VB6 Aurora:Index of Topics

(This page is a work in progress)

Setting up a new game

• New Game
• Disaster - Game option to make your life more miserable.
• Fast OB - If you want to start the game with a few goodies already built.

Game concepts

• Aurora - Where it comes from.
• 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
• Basics of the System Map
• Game interface
• Galactic Map - The map of all discovered systems and their jump point connections.
• Ship Combat - How to use the combat controls.
• Hotkeys

The galaxy

• The Galaxy
• Survey - How to find jump points and minerals
• Interstellar travel - How to get around.
  • Intra-system Jumps - How to get around using Lagrange Points near gas giants.
• Black Holes and Nebulae

Colonies and mining

• 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.
• Mining - General information.
  • Trans Newtonian Elements - What they are used for.
  • 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.
• 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 stuff for you.
• Civilian mining complex - Your civilians can dig up stuff for you.
• Trade System - Things that generate taxes.
• Wealth - Your treasury.

Ship design

• Ships
• Class Design
• Core components - Basic systems like cargo holds, fuel tanks etc.
• Player-designed systems
  • Jump drive
  • Engine
  • Tutorial: Basic Beam Warship Tutorial
  • Tutorial: Advanced Warship Tutorial
• Planetary Defence Centre - Bunkers to house troops, hangars or weapons

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.
• 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
• Ship Crew - Training and morale.
• Ship Maintenance
• Ship repair - Repairing combat damage.
• Salvage - Go green: recycle wrecks.

Ship combat

• Combat Overview
• 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.

Ground Forces

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