logistics Tech Comparison
Dark Matter Freight Lanes vs Automated Shipyards
Comparing the Dark Matter Freight Lanes (Tier 4) and Automated Shipyards (Tier 3), both logistics 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 | Dark Matter Freight Lanes | Automated Shipyards |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T4 | T3 |
| Research time | 80 | 28▼ |
| metal cost | 130,000 | 55,000▼ |
| crystal cost | 65,000 | 28,000▼ |
| dark matter cost | 3,000▼ | — |
| credits cost | 250,000 | 80,000▼ |
| Effect | +5 freight speed multiplier | +3 parallel build queues |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Dark Matter Freight Lanes
Dark-matter-threaded freight corridors allow bulk resource transfers at 5× normal speed empire-wide.
Unlocks buildings: dark matter freight hub
Requires: logistics 10, energy 3
Automated Shipyards
Fully automated construction arms enable parallel build queues, allowing up to 3 ships to be built simultaneously per shipyard.
Unlocks buildings: automated shipyard
Requires: logistics 7
Which Should You Research First?
The Automated Shipyards is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the logistics branch, opening the path toward Dark Matter Freight Lanes.