed target of 1,300+ km/s keeps survey operations practical.
  • One sensor of each type: The jump scout carries one geological and one gravitational sensor. Companion survey ships (without jump drives) carry two of each for faster surveying. This keeps the jump scout’s tonnage under its own jump drive capacity.
  • Engine choice (Nuclear Pulse vs. Thermal): Nuclear pulse provides ~1,400 km/s versus thermal’s lower speed but marginally better fuel range. For survey operations, speed wins — faster transit between survey points outweighs slightly reduced range.
  • Engineering + Maintenance Storage: One engineering space significantly improves maintenance life. The maintenance storage bay provides repair capability for the ~42-month deployment. Carry enough MSP to cover maximum repair cost for several failure events.
  • Tonnage constraint: The completed design must stay under the jump drive’s capacity (6,000 tons in this example), or the drive cannot transit the ship.

Squadron composition:

The jump scout operates as part of a 3-ship exploration squadron:

  • 1x Pathfinder-class jump scout (jump drive + 1 of each sensor)
  • 2x Companion survey ships (no jump drive, 2 of each sensor for faster surveying)

The jump scout transits the jump point first, confirms safety, then transits the companions through. All three ships survey the new system, with the companions doing the bulk of survey work while the Pathfinder locates the next jump point.

Tip: When designing the companion survey ships, keep them under the jump scout’s drive capacity. A 5,500-ton jump scout with a 6,000-ton jump drive can transit companions up to 6,000 tons each. Design the companions at exactly that limit to maximize their sensor payload while remaining jump-compatible.

References

\hypertarget{ref-8.7-1}{[1]}. AuroraDB.db FCT_TechSystem: Duranium Armour (TechTypeID 84) – Strength 4.0 per layer

\hypertarget{ref-8.7-2}{[2]}. AuroraDB.db FCT_ShipDesignComponents: Bridge – Size 1.0 HS (50 tons), mandatory on all ships of 1,000+ tons

\hypertarget{ref-8.7-3}{[3]}. AuroraDB.db FCT_TechSystem: Nuclear Radioisotope Engine (TechTypeID 40) – 5.0 EP/HS; Nuclear Pulse Engine – 8.0 EP/HS

\hypertarget{ref-8.7-4}{[4]}. AuroraDB.db FCT_ShipDesignComponents: Fuel Storage – Standard (50t/50,000L), Large (250t/250,000L); all at 1,000 L/ton

\hypertarget{ref-8.7-5}{[5]}. AuroraDB.db FCT_ShipDesignComponents: Cargo Hold – Standard (25,000 capacity); Large (125,000 capacity)

\hypertarget{ref-8.7-6}{[6]}. AuroraDB.db FCT_ShipDesignComponents: Engineering Spaces – Standard (1.0 HS/50t, 10 BP, 5 crew), Small (0.5 HS/25t, 5 BP, 3 crew), Tiny (0.25 HS/12.5t, 2.5 BP, 2 crew), Fighter (0.1 HS/5t, 1 BP, 1 crew)

\hypertarget{ref-8.7-7}{[7]}. AuroraDB.db FCT_ShipDesignComponents: Auxiliary Control – Size 1.0 HS (50 tons), Cost 15 BP, Crew 5

Back to top

Aurora 4X Manual & Guide - Unofficial community documentation for Aurora C# (game by Steve Walmsley)

This site uses Just the Docs, a documentation theme for Jekyll.