How to Optimize Your Tech Layout

Getting Started with the Grid

• Select a Platform Type (Starship, Multi-Tool, Corvette, etc.) with the button.
• Click or double-tap (mobile) an empty slot to toggle its Supercharged state.
• Ctrl-click (Windows) / ⌘-click (Mac) / single-tap (mobile) a slot to toggle its active or inactive state.
• Keyboard controls: Press Arrow keys (↑, ↓, ←, →) and Home / End to move focus. Press S or Shift+Enter to toggle the Supercharged state. Press Space or Enter to toggle the active or inactive state.
• Use the row toggles to enable or disable an entire row. (Row toggles lock after you place modules on the grid.)
• Click the Module Selection button on a Technology Category to enable or disable individual modules and view the required Solver Window dimensions.
• Toggle Focus Mode to reduce visual distractions and improve text legibility.

💡 Note:
Slot Restrictions apply to Exosuits and Exocraft. Exocraft use a fixed Default Grid Layout where slots cannot be changed. Exosuits have fixed supercharged slot locations, so you can only change active and inactive slot states.

Before You Begin

This tool is designed for endgame optimization and produces the best results when:

• Most or all grid slots are active.
• All modules in each Technology Category are unlocked.
• You have three procedural upgrade modules per Technology Category.

You can optimize partial setups, but the solver targets fully upgraded Platform Types.

Usage Tips

Supercharged slots are limited. Distribute them across multiple Technology Categories for the highest total bonus:

• Do not assign all supercharged slots to the first Technology Category. This reduces the available bonus for other systems.
• Assign 2 to 3 supercharged slots to your highest-priority Technology Category.
• Reserve 1 or more supercharged slots for a second Technology Category.
• After all supercharged slots are occupied, optimize Technology Categories that require larger Solver Window dimensions first.
• Set your priorities and let the solver calculate the optimal module placement.

Solver Window & Optimization Alerts

Each Technology Category requires a Solver Window (width × height) based on its active Module Selection.

• If no contiguous region of active slots matches the required Solver Window, an Optimization Alert (Pattern No Fit) appears.
• From the alert, you can run a Forced Solve (full simulated annealing across available slots) or cancel, use Reset on placed categories, and optimize in a different order.
• Pro Tip: Temporarily set specific slots to inactive before optimizing to guide where the Solver Window is placed.

Module Rank Order (Theta / Tau / Sigma)

Module Rank Order (Theta → Tau → Sigma) ranks procedural upgrade modules by stat value, not by upgrade class:

• Theta (1) — highest stats
• Tau (2) — middle stats
• Sigma (3) — lowest stats

These labels do not appear in-game. Compare the stat values of your procedural upgrades directly:

• Highest stats → Theta
• Second-highest stats → Tau
• Lowest stats → Sigma

Upgrade class does not determine Module Rank Order. An X-Class upgrade can have higher or lower stats than an S-Class upgrade.

Corvettes

Corvettes support up to three separate upgrade Module Groups within a Technology Category:

• Cosmetic modules use the label Cn.
• Reactor modules use the label Rn.

The solver prioritizes stat bonuses over visual appearance when placing Cosmetic modules.

Recommended Builds

Exosuits and Exocraft have fixed supercharged slots and fewer layout permutations. Use the Recommended Builds menu to load curated layouts for common setups.

Submit layout suggestions or feedback in the project discussions:
https://github.com/jbelew/nms_optimizer-web/discussions

Saving, Loading, and Sharing

• Load Build — Open a saved .nms Build File from disk.
• Save Build — Download the current layout as a .nms Build File.
• Share Build — Generate a Shared Grid URL that opens your layout in the optimizer.
• Capture Build Screenshot — Capture a PNG image of the current grid layout.