C-Ship Modules

Armour

The new ground combat rules provide the opportunity to simulate current ground forces, such as tanks, artillery, etc. However, the single conventional armour tech does not provide any granularity to show the different between different generations of armour. Therefore the current Conventional Armour tech is replaced by three new techs. I have also slightly reduced the capability of Duranium Armour and increased the research cost to create a more graduated progression and give conventional forces some chance against the first generation of TN vehicles.

High Density Duranium and above remain the same. Duranium Armour becomes available, regardless of current armour tech, once Trans-Newtonian Technology is researched.

Here are the first six armour techs as they now stand:

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/ArmourGenerations.PNG

Date 28.07.2018

Cargo Shuttle Bays and Cargo Handling Systems

Basics

Part of the background in C# Aurora will be that large TN ships function only in space and cannot move any closer to planetary bodies than low orbit. Small craft below a limit of 500 tons, such as fighters and shuttles, are capable of landing on planets. Ship are built in orbit and habitats are assembled in orbit. Only fighters can be built on the ground.

As part of this change, Cargo Handling Systems have been replaced by Cargo Shuttle Bays. They function in a similar way, although they are larger (10 HS) and more expensive.

Because large ships cannot land on planets, a freighter or colony ship cannot load / unload unless it has at least one Cargo Shuttle Bay, or the target population has either a Spaceport or a Cargo Shuttle Station (new installation, 1200 BP). Spaceports and Cargo Shuttle Stations can service any number of ships simultaneously but they do not stack. In effect they count as a single Cargo Shuttle Bay for any ship at the population.

All races start with conventional shuttles available for their cargo shuttle bays and stations. Conventional shuttles do not reduce loading time but do enable cargo deliveries to planets without Spaceports or Cargo Shuttle Stations. Three levels of advancement in shuttle technology are available.

All bays and stations use the new shuttles once they are available.

Base cargo load times have been reduced by about 45% for all situations (36s per cargo point to 20s per cargo point and 18s to 10s per colonist), which means a ship with a standard cargo bay and a single Cargo Shuttle Bay with TN Shuttle tech will take slightly longer than the same ship with a cargo handling system in VB6.

This will affect troop transport in a different way and that will be covered in a separate post. Date 10.12.2017

Resupply

In C# Aurora, resupply is no longer instant and ships cannot without cargo shuttles cannot exchange maintenance supplies in space. A ship can only resupply at a spaceport, a cargo shuttle station or from a ship with cargo shuttles.

Maintenance supplies are transferred at the rate of 10 per hour, multiplied by the number of cargo shuttle bays and the racial shuttle technology. Spaceports and cargo shuttle stations can resupply an unlimited number of ships simultaneously. However, the ships being resupplied must be stationary.

Date 02.09.2018

Collier Flag etc

Collier Basics

A collier within a fleet can be set to automatically transfer ordnance to or from other ships in the fleet. You can flag a collier as being at one of seven ordnance transfer statuses; None, Load Fleet, Replace Fleet, Remove Fleet, Load Sub-Fleet, Replace Sub-Fleet, Remove Sub-Fleet.

When this flag is set to Load Fleet or Load Sub-Fleet, each collier will load ordnance into the magazines of non-colliers within its own fleet (or sub-fleet) as that fleet continues with its normal orders (the transfer itself is not an order). Essentially, the collier will keep the fleet's magazines topped up. The rate of ordnance transfer will be based on the ordnance transfer system of the collier multiplied by the parent race's underway replenishment tech (unless the fleet is stationary). The missiles being loaded will be based on what is missing from the ship's magazine when compared to the class loadout, starting with the largest missiles first (although smaller missiles will be loaded if there is insufficient time in the sub-pulse to load a larger one). However, missiles will only be added using this order and missiles that do not match the current class loadout will not be removed.

When this flag is set to Replace Fleet or Replace Sub-Fleet, each collier will remove any missiles that do not match the current class loadout and replace them with those from the class loadout (assuming the collier has a sufficient stockpile) for any non-colliers within its own fleet (or sub-fleet). The collier will remove non-loadout missiles from the target ship while it has magazine space remaining, then add class loadout missiles to create space. Essentially, the collier will alternate loading and unloading as necessary to create the correct loadout.

When this flag is set to Remove Fleet or Remove Sub-Fleet, the collier will unload all missiles from non-colliers within its own fleet (or sub-fleet), as long as it has space to store them.

