About

Soil is a freeware real-time strategy game set in outer space. It is mostly inspired by Homeworld. As the classic RTS games go, you have a base, in this case single station, you harvest resources, build space ships, and send them to their deaths.

Ships

Each ship in Soil is composed of multiple subsystems, that can additionally house turret hardpoints. Each subsystem and hardpoint has its own hitpoint pool. If hardpoint is destroyed, any turrets attached to it will stop working. If subsystem is destroyed, it no longer perform its function (or works worse depending on its health). Destroy engines to prevent ship from moving, destroy fighter bay to disable fighter servicing on ship, destroy reactor to reduce energy production on ship.

Once component is destroyed or damaged beyond certain points (1/3 and 2/3), it can only be repaired for resources by ships with "shipyard" subsystem (either your base or support ship). This type of damage produces "debris" that contain fraction of resource cost of that component. Battleship with 1HP won't fight as well as new, or not at all if all hardpoints or energy production is shut down.

Every ship has energy that is used to fire weapons (or mining or repair beams, or replenish missiles), perform special abilities, repair other ships or service fighters. This energy is replenished by functioning subsystems, or given by special abilities (transfer from another ship, burning resources).

Ships also gather experience by either doing damage (or mining, or repairing), which increases their rate of fire and accuracy, or by taking damage, which provides damage reduction and increased rate of self-repairs (within free repairs). It might be better idea to save a ship than to let if fight to death.

Fighters

In addition to ships, there are, as sci-fi tropes command, space fighters. Fighter (or bomber) groups are always attached to some ship's fighter bay subsystem. You command these fighters by giving commands to ship (order fighters to guard location, escort friendly target, or attack hostile targets). You cannot order individual fighters or even fighter groups around. Order is always applied to all fighter groups attached to ship.

There are several types of fighters. Fighter (space superiority fighter) will prefer attacking other fighters and interceptors. Interceptor attacks bombers first, and only then other interceptors and fighters. Bomber attacks ship hardpoint first, then subsystems, but cannot attack other fighters. EMP bomber is same as bomber, but prefers attacking working subsystems on ships. Escape pod is technically in this group as well, but is launched from destroyed ships and goes back to station. If fighters or anti-fighter turrets don't have anything to shoot at, they will attack escape pods.

Resources

Resources in Soil are gather by your ships by shooting beams into resource asteroids at short distances (how original). Resource asteroids are scattered around map, giving you opportunity to destroy harvesters that aren't protected while mining or travelling. Resources are split into 2 types. First, common resource, is used to build and repair ships and fighters. Second, rare resource, is used to conduct special research to get less common technologies that unlocks special abilities, give experience to newly constructed ships, or makes construction faster or cheaper.

Resources can also be obtained by ships equipped with salvage beams turrets (how original) that extract resources from debris from destroyed or damaged ships.

Resources are stored in cargo holds on ships, instead of global pool of resources. If your support ship salvages some resources, only it can use them. If you want these resources to be used by your base, you need to transfer them there (docking ships).

Research

There are 2 types of research. Basic research is free and costs only time. This research unlocks various ships and fighters for construction. Advanced research costs also second resource in addition to time.
In campaign, research that is free is disabled, and individual tech is given to player in certain missions. There is still some research that consumes resources, but these resources are acquired by completing optional mission objectives.

Campaign

There is currently work-in-progress single player campaign with persistent fleet (similar to Homeworld, what you had at the end of the mission, you will have at the start of next one)

Multiplayer

The multiplayer technically exists, but may currently have some problems with desyncs.
Multiplayer goes in three flavors: you start with station and build everything, you start with station and fleet you pick in lobby, or fleets only. It is also possible to use scripted maps for something more fancy in the future.