Ship Systems

StarMade uses a block-group system to determine how sets of same-type blocks behave together. This is most important for weapons, where grouping affects how shots are fired.

What is a Block Group?

A block group is a set of blocks of the same type that are all touching each other (face-to-face, not diagonal). A solid cube is one block group. A straight line is also one block group. A single isolated block is its own group.

Thrust

Thruster modules add to your ship's maximum speed and acceleration. More blocks equals more thrust. Group them together for compactness.

Shields

Shield modules generate a shield that absorbs damage before it reaches your hull. Shield recharge requires power, so size your reactors to support your shield blocks.

Weapon Groups

Each contiguous group of weapon barrel/module blocks fires as a single shot. You can choose between:

Layout	Effect
All barrels in one touching group	One powerful shot
Multiple separate groups	Multiple weaker simultaneous projectiles

Multiple separate weapon groups incur a penalty — the more groups you have, the less efficient each one is. For maximum single-target damage, keep barrel modules in one large connected group.

The weapon computer is a separate block and doesn't need to touch the barrels — it is connected via the link system (see Weapons).