The current 'Provide Ordnance to Fleet' order has been replaced with several new orders to facilitate the above. These include:

Join and Add Ordnance to Fleet, Join and Add Ordnance to Sub-Fleet
Join and Replace Ordnance in Fleet, Join and Replace Ordnance in Sub-Fleet
Join and Remove Ordnance from Fleet, Join and Remove Ordnance from Sub-Fleet

The fleet containing the collier will become part of the target fleet and switch to an appropriate ordnance transfer status depending on the order. You can also use an 'Absorb' order to collect a collier with an existing status set. I may look at adding ship-level conditional orders (rather than fleet) so that colliers/tankers can detach when empty and return home without player supervision.

The existing 'Load Ordnance from Colony' order will remain but can only be used at colonies that have either a Spaceport or an Ordnance Transfer Station. On arrival, the fleet will receive ordnance until all its magazines are full, or the colony runs out of appropriate ordnance. All ships in the fleet will be receive ordnance, including colliers. Once completed, the fleet will move on to its next order. Multiple spaceports or ordnance transfer stations at the colony will not increase the rate of ordnance transfer.

The 'Unload Ordnance to Colony' order also remains but can only be used at colonies that have either a Spaceport or an Ordnance Transfer Station.

Any order involving the transfer of ordnance to or from a colony or ordnance transfer hub will use the current racial ordnance transfer tech to determine the rate of transfer.

Note this means that significantly more planning will be required in this version of Aurora to ensure missile-armed ships can be reloaded at the frontier. It will no longer be possible to dump ordnance on the nearest available rock. Colonies will require a spaceport or an ordnance transfer station before they can support missile-armed fleets. Alternatively, colliers can accompany fleets, or a deep space base with an ordnance transfer hub can be established. Date 16.07.2018

Ordnance Transfer Hub

An Ordnance Transfer Hub can be mounted on a ship. It is a commercial system with a research cost of 10,000 RP, build cost of 2400 BP and a size of 100,000 tons. In practical terms, this is likely to form part of a large, deep-space station, due to the size and cost, rather than being deployed on ammunition colliers that will accompany fleets. Date 17.09.2017

A new 'Load from Ordnance Transfer Hub' order has been added. This order requires a second fleet containing at least one ordnance transfer hub as the destination. On arrival, any ships in the fleet with magazines will receive ordnance according to their class loadouts until all magazines are full, or the ordnance transfer hub runs out of ordnance. No ordnance will be removed by the hubs. All ships in the fleet will receive ordnance, including colliers. Once completed, the fleet will move on to its next order. If the fleet containing the ordnance transfer hub has any movement orders, the ordnance transfer will not take place and the ordnance transfer order will be marked as completed. Multiple hubs in the target fleet will not increase the rate of ordnance transfer but they can all contribute ordnance.

A new 'Replace at Ordnance Transfer Hub' order has been added. This order functions in a similar way to above except that any ordnance not in the class loadout will be removed by the hubs. The mechanics of this process are the same as the ordnance transfer within fleets above.

A new 'Unload to Ordnance Transfer Hub' order allows colliers to deliver ordnance to the hubs. Date 16.07.2018

Ordnance Transfer System

A Ordnance Transfer System is 500 tons and has a cost ranging from 20 BP to 200 BP, depending on the tech level. A ship with an Ordnance Transfer System can transfer ordnance to or from a single ship at once, so it will take some time to replenish a whole fleet, although this will improve with higher technology. At the early tech levels, the Ordnance Transfer System can only be used if both ships (collier and target ship) are both stationary. Underway Replenishment allows the transfer to take place while both ships are in the same fleet and underway. Priorities can be set for the ordnance transfer order when multiple ships are involved. The first Underway Replenishment tech allows ordnance transfer at 20% of the normal rate (2500 RP), rising to 100% with the highest tech (40,000 RP). Date 17.09.2017

Command & Controle Modules

Five new command and control modules have been added, the cost of the bridge has been doubled and the role of the flag bridge has been changed. Each module adds one to the Control Rating of the ship.

