Hephaestus Class Attack Platform

Hephaestus Class Attack Platform Production information Ore Cost 20,000,000 Crystal Cost 20,000,000 Hydrogen Cost 10,000,000 Technical specifications Cargo capacity 1,000,000,000 Base Speed 90 Engine unit(s) Warp Drive Requirements Shipyard 13 (plus Foundry 3)
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The Hephaestus Class Attack Platform is the latest in planetary assault technology. It can be deployed into orbit in a solar system and act as a mobile base for your fleet. This ship is currently available for both versions of the game.

Description

The Hephaestus Class is a roaming attack platform. A player may only have one of this ship. When first built in your shipyard, it orbits the planet on which it was constructed, however it then may be sent to any other planet (as any other ship) or deployed to an open planet slot. In its undeployed state, it behaves as any other ship, including the capability of passing through a Warp Gate.

Once deployed to a planet slot, it acts much like a planet. The owner may deploy other ships to it. The Hephaestus itself may be moved (as long as it has no fleets going to or from it) and all ships deployed to it will move along with it for free.

The Hephaestus functions like any other ship in battle. If it is destroyed, all ships deployed to it or on tasks originating from it are lost in space.

Any ships docked on the Hephaestus when it is attacked contribute to the battle for the defense of the ship. For this reason it is recommended to have a few Zeus Class on your attack platform as mobile defenses.

While a Hephaestus Class Attack Platform is en route to a new location, it's prior colony slot will state that it is "Unavailable".

Unfortunately, once you deploy a Hephaestus, it can never return to a planet. Consequently, the owner must either have adequate hydrogen infrastructure to resupply the Hephaestus or raid frequently to keep it stockpiled.

Evaluation

ADVANTAGES

The Hephaestus Class allows you to move your entire fleet from one place to another for one hydrogen cost. It acts much like a planet, in that fleets may be launched to or from it, allowing you to roam around the Universe without destroying colonies that could be used for mining instead.

DISADVANTAGES

The Hephaestus is by far the most expensive unit in the game. It is slow and consumes a lot of hydrogen, which would make it a bad alternative for people who do not have extremely large fleets. It may also be scanned by Probes, and if it is destroyed while fleets are incoming or outgoing from it, all ships in the fleet will be destroyed as well. The Hephaestus unfortunately can not manufacture new ships, and must rebuild its fleet by dispatching new ships to it, or parking near a manufacturing planet.

SPOTTING

Apart from the obvious, probing a target and seeing that it is a Hephaestus, they are easy to spot.

If a suspected Hephaestus is within range of your IPBM's they do not show the "initiate missile strike" icon on the galaxy page.

Statistics

Specifications

Hull Rating: 4,000,000
Shield Rating: 150,000
Weapons Rating: 0
Cargo Capacity: 1,000,000,000
Base Speed: 90
Hydrogen Consumption: 450,000
Engine Type: Warp Drive

Cost

Ore: 20,000,000
Crystal: 20,000,000
Hydrogen: 10,000,000

Requirements

Shipyard 13
Foundry 3
Armor Tech 12
Weapons Tech 12
Shield Tech 12
Particle Tech 10
Warp Drive 9
Expedition Tech 8

Time and Fuel Costs

(based on Warp 9, one way)

Planet-to-moon 00:24:47, 257 hydrogen

Next Planet 5:20:38, 51,686 hydrogen

Maximum in-system (slot 15 to/from slot 1) 5:30:50, 55,029 hydrogen

Next System 8:54:36, 143,741 hydrogen

Next Galaxy 23:49:46, 1,028,560 hydrogen

Size Issue

There have been many arguments whether or not the Hephaestus is larger than the Zeus. The Hephaestus has two large spherical shields on the side, and the Athena looks minuscule in proportion to the Hephaestus AND Zeus, leading to the assumption that the two spheres on the side of the Hephaestus may be storage for two Zeus ships.

See Also

• Ships