VB6 Aurora:Index of Topics

General information

• Aurora - Where it comes from.
• Download
• Glossary - A list of all the abbr. used in A.
• FAQ - Also some troubleshooting. Not complete, of course.
• System Requirements
• Troubleshooting
• Tips for beginners

Setting up a new game

• New Game - About the first screen you'll see in Aurora.
  • Government Types
  • Main Empire Theme
  • Creating custom races
  • Disaster - Game option to make your life more miserable by making the sun slowly go berserk.
  • Tutorial: Quickstart for Beginners
• Fast OB - If you want to start the game with a few goodies already built.
  • Tutorial: Fast OB Creation window and Basic Fleet Orders

Game concepts

• Time, Turns and Interrupts
• Basic Sequence of Play - The order in which things happen.
• SpaceMaster Mode - Originally meant as a set of referee tools, this lets you manipulate the game universe.
• Game Slowdown - Why it happens and what you can do about it.

Game interface

• Interface
• System Map - The complete reference. Tip: to measure distances, shift & left-click, then drag the cursor in the system map.
  • Tutorial: Basics of the System Map
• Galactic Map - The map of all discovered systems and their jump point connections. Tip: Shift-click and drag the systems to the desired new position, then click SysPos and save that layout.
• Event Log - Here you can access the complete game event log, filter message types, set message colours and other things.
• Task Groups
• Class Design - The ship design window.
• Game interface
• Ship Combat - How to use the combat controls.
• Hotkeys

The galaxy

• The Galaxy - Information about stellar systems and system bodies (planets, moons, asteroids etc.).
  • Comets
  • Lagrange Point - How to get around using Lagrange Points near Super-Jovians.
• Black Holes and Nebulae
• Survey - How to find jump points and minerals.
• Interstellar travel - About finding and using jump points.
  • Jump point
  • Jump Gate
  • Jump Tender

Colonies and mining

Prime real estate opportunity. Some radiation tolerance required. Call 1-800-MARTIANHOMES today!
Image: NASA

• Colony
  • Installations - Lots of things to build on a colony.
  • Tutorial: Colonization for Beginners
• The Population and Production window - Also known as the Economics window. From here you control research, industry, shipyards, ground troops and about everything else that isn't flying though space.
• Races and Species
• Terraforming - Home improvement on a global scale.
• Political Status
• Unrest - When the natives get restless.
• Wealth - Your treasury.
• Mining - General information.
  • Trans Newtonian Elements - What they are used for.
    • Mineral Generation
  • Mass Drivers - Mineral transport was never easier.
  • Asteroid mining - Plundering the belt.
  • Sorium Harvester - How to get fuel from gas giants and super-jovians.

Captains, spies and mad scientists

• Leaders - your naval and ground force officers, scientists and administrators. Tip: give all of them something to do to increase their skills faster.
• Research - R&D: research new technology and develop systems you have designed.
  • A list of Technology
  • List of Research Costs
• Diplomacy
• Espionage

The civilian economy

• Commercial Shipping - Shipping lines, the emperor's little helpers.
  • Civilian contracts - Your civilians can transport installations for you (not minerals).
• Civilian mining complex - Your civilians can dig up stuff for you.
• Trade System - Things that generate taxes.

Ship design

• Ships - An overview.
  • Class Design - Explains the Design window. Lots of useful information here.
  • Core components - Basic systems like cargo holds, fuel tanks etc.
  • Player-designed components

Table of player-designed components

• Armour and Shields - General design principles.
  • Armor
  • Shields
• Beam Warships
  • Tutorial: Basic Beam Warship Tutorial
• Missile Warships
• Tutorial: Advanced Warship Tutorial
• Tutorial: Basic Ship Creation
• Shipyards
  • Shipyards and Shipbuilding - Comprehensive guide to what they do and how.
• Planetary Defence Centre - Bunkers to house troops, hangars or weapons
• [1] - Example Ships. Some of these might be from older versions of Aurora, but they'll give you an idea of what's possible.

Carriers and Fighters

• Fighters - Up to 500 tons of fun.
• Fast Attack Craft - Up to 1000 tons of fun.
• Carrier - To put all the fun in.

Weapons and sensors

• Beam Weapons - Types of beam weapons and how they compare.
  • Beam Weapon Range - Table of weapon ranges for all tech levels.
• CIWS - The last line of defense.
• Missiles, Drones and Buoys - How they work and how to design them.
  • Tutorial: Anti-Missile Tutorial
• Sensors - Overview of active and passive sensors.
  • Active Sensors/Missile Fire Control
    • Tutorial: Active Sensor Design
  • EM Sensor
  • Thermal Sensors
• Fire Control
  • Beam Fire Control

Fleet operations, organization and logistics

• Fleet
• Task Groups - The Task Groups window.
• Ship Crew - Training and morale.
• Ship Maintenance
• Ship repair - Repairing combat damage.
• Salvage - Go green: recycle wrecks.

Ship combat

Orbital bombardment of Earth commencing. You failed.
Image: Dan Burbank/NASA

• Combat Overview
• Task Group Initiative - The order in which ships move.
• Jump shock - A few seconds of sensor blindness after a jump.
• Ship Combat - How to use the combat controls.
• Point Defense - How not to be hit.
• Cloaking - How not to be seen.
• Armour and Shields - How not to be hurt.
• Internal Damage - If the above didn't work.
• Ramming - Considered irresponsible.

Ground Forces

• Ground forces
• Ground combat - Including boarding actions in space.