# Switching Networks

## <mark style="color:green;">Free your Soul from the Company Store</mark>

The process of converting a Corporate Ship to an Indie Ship is a gamified experience. A player must first craft or otherwise acquire a Network Unlocker of a ship’s given faction. For release, this will only include Starbright Future Corp ships and the SBFC Network Unlocker. This Unlocker, once installed on to a ship, will disconnect the ship from its corporate control and effectively convert it to a new independent faction: The Kuiper-DAO.

## <mark style="color:green;">Time to Unlock</mark>

Once a player has acquired a Network Unlocker and owns a Ship of the same Faction, they are able to initiate the process of converting the ship from Corporate to Independent. It will take some time for the ship to be disconnected from the Faction’s network and switched to the Independent network. And this process can either be completed slowly through gameplay, or sped up by the use of [$STFU.](/stfu/web-2.5/the-token.md)

Any $STFU used to speed up the process of minting a ship will effectively be burned into the ship and removed from the total $STFU supply forever.

<figure><img src="/files/0RQUmS4G4MxpiZRXJEWD" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Once a Network Unlocker is installed, a *Network* bar will appear in the game UI when the ship is selected the provides the user visual feedback for the progress of converting the ship. This bar will only increase when the ship is being used, it will not increase on its own overtime.

<figure><img src="/files/2qJgzocu6wfCdYlLqoZ3" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

When the *Network* Bar achieves 100%, the player will see that it changes to “READY” and they are now able to progress with the process of converting the ship. Once the player decides to “Switch Network”, all currently equipped mods will be locked and no longer able to be changed unless the Network Unlocker is uninstalled, also if the ship has any empty mod slots at the time of switching to an Indie Ship, no new mods can be installed until the Unlocker is removed.

<figure><img src="/files/RFspGeONsCscqlsE9fKK" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## <mark style="color:green;">Switching Networks</mark>

The amount of time it takes a ship to unlock from a faction specific “Corporate” network to the Independent network is determined by the rarity/tier of the Performance and Cosmetic Mods equipped to the ship.

If a player plans to spend $STFU to quickly complete the conversion process, the cost is determined as such:

* Base conversion cost of 10 $STFU
* Equipped Mod tier/rarity total at 1$ per tier
* In example, a ship with \[3] Tier 3 performance mods, and \[3] Tier 3 cosmetic mods will require 28 $STFU for completion of the immediate conversion (10 + 3x6).
* A base increase cost for each time a ship has had a Network Unlocker installed. So, if a ship has has uninstalled from a network, then rejoined that network, they would incur a +1 $STFU cost for the second install. This will continue linearly with each uninstall/install.

If a player chooses to not use $STFU, the network switch will occur over time with the completion of online game modes and is dependent on the $STFU they would have earned in a given match if the ship had already been converted to an Indie Ship.

<figure><img src="/files/pj76aBMob5dJ2YFQBNMH" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## <mark style="color:green;">Returning to Corporate</mark>

If the player decides they wish to change the equipment on a ship, they must reconnect it to the original corporate function to regain computer-network functionality. There is no cost to remove a Network Unlocker from a ship. Once removed, the player is able to unequip and equip any mods they wish, as long they can be equipped by the given ship


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