shipbuilding Tech Comparison
Heavy Battleship Frame IV vs Carrier Operations
Comparing the Heavy Battleship Frame IV (Tier 4) and Carrier Operations (Tier 3), both shipbuilding 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 | Heavy Battleship Frame IV | Carrier Operations |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T4 | T3 |
| Research time | 8▼ | 32 |
| metal cost | 12,000▼ | 85,000 |
| crystal cost | 7,200▼ | 42,000 |
| antimatter cost | 200▼ | 350 |
| Effect | unlock ship: kraken-battleship | enables carrier class: true; +2 carried squadron slots |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Heavy Battleship Frame IV
Unlocks construction of the kraken-battleship (battleship class).
Unlocks ships: kraken battleship
Carrier Operations
Flight-deck engineering and launch-catapult systems unlock the Carrier hull class and its embarked strike wings.
Unlocks buildings: carrier flight deck
Unlocks ships: dawn carrier, phoenix carrier
Requires: shipbuilding 3, drone warfare 1
Which Should You Research First?
The Carrier Operations is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the shipbuilding branch, opening the path toward Heavy Battleship Frame IV.