Relay
The Relay station manages the ship's communications, probes, sector-scale map, shared allied radar data, waypoint navigation, and hacking functions.
This screen is designed for crews of 5-6 officers per bridge.
- For crews of 3-4 officers, see the Operations station, which combines functions of the Science and Relay stations.
The Relay station can view a sector-scale map of the region, including space hazards and ships within short-range scanner range (5U). It can also see the short-range sensor data around other friendly ships and stations, potentially spotting distant ships before the science station does. The Relay officer cannot scan ships, however.
The Relay officer can launch high-speed probes to distant points. These probes fly in a straight line toward a location and transmit short-range sensor data to the ship for 10 minutes. Probes can scan inside nebulae, and thus are powerful tools when faced with an area obscured by nebulae.
Once the probe has reached its destination, the Relay officer can also link a probe's sensors to the Science station, which lets the Science officer scan ships within the probe's sensor range even if the probe is beyond the ship's long-range scanners.
Probes cannot be retrieved and can be destroyed by enemies. Your ship's stock of probes can typically be replenished only by docking at a station.
The Relay officer can set waypoints around the sector. These waypoints appear on the Helms officer's short-range scanner and can guide the ship toward a destination or on a specific route through space. Waypoints are also required when requesting aid, such as reinforcements or supply drops, from friendly stations.
The Relay officer can open communications with stations and other ships. Friendly ships hailed by the Relay officer can take orders, and friendly stations can dispatch backup and supply ships. While your ship is docked at a station, the Relay officer can request rearmament of the ship's missiles and mines; in certain scenarios, you can also speak to people on a station or buy and sell cargo. Some of these requests can cost some of your crew's reputation, which is also tracked by the Relay station.
The Relay station can view the ship's log by tapping/clicking the tab along the bottom of the station. The most recent line of the log is always visible.
The Relay officer can hack enemy ships to degrade its systems. Hacking resembles one of two puzzle minigames, a Lights toggling game and a Minesweeping game. A successful hacking attempt temporarily reduces the target system's performance.
This minigame is similar to the "Lights Out" or "Chasing Lights" puzzle, but has the opposite goal - turn on all the lights (instead of turning off all the lights).
The size of the grid depends on the hacking difficulty setting (set by the server):
- Simple: 3x3
- Normal: 5x5
- Difficult: 7x7
- Fiendish: 9x9
You can practice the minigame outside of Empty Epsilon at these two sites:
This mini-game is similar to the classic "Minesweeper" game, however, you're allowed to make one mistake (represented by an 'X' on the tile) before the game is over.
Pressing the Reset button will reset the game.
The size of the grid depends on the hacking difficulty setting (set by the server):
- Simple: 6x6
- Normal: 8x8
- Difficult: 10x10
- Fiendish: 12x12