[Guide]Reactors for dummies.

1. FAQ
Q: What is reactor?
A: Reactor is a structure that allows you to convert one type of resource (picked randomly when you first create reactor) into uranium at much better ratio than market.

Q: How can I heal reactor?
A: You can’t. Currently only inhibitors (guild structure) can repair damaged reactor.

With those two most commonly asked questions about reactors out of the way, let’s start actual guide.

2. Introduction.
First thing you need to know about reactors is that they convert resource at fixed rate of 1 resource/3 minutes (20 resource/h). And that’s pretty much everything you need to know to have successful reactor. If, however, you need some more information, keep reading.

3. Basic info.
To create your first reactor you need reactor technology lvl 1, which is unlocked at level 10. Every ten levels you can increase that tech by 1 and therefore increase amount of owned reactors.
3.1 Reactor technologies.
Reactor techs you research in garage are global (they apply to all your reactors), those you research on reactor are local (apply only to that specific reactor). You can research local techs of all your reactors (one from each reactor) independently with your regular tech research (from garage), so there is no point in waiting with creating and upgrading your first reactor.
3.2 Fuel.
Colour of your reactor depends on type of fuel it uses. You can change it (reactor terraformation) for free once every 48h or anytime for 300 stars. Fuel already in stock will be changed to new type.
3.3 Local techs.
Reactor

Level 1: 1200 uranium/h
Each next level: +100 uranium/h, research time: (lvl-1)*30 min

Fuel stock

Level 1: 15 resource
Each next level: +15 resource capacity, research time: (lvl-1)*10 min
240 stock (tech level 15) means you need to refill reactor once every 12h, 480 stock last entire day.

Hit points

Level 1: 500 HP
Each next level: +50 max HP, research time: (lvl-1)*1 h

Uranium stock

Level 1: 200 uranium
Each next level: +40+80*(lvl-1) uranium, research time: (lvl-1)*15 min
Multiply uranium earned each hour by amount of time you want to pass between each visit to calculate your desired stock.
This is the only upgrade where increase isn’t flat value but raises with level. Increasing uranium stock technology from level 10 to 11 will increase stock by 840, but upgrading from level 40 to 41 will increase stock by 3240 to 67400 total.

Uranium safe

Level 1: 5000 uranium
Each next level: +4000 uranium, research time: (lvl-1)*30 min
With such small increase and big research time IMO this technology should be left for last, if increased at all.

4. Optimal upgrade path.
While exact details depend on time you spend online, your first goal should be raising both fuel stock and uranium stock until they both have capacity big enough that you need to visit reactor only once every 8h (maybe even more). Don’t bother raising conversion rate earlier, since you’ll lose more uranium by not being able to visit during night than you’ll earn during day. Once both stocks need your attention every 8-12h it’s time to raise conversion rate (amount of uranium created/h, amount of resource used is fixed value unaffected by any existing tech). This of course will also require that you increase uranium stock to match your desired time when you don’t need to visit reactor. Keep an eye on cost of raising reactor technology since it always increases rate by 100 uranium/h, so once it costs 100k for next level it would mean your investment for that level alone returns after 1000h (almost 42 days). Once you’re satisfied with your conversion rate (3500 uranium/h for me) and size of both stocks, it’s finally time to increase both hit points and safe size (if you want, that is).

Imma bump this thread, as it’s very useful. Any way it can be stickied?

These info are from French Forum, with translation
… with some update.

The damage of reactor weapons :

• Laser (reflective fire) 1% x (RLV – SLV + 5), minimum 1% of MHP


• Cannon (2s CD) 2% x (RLV – SLV + 3), minimum 2% of MHP


• Missile (5s CD) 5% x (RLV – SLV ) of MHP, not fired if SLV higher than RLV(!!)

RLV is the respective reactor (weapon) level, SLV is the attacking players’ respective reactor shield level, MHP is the max hp of the balanced ship at players’ level.
(!!)there might be a missing +1 in the formula?
.
The drops of destroying a reactor are uranium with amount (5% of unprotected safe + 30% of conversion stock + $1000 fixed bonus), it said the unprotected safe portion can be up to 15%. No mention of the relationship between Looting and Anti-looting tech.

These info are based on old version which might be outdated, just for reference.

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About Looting, if you are attacking reactor with team mate, I think it is better to let the one with highest Looting to deliver the coup de grace :)

Originally posted by cave1019:

The drops of destroying a reactor are uranium with amount (5% of unprotected safe + 30% of conversion stock + $1000 fixed bonus)

Now that is some very interesting piece of information. Thanks cave!

