Appendix B: Glossary
Updated: v2026.01.30
This glossary defines key terms used throughout the Aurora C# manual. Cross-references to detailed coverage are provided for major topics.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Accessibility | 0.1–1.0 value for mining ease; higher = more output per mine \hyperlink{ref-B-1}{[B-1]} |
| Active Sensor | Emits energy to detect targets; reveals own position via EM |
| AFR | Annual Failure Rate; percentage chance of component failure per year |
| AM | Automated Mine (context: mining) or Anti-matter (context: engines/weapons) \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| AMM | Anti-Missile Missile; small, fast interceptor missile |
| Armor Column | Vertical armor segment; random hits require repeated column strikes |
| ASM | Anti-Ship Missile; offensive missile vs enemy vessels |
| BFC | Beam Fire Control; directs beams, sets tracking/range/ECCM |
| Boost | Engine modifier: more power, exponentially more fuel |
| BP | Build Points; unit of production capacity |
| Bridge | Required for ships operating outside home system |
| Buoy | Deployable sensor or survey device; operates without crew |
| CAG | Commander Air Group; officer managing carrier fighter operations |
| CF | Construction Factory; TN installation producing 1 BP/year \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| CC | Colony Cost; planet hostility rating for colonization |
| CIC | Combat Information Centre; ship component for tactical officer |
| CIWS | Close-In Weapon System; auto-fires at incoming missiles |
| Cloak | Reduces thermal/EM signatures by a percentage |
| Collier | Ammunition/ordnance resupply ship for fleet operations |
| Colony Cost | See CC |
| Commander | Officer leading fleet/colony/sector; grants skill bonuses |
| Commercial Engine | Larger, more fuel-efficient engine for civilian ships |
| Conventional Industry | Pre-TN industry; 1/10th TN factory output \hyperlink{ref-B-5}{[B-5]} |
| Conventional Start | Start without TN tech; must research it first |
| Crew Grade | Crew training level; affects performance and maintenance |
| DAC | Diplomat Assigned to Contact; affects NPR relations |
| Damage Control | Engineering crew repairing damaged components |
| DNR | Do Not Retain; commander suffix indicating removal on game close |
| DP | Deployment Points; limits on automated craft |
| ECM | Electronic Countermeasures; -10% enemy accuracy per net ECM level \hyperlink{ref-B-2}{[B-2]} |
| ECCM | Counter-ECM on fire controls; negates one ECM level each |
| EM | Electromagnetic; passive detection of emissions/shields |
| EM Signature | Ship emissions from active sensors, shields, components |
| Engine Power | Thrust in EP; divided by tonnage for speed |
| EP | Engine Power; raw thrust output |
| Est. Thermal Sig. | What enemies detect; from engines and thermal reduction |
| FAC | Fast Attack Craft; legacy term for Light Naval vessels near 1,000t |
| FC | Fire Control; directs weapons (beam or missile variants) |
| Fire Delay | Time between beam shots; varies by type and tech |
| Fleet | Ships under unified orders and one commander |
| Focal Size | Laser range bracket; larger = longer range, bigger size |
| Freighter | Cargo transport ship; typically uses commercial engines |
| Fuel Harvester | Collects Sorium from gas giant atmospheres |
| Fuel Refinery | Converts Sorium into usable ship fuel |
| Gauss Cannon | 1-damage rapid-fire weapon; ideal for point defense \hyperlink{ref-B-6}{[B-6]} |
| GB | Gunboat; alternate term for Fast Attack Craft (FAC) \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| GB Engine | High-powered engine variant with 2x output but 10x fuel consumption \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| GC | Gauss Cannon \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| GFTF | Ground Forces Training Facility; trains ground units \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| Geosurvey | Scanning a body to discover mineral deposits |
| Governor | Colony commander; provides production/growth bonuses |
| Grav Survey | Exploring a system to discover jump points |
| Ground Forces | Military units for planetary assault and defense |
| Hangar | Ship component for storing and servicing smaller craft |
