Index of Topics

General information

Night in space.
Image:NASA

• Aurora - An overview of the game.
  • Release History
  • Download and Add-on Software
• Glossary - A list of abbreviations used in Aurora.
• FAQ
• System Requirements
• Troubleshooting
• Tips for beginners

Setting up a new game

• New Game - 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 visual display of a system and its contents. Tip: to measure distances, shift & left-click, then drag the cursor in the system map.
• System Information - All the astronomical data about a system.
  • 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 - The log of all game events. In this screen, you can also filter messages by type and set message colours.
• Task Groups
• Class Design - The ship design window.
• Game interface
• Ship Combat - How to use the combat controls.
• Hotkeys

The galaxy

A new dawn.
Image:NASA

• The Galaxy - Information about stellar systems and system bodies (planets, moons, asteroids etc.).
  • 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.
  • System Information - All the astronomical data about a system.
  • 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

Alien races

• Races
  • Spoilers - Things you might prefer to discover through play.
• Diplomacy
• Espionage
• Tactical Intelligence

Colonies and mining

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

• Races and Species
• Colony
  • Infrastructure - Housing for colonists. The amount required depends on how habitable the world is.
    • Orbital Habitat - Adds room for colonists in space stations.
  • Installations - Everything that can be built in a colony.
  • Tutorial: Colonization for Beginners
  • Political Status
  • Unrest - When the natives get restless.
  • 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.
    • Disassemble - Take apart salvaged components to re-engineer alien technology.
  • Production Overview window - A list of all industrial projects in your empire.
• Terraforming - Home improvement on a global scale.
• Sector Command - Installation that allows civilian leaders to apply their boni to multiple colonies.
• Wealth - Your treasury.
• Mining - General information.
  • Trans Newtonian Elements - What they are used for.
    • Mineral Generation - Where they come from.
  • Survey - How to find them.
  • Geological Survey Report - All minerals you've found so far on one page.
  • Mass Drivers - Mineral transport was never easier.
  • Civilian mining complex
  • Sorium Harvester - How to get refined fuel from gas giants and super-jovians.

Captains, bureaucrats and scientists

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

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 and shipbuilding

• Ship - An overview of the role various types play.
  • Class Design - Explains the Design window. Lots of useful information here.
    • Ship Design Checklist - This is intended to help new players avoid the most common pitfalls in ship design.
  • Core components - Basic systems like cargo holds, fuel tanks etc.
  • Player-designed components
• Armour and Shields - General design principles.
  • Armor
  • Shields
• 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.

List of Components

Engines and Power Plants: Engine • Fuel Storage • Jump Engine • Power Plants
Beam Weaponry: Beam Fire Control • Lasers • Particle Beams • Mesons • High-Powered Microwave • Plasma Carronade • Railguns • Gauss Cannons
Missile Weaponry: Missile Fire Control • Missile Launchers • Magazines
Defensive Systems: Armor • Shields • CIWS • Sensor Jammer • Fire Control Jammer • Missile Jammer • Decoy Launcher • Cloaking Device
Maintenance and Repairs: Engineering Spaces • Maintenance Storage Bay • Damage Control • Maintenance module
Carriers and Fighters: Hangar deck • Fighter Pod Bay
Sensors: Active Sensor • EM Sensor • Thermal Sensor • Geological Survey Sensors • Gravitational Survey Sensors • ELINT Modules
Command and Control: Bridge • Flag Bridge • Auxiliary Control • Science Department • Main Engineering • Combat Information Centre • Primary Flight Control
Transportation: Cargo Hold • Troop Transport Bay • Cryogenic Transport • Passenger Accommodation
Logistics: Cargo Shuttle Bay • Refuelling System • Ordnance Transfer System • Tractor Beam
Production: Orbital Mining Module • Sorium Harvester • Terraforming Module • Jump Point Stabilisation Module • Salvage Module

Carriers and Fighters

• Fighters - Up to 500 tons of fun. Lovingly called Parasites in Aurora.
• Fast Attack Craft - Up to 1000 tons of fun.
• Carrier - To put all the fun in.
  • Tutorial: Advanced Carrier Operations Tutorial - Naval organization for advanced players.

Weapons and sensors

• Fire Control
• Beam Weapons - Types of beam weapons and how they compare.
  • Beam Fire Control
  • 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
  • Cloaking - How not to be seen.
• ECM and ECCM - How not to be hit.

Fleet operations, organization and logistics

• Fleet
  • Task Groups - The Task Groups window.
    • Naval Organization - The Naval Organization tab can make your life easier.
      • Tutorial: Naval Organization Tutorial
  • Manual transfer of fuel, missiles and supplies
• Modular fleet design - An approach to planning.
• Ship Crew - Training and morale.
• Ship Maintenance
  • Ship Maintenance Details - Also Damage Control
• Ship repair - Repairing combat damage.
• Salvage - Go green: recycle wrecks.
• Transponders - And why you can ignore them.

Ship combat

Orbital bombardment of Earth commencing. You have 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
  • Titans - To be implemented in Aurora 7.2. - canceled for Aurora C#
• Ground Force Training Facility
• Ground combat - Also includes boarding enemy ships.