Player - Common

Carrier

Mass	Lin v	Rot v	BuildCost	BuildTime	Salvage	Armor
10000	300	0.2	2000	280	5/5	72000
Ballistic	Range	Energy	Range	Coverage	RepairRate	LoRepairRate
4×13	3000	-	-	60%	70	8.5

A Carrier is a mini-Mothership. It is literaly a Mobile Construction Vehicle since it can move about the map at a decent speed. It can manufacture Frigates, Corvettes, Fighters, Resource Collectors, etc. Ships can dock with it to hide, retire, be converted or deposit RU's. It can permanently contain 50 Fighters and 25 Corvettes. Two Resource Collectors can dock with it at once. Ships can be put into Military Parade with it.
If you are planning to salvage a large number of enemy Frigates then it certainly pays to have a Carrier nearby to convert them and refuel your Salvage Corvettes, as well as being able to generate a Strike Force, etc.
Although the Carrier has 4 small projectile guns to its name, they do not protect it against anything with ranged weapons (ie Ion Beams) or from Salvage Corvettes. It is always wise to keep a Proximity Sensor with the Carrier to detect enemy units, and an Assault Frigate or so to protect the Carrier. (NB If you try to dock a Fighter or Corvette with the Carrier when it is full, the ship will enter, refuel and repair, exit and enter military formation with the Carrier.)
Special: Support
'Z'-Target Strike Craft to refuel and repair them.

	R1 Carrier (colorful artist's impression)
	R2 Carrier (colorful artist's impression)

Mothership

Mass	Lin v	Rot v	BuildCost	BuildTime	Salvage	Armor
100000	50	0.05	8000	300	-	160000
Ballistic	Range	Energy	Range	Coverage	RepairRate	LoRepairRate
5×35	5000	-	-	60%	120	23

The Mothership is the game. You loose your Mothership and you loose the game. But other than that, it is pretty useful. It manufactures Destroyers and Super Capital Ships as well as Frigates and small-fry. It can contain 250 Corvettes and 250 Fighters at a time.
It is controlled by Karen (a human bionically integrated with the ship's neural networks) and Fleet Intelligence. Then there is the crew which is responsible for outfitting captured ships. And 600,000 survivors of Kharak from the CryoTrays.
The Mothership does have a bit of firepower but with such an area to defend it really is not sufficient to stave off anything but the lightest attack. Never leave your Mothership devoid of a significant offensive force. The Mothership is especially vulnerable when shot by Ion Beams from behind into its engines.
The conversion of enemy ships larger than a Frigate must be done by a Mothership since they will not fit a Carrier. You cannot capture an enemy Mothership.

	R2 Mothership (artist's impression)
	R2 Mothership (colorful artist's impression)
	R1 Mothership (colorful artist's impression)

Probe

Mass	Lin v	Rot v	BuildCost	BuildTime	Salvage	Armor
25	1000	2.5	30	6	1/1	800

These single-use miniships are used in the earlier levels to 'see' what is going on at the far end of the map. At the end of the level, they are deserted so using a Scout is prefered until the Proximity Sensor is available at your local GalactiMart.

Proximity Sensor

Mass	Lin v	Rot v	BuildCost	BuildTime	Salvage	Armor
25	1000	2.5	50	6	1/1	800

Proximity Sensors are useful for many things. They can serve as re-useable Probes. But more than that; they can detect (most) cloaked ships. And more than that; when they detect any enemy ships they issue a vocal warning and can be seen to pulsate red in the Sensors Manager. Place them around your Mothership to foil sneak attacks on it (this only happens once during Single Player but every time in MultiPlayer games). Have a Sensors Manager in Military Parade with each Carrier to let it see cloaked ships, and warn of approaching enemy Salvage Corvettes.
Its high speed means it can outrun most danger, and even lure enemy (AI) ships away from the ship they were protecting. Its low cost means it is no great loss if one is lost. It is controllable so you can return it to your fleet and dock it to refuel and repair it (although it cannot remain docked).
Love your Proximity Sensors; they are your friends.

Sensors Array

Mass	Lin v	Rot v	BuildCost	BuildTime	Salvage	Armor
300	280	0.3	800	80	3/3	4500

A Sensors Array detects the faintest of indentations in the fabric of SpaceTime caused by the presence of massive objects. You will only need one of them to be able to view all the enemy's ships as you view your own from the Sensors Manager. Motherships, Heavy Cruisers and Carriers are large enough to be able to tell the location and orientation. Smaller ships will just be labelled "Enemy units" but at least you can see where they are and are moving. With a Sensors Array in your fleet, there can be no excuse for falling prey to sneak attacks.
In MultiPlayer games, it is essential to aquire a Sensors Array (and a back up one, just in case) if you hope to organize a co-ordinated attack on the enemy's offensive force and/or Mothership. Similarly, taking out your enemies' Sensors Arrays will 'blind' them to the whereabouts of your forces.
Can be constructed by a Carrier.

