Command center

Command Centers (aka Command Posts) serve as the focal points for all Terran outposts. Originally designed to be roving resource processors for Confederate prospectors, the Command Center can pick up stakes and move on to new Mineral or Vespene deposits. They also have the ability to manufacture SCVs and serve as the return point for mining vehicles. Heavily armored and sturdy, the slow-moving command centers are most vulnerable when they are on the move.

Structurely, the Command Center is as wide as it is tall (3 stories), easily identifiable from a distance through its flashing beacons. Massive repulsor landing claws support the main bulk of the structure with external ablative plates reinforcing the main hull. Observation towers, antennae, sensor domes and other similar devices are situated above the Center proper. Processors are also maintained to process resources, taking up the bulk of the Command Center's external space. Through jumpjets, Command Centers are capable of being transported to other locations, though all other systems must be shut down for this to occur.

After the Brood War, the Command Center design underwent expansion, including extra bay facilities to carry a number of SCVs while the Command Center is in transit. This facilitates rapid exploitation of fresh mineral fields or vespene pockets, as well as supplying a handy shelter for the SCVs in case of enemy action. In addition, the increasing use of Command Centers in combat zones has also led to the development of standard schematics for upgrading them to a dedicated military role, a change from previous standards where Command Centers featured minimal staff and defences.

Command Bay
The Command Bay is the first point of call for anyone entering the Command Center.

Infirmiry
The Infirmiry is located at one of the Command Center's lower levels. It is arguably the most well protected section of the Command Center, encased by the structure proper and set within its exact middle. However, Command Center infirmiries lack advanced equipment and only really function as a first-aid station, a place to keep an injured soldier alive long enough so that he/she can reach better facilities in time. Water is supplied via a basin and multiple bunks are present, which feature straps should the subject have to be restrained.

Operations Room
The Operations Room is situated at the very top of a Command Center. A ring of transteel windows surrounds the entire room, allowing an officer to look in all directions from the structure. The centerpiece is the command island however, a raised circular platform situated in the room's center. From here, command staff monitor activities of a base and the Operations Room itself. Various consoles are located below the island, specifically monitoring the aspects of a base. It is also from the Operations Room that general radio traffic can be monitored and answered.

SCV Maintanance Bay
The SCV Maintance Bay is located above the Command Bay, squeezed between the processors. In truth, it is something of a misnomer, as fabricators can create SCVs from scratch.

The Command Center in StarCraft I
With 1500 HP, the Command Center is the strongest of all the basic primary base structures without having to upgrade (since the Zerg Lair and Zerg Hive surpass the Command Center by 300 and 1000 HP respectively). At a 400 mineral price tag, Command Centers should usually be defended well until resources are no longer an object of concern.

As with other Terran buildings, the Command Center can Lift Off, allowing it to fly into better positions. A commonly used tactic is to construct a Command Center in a defended area, and then fly it to another resource node to begin another base. However, like all other Terran buildings, the Terran Command Center will literally burn to the ground when lower than about 35% HP. Another dangerous weakness is the fact that Command Centers are able to be infested by Zerg Queens, resulting in an Infested Command Center which creates explosive Infested Terrans.

A Command Center can build a ComSat Station or Nuclear Silo add on. It can only use one at a time but can switch back and forth between them.

The Command Center in StarCraft II
In StarCraft II, the Command Center has the ability to carry up to five SCVs while flying and has enhanced mobility. If the Command Center is destroyed while flying, the SCVs survive.

The Command Center can be upgraded to either a Planetary Fortress or a Surveillance Station. The Planetary Fortress has additional toughness and a large cannon that can attack ground units, while the Surveillance Station provides the Comsat Sweep. Once the building is upgraded, it can no longer lift off and cannot be reverted to a Command Center.