1) Bridge is 1 HS and costs 20 BP. The required rank for the ship commander is the racial minimum.
2) Auxiliary control is 1 HS and 15 BP. Allows the assignment of an Executive Officer to the ship who will apply his full Crew Training Bonus. The required rank for the ship commander is one above the racial minimum.
3) Science Department is 2 HS and 50 BP. Allows the assignment of a Science Officer to the ship who will apply his full Survey Bonus. The required rank for the ship commander is one above the racial minimum.
4) Main Engineering is 3 HS and 75 BP. Allows the assignment of a Chief Engineer to the ship who will apply his Engineering Bonus to affect maintenance and damage control. The required rank for the ship commander is two above the racial minimum.
5) Combat Information Centre (CIC) is 3 HS and 75 BP. Allows the assignment of a Tactical Officer to the ship who will apply his Tactical Bonus to various combat-related function (TBD). The required rank for the ship commander is two above racial minimum.
6) Primary Flight Control is 4 HS and 100 BP. Allows the assignment of a Commander Air Group to the ship who will apply his full Fighter Operations Bonus. The required rank for the ship commander is one above the racial minimum.
7) Flag Bridge is 5 HS and 125 BP. A fleet that includes a ship with a flag bridge can assign a 'fleet commander' senior to the commander of the ship. If a fleet has multiple flag bridges, the most senior officer assigned to any of them will be the fleet commander. The fleet commander will improve the fleet's overall reaction rating by his Reaction Bonus. If there are no flag bridges in a fleet, the senior ship commander will be the de facto fleet commander, but his reaction bonus will not affect other ships. The required rank for the ship commander of the ship with the flag bridge is two above the racial minimum. There are no longer any task forces or staff officers. Any commander assigned to a flag bridge who is not the most senior in the fleet will be referred to as a 'Flag Officer'.

In cases where different control stations have different required ranks for the ship commander, the highest rank takes precedence.

An officer can be killed if his station is damaged. I may also add 'temporary promotions' if the commander is killed, with the most senior surviving officer taking over as commander until relieved or promoted.

Except for the ship commander and the executive officer, the bonus from each specialist will only apply if their associated module is undamaged. Bonuses from the commander and XO will only apply if the ship has a control rating greater than zero (they can command the ship from any of the surviving control spaces). Ships smaller than 1000 tons automatically have a control rating of 1, even without a bridge. This is to simulate that small ships do not require a dedicated centralised command function.

I don't plan to scale the modules to ship size or add extra crew. That would add extra complexity and make designing ships more difficult. For small ships, most command and control modules won't be used, and once you get past a certain size of ship, they will probably all be used. I am not trying to create a decision as to whether a battleship should have a CIC or Main Engineering, but rather to create meaningful choices for mid-range ships. Date 07.12.2018

ELINT Modules

A new concept in C# Aurora is ELINT, or Electronic Intelligence Gathering. This is performed by a new line of ship components, the Electronic Intelligence and Analysis Modules. These start at strength 5 and follow a similar strength progression to EM Sensors. One of the prerequisites for each module is the corresponding EM Sensor strength technology.

The ELINT Modules are 10 HS, require 15 crew and cost 20x their strength (this is subject to change as a result of play test).

They have a secondary function as an EM Sensor, although a dedicated EM sensor of the same size would be far more effective.

Their primary function is to gather electronic and signals intelligence on alien populations and active sensors (and I will add ground forces at some point). Increased strength, through research or multiple modules, can increase the range at which intelligence is gathered but the base rate is fixed. Multiple ships cannot increase the intelligence gathered from a single source, although a single ELINT module can gather intelligence from multiple sources.

If the target can be detected by the ELINT modules' built-in EM Sensors, intelligence can be gathered. The rate is 1 intelligence point per day, boosted by the Intelligence bonus of the ELINT ship commander. For populations, the intelligence is also multiplied by (100 - Population Species Xenophobia) / 100. In other words, it is much harder to gain intelligence when a population has high xenophobia. If the alien language is not translated, all intelligence is reduced by 80%.

Intelligence is gathered per population and per active sensor design (if multiple sensors of the same type are monitored, you only gain intelligence at the same rate as one sensor). Specific alien sensors will now be associated with specific alien classes.

Alien active sensors will initially be displayed with just a strength and not a range or resolution. Once 100 intelligence points have been gathered for a particular design of active sensor, its range and resolution will be displayed. Note that in VB6 you only have an approximation of the alien sensor range. I plan to add active jammers and passive stealth capability, both of which will become more effective against alien sensors based on the intelligence gathered on those sensors (no limit to intel points). I'll provide the detail for this when I post the jammer and stealth rules.

