Player Guide: Designing and Posting Contracts

Any player can create a custom contract and put it up for auction. This lets you define a deal — what the winning bidder must provide and what they will receive in return — and let other players compete to win it. This guide walks through the full process.

1. Opening the Contract Designer

Click Design Contracts in the top navigation bar. This page lists all the contracts you have designed, along with their current status (Draft or In Auction).

Click Design New Contract to create one.

2. Creating a Contract

The creation form has four sections: basic information, requirements, and rewards.

Basic Contract Information

Contract Name — A short label (up to 25 characters). Other players see this name in the auction listing, so make it descriptive. For example: "LEO Comms Network" or "Polar Survey Deal".

Required Cash ($M) — The amount of cash the winning bidder must pay upfront when the contract is awarded. Set to 0 for a free-entry deal.

Reward Cash ($M) — The cash the winner receives each turn for the contract's duration. A value of 20 means $20M per turn. Total cash value = Reward Cash × Duration.

Duration (turns) — How many turns the recurring payout lasts.

Requirements — What the Winner Must Provide

This section defines the non-cash obligations the winner takes on. You can add any combination of:

  • Asset Requirements — A specific asset (rocket, facility, etc.) the winner must build or already own. Each asset requirement can optionally include a cash payout the winner receives when they deliver that asset.
  • Technology Requirements — A technology the winner must have researched. Also supports an optional payout.
  • Satellite Requirements — A satellite prototype the winner must build and deploy. The orbit requirement is determined automatically from the prototype's abilities. Also supports an optional payout.

To add a requirement, click the green Add … Requirement button in the relevant section. Select the item from the dropdown and optionally set a cash payout. To remove a row, click Remove.

A player may specify requirements for things they do not personally own — you are defining what the winner must provide, not what you have yourself.

Rewards — What the Winner Receives

In addition to the Reward Cash per turn, the winner can receive physical assets, technologies, or satellite prototypes. Use the Rewards sections to add these. The structure mirrors the Requirements sections above.

For satellite rewards, the satellite prototype the winner receives is chosen from the available prototype list. This lets you offer a prototype as part of the deal — for example, offering your custom design to the winning company as part of the contract terms.

Click Create Contract. The contract is saved as a Draft.

3. Editing a Contract

From the Design Contracts page, click Edit next to any Draft contract. The form reopens with all existing requirements and rewards pre-filled. You can change the basic fields, add or remove requirement/reward rows, or change any dropdown selection.

Changes take effect immediately when you click Save Changes. You can edit a contract as many times as you like before it goes to auction.

Once a contract is in an active auction it is locked — no edits are allowed until the auction resolves.

4. Putting a Contract Up for Auction

When the contract terms look right, click Add to Auction on the Design Contracts list. This immediately opens an auction for your contract with a minimum bid of $1M.

The contract's status changes to In Auction. Other players can now see it in the Auction House and place bids.

5. What Happens After the Auction

The auction follows the standard 3-turn rule: it closes 3 turns after the most recent bid. The highest bidder wins.

When the auction closes:

  • The winner's bid amount is deducted from their cash balance.
  • The contract is assigned to the winner.
  • The winner receives Reward Cash each turn for the contract's duration.
  • Any asset, technology, or satellite requirements become active obligations for the winner.
  • A news article appears on the Space News page announcing the award.

6. Deleting a Contract

You can delete any Draft contract from the Design Contracts page. A contract currently in an active auction cannot be deleted — wait for the auction to resolve first.

7. Strategy Tips

  • Use satellite requirements to drive demand for your prototypes. If you have designed a custom satellite, create a contract that requires it. The winner must build your design, which can be a meaningful competitive advantage if you are also the creator of that prototype.
  • Make it attractive. High Reward Cash relative to Required Cash draws competitive bids. A contract where the winner gains significant assets or tech in addition to cash is especially appealing.
  • Required Cash filters bidders. A high upfront cost reduces competition but also reduces interest — use it to target players who are already well-funded.
  • Duration matters. $10M per turn for 12 turns ($120M total) is generally more valuable than $30M once. Longer durations attract bidders who can plan ahead.
  • Keep requirements achievable. A contract that demands technologies nobody has yet researched will sit unbid. Match requirements to what players can realistically deliver in a few turns.
  • Timing the auction. Auctions close 3 turns after the last bid. Post when other players are active.

For details on how auctions work (bidding, 3-turn rule, winning), see the Auction Guide. For details on designing satellite prototypes to use as contract requirements or rewards, see the Satellite Designer Guide.