Pre-alpha codex — written from the build in internal testing. Systems, numbers and features can change before launch. · Join the waitlist
Codex Entry
Population
Why population matters and how to grow it.
Population gates almost every advanced building. If you ever see "Insufficient population" on a queue button, build a Residential Complex or Hydroponic Farm here.
Population buildings
| Building | Family | Metal L1 | Crystal L1 | Aeth L1 | Energy | Cost × | Time L1 | Pop Req |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Residential Complex +0.05% population growth rate per level and a steeply scaling maximum-population boost (15,000 · L · 1.6^L), reaching billions at high levels. | Population | 170 | 85 | 42 | -3 | 1.7^L | 13s | 300 |
Hydroponic Farm Futuristic farm producing food (75 · L · 1.6^L /h on top of a 250 baseline) to feed your population — its 1.6^L curve matches the Residential Complex population-cap curve, so a farm at the same level feeds a fully-housed system. Each citizen eats 0.005 food/h. Draws energy like a mine (10 · L · 1.09^L). | Population | 270 | 135 | 90 | -5 | 1.8^L | 17s | 400 |
How growth works
Your people multiply on their own, hour by hour, up to whatever housing and food the system provides — Residential Complexes raise the ceiling, Hydroponic Farms keep everyone fed. Build ahead of demand and population never becomes the bottleneck.
Tip·Stack with the Population specialty
The Population specialty boosts growth and capacity on any orbit kind — even asteroid belts become Belt Habitats. Combined with Residential Complexes and a mid-zone orbit, your population will outpace everything you can queue.