STARSHATTER GAMEPLAY DESIGN

   Challenge                     Skill
   -------------                 ----------------
 1 Basic flight                  control the stick and throttle

 2 Destroy a target              coordinate flight to track the target
                                 use the gunsight to lead
                                 select an appropriate weapon
                                 fire upon the target

 3 Avoid being destroyed         recognize a threat
                                 perform evasive ACM

 4 Avoid a rear attack           recognize the threat warning
                                 perform reversal (split-s, loop, etc)

 5 Avoid a collision             recognize the impending collision
                                 steer away or slow down to miss

 6 Maintain ship integrity       recognize low shield status
                                 disengage and wait for shields to regenerate
                                 -or- seek a repair site or powerup

 7 Locate a target               interpret the scanner
                                 fly towards the target

 8 Coordinate with a wingman     avoid colliding
                                 avoid friendly fire
                                 coordinate target selection
                                 provide cover fire



(--misc challenges--)

deal with large numbers of enemy forces
assess enemy capabilities
attack and destroy large (cap) ships
partial loss of control (e.g. loss of stabilizer or loss of yaw control)

(--misc skills--)

manage resources and health status
prioritize objectives
lock and fire a smart weapon
avoid an incoming smart weapon
assign a target or an objective to a wingman
navigate with ultradrive
effectively use tactical view
seek cover behind a large ship/station
seek re-supply

-------------------------
avoid detection / detect an enemy

This needs a little explanation.  I hate cloaking systems.
They are way too common (like everything else isn't?) and
there is no skill to using them.  Instead, we will use a
system of reduced radiation signature reducing probability
of detection (remember F-19 Stealth Fighter?)

The ships will have an Emission Control mode switch.  When
in EmCon B mode, shields, weapons, target computer and IFF
will be disabled.  Long range sensors will be disabled, and
the ship will need to rely on short range (passive) sensors
alone.  There will be a 3 to 5 second delay between commanding
and completing an EmCon mode change.

While running silent, the ship (and especially the drive
flares will still be visible, but much harder to track or
detect.  Possibility of detection can be reduced further
by reducing throttle or using a flare-less "stealth" drive.

Short range (passive) sensors will be able to detect EmCon
B targets up to a range of 30K, and EmCon A targets up to
a range of 100K.  Long range (active) sensors will be able
to track all targets up to a range of 300K (maybe as high
as 1M). [Actually, you probably want to make these prob-
abilities of detection.]

The flag ship serves as Wide Area Search And Track (WASAT)
coordinator for the fleet.  That is, all ships in the fleet
will have access to the flag ship's target list.  All ships
will periodically send their own target list back to the
flag ship for distribution to the fleet.

-------------------------
prioritize ship sub-targets

When dealing with larger ships, there is the problem of
"what to shoot first?"  Larger ships have multiple subsystems,
each of which may be targetted separately.  (Of course, you
can always just shoot for the hull and try to blow up the
whole ship -- however, this will not always be the wisest
course of action.)  What system to target depends on what
actions you are trying to prevent:

Weapons: destroy these to prevent the cap-ship from attacking
         another ship or space station.  Doesn't prevent
         escape or fighter operation.

Ultra:   destroy this to keep the ship from leaving.

Drive:   destroy this to keep the ship from advancing and
         forming up.  The ship can still turn and fire and
         still launch and recover fighters.  Also prevents
         ultra navigation.

Flt Dck: destroy this to keep the ship from launching or
         recovering (or resupplying) fighters.

Systems: damage here has a random effect.  May take out
         targetting, or navigation, or fighter ops.  Wild
         Card.

Vital:   the whole works.  If the ship gets hulled, it dies.
         This is most relevant for smaller ships.  Big ships
         have *huge* integrity values, and require huge
         amounts of force to destroy.

Each of these resources has a unique location on the ship.
They are protected by whatever shield generator is protecting
that part of the ship.