Alien populations will be initially be displayed as they are now, with EM and thermal signatures.

Examples:

A couple of design examples for the ELINT Module:

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/ELINT01.PNG

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/ELINT02.PNG

Date 09.09.2018

Engines

Ship Engines and Fuel

Engine HTK

Due to their size, Engines in VB6 Aurora create a damage shield because their HTK is very high compared to the amount of damage they are likely to receive. This would only become worse in C# Aurora with much larger engines now possible.

Therefore, the Engine HTK will change from 50% of Size to SQRT(Size). 21.05.2017

Engine Size and Fuel Consumption

In C# Aurora, missile and ship engines follow a single fuel consumption rule. The modifier is equal to SQRT (10 / Engine Size in HS). Thanks to alex_brunius for the formula.

The new rule creates a smooth transition for both engine types, which is more realistic and consistent, provides a bonus to larger ships, makes the fuel portion of missile design more interesting (as fuel is not a major concern at the moment) and allows larger engines to be designed beyond the current 50 HS limit.

This will complement the new sensor changes as they will reduce missile ranges anyway (described in the changes discussion thread but not published here yet)

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/FuelModelV2.PNG

As a result of these changes, a new Maximum Engine Size tech progression has been added. The starting max engine size is 25 HS. The research progression is 40 HS, 60 HS, 100 HS, 160 HS, 250 HS and 400 HS, with the costs ranging from 2,000 RP to 60,000 RP. Date 14.05.2017

Due to the requirement for smaller engines for dedicated ground support aircraft, ship engines can now be designed from 0.1 HS in size. Date 22.09.2018]

Fuel

Shields no longer require fuel. Date 27.05.2017

Jump Engines

In C# Aurora, commercial-engined and military-engined ships are treated separately. So if you have a fleet with mixed engine types that also includes ships with commercial and military jump drives, it will still carry out a standard transit if the respective jump drives are large enough for the ships with the matching respective engine types. However, if any ship with either engine type can't jump, the whole fleet will fail to transit. Squadron jumps are handled differently so I will cover that in a separate post. Date 06.10.2016

When using a jump drive to open a jump point for other ships, the only requirement is that the jump drive capacity is large enough for the transiting ship. There is no requirement in C# Aurora for ship mounting the jump drive to be as large as the transiting ship.

Relatively small jump tenders or bases will now be able to open a jump point for much larger ships. Date 26.12.2018

Flight Crew Berths

In VB6 Aurora, the player has to remember to add additional accommodation for the crews of parasite warships when designing a carrier, even without knowing the potential future parasites. These are known as Flight Crew Berths.

In C# Aurora, due to changes in the way crew morale and overcrowding are handled, the design process will automatically add 20 flight crew berths for each hangar bay. These berths are assumed to be sufficient for whatever parasite warships are present. (Flight Crew Berths are not longer included) Date 02.09.2017

Hangars

please refer to C-Fighter and Carrier

Jammers and Passive Stealth Capability

I plan to add active jammers and passive stealth capability, both of which will become more effective against alien sensors based on the intelligence gathered on those sensors (no limit to intel points). I'll provide the detail for this when I post the jammer and stealth rules. Date 09.09.2018

Labor Modules

Jump Point Stabilisation Modules

For C# Aurora, Jump Gates have been replaced by Stabilised Jump Points. This is purely a technobabble change and there is no change in function.

Anything associated with VB6 Jump Gates will be changed accordingly. For example, Jump Gate Construction Modules have been replaced with Jump Point Stabilisation Modules and the Build Jump Gate order is now Stabilise Jump Point. Date 23.06.2018

Maintenance Modules

please refer to C-Ship-Maintenance

Orbital Mining Modules

Asteroid Mining Modules in VB6 are replaced with Orbital Mining Modules in C#.

Each race has a new tech line called Maximum Orbital Mining Diameter. The starting tech is 100 km and each additional tech increases the size of the body that can be mined (125 km, 160 km, etc.). The tech line finishes at 500 km. Any system body, including asteroids, comets, moons and small dwarf planets, that falls within this diameter can be mined using Orbital Mining Modules. This does mean that some asteroids will be too large for orbital mining.

