Basic Units
Description of basic units
These consist of all units that may be used in a colony or ship. The possession of these units by a colony/ship1 determines the ability of the colony or ship to comply with an order. Therefore, if a colony is ordered to probe, and has no sensor units, it cannot do so. Basic units are divided into the following categories:
- Population
- Weapons
- Production
- Miscellaneous
Population Units
Orders applicable to population units
- Ration orders: Limit food consumption of a ship/colony.
- Pay orders: Set pay rates, which remain constant until changed, for a ship/colony.
- Draft orders: Recruit soldiers or trainees.
- Assembly orders: Form construction or spy units. (Assembly orders have other functions as well.)
Population units on ships
There are no population increases on a ship. All ship personnel (except soldiers) are professionals and are paid 0.01 gold units per population unit per turn. Soldiers being transported or those assigned to the ship receive 0.005 gold units per population unit per turn. The gold units received are exchanged for consumer goods when the ship reaches its home planet market or a trade station. Colonists, spies, etc. being transported receive no wages, but are fed.
A ship's crew will be paid any turn the ship is at a colony belonging to the ship's owner, if that colony has enough gold on hand to make payment.
Population Charts
Population Chart A
| TYPE | DESCRIPTION | INCREASES |
|---|---|---|
| UNEMPLOYABLES | Child rearing and pregnant females, children, combat casualties, and the elderly. | All birth increases2 go in this category. They occur each quarter and are never less than 0.25% nor more than 2.5% of the total population. |
| UNSKILLED WORKERS | Those who do not require long apprenticeships or a great deal of training. | 2% of the unemployables become unskilled workers on any turn when the unemployable population is greater than 30% of the total population.3 All disbanded soldiers become unskilled workers. |
| PROFESSIONALS | Those who do require long apprenticeships or a great deal of training. | Any number of unskilled workers can be trained to become professionals on any turn. Each 100 units of trainees requires the services of 1 professional unit. 5% of all trainees graduate each turn. 5% of all soldiers retire as professionals annually. |
| SOLDIERS | All military personnel. | Soldiers may be drafted from the unskilled workers on any turn, as long as that number does not exceed the number of soldiers at the time of the draft. Any number of soldiers may be disbanded at any turn. |
| SPIES | Report on other players and incite rebellion. | A spy unit can be assembled or dis-assembled on any turn. The number of spy units is limited to the number of soldier and professional units a player has. |
| CONSTRUCTION WORKERS | These units execute assembly and dis-assembly orders. | A construction unit can be assembled or disassembled on any turn. The number of units is limited to the number of professional and unskilled worker units a player has. |
| REBELS | Rebel units are merely a tally of the number of people in a given population segment who are willing to rebel. | The number of rebels increases when the general population is under-paid or under-fed and especially when starvation occurs. |
Population Chart B
| TYPE | NO. OF PEOPLE IN UNIT | PAYMENT IN CONSUMER GOODS4 PER UNIT PER TURN | DEATH RATE (NON-COMBAT) PER TURN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployables | 100 | 0.000 | 0.0625% |
| Unskilled workers | 100 | 0.125 | 0.0625% |
| Professionals | 100 | 0.375 | 0.0625% |
| Soldiers | 100 | 0.250 | 0.0625% |
| Spies | 200 (1 PRO + 1 SOL) | 0.625 (0.375 + 0.250) | 0.0625% |
| Construction | 200 (1 PRO + 1 USK) | 0.500 (0.375 + 0.125) | 0.0625% |
| Rebels | 100 | N/A | N/A |
Payment and death rate are not applicable for rebels, as they are not an actual class. Their population is included in the other population segments.
