Engineer Shuttle

## Unit in the game:

### Researches

Extraction Operations, Accelerated Courses, Prefining, Weapon Systems (Federation)

### Can produce

Mining Station, Supply Silo, Solar Station, Fusion Reactor, Ship Factory, Merchantport, Dockyard, Research Center, Medical Station, Astro Telescope, Enrichment Plant, Deep Space Lab., Fleet HQ, Barricade Sat., KEIKO Sentry, Defense Platform, Ordnance Factory (Renegades), Drone Factory (Renegades)

## Mining Laser

### Description

Powerful high-tech tool used for mining raw materials

## Resource Gatherer

### Description

The unit is capable to harvest raw materials such as metal, helium-3 and tachyon from asteroids.

### Extraction time

5 seconds (-2.5 seconds with Extraction Operations)

## Construction Crane

### Description

Tool that can be used to construct structures

## Collision avoidance sensors

### Description

Unit can maneuver through any kind of obstacles

The Engineer Shuttle is a Human worker craft.

## Gameplay

The Engineer Shuttle is the workhorse of the Federation, being capable of constructing structures and mining resources, and so it's a Federation player's economic lynchpin. In comparison to the workers' of other races (Drone, Labor, Extractor, Welder, Spawn and Worker), the Engineer Shuttle possesses the sturdiest health amount, making it being able to survive the first shots of a fighter raid or artillery with a chance to retreat to a safer location. Paired with a Icarus carrier, this is also a worker unit that can provide a higher amount of defense during a very early game, while Hurricanes have not been deployed yet.

Engineer Shuttles become available to the player in the campaign in *Distress Call* in Chapter 1 - Hostile Visitors.

## Unit Strategy

In resource collection terms, Engineer Shuttles are as dependant of worker-centered upgrades - Extraction Operations and Prefining - to perform as the other worker units, their highest quality lying in taking more hits than other worker units would. Hence, if an Engineer Shuttle engages most enemy fighters (except Intruders and Predators in either mode), Engineer Shuttles are likely to survive due to this small health amount difference. In spite of this difference, however, Engineer Shuttles are not a fighting unit and thus must be retreated to safety should a fight close to them ever escalate.

Like all other worker units, the Engineer Shuttle can traverse through asteroids and obstacles and erect structures with up to 5 Engineer Shuttles each, but require a construction radius to be able to erect structures other than Mining Stations. Building construction may be interrupted by destroying the Engineer Shuttle(s) assigned to build it, since it remains heavily exposed during the process. Nevertheless, another Engineer Shuttle can be commanded to finish the building by right-clicking on the incomplete building. Engineer Shuttles, being a mechanical unit, can be healed by Pasteurs and other stations/units with repair ability except Zhogarn ones.

## Counter-measures

Despite being able to fly and traverse asteroids and other obstacles like fighters, Engineer Shuttles are not fighters and thus can be targeted most sorts of weapons, especially from the heaviest vessels such as the Avenger, Invader, Overseer, Flagship and Plasma Raid, and dedicated anti-cruiser ships such as the Crow, the  Predator in Assault Mode, the Martyrprobe and the Lancet. Sneak attacks from Thorun Raiders are also perilous due to their stealthy nature, but the hull amount ensures Engineer Shuttles can still survive a single Raider attack.

Area-of-effect weapons such as the Arson's Nova Cannon and the Ventator's Fiery Suptum, as well as spells such as Anti-matter Clouds from Breakers and Black Holes from Theocrats can be devastating to Engineer Shuttles within crowded asteroid fields or in joint construction efforts. Nuclear missiles from Tellers can also destroy whole Engineer Shuttle groups in one shot.

## Racial Counter Relations

###  Federation

**Soft** - Icarus, Orca, Hailstorm, St. George, Kutuzov, Teller, Dresda, Avenger (II), Barricade Sat, KEIKO Sentry, Defense Platform
**Hard** - Hurricane, Pasteur, Joseon
###  Sylon

**Soft** - Labor, Hauler, Twinblade, Gloom, Installator, Caldron, Arson, Eclipse, Shade, Plasma Raid, Pillbox, Repair Station, Aegis
**Hard** - Spear *(Unupgraded)*, Mask, Assimilator
###  Athrael

**Soft** - Intruder, Warpglider, Flanker, Clairvoyant, Lancet, Martyrprobe, Harbinger, Gathering, Invader, Mothership, Theocrat, Revenger, Polaron Sphere Obelisk, Shield Generator
**Hard** - Drone, Explorer
###  Thorun

**Soft** - Extractor, Zoner, Predator, Predator (assault mode), Marauder, Raider, Vanguard, Havoc, Corsair, Grinder, Devastator, Flagship, Breaker, Guard Station, Ion Cannon
**Hard** - Welder
###  Zhogarn

**Soft** - Argus, Ventator, Mind, Rictus, Alpha, Ruptor, Elasmoruptor, Overseer, Decay, Impaler, Charybdis, Agaric, Fonia
**Hard** - Spawn, Worker, Guard *(Unupgraded)*, Mite