5Dim › Why 5Dim › Ship design

Ship design

In 5Dim, ships are not fixed templates from a catalog: you design them yourself, component by component. Weaponry, armor, propulsion, cargo — every decision shapes your fleet and defines your combat strategy. No two players have the exact same fleet, and that completely changes the dynamics of every battle.

A design system unlike any other space MMO

Most space strategy games offer a closed catalog of ships: light fighter, cruiser, battleship... every player uses the same predefined models. At 5Dim we break that mold: you start from a base hull and equip it with the components you choose.

Want an ultra-fast scouting corvette? A battleship with maximum weaponry for frontal battles? A fleet of cheap, numerous fighters to overwhelm the enemy? All those strategies are yours, and no other player can copy you exactly. Design is your real competitive edge.

Ship design in 5Dim vs other space MMOs

FeatureTypical space MMO5Dim
Available ship typesFixed catalog (5–10 types) Component-based customization
Differentiation between players Everyone uses the same ships Every fleet is unique
Tactical advantage from design Only quantity matters Design + quantity = victory
Specialization by ship type No specialization tree Research per ship class
Paid designs or ships (P2W) Exclusive paid ships or upgrades No exclusive paid designs
Visual component editor Does not exist Integrated design lab

Hulls: choose the soul of your ship

Every ship starts with a hull that determines its maximum equipment limits. There are four classes available to all players, plus an elite one:

  • Fighter: fast and cheap. Perfect for swarming the enemy or for low-cost reconnaissance missions.
  • Corvette: balanced. The best cost-to-power ratio for the line fleet.
  • Cruiser: powerful and tough. High sustained damage in prolonged battles.
  • Battleship: maximum armor and firepower. The backbone of any serious assault fleet.
  • Titan: an elite ship unlocked through advanced research. The most powerful unit in the game — and the most feared in combat.

Components: where strategy is born

Once you have chosen the hull, equip it with components. Each component takes up space and raises the build cost — designing well is a balancing act between six attributes:

  • Attack: weaponry decides how much damage your ship deals per combat round.
  • Armor: resistance determines how much it endures before being destroyed.
  • Speed: propulsion affects travel time between systems and fuel consumption.
  • Cargo capacity: the space available to carry resources, troops or loot.
  • Hangar: the capacity to carry other ships inside yours. Hangared ships deploy automatically in combat and consume no fuel during travel.
  • Harvesting: the efficiency in extracting resources from asteroids. Affects the percentage and speed of harvesting in mining missions.

Maximizing one attribute sacrifices the others. That is the art of design: building the right ship for each mission, not the "perfect" ship that does not exist.

Learn to design ships like an expert

We have a complete guide with the design editor step by step, strategies based on your fleet objective, and tips on the specialization research that boosts each ship class.

View ship design guide

Frequently asked questions about ship design

Can I have several saved designs at once?
Yes. In the design lab you can save as many designs as you want and build any of them in the shipyard depending on the tactical situation of the moment.
Are my ship components visible to the enemy?
No. Your rival can know the hull type you use (fighter, cruiser...), but not the exact components installed. That information asymmetry is a central part of the strategic tension in 5Dim.
Can I modify a design that is already in production?
Yes. Ships already built keep their original design, but the new units you order from the shipyard will use the updated design from that point on.
Does accessing ship design require any payment?
No. The design lab is completely free and all components are unlocked through research within the game, with no real-money cost.
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