Crews are necessary for operating ships and stations.
They consist of crewmen of different professions which fulfill different jobs on ships. Not every ship needs a crew of every type. A ship's crew capacity can be increased with crew quarters.
Hiring Crews
Crew can be hired at stations, as long as your relations to that station's faction is upwards of -25000 and your ship is able to hold crew. All-purpose crewmembers will be unemployed at first, and you have to train them in order assign them to a certain job.
Every station can only hold a certain number of people who are willing to work for you on your ship. In order to hire more men, visit more stations.
It is also possible to dismiss workers from their posts, removing them permanently from the workforce.
Types
| Type | Description | Specialist? | Overstaff effects | Understaff effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crewmember | General all-purpose personnel.
Can be assigned to most positions. Can be converted to specialized crew. |
No | - | - |
| Engineer | Maintains technical blocks.
Required to fly the ship at optimal speeds. |
Yes | Ship can fly and accelerate faster. | Ship flies and accelerates slower.
Turn and brake stats deteriorate. |
| Mechanic | Maintains ship integrity.
Required to keep the ship repaired. Also operates force and repair turrets. |
Yes | Automatic hull repair is faster. | Ship hull slowly decays (down to 10%). |
| Gunner | Turret staff.
Operates combat turrets. |
Yes | - | Not all combat turrets can fire. |
| Miner | Turret staff.
Operates mining and salvaging turrets. |
Yes | - | Not all civil turrets can fire. |
| Pilot | Flies fighters and boarding shuttles. | Yes | - | Not all fighters can take-off. |
| Security | Protects the crew against enemy boarders. | Yes | - | - |
| Boarder | Infiltrator specialist.
Can be flown to other ships to take them. |
Yes | - | - |
Responsibilities
Morale
Crew require housing and payment in order to operate the ship. If your ship has more staff on board than it can support, or the crew is not paid for a long time, morale will drop. At a low morale rate, specialized crew members will no longer level up and they eventually start leaving the ship. In order to satisfy your workers' needs, build sufficient Crew Quarters and set up payment.
Minimum crewmen
Certain jobs on a ship need a minimum number of crewmen in order to work optimally. Not employing enough professionals may cause deficiencies in the everyday operation of the ship or its related equipment.
As of 2.4.1 (needs testing for prior versions), Stations require Engineers in it, but aren't necessary to be supplied. The only 3 blocks that ask for them are Thrusters, Engines and Shield Generator blocks, of which a Station only has the last one, and if not supplied, there is no downside: Shield will regenerate normally and the block will get repaired by Mechanics as usual.
Specialists
Other than all-purpose crewmembers, specialists can also be employed. They can be hired at stations or converted from the general crew.
Officers
As more crew members work in the same profession, a select few of them will be required to keep them in line. Superiors are automatically organised roughly every 5 people, requiring larger salary to operate:
- 1 Sergeant for every 5 employed crewmen
- 1 Lieutenant for every 4 sergeants
- 1 Colonel for every 3 lieutenants
- 1 General for every 2 colonels
Worker levels
As specialized crew work on the ship, they gain experience over time and reach higher levels. Every specialist starts at level 1, which can increase to level 3. Workers of higher level grant additional effects in their field, depending on profession:
| Type | Effect |
|---|---|
| Engineer, Mechanic, Gunner, Miner | Workforce is increased (ranging from 1.5 to 2.5). |
| Pilot | Dodging ability improved. |
| Boarder | Stronger attack power during boardings. |
Captains
- See also: Captain (2.0)
While not part of the ship's general crew, a captain can also be hired in order to operate the ship autonomously via advanced sector commands and operations. Captains are unique in that they can have a class and carry traits, influencing operations. As long as a captain takes helm, their class perks apply.
Multiple captains can be present on the same ship, occupying a passenger slot each. Passenger captains must still be paid their salary.
Improving Workforce
Cloning Pods
If a ship has Cloning Pods installed, it is possible to increase the ship's workforce cheaply. After the cloning procedure, new staff will join the ship as unspecialized crew members.
Academy
All-rounder workers can be specialized into certain roles, if the ship has Academy Blocks installed. Specialization requires time and credits, depending on the profession.
Required Crew
Required Crew per Volume (personnel/m^3):
| Mechanics | Engineers | Total Crew | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Hull | 0,010000 | 0 | 0,010000 |
| Blank Hull | 0,010000 | 0 | 0,010000 |
| Crew Quarters | 0,010000 | 0 | 0,010000 |
| Engine | 0,020000 | 0,066667 | 0,086667 |
| Thruster | 0,020000 | 0,040000 | 0,060000 |
| Directional Thruster | 0,020000 | 0 | 0,020000 |
| Inertia Dampener | 0,020000 | 0 | 0,020000 |
| Gyro Array | 0,020000 | 0 | 0,020000 |
| Integrity Field Generator | 0,020000 | 0 | 0,020000 |
| Armor | 0,003333 | 0 | 0,003333 |
| Solar Panel | 0,010000 | 0 | 0,010000 |
| Generator | 0,020000 | 0 | 0,020000 |
| Energy Container | 0,020000 | 0 | 0,020000 |
| Shield Generator | 0,020000 | 0,040000 | 0,060000 |
| Hyperspace Core | 0,020000 | 0 | 0,020000 |
| Computer Core | 0,020000 | 0 | 0,020000 |
| Cargo Bay | 0,010000 | 0 | 0,010000 |
| Hangar | 0,004000 | 0 | 0,004000 |
| Assembly | 0,026667 | 0 | 0,026667 |
| Turret Lock | 0,010000 | 0 | 0,010000 |
| Dock | 0,010000 | 0 | 0,010000 |
| Flight Recorder | 0,003333 | 0 | 0,003333 |
| Light | 0,010000 | 0 | 0,010000 |
| Glow | 0,002667 | 0 | 0,002667 |
| Glass | 0,002667 | 0 | 0,002667 |
| Reflector | 0,002667 | 0 | 0,002667 |
| Framework | 0,000133 | 0 | 0,000133 |
| Hologram | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stone | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rich Stone | 0 | 0 | 0 |