colonization Tech Comparison
Orbital Habitats vs Megastructure Foundations
Comparing the Orbital Habitats (Tier 3) and Megastructure Foundations (Tier 4), both colonization technologies in Starforge MMO. Use this to decide which to queue first when your research lab can only run one project at a time.
Research Comparison
| Attribute | Orbital Habitats | Megastructure Foundations |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T3 | T4 |
| Research time | 28▼ | 72 |
| metal cost | 60,000▼ | 200,000 |
| crystal cost | 30,000▼ | 100,000 |
| dark matter cost | — | 3,000▼ |
| Effect | enables orbital colony: true | +50% max population cap |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Orbital Habitats
Build space stations as habitable colonies independent of planetary surfaces.
Unlocks buildings: orbital habitat
Requires: colonization 2
Megastructure Foundations
Engineering principles enabling ring-worlds and ecumenopoleis. Adds +50% max pop cap.
Unlocks buildings: megastructure core
Requires: colonization 3, colonization 5
Which Should You Research First?
The Orbital Habitats is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the colonization branch, opening the path toward Megastructure Foundations.