diplomacy Tech Comparison
Trade Protocols vs Diplomatic Corps
Comparing the Trade Protocols (Tier 1) and Diplomatic Corps (Tier 2), both diplomacy 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 | Trade Protocols | Diplomatic Corps |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T1 | T2 |
| Research time | 2▼ | 10 |
| metal cost | 2,000▼ | 10,000 |
| crystal cost | 1,000▼ | 5,000 |
| credits cost | — | 25,000▼ |
| Effect | +2% -market fee | +15% pact bonus; unlocks pact negotiation: true |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Trade Protocols
Formal interstellar trade agreements reduce all marketplace transaction fees by 2%.
Unlocks buildings: trade embassy
Diplomatic Corps
A professional diplomat corps enables pact negotiations, granting +15% bonus to all active alliance pacts.
Unlocks buildings: diplomatic corps hq
Requires: diplomacy 1
Which Should You Research First?
The Trade Protocols is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the diplomacy branch, opening the path toward Diplomatic Corps.