How does fuel work?

Well, in SC Alpha, I don't know whether we call it 1.3 or 1.4, which is the multi-crew which will have the FPS and we'll have the section numerous stuff in it, it has proper fuel consumption. So essentially, we think about it, there's sort of three types of fuel, and you sort of need to conserve or use two types. So we assume that the basic space moving that you're doing normally without boost is, you're collecting enough hydrogen from your scoops as you fly around to maintain enough in your tanks to be moving you at normal speed. So we don't have to worry about running out of fuel if we're just flying around normally. But boost, which is going to have a lot more impact and a lot more use in the upcoming multi-crew, is a resource that you would use. And you would either have to replenish or buy that at stations. There are some ships or scoops or equipment you could get where you could go and refine that. But think of that as, I don't know, nitrous or something that you could have in a car. And it's what allows you to overpower your thrusters. Do the afterburner; it will also allow you to get up to super cruise. So we're adding a whole bunch more flight modes. So we're basically going to have a flight mode called Precision, which is this lower speed landing, maneuvering around other objects. So it'll be much smaller movements, so you can have precision. Then we'll go to SCM, which is Space Combat Maneuvering, which is kind of what we're at right now. Then we'll go to Cruise, which will allow you to go much faster than SCM, but you will not be able to turn quite as fast, because obviously going faster, some of the G-forces. There will be some kind of inertial damping on it, but not enough to allow you to do all this stuff. So it's kind of up to you. Almost think of it as gears you can shift up through. And then obviously beyond cruise is when you get to quantum drive. And quantum drive is the second type of fuel, it uses quantum fuel. And jump drives and quantum drives are basically the same thing, because the fiction with the first discovery of the jump was that there was a reactor that you can make quantum drive, and so basically a jump drive is just kind of a bigger quantum drive with a containment field, and it just uses a huge amount of quantum fuel to jump. But you'll need to have quantum fuel to go to quantum space, and obviously the further you go, the more it consumes, and it'll also be based on mass. And then on top of that, the jumps would consume a few more. And quantum's something that you could also harvest or mine, but it's a much rarer resource, and it's also something you can buy. So there'll definitely be a role for people with Starfarers or something, where they come along and they'll be able to sell fuel to people out in space and stuff. So that's another thing that we're trying to have, roles where people would rearm people or people would refuel people. And like I said, when all this works together, I just see a lot of potential for people to interact and cooperate, and it'll be pretty cool.