Firing a trade gate construct in a system will create RipCurrents extending out from it into the reaches of space. The gate will have different effects depending on the system it is in.
1)Open system. If in an open system then it will count as 2 legs from your homeworld. An Open system has 10 planets or more in it and any race can jump ships into it.
2) If the system is within 4 legs of your homeworld and there are compatable planets in the system then the planets colony will grow. These gates can be armoured, and you can create the gate, even if alien gates are in the system already.
3) If the system is more than 4 legs from your homeworld then the gate will cost 5 in fleet support and no colonies can form. When like this he gate cannot be armoured. You can only create gates in such systems if no alien gates are already in the system.
Constructs appear on the solar map, and have names just like ships. They have nine core units, and as long as one of these is undamaged then the construct continues to function.
Constructs can be armoured by building armour. Armour can only be built at a rate of 1 unit per turm - you must simply add a unit of armour each turn. This will increase the size, and so the support cost of the construct.
Attack drones fired upon constructs do instant damage. But they only destroy units equivalent to the combat mass on the drone - the exotic nano technology of RipSpace quickly fails aboard the construct. For instance a trade gate with 4 armour has a total of 9+4=13 systems. It is fired upon by 3 ships, each attack drone carries 3 combat mass. These drones all hit and detroy 9 units of the trade gate, destroying all the amour and most of the gate itself. The gate will continue to function as it has survived, and the owning race could start rebuilding the armour.
The simplest contruct is the trade gate, this costs nothing and is used to boost the colonies goods out of the system into the Nova shuttle fleets who will collect the goods. It's function is described within the economy section.
If you jump out when close to a friendly trade gate, and you have a colony in the system then you will not lose DarkLight.
More constructs may be created soon.