RC vehicles

RC Vehicles are used extensively throughout the game, providing the remote controlled workforce needed to maintain the colony along with their smaller counterparts, drones.

RC vehicles are initially only brought from Earth but can be constructed by drones once the Rover Printing technology has been researched. Each RC vehicle costs 20 Metal and 10 Electronics.

Commander

The RC Commander carries a number of drones which can be used for a multitude of applications. The rover can maintain 8 drones initially and researching its AI upgrade increases this capacity to 20. The rover is capable of repairing other malfunctioned rovers in the field, controlling drones outside drone hub range and mining surface deposits of Metals and Polymers. The Rover Command AI technology provides the rover with an increased capacity of drones up to 20.

In Space Race China gets access to the RC Generator, an RC Commander with an integrated Large Solar Panel that can be ordered to connect to a Power Cable to supply Power, while Europe gets access to the RC Seeker, an RC Commander with an integrated Sensor Tower that provides the same benefits when stationary.

Transport

The RC Transport is used for many tasks, being the most valuable rover generally early game. The transport functions to transport materials apart from water from point A to point B. Uses can include but are not limited to: Resource gathering, distribution and transporting, Supplying auxiliary bases with materials to work in tandem with rovers and transporting resources from various anomaly or mystery rewards back to stockpiles. The transport AI technology allows the transport to carry an additional 15 material (45 items, up from 30) and gather material from raw resource deposits with additional speed.

In Space Race Blue Sun Corporation gets access to the RC Harverster, an RC Transport with an integrated Concrete Extractor that can extract Concrete from regolith deposits, while India gets access to the RC Constructor, an RC Transport with an integrated 3D printer that can construct buildings.

Explorer

The RC Explorer is used to investigate anomalies. Researching the Rover Command AI technology allows it to investigate anomalies automatically,

In addition, the Explorer AI technology allows Explorers to contribute 100 extra Research per sol to the colonies current research task. Each Explorer beyond the first stacks an additional 10% collaboration penalty to all Explorers, maxing out at 50% penalty. It may be worth investing in an extra Explorer or two at the start, though it becomes cost prohibitive beyond that. After researching Rover Printing a colony may opt to go all in, building swarms of Explorers as an expensive replacement for scientists.

RC Explorers	Base bonus Research	Collaboration loss	Net bonus Research RP	Extra Research
1	100	0	100	+100
2	200	20	180	+80
3	300	60	240	+60
4	400	120	280	+40
5	500	200	300	+20
6	600	300	300	+0
7+	+100	+50	+50	+50

Driller

The RC Driller is a unique rover available only to Russia if the Space Race DLC is installed. It can extract any resource from underground deposits but it wastes part of the deposit in the progress.

Experimental Prototype

This special variant of RC is encountered through the Marsgate Mystery. They are illegally militarized and tested on Mars and are capable of firing upon enemy craft and at meteors. When they run out of power you will be asked to supply them using your rovers in exchange for 500M funds each. Keeping EsoCorp's secret will allow you to keep resupplying them with Power for funds while exposing them will allow you to repair and use them once they are disabled.

Game concepts