| HS | Hull Size; 50 tons of ship mass (1 HS = 50t) \hyperlink{ref-B-3}{[B-3]} |
| HTK | Hits to Kill; damage points before component destruction \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| IFR | Incremental Failure Rate; component reliability metric \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| Infrastructure | Supports population on planets with CC > 0 |
| JP | Jump point; portal between star systems |
| Jump Drive | Enables JP transit; military (self) or commercial (squad) |
| Jump Gate | Permanent JP structure; any ship can transit |
| Lagrange Point | Gravitationally stable orbital positions; L1-L5 locations |
| Laser | Versatile beam weapon with good range and damage |
| Light Naval | Classification for vessels of 1,000 tons or less |
| Magazine | Stores/feeds missiles; explodes if hit while loaded |
| Maint. Clock | Time since overhaul; overdue = increasing failures |
| Maint. Facility | Orbital installation that overhauls ships |
| Mass Driver | Installation for launching minerals between system bodies |
| Meson Cannon | Bypasses shields and armor; short range, low accuracy \hyperlink{ref-B-7}{[B-7]} |
| MFC | Missile Fire Control; guides missiles, sets range/ECM |
| Military Engine | Compact, powerful engine; less fuel-efficient than commercial |
| Mineral | One of 11 TN elements (Dur, Neu, Cor, Tri, Bor, Mer, Ven, Sor, Uri, Coru, Gal) |
| Missile Launcher | Fires missiles; reload time varies by size and tech |
| MSP (maintenance) | Maintenance Supply Points; consumables for ship repairs and damage control. Context: logistics, engineering spaces, supply ships |
| MSP (missiles) | Missile Size Points; unit of missile mass where 1 MSP = 2.5 tons \hyperlink{ref-B-8}{[B-8]}. Context: missile design, launchers, magazines |
| Multi-stage Missile | Booster stage for range + separating attack stage |
| NPR | Non-Player Race; AI civilization with own tech/fleets |
| Orbital Habitat | Space-based structure supporting population without a planet |
| Ordnance | Missiles and expendable weapons carried by ships |
| Overhaul | Resetting maintenance clock; prevents breakdowns |
| OWP | Orbital Weapons Platform; stationary armed station \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| Particle Beam | Shorter range than laser; no falloff, good penetration |
| Passive Sensor | Detects thermal/EM without revealing own position |
| PD | Point Defense; intercepts incoming missiles |
| PDC | Planetary Defence Centre; ground-based weapons installation |
| Plasma Carronade | High damage at short range; useless at distance \hyperlink{ref-B-4}{[B-4]} |
| Power Plant | Generates power for beam weapons |
| PPV | Planetary Protection Value; defensive metric from weapon tonnage |
| Precursor | Ancient spoiler race with powerful static defenses |
| Railgun | Kinetic beam; full damage at all ranges, single-column penetration \hyperlink{ref-B-9}{[B-9]} |
| Refueling Hub | Tankers auto-refuel fleet ships |
| Resolution | Sensor target-size optimization; FC range factor |
| ROF | Rate of Fire; how quickly a weapon can fire \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| RP | Research Points; from labs and scientists \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| Ruins | Alien sites; explored for tech bonuses and resources |
| Sector | Colony grouping under sector commander; bonus production |
| Shield | Absorbs damage before armor; regenerates; emits EM |
| Shipyard | Constructs/refits/repairs ships; tonnage-limited |
| Slipway | Single construction bay; builds one ship at a time |
| SM | Spacemaster; game mode with full control over all races/events |
| Sorium | TN mineral refined into ship fuel |
| Spaceport | Ground installation enabling cargo shuttle operations |
| Spoiler Race | Pre-designed threat; no diplomacy, unique mechanics |
| Spinal Mount | Beam built to hull size; more damage, limited arc |
| Strikegroup | Task group sub-formation for fleet organization |
| Survey Point | Location checked during grav survey for JPs |
| Swarm | Spoiler race; overwhelms with numbers, regenerates |
| SY | Shipyard \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| Tanker | Fuel transport ship for fleet refueling operations |
| Task Force | Higher-level unit containing multiple task groups |
