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Metal is one of the three resources in pr0game and is mined in the Metal Mine.
Metal is required for the construction of all buildings, ships (except for Solar Satellites, Espionage Probes), defensive structures, and research (except for Energy Technology, Hyperspace Technology, Computer Technology, Graviton Research).
Metal can be mined by the Metal Mine, but even without mines, each planet produces a small base amount of metal (30 units per hour in normal universes, or 60 or 120 units per hour in Speed Universes). The level of Plasma Technology also influences the production of the Metal Mine. The increase in yield is 1% per level of Plasma Technology.
Production per hour: = ROUND DOWN(30 * LEVEL * 1.1 ^ LEVEL * "set percentage" + basic production) * speed factor
The „set percentage“ can take values between 0.0 and 1.0 in tenths steps. The speed factor is usually 1 and in Speed Universes 2, 4, or 5. The storage capacity for metal on a planet can be increased by upgrading the Metal Storage.
Since metal is the most abundant resource in the game, it is also the least valuable. Typically, it is traded as follows:
Metal:Crystal:Deuterium = 3:1:1 or 3:0.5:1. Rates in between these values are also common.
As many research projects and some buildings require comparatively less metal than Crystal, many players end up with a surplus of metal. This can be prevented by disproportionately upgrading the Crystal Mine. However, it is better and more profitable to sell the excess metal. Furthermore, the metal can also be invested in Rocket Launchers, in researching Spacecraft Armor, or in a larger Metal Storage since these three structures consist solely of metal.
When expanding the infrastructure of a planet, especially mines, Solar Power Plants, Fusion Power Plants, and Metal Storages, a shortage of metal can occur, as some buildings require a lot of this resource for construction. Also, for the construction of Light Fighters and Battleships, a lot of metal is needed. However, crystal shortage is significantly more common.