shipbuilding Tech Comparison
Capital Yards vs Carrier Operations
Comparing the Capital Yards (Tier 3) 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 | Capital Yards | Carrier Operations |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T3 | T3 |
| Research time | 24▼ | 32 |
| metal cost | 60,000▼ | 85,000 |
| crystal cost | 30,000▼ | 42,000 |
| antimatter cost | — | 350▼ |
| Effect | enables capital class: true | 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.
Capital Yards
Enables construction of capital ships.
Unlocks buildings: capital shipyard
Unlocks ships: frigate mk1, hauler mk1
Requires: shipbuilding 2
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?
Both sit at the same tier. The Capital Yards is the cheaper project, so it's the safer early pick if your economy is tight; otherwise prioritise whichever effect supports your current strategy.