Research Ship

Mass	Lin v	Rot v	BuildCost	BuildTime	Salvage	Armor	RepairRate	LoRepairRate
300	280	0.7	700	60	2/2	7500	9	3

As with all RTS games, you have various technologies which you can develop in order to be able to manufacture more advanced ships, weapons, effects, etc. Researching is handled very differently, depending on whether you are playing a Single Player level or a MultiPlayer game. In a Single Player game, technologies only become available at certain times in each level, so you only need to have one Research Ship and you will still develop everything. In MultiPlayer games, there is a race to develop and build a strike force of MGC's and a battle line of Destroyers and Heavy Cruisers so at least four Research Ships ought to be built right at the beginning, and then Retired once everything is researched.
(NB: A technology can be researched by more than one Research Ship at a time. Research Ships are vulnerable underneath.)
Can be constructed by a Carrier.

Resource Collector

Mass	Lin v	Rot v	BuildCost	BuildTime	Salvage	Armor
400	325	0.75	650	60	2/2	10800

The Resource Collector moseys around in space, snoofering up fluff, asteroids and gas with its decomposition beam. It then returns to the nearest Resource Controller, Carrier or Mothership to transfer these materials across so that new ships can be constructed from them.
It has no autoRepair facility; instead it is fully repaired each time it docks. Unless it is set to Agressive tactics, a Resource Collector will attempt to dock as soon as it is fired upon. Fighters and Corvettes may dock with it (one at a time) to refuel.
In a MultiPlayer game, you gain great advantage if you continually capture the enemy's Resource Collectors.
Can be constructed by a Carrier.

Resource Controller

Mass	Lin v	Rot v	BuildCost	BuildTime	Salvage	Armor	RepairRate	LoRepairRate
600	300	0.3	680	65	3/3	13600	20	5

The Resource Controller is a mobile docking station; Resource Collectors dock with it to transfer RU's, Fighters and Corvettes can dock with it to be refuelled. It can pump fuel at 300 to two Corvettes and six Fighters as well as instantly repairing a Collector. For most efficient harvesting, have one Controller 'Guard' every pair of Collectors. That way, the Controller will follow the pair around and one can snoofer while the other docks.

Cloak Field Generator

Mass	Lin v	Rot v	BuildCost	BuildTime	Salvage	Armor
400	325	0.3	500	60	2/2	6000
Range	onDelay	offDelay	onTime	offTime	RepairRate	LoRepairRate
2500	1.5	3	300	600	9	3

The Cloak Field Generator is a non-combat Capital Ship capable of forming an envelope of invisibility around itself (inexplicably called 'cloak'??) The size of this envelope can be seen using the Tactical Overlay. Any friendly ship within this sphere is 'cloaked' and will not be visible to enemy ships (unless they have a Proximity Sensor nearby) except while firing. If a ship is targetted by the enemy while it is firing (visible) it will still be hit by bullets, etc. when it stops firing and cloaks again.
If you want some ship(s) to be 'continually cloaked' then surround them with three CFG's; one generating the Cloak Field while the other two recharge.
Can be constructed by a Carrier.
Special: Cloak Field
Renders nearby friendly craft (less massive than 10,000) invisible to enemy craft (except enemy Proximity Sensors).

Being shot at after re-cloaking

Gravity Well Generator

Mass	Lin v	Rot v	BuildCost	BuildTime	Salvage	Armor
400	325	0.3	800	60	2/2	8000
Range	onDelay	offDelay	onTime	offTime	RepairRate	LoRepairRate
6000	2	2	210	-	9	3

The GravWell Generator induces a minor gravitational depression in the fabric of SpaceTime. Typically, this ought to affect ships of greater mass more than those with little mass. However, it does not work like that; it merely disables the engines and guns of any (enemy or friendly) Strike Craft within its sphere of influence. Incapacitated ships are seen as yellow in the Tactical Overlay and will not respond to orders until they are free of the GravWell. The Well will disperse after three and a half minutes at which point, all previously held ships will regain control. A ship caught in the Well will continue to move under retarded momentum so does have a chance of escaping unharmed.
The GWG is particularly effective when used in conjunction with a Missile Destroyer; a 'I hold them while you hit them' relationship.
The GWG is useless in a battle of Capital Ships so don't even bother taking it along.
Once the Gravity Well has dissipated, the GWG is useless; it doesn't recharge. So retire it and get 480RU's.
Can be constructed by a Carrier.
Special: Gravity Well
Renders nearby Strike Craft inoperable for a short period.