Weapons
Weapons Chart
| UNIT | DESCRIPTION | FUEL USE PER UNIT | MASS UNITS PER UNIT |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASSAULT WEAPONS | are used by soldiers on the surface of a planet. | 0 | 20 |
| ASSAULT CRAFT | are land/space vehicles used to invade colonies or ships. | 0.1 fuel unit per turn | 5 X TL5 |
| MILITARY ROBOTS | can be used to replace soldier units (but may not be used in SPY units). The number of soldier units that can be replaced is equal to the military robot unit's T.L. X 2. | 0 | (2 X TL) + 20 |
| MISSILES | can be used in any kind of combat; they are not as accurate as energy weapons. | 0 | 4 X TL |
| MISSILE LAUNCHERS | launch the missiles; the accuracy of a missile depends on the TL of the missile launcher. | 0 | 25 X TL |
| ANTI-MISSILES | are launched by missile launchers also and destroy attacking missiles. The % of missiles destroyed depends on the TL of the antimissile. | 0 | 4 X TL |
| ENERGY WEAPONS | can be used in all combat situations except that of surface colony to surface colony. An energy weapon projects a powerful beam of concentrated energy. | 4 X TL per CR6 | 1O X TL |
| ENERGY SHIELDS | deflect energy beams. The amount of energy deflected depends on the TL per CR of the shields. | 10 X TL | 50 X TL |
| MILITARY SUPPLIES | consist of ammunition, medicines, etc., used up during combat. | 0 | 0.04 per unit |
Production Units
Production Chart
| PRODUCTION UNIT | TECH LEVEL | ANNUAL PRODUCTION | TOTAL MASS OF UNIT | FUEL USE7 PER TURN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MINES | TL-1 through TL-10 | 100 X TL8 = MU9 output | 10 + (2 X TL) | 0.5 units X TL |
| FACTORIES | TL-1 through TL-10 | 20 X TL = MU output | 12 + (2 X TL) | 0.5 units X TL |
| FARM | TL-1 | 100 food units | 6 + TL | 0.5 units X TL |
| FARM | TL-2 through TL-5 | 20 X TL = food units | 6 + TL | 0.5 units X TL |
| FARM | TL-6 through TL-10 | 20 X TL = food units | 6 + TL | 1 unit X TL |
Farms
A TL-1 farm is a standard open-colony farm and is normally referred to as FRM-1. The maximum number of FRM-1 farms on a habitable planet is equal to the habitability number times 100,000. Farm levels 2 through 5 (FRM-2 through FRM-5) are hydroponic farms which may be used by orbiting colonies, or on surface colonies within orbits 1 through 5. Farm levels 6 through 10 (FRM-6 through FRM-10) are hydroponic farms which use artificial sunlight, and therefore, use much more fuel. These farms may be used on ships or by colonies beyond the fifth orbit. Three unskilled worker units and one professional unit are necessary to operate one farm unit.
Mines
Natural resource deposits are located by surveys; they may be located on the surface of terrestrial planets, on asteroids or on the moons of gas giants. When a player assigns mining units to a deposit, (by issuing a mining change order), this enables him to have control of the deposit, as well as to mine it. Mining can be done only by surface colonies. Three unskilled worker units and one professional unit are necessary to operate one mine unit.
Factories
Actions of factories are detailed under Manufacturing, because of their complexity.
Miscellaneous units
Automation
Automation units are used to replace unskilled workers for production purposes. in factories, farms, or mines. The formula for replacing workers by automation is:
Automation unit X TL = unskilled worker units
For example: 20 level 4 automation units replace 80 unskilled worker units. (20 X 4 = 80). The total mass of an automation unit is 4 X its TL. Fuel use is 0.
Consumer Goods and Food
Consumer goods10 are produced by factories11 and used to pay the population12. All population units automatically consume 0.25 food units (total mass of 1 food unit is 6) per population unit per turn, unless the player rations the colony. If the rationed amount of food is less than 25% (1/16th) of a food unit per population unit, the computer will divide the food equally and check for starvation according to the starvation rule below.
Starvation Rule
(M-R) / M = S
Where S is the fraction of the colony's population that starves, M is the minimum amount of food units that can be given per. population unit without starvation (1/16 food unit), and R is the rationed amount of food per population unit (when less than M).
Example: The player decides to ration each population unit to 1/20 of a food unit.
(1/16 - 1/20) / 1/16 = S
(5/80 - 4/80) / 5/80 = (1/80) / 5/80 = 1/5
S = 1/5 population starved.