| Task Group | Basic ship organizational unit; receives all orders |
| TCS | Target Cross-Section; ship size for sensor/FC calculations \hyperlink{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} |
| Terraforming | Modifying atmosphere to reduce CC; uses TF installations |
| Thermal Signature | Ship heat profile from engines; detected by thermal sensors |
| TN | Trans-Newtonian; advanced physics enabling interstellar civ |
| TN Start | Start with basic TN tech already researched |
| Tracking Speed | Max target speed for accurate engagement |
| Turret | Increases beam tracking via turret gear tech; multi-weapon turrets reduce crew and gear size \hyperlink{ref-B-10}{[B-10]} |
| Wealth | Economic currency for installations and maintenance |
| Waypoint | Designated navigation point in space |
| Xenoarchaeology | Study of alien ruins to recover tech and artifacts |
Related Sections
- Section 8.1 Design Philosophy – Detailed coverage of ship components (HS, HTK, engines, sensors, weapons)
- Section 11.1 Thermal and EM Signatures – Active sensors, passive sensors, ECM, ECCM, and cloaking
- Section 12.1 Fire Controls – Beam weapons, missiles, armor, shields, and point defense
- Section 6.1 Minerals – Minerals, installations, construction, and mining
- Appendix A: Formulas – Mathematical formulas for all key game mechanics
- Appendix D: Reference Tables – Quick-reference data tables for minerals, weapons, and technology
References
\hypertarget{ref-B-1}{[B-1]} Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – Mineral deposit accessibility values range from 0.1 to 1.0, confirmed by FCT_MineralDeposit table entries across game starts.
\hypertarget{ref-B-2}{[B-2]} Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – FCT_TechSystem TechTypeID=194 (Fire Control Jammer): 10 levels from FCJ-1 through FCJ-10. Each net level (jammer minus ECCM) reduces accuracy by 10%. See Appendix A beam weapon to-hit formula for full derivation.
\hypertarget{ref-B-3}{[B-3]} Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – 1 HS = 50 tons is a core game constant used in all ship design calculations.
\hypertarget{ref-B-4}{[B-4]} Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – FCT_TechSystem TechTypeID=78 (Carronade Calibre): 11 calibres from 15cm (2,000 RP) through 100cm (2,000,000 RP). Carronades deal damage proportional to calibre at short range.
\hypertarget{ref-B-5}{[B-5]} Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – DIM_PlanetaryInstallation: Conventional Industry (ID=38) ConstructionValue=0.1; Construction Factory (ID=5) ConstructionValue=1.0. Ratio is exactly 1/10th.
\hypertarget{ref-B-6}{[B-6]} Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – FCT_ShipDesignComponents: All Gauss Cannon variants (ComponentTypeID with Name LIKE ‘Gauss%’) show DamageOutput=1. Confirmed 1 damage per shot across all calibres and velocities.
\hypertarget{ref-B-7}{[B-7]} Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – FCT_ShipDesignComponents: Meson Cannon variants show IgnoreShields=1 (bypasses shields). Armor bypass is the core meson mechanic; hits damage internal components directly, subject to Meson Armor Retardation technology. See Section 12.6 Damage and Armor for full mechanics.
\hypertarget{ref-B-8}{[B-8]} Cross-reference: Section 12.3 Missiles confirms 1 MSP = 2.5 tons, with maximum missile size of 200 MSP (500 tons). Consistent across Sections 8.5.4 and 8.6.
\hypertarget{ref-B-9}{[B-9]} Cross-reference: Section 12.2 Beam Weapons confirms railguns deal full damage at all ranges (no falloff) with Gradient 1 (single-column armor penetration). See Section 12.6 Damage and Armor table: “Standard penetration, does not reduce with range.”
\hypertarget{ref-B-10}{[B-10]} Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – FCT_TechSystem TechTypeID=75 (Turret Rotation Gear): 12 tracking speed levels from 1,250 km/s through 25,000 km/s. Section 8.5.7 confirms multi-weapon turret benefits: Twin turrets provide 20% crew reduction and 10% gear size reduction; Quad turrets provide 40% crew reduction and 20% gear size reduction.
\hypertarget{ref-B-11}{[B-11]} Aurora Forums – Official glossary compiled by Steve Walmsley (https://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=1863.0). Abbreviations verified against developer-compiled list.