Exploration Results and Rewards

The engine randomly draws an outcome category. The two outcomes at 15% are specific to their mode: ships or components in space, and population on land. Each mode therefore has a probability vector totaling 100%.

The delay postpones the return by 20 to 400 minutes. Among the delays, 70% last 20–60 minutes, 25% last 61–180 minutes, and 5% last 181–400 minutes. The duration in minutes is drawn uniformly from the selected range. In space, this delay is added to the normal return trip. Via the Pillars, the expedition waits for this long before returning to its planet of origin. The units and cargo on board remain unavailable until the return; this outcome yields neither a find nor a loss.

The narrative and duration are preserved: a lost expedition, an unknown entity, a conversation with an extraterrestrial civilization, or an electromagnetic disturbance. The delay changes neither the selected nominal duration nor the economic cap. Quantities obtained from other finds remain unchanged.

A hostile presence then triggers an encounter intensity; its probabilities and the ratios for each mode are listed in Intensity and progression of hostile encounters.

Example

An exploration can return with no gain, bring back useful loot, trigger a battle, or be completely lost.

Expedition weight

Loot depends on the weight of the expedition. The game calculates an overall value based on the ships committed in space, the units and carriers authorized on land, and any resources carried on board.

Budget and resource allocation

For possible rewards, the budget often corresponds to 6% to 20% of the committed weight, depending on the result. For a resource result, it is converted into economic value and then into raw quantities according to the equivalences 1 Iron = 1, 1 Crystal = 1,5, and 1 Aether = 3. At the same budget, a draw yields less Aether in raw quantities than Crystal or Iron. The overall draw selects: Iron only 27,5%, Crystal only 27,5%, Aether only 20%, two distinct resources 20%, or three resources 5%. The budget is shared among the selected resources and limited by available cargo capacity; 2 to 4 Echoes are added separately.

Gain cap

Each economic gain is limited by a cap specific to the exploration: floor((24h resource chest value in Iron equivalent × (100 + bonus)) / 2400). The bonus combines +5% per level of Exploration Technology with the active Field Extraction bonus. The 6% to 20% draw applies to ten times the weight, capped at the weight needed to reach the cap at 20%: sending more no longer increases the gain, and at 8% the budget is 8/20 of the cap. Resources remain limited by cargo capacity; Astrium, Echoes, and rare loot are excluded from this cap.

Population bonus

When a ground exploration yields population, Survivor Rally increases the requested value by 2% to 10% before this exploration's cap is applied. This skill changes neither the probability of the population draw nor its random composition. The bonus reduces the weight needed to reach the cap without compensating for a lower draw.

Cargo capacity and neutral result

Loot is then limited by the available carrying capacity. If the cargo limit, the per-exploration cap, or the reward budget yields 0 actual gain excluding Echoes, the final report remains neutral rather than reporting a find with no loot, except when the resources draw grants its global Echoes.

Effect of duration

The effective economic cap is floor(base cap × duration multiplier). The base cap still includes Exploration Technology and the active faction bonus. The multiplier applies to resources, ships, components, and population units, but not to probabilities, Astrium, Echoes, rare items, battles, losses, or ruins.

Example

A small expedition may succeed but yield little. An expedition whose hold is already full may also obtain a neutral result, even if the initial draw targeted resources.

Space exploration can yield resources, ships, Astrium, rare items, and sometimes components. It never yields population.

In the bracket for ships-type rewards, the result can be ships of the committed model or components instead. Only components whose prerequisites have already been met can be obtained. They appear in the report but are not added to planetary stock until the RETURN mission arrives.

Example

A space exploration can find ship components instead of a complete ship.

Ground exploration via the Pillars can yield resources, population, Astrium, and rare items. It can never yield ship components, ships, or specialized devices.

The economic reward bracket exclusive to this mode yields population with a probability of 15%. The population reward pool remains open: different types may be returned, even though the initial dispatch is limited to assault units.

Example

A ground exploration can yield resources, population, or a rare item, but never a device or a ship part.