Life Support Units
These are used in ships and enclosed colonies to recycle air and water. These units will support a number of population units equal to their technological level squared. For instance, a level 5 life support unit will support 25 (5^2^) population units. The total mass of a life support unit is 8 X its TL. A life support unit will use 1 unit of fuel X its TL per turn.
Hyper Engines
Hyper engines are used to propel ships through hyper-space, either within a solar system, or from one system to another. The engine's jump range is one light year times the TL. A ship may have as many hyper-engines as desired, but all engines on one ship should be at the same TL. If not, the computer will use the lowest jump range. Each engine can propel 1,000 mass units times its TL through hyper space. The total mass of a hyper engine is 45 X its TL. An engine uses 40 fuel units times the distance jumped. All jumps must end at either an interplanetary or interstellar location; jumps cannot end in deep space. For jump purposes, distance is measured in light years. Interplanetary jumps are always 0.1 light years in distance; interstellar distances are found on the player's Star List.
When making a jump, only the number of hyper engines required by the mass of the ship will actually operate (use fuel). When calculating the number of engines required to move a ship, do not include the mass of the ship's hyper engines themselves.
Space Drives
A space drive is used by a ship to maintain its orbit around a planet and to maneuver in combat situations. All ships must have at least 1 space drive; these drives do not have to be at the same TL. Due to the fact that a space drive uses anti-gravity generators, it only operates close to a planet. Thus, space drives may not be used for interplanetary or interstellar travel. The total mass of a space drive is 25 X TL. The space drive only uses fuel during combat; the number of fuel units used per combat round is equal to its TL². The speed of a space drive is important only during combat and is determined by its thrust factor. Space drive TL² X 1,000 = thrust factor. The total thrust factors of all the space drives on a ship, divided by the mass of the ship results in the distance moved per combat round.
Sensors
The total mass of a sensor unit is 2,998 plus two times its TL; the total number of fuel units used per turn is its TL divided by 20. All sensors automatically inform a ship entering a solar system of the number of planets there, their type, and their orbit positions. Sensors automatically inform a colony/ship of the number of ships in orbit and the approximate13 mass of each; the number of colonies in orbit, the approximate mass of each, and the approximate number of production units per colony.
Probes
Sensors also conduct probes of planets, one probe times the sensor's TL per turn. For more information, see Probes, under Exploration.
Transports
Transports transfer population and materials between ships, colonies, or ships and colonies at the same planet. They can be used in combat to carry soldiers into battle, in which case, the soldiers being transferred operate the transport. When not being used in combat, the transport is operated by professional units; one unit for each 10 transports. The total mass of a transport is 4 X its TL. The number of mass units that can be transferred each turn is equal to the transport's TL² X 20014. Transports require only fuel to be operational; the number of fuel units used per turn is equal to the transport's TL² divided by ten, but is proportional to the percentage of the transport's capacity actually being used15.
The word material here refers to resource units, basic units (excepting population), research points, and even Technological Levels. Transports will never transfer more population or material to a ship/colony than its life support units or structural limits can support.
Structural Units
Structural units are required to build ships and colonies. The total mass of a structural unit is 0.5 mass units. The chart in the beginning of Colonies and Ships shows the number of structural units needed for each type of colony, and for each ship.
Light Structural Units
These units are built only by orbiting colonies because the absence of gravity is necessary for their manufacture. These can be substituted for regular structural units, without exception. Light structural units are cheaper to build and have a lighter mass (the mass of this unit is 0.05 mass units) than the regular structural units.
Footnotes
Colony/ship or ship/colony refers to either a ship or a colony.
↩Increases are based on the amount of habitable land unpopulated, and inversely on the standard of living.
↩"Total population" does not include rebels; see rebel description.
↩Payrates for all population segments may be adjusted by the player.
↩TL stands for technological level of the weapon unit.
↩CR stands for combat round.
↩Farms or factories on orbiting colonies within the fifth orbit require no fuel; they use solar power.
↩TL refers to the production unit's technological level.
↩MU stands for mass unit.
↩The total mass of a consumer goods unit is 0.6 mass units.
↩See manufacturing.
↩See Population Chart B.
↩See Approximations.
↩This does not apply during combat; see Combat.
↩Fuel used in combat is listed under Combat.
↩