StructureController
A StructureController is the heart of the room. A room's room control level is increased by upgrading a claimed room controller, and will increase the number of Structures available and allow the building of larger Creeps.
Rooms with a controller can be either unowned, claimed or reserved. These rooms form the core of players' empires, from their first spawn to their lofty empire of 30+ claimed rooms, and many more "remotes."
Source Keeper rooms and highways do not have controllers. SK rooms' Sources have 4000 energy every 300 ticks and may have minerals, but are defended. Highways do not have sources or minerals. You can still build unowned structures in these rooms, including roads and containers.
Actions on a controller
Claiming
Claiming a room controller gives you ownership of the room, and allows you to build OwnedStructures in that room. A player's first action in the game is claiming their first room. Any additional rooms need to be programmatically claimed by a creep. Claiming a room doubles the energy you can harvest from 1500 to 3000 energy per 300 tick cooldown for each Source.
Upgrading
Upgrading a claimed controller is how both Room Control Level and Global Control Level are increased. Upgrading requires energy to do, at a 1:1 ratio. Once at RCL 8, you can only put 15 energy per tick into a controller.
Reserving
Reserving a room's controller allows you to maintain control of a room without actually claiming it. This will also prevent other players from claiming the room, and shrink the size of projected respawn/novice zones. Reserving a room controller does not allow you to build OwnedStructures in it, but will increase the energy per Source to the same amounts as claimed rooms. This is important for Remote Harvesting.
Signing
Signing a controller allows you to leave a message on that room until it is either overwritten or removed.
Attacking
During or after combat between players, a player can attack a controller of another player, downgrading the controller's claim timer by 300 ticks per every CLAIM
body part, or reservation timer by 1 tick per every CLAIM
body part. If the controller under attack is owned, it cannot be upgraded or attacked again for the next 1,000 ticks.
Activate Safe mode
A claimed controller starts with 1 safe mode at RCL 1, and gains another for each additional control level.
Adding additional safe modes
A creep carrying 1000 Ghodium can call generateSafeMode()
in range 1 of a controller, and add an additional safe mode to the room.
Activating PowerCreeps
PowerCreeps and the use of power have to be enabled in a room to be used. Once a player spawns their first power creep, they can enable power in any room they can get the power creep in range 1 of the controller.