| 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 with ConstructionValue of 1.0 (10 BP/year base output) \hyperlink{ref-B-5}{[B-5]} |
| 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 |
| EMCON |
Emissions Control; minimizing detectable emissions (thermal, EM, active sensor) to reduce detection range. Ships can set EMCON levels to restrict which systems are active |
| 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) |
| FCJ |
Fire Control Jammer; ECM system reducing beam fire control accuracy |
| FFD |
Forward Fire Direction; capability allowing ground units to call in orbital bombardment strikes with improved accuracy |
| 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 |
| GSP |
Ground Supply Points; supply points consumed by ground forces during combat operations for ammunition and logistics |
| 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]} |
| HPM |
High-Power Microwave; beam weapon that damages electronics |
| 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 |
| MFJ |
Missile FC Jammer; ECM system reducing missile fire control accuracy |
| 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 |
| NBG |
Naval Bombardment of Ground forces; orbital bombardment of planetary ground targets by warships in orbit |
| 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 |
| SJ |
Sensor Jammer; reduces active sensor detection range against the jammer’s ship |
| 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 |
| STO |
Surface to Orbit; weapons or fire controls capable of engaging targets in orbit from a planetary surface (e.g., PDC-mounted weapons) |
| 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 |