VB6 Aurora:Glossary

AMM

Anti-missile Missile - A missile designed to defend vessels by destroying ASMs.

ASM

Anti-ship Missile - A missile designed to destroy vessels.

CF

Construction Factory - A facility on a SB that is the primary source of Industry on a SB. Industry is used to construct additional facilities on a SB, including PDCs.

CIWS

Close-in Weapon System - An automated missile defense system based on kinetic or energy weapons. This is similar to the real world Phalanx CIWS.

CO

Commanding Officer - The officer commanding a vessel or ground forces unit.

DDG

Guided Missile Destroyer - A destroyer designed to launch guided missiles. This is based on the U.S. Navy hull designation.

DDGJ

Jump-capable Guided Missile Destroyer - A DDG equipped with a Jump Drive to travel between JPs.

DE

Destroyer Escort - A destroyer designed to escort and defend commercial and military vessels. This is based on the U.S. Navy hull designation.

ECM

Electronic Countermeasures - An electronic system that interfere with missile guidance systems.

ECCM

Electronic Counter-countermeasures - An electronic system that counters the effect of ECM.

EM

Electromagnetic - Used in the context of EM Sensor, EM Signature, etc.

FAC

Fast Attack Craft - A medium-sized vessel often between 500 - 1,000 tons in size that uses a FAC Engine. FACs are built using a SY.

FAC Engine

Fast Attack Craft Engine - The engine that powers a FAC. This is a high-power engine that has double the normal output using 10x the normal fuel. Only one can be mounted per vessel.

FC

Fire Control - An electronic system that designates targets for its assigned weapon systems. FC depends on Active Sensors for targeting information.

GC

Gauss Cannon - A kinetic beam weapon based on EM acceleration of ammunition.

GCB

Ground Combat Bonus - A percentage bonus to ground forces combat based on the unit CO.

GFTF

Ground Forces Training Facility - A facility used to train ground forces to garrison PDCs and defend SBs.

HS

Hull Space - Vessels are measured in HS, which are 50 tons each. Thus a vessel with 100 HS is 5,000 tons.

HTK

Hits to Kill - How much damage is required to completely destroy a system on a vessel. If less damage than the HTK is inflicted on the system, the chance of destruction is damage/HTK.

IFR

Incremental Failure Rate - The chance of a system failure on a vessel during a five-day increment. On the Ship Summary screen, it shows the current IFR based on the vessel's maintenance clock. On the Class Summary screen, it shows the IFR for a vessel based on a one year duration.

JP

Jump Point - A point in space in a solar system where it is possible to travel instantaneously to an associated JP in another solar system. Travel requires some way to stabilize the JP, either temporarily or permanently. This is done with a Jump Drive or Jump Gate, respectively.

LP

Lagrange Point - An intra-system JP found at the L5 Lagrange point of super-jovians or massive gas giants. The L5 Lagrange point is 60 degrees behind the SB in its orbital path around its star.

MSP

Maintenance Supply Point - A measure of maintenance cost or progress for vessels to repair system failures due to maintenance based on the IFR. Alternatively, Missile Size Point - A measure of size for missiles and their components for design purposes. One HS, or 50 tons, is equal to 20 MSP. One MSP is equal to 0.05 HS or 2.5 tons.

NPR

Non-player Race - A race controlled by the computer rather than the player.

OWP

Orbital Weapon Platform - A stationary satellite around a SB with weapon systems intended to defend a SB.

PD

Point Defense - Weapons used to defend a single point in space, like a vessel or SB. These often include AMMs and CIWS.

PDC

Planetary Defense Center - A facility on a SB used to garrison ground forces and defend a SB. These can leverage weapons or systems like Active Sensors. PDCs are built by Industry rather than SYs.

ROF

Rate of Fire - How quickly a weapon cycles to fire new shots.

RP

Research Point - A measure of research cost or progress for new technologies based on Research Lab facilities.

SB

System Body - A planet, moon, asteroid, or comet in a solar system. These can be colonized or mined for minerals.

SM

Spacemaster - The impartial referee in a multi-player game.

SM Mode

Spacemaster Mode - Accessed via Ctrl-S on the Main Menu screen. Allows the player to see and do more that is normally possible.

SP

Survey Point - A measure of gravitational or geographic survey cost or progress for solar system gravitational surveys or SB geographic surveys, respectively.

SY

Shipyard - Used to construct vessels and FACs.

TCS

Target Cross Section - The size of a vessel for the purposes of Active Sensors.

TH

Thermal - Used in the context of Thermal Sensor, Thermal Signature, etc.

TMA

Target Motion Analysis - An analysis of observed speed, TH Signature, and EM Signature to determine an approximate size for vessels observed using passive EM or TH Sensors.

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