I disagree STRONGLY with the advice to ever calculate or consider the payback time to recoup the cost of investing in increasing output, although I understand the urge to do so.

You are not buying output from reactors to gain an increase in your Uri Net Worth, or to improve some worthless ratio of Spent to Earned Uri. You are buying quick output, fast cash, and optimization for increased levels in the total Uri Hold for that reactor.

Furthermore, Uri is easy to get. Time and the limitation on the number of Techs you can research at once are the real commodities: both are fixed resources the same for everyone: 1 Tech per Reactor, and Time passes at the rate of 1 second per second; The time cost goes up with level, and other than stars to end early, you have to wait. Buying a level in reactor output is a consideration of opportunity cost not of uri cost – Uri is easy to get, you always can in short order afford at least the next tech you want. But getting +100/h uri output that takes you 18 hours to gain you give up the opportunity to raise, say HP 3, 4, 5, or more levels.

Spending Uri is not a sacrifice, dont count the cost. Time and what you don’t have for make one decision over another is the critical path in optimizing your reactor.

Originally posted by Syzygy77:
You are buying quick output, fast cash, and optimization for increased levels in the total Uri Hold for that reactor.

Total amount of resources held has nothing to do with conversion rate.

Furthermore, Uri is easy to get.

Except not for low levels or people who log in once a day.

All that text and you still failed to explain how exactly spending 1M+ for upgrading conversion rates is good choice if it would take you over year to see any benefit. Have too much uranium? Invest it or just store. Spending for the sake of spending is pointless, there are better sinks. Fast cash? You know what is even faster? Not investing that uranium and keeping it with you. Reactors are supposed to be something that gives you uranium while you sleep. Not optimizing it doesn’t make sense.

I think We disagree on the fundamental value of the reactor. It is not to generate uri while you sleep. It is to generate Uri ALWAYS so that your next need is met and your research is never idle.

Originally posted by Seizan_7:

Total amount of resources held has nothing to do with conversion rate.

This is correct. I was talking about managing the Production Time Remaining to a specific target. I optimize Fuel Stocks so they contain the amount of res needed during the interval between fills. If you want to fill it everyday, great, you need 24 hours of res. If you want to fill it less or more often, one can modify their target level for this tech. Never stall your reactor. Uri Hold Fill Time is determined by the Uri Hold and the Conversion Rate (if your fuel is never allowed to exhaust you can ignore production time remaining). Uri hold raises this time, and conversion rate lowers it. Uri hold gained increases with each level, Conversion Rate level always grant the same increase. You can buy more Hold and get larger and larger jumps in the time it would take an always on reactor to fill it, but you can then buy more conversion rate to decrease this to your target collection frequency.

Except not for low levels or people who log in once a day.

Uri is easy to get for all. When you forsee a need for it, you go and raise it. I just don’t think players need to set long term goals to raise Uri for the next research. The time you have between each research is more than enough to raise uri for next expense, and making your reactor generate more uri when you collect is a part of why it s easy to get the uri you need.

If you log once a day or you play 8 hours does not increase the games difficulty as long as your reserach is never idle – then its the opposite: slowing advancement while never idle researching you will be more advanced than others who played the same number of hours.

All that text and you still failed to explain how exactly spending 1M+ for upgrading conversion rates is good choice if it would take you over year to see any benefit. Have too much uranium? Invest it or just store. Spending for the sake of spending is pointless, there are better sinks. Fast cash? You know what is even faster? Not investing that uranium and keeping it with you. Reactors are supposed to be something that gives you uranium while you sleep. Not optimizing it doesn’t make sense.

Saving uri without an explicit purpose for it is waste and a risk of loss. Uri is easy to get, so spend it on something – never have any research clock idle, and the uri you need to buy next tech takes less time than current tech. Putting Uri Need Fulfillment on your reactors frees you up to seek other goals. Again, reactors are not an investment in Uri; having the most uri is not the goal, having a high income to expense ratio is not the goal. Never idle research is. Reactors aren’t about earning while you sleep, they are about allowing you not to have to pay opportunity costs: high output will pay for your next expense, so you can instead raid, trade, farm gems from nonxp nonuri dropping mobs, or GET THOSE HOURGLASSES, or BE THERE WHEN RIFTS OPEN.

Storing Uri is stealing from your guild in more ways than one. And again, whether to buy a level in conversion or not depends on the value and cost of the alternative (once you are at your target fueling and collection frequency).