Space platform foundation

Space platform foundation is the tile used to construct the surface of a space platform. It is placed as part of the platform itself rather than on a planetary surface, and it forms the continuous structure that other platform buildings and tiles can rest on. Because it is the base material of a platform, the shape of the foundation determines where the platform can exist and which parts remain attached to the hub.

Space platforms cannot be built with holes in them. If a player attempts to create a gap, the foundation will not be placed and a warning is shown instead. This means platform layouts must remain fully connected, with no missing tiles inside the intended footprint. The foundation also has an important structural role when the platform is damaged or removed: if a space platform foundation is destroyed, everything that is not connected to the space platform hub is destroyed as well. In practice, this makes the hub the key anchor point for the platform’s connected network.

When a space platform is built from a blueprint or from remote map view, the foundation places with a visible expansion animation. Each tile has a 1-second expansion animation, and each space platform foundation performs that animation on its three exposed faces for 1 tile of length before the sequence repeats. This gives newly created platform sections a stepwise construction appearance rather than appearing all at once.

Because the foundation defines the platform’s shape and structural continuity, it is most useful to think of it as the mandatory floor of any space platform. A few practical implications follow:

• Plan the platform as a fully connected area; isolated gaps are not valid.
• Keep critical structures connected to the hub, since disconnected sections are vulnerable if foundation tiles are removed or destroyed.
• Expect blueprint deployment to animate gradually at the edges, especially where the platform has exposed borders.
• Use the foundation as the structural basis for all further expansion, since additional platform space depends on it.

Space platform foundation is therefore not just a cosmetic floor tile, but the essential supporting element that makes a space platform exist, expand, and stay intact.