The population summary shows parent body diameter and eligibility for orbital mining. On the system view, you can flag those bodies that are eligible for orbital mining. On the Mineral Search window you can choose to filter on eligible bodies.

Date 17.11.2018

Magazines

Commercial Magazines

I've added a non-military magazine to C# Aurora. There are two versions; one with 100 capacity and one with 500 capacity.

In general terms they are cheaper but less efficient in terms of space then military magazines. Also, they have a 100% explosion chance if hit, so don't apply for a job on a commercial ammunition transport :)

Commercial Magazine - Capacity 100, Size 12, Cost 25, Crew 5, HTK 1, RP 2000
Commercial Magazine - Capacity 500, Size 50, Cost 100, Crew 20, HTK 1, RP 5000

Even if you armour the ship, one of the magazines could still explode due to shock damage. As the magazines are fairly large, if they are hit then the ship is probably gone, so it would be a Bad Idea to take a commercial ammunition transport along with the battle fleet. Date 19.07.2017

Magazine Design

There are several changes to magazine design for C# Aurora.

The 'ejection' tech line has been replaced by the Magazine Neutralisation System. It is functionally identical but in technobabble terms this is a system design to render missile warheads permanently inert in the event of damage to the magazine.

Magazines have a base HTK number equal to the square root of their size (rounded down). in VB6 Aurora, all magazines have a base HTK of 1, regardless of size. It is still possible to add extra HTK in C# by sacrificing internal space.

The explosion chance for a magazine is divided by the square root of its size. For example, if a size 1 magazine has a base explosion chance of 15%, the equivalent tech size 5 has an explosion chance of 6.71%, the size 10 is 4.74% and the size 20 is 3.35%.

If the ship has a Chief Engineer, any explosion chance (for magazines or engines) is reduced by his Engineering Bonus. So a 5% explosion chance would be reduced to 3.5% by a Chief Engineer with an Engineering bonus of 30%. When a magazine is hit, a proportion of the remaining ordnance will be destroyed (based on destroyed magazine capacity / total ship magazine capacity). Any destroyed ordnance will explode with its full warhead strength. In VB6, only ordnance beyond the remaining magazine capacity explodes and only at 20% strength.

In summary, magazine explosions in C# Aurora will be much rarer, especially for larger ships, but far more devastating when they do occur.

Date 24.03.2018

Fighter Pods

Fighter Pods are ordnance, in exactly the same way as missiles. They are built by ordnance factories, transported in magazines and loaded onto fighters. Date 22.09.2018]

Maintenance Storage Bays

In C# Aurora, Maintenance Storage Bays are no longer a military system.

Date 22.02.2018

Power Plant

Power Plant Changes

Power plants will no longer have linear power vs size. Additional power will be produced by larger reactors, using a similar formula to the increase in fuel efficiency for larger engines. This change will provide a reason to create larger power plants and will result in a small improvement in energy weapon capabilities. The table below shows power per HS and total power for a given size of reactor. This value is multiplied by the base technology of the power plant (Pressurised Water, Pebble Bed, etc).

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/PowerPlant01.PNG

The additional boost provided by the "Power Plant Boost" technology line provides double the previous bonus, with lower research costs and slightly higher explosion chances. This is intended for smaller ships that are short on space. The updated tech line provides between 10% and 100% additional boost with research costs between 500 RP and 30,000 RP. Date 20.05.2017

Beam Weapon Recharge

In VB6, if a power plant is damaged, it slows down the recharge rate of all weapons by a proportionate amount.

In C# Aurora, power is allocated weapon by weapon until the available power is exhausted. This means that some weapons may not be recharged, but the others will be recharged at the maximum rate. Weapons are charged in order of ascending power requirement. Once a weapon is recharged, it will require no more power and other weapons can begin the recharge process. Date 19.07.2017

Sensors

New Active Sensor Model

A new active sensor model has been implemented for C# Aurora. In VB6 Aurora, there is an issue that active sensor ranges become so huge with large size-50 sensors, that the standard tactic is to create a ship with such a sensor so that it can watch the entire inner system, taking away some of the fog of war. In addition, such extreme-range sensors allow ultra-long range missile combat, giving the race that possesses such sensors a major advantage. The following change is intended to create a situation where:

a) Multiple scouts or pickets become a serious alternative to one huge sensor.
b) Missile combat ranges are reduced
c) Fog of war is increased, leading to more interesting exploration and combat.

