colonization Tech Comparison
Orbital Platforms vs Orbital Habitats
Comparing the Orbital Platforms (Tier 4) and Orbital Habitats (Tier 3), both colonization 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 | Orbital Platforms | Orbital Habitats |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T4 | T3 |
| Research time | 55 | 28▼ |
| metal cost | 100,000 | 60,000▼ |
| crystal cost | 50,000 | 30,000▼ |
| antimatter cost | 500▼ | — |
| Effect | unlocks orbital platforms: true; +35% orbital defense strength | enables orbital colony: true |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Orbital Platforms
Deploy permanent orbital platforms that provide mining, defense, and logistics support above any colonized world.
Unlocks buildings: orbital platform
Requires: colonization 8, colonization 9
Orbital Habitats
Build space stations as habitable colonies independent of planetary surfaces.
Unlocks buildings: orbital habitat
Requires: colonization 2
Which Should You Research First?
The Orbital Habitats is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the colonization branch, opening the path toward Orbital Platforms.