The VB6 sensor model is based on the following formula, which increases range in direct relation to sensor strength:

Sensor Range = Racial Sensor Strength * HS * Racial EM Sensitivity * SQRT(Resolution) * 10,000 km

The C# model uses similar basics and leaves all the existing technology in place. However, the sensor strength now has to cover an area rather than a direct range, creating diminishing returns for larger sensors. In addition, the modifier for resolution has been adjusted from square root to the power of (1 / 1.5). Because of this formula, smaller, lower resolution sensors are now more effective than the VB6 equivalents (much more in some cases), making earlier detection of missiles and fighters possible for non-specialised ships. The new formula is:

Sensor Range = SQRT((Racial Sensor Strength * HS * Racial EM Sensitivity * (Resolution ^ (1/1.5)) / PI) * 1,000,000 km

The following screenshots are based on the Commonwealth in my current campaign, which has active sensor strength 21 and EM sensitivity 11.

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/NewSensorModel200.PNG

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/NewSensorModel100.PNG

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/NewSensorModel20.PNG

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/NewSensorModel5.PNG

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/NewSensorModel1.PNG

Date 20.05.2017

New Passive Sensor Model

A new passive sensor model has been implemented for C# Aurora, using similar principles to the new active sensor model. In VB6 Aurora, small ship-based passive sensors are not particularly effective compared to active sensors in terms of detection, although their passive nature does allow a ship some sensor capability without giving away its position. Planet-based passive sensors (deep space tracking stations) are very effective as they can be stacked to cover the whole star system,

The C# Aurora passive sensor model substantially improves small passive sensors, particularly against small signatures, while dramatically reducing the benefits of creating large numbers of deep space tracking stations.

The VB6 sensor model is based on the following formula, which increases range in direct relation to sensor strength: Detection Range = Passive Sensor Strength * Target Signature * 1000 km. For example, a strength-10 thermal sensor would detect a signature-500 target at 5m km (10 * 500 * 1000).

The C# model uses all the existing technology and tech values. However, the sensor strength now has to cover an area rather than a direct range, creating diminishing returns for larger sensors. Detection Range = SQRT(Passive Sensor Strength * Target Signature ) * 250,000 km. The same example as above would result in the strength-10 thermal sensor detecting the signature-500 target at 17.7m km.

Because of the great improvement in the performance of small passive sensors, there will no longer be an inherent size-1 passive sensor on all ships. In addition, the smallest functional passive sensor on a missile will be 0.25 MSP.

The screenshot below demonstrates the difference between the two models.

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/PassiveSensorsV2.PNG

http://www.pentarch.org/steve/Screenshots/PassiveSensorsV2.PNG Date 11.06.2017

Shields

Shield Generators

Shield generators have been overhauled for C# Aurora to make them more interesting.

1) Shields no longer require fuel.
2) Shield generators can be created from 1 HS to 50 HS in size.
3) A new tech line has been added for maximum shield generator size. The starting tech is 10 HS and there are seven further steps from 12 to 50 with RP costs between 2000 RP and 120,000 RP.
3) The strength of the generator is modified by its size using the formula SQRT(HS/10). This means a 10 HS generator will have standard strength, a 1 HS generator will have 32% of normal strength and 50 HS generator will have 224% of normal strength
4) Recharge rates remain as before so a 10 HS shield will recharge at the same rate as an equivalent tech VB6 shield generator. Larger generators will recharge more slowly. For example, a 40 HS generator has 200% strength so will take twice as long to fully recharge.
5) HTK is the square root of the size, so it is easier to take out a single 50 HS generator than five 10 HS generators.
6) Cost of shields has been doubled
7) The only mineral involved in building shields is Corbomite.

In general, this means that shields become stronger than before and larger ships have an advantage when using shield generators. However, they also cost more, require more investment in research and are easier to destroy. Date 27.05.2017

Tanker Flag etc

Tanker Basics

You can flag a tanker as being at one of three refuel statuses; None, Refuel Fleet or Refuel Sub-Fleet. When this flag is set to Refuel Fleet, the tanker will constantly refuel its own fleet as that fleet continues with normal orders (the refuel itself is not an order). Essentially, the tanker will keep the fleet's fuel tanks topped up. The rate of refuel will be based on the refuelling system of the tanker multiplied by the parent race's underway replenishment tech (unless the fleet is stationary). If the flag is set to Refuel Sub-Fleet, the tanker will follow the same rules as above but only for ships within the same sub-fleet (you can use this distinction to control which ships are refuelled within the fleet)

Each tanker class has a minimum fuel setting (in the class window) and will not refuel ships once it falls below that level. Each class & ship has a 'refuel priority', with higher numbers equalling higher priority. The tanker will refuel in descending order of ship priority, then by descending order of class priority. The tanker will automatically move to a second ship (or more) if there is sufficient time and fuel remaining in the sub-pulse.

The current 'Refuel Fleet' order has been replaced with 'Join & Refuel Fleet'. The fleet containing the tanker will become part of the target fleet and switch to a 'Refuel Fleet' status (if not already set).

A new 'Join & Refuel Sub-Fleet' order has been added. The fleet containing the tanker will become part of the target sub-fleet and switch to a 'Refuel Sub-Fleet' status (if not already set). A Join Sub-Fleet order has also been added for more general use. Date 01.07.2018

Because of the new rules for transferring fuel and supplies, ship classes can be given a minimum maintenance supply level and a minimum fuel level. Ships will not unload or transfer fuel and supplies beyond these levels. These functions replace the VB6 rule where a tanker would only unload 90% of its fuel. Date 02.09.2018

Refuelling Hub

A Refuelling Hub can be mounted on a ship. It is a commercial system with a research cost of 10,000 RP, build cost of 2400 BP and a size of 100,000 tons. In practical terms, this is likely to form part of a large, deep-space station, due to the size and cost, rather than being deployed on tankers that will accompany fleets Date 20.07.2017

A new 'Refuel from Refuelling Hub' order has been added. This order requires a second fleet containing at least one refuelling hub as the destination. On arrival, the fleet will be refuelled until all its tanks are fuel, or the refuelling hub runs out of fuel. All ships in the fleet will be refuelled, including tankers. Once completed, the fleet will move on to its next order. If the fleet containing the refuelling hub has any movement orders, the refuelling will not take place and the refuelling order will be marked as completed. Multiple hubs in the target fleet will not increase the rate of refuelling (a ship can only refuel from one hub at once) but they can all contribute fuel.

A new 'Transfer Fuel to Refuelling Hub' order has been added. Any class designated as a tanker can transfer fuel to any ship with a Refuelling Hub. The transfer is done at the refuelling rate of the tanker. If multiple tankers are in the fleet, they can transfer fuel simultaneously. Date 01.07.2018

Refuelling System

A Refuelling System is 500 tons and has a cost ranging from 10 BP to 100 BP, depending on the tech level. A ship with a Refuelling System can refuel a single ship at once, so will take some time to refuel a whole fleet, although this will improve with higher technology. At the early tech levels, the Refuelling System can only be used if both ships (tanker and target ship) are both stationary. Another new tech line, Underway Replenishment, allow the refuelling to take place while both ships are in the same fleet and underway. Priorities can be set for the refuelling order when multiple ships are involved. The first Underway Replenishment tech allows refuelling at 20% of the normal rate (2500 RP), rising to 100% with the highest tech (40,000 RP). Date 20.07.2017

Troop Transport Bays

Standart Troop Transport Bay

The smallest troop transport bay is 100 tons or 120 tons with drop capability included, so you can make very small (fighter-sized) ships to drop off small formations. Date 11.02.2018

The 100 ton bay will transport 100 tons of troops (about 20 soldiers or a heavy tank). You could fit 3-4 of those bays on a fighter-sized craft. For example:

Pathfinder class Transport Shuttle 451 tons 10 Crew 53.1 BP TCS 9 TH 64 EM 0

7099 km/s Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 1/1/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0

Maint Life 3.55 Years MSP 0 AFR 90% IFR 1.3% 1YR 8 5YR 115 Max Repair 40.5 MSP

Troop Capacity 300 tons

Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1

Intended Deployment Time: 0.5 months Morale Check Required

Large Fighter Engine (1) Power 64 Fuel Use 758.95% Signature 64 Explosion 20%

Fuel Capacity 20,000 Litres Range 1.1 billion km (41 hours at full power)

Date 12.02.2018

Troop Transport Drop Bay

The smallest troop transport bay is 100 tons or 120 tons with drop capability included, so you can make very small (fighter-sized) ships to drop off small formations. Date 11.02.2018