path: root/Doc/AI.TXT

==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                       ACTION

Starshatter is a 3D action-simulation game in a space
combat setting.  The player will control a space
ship of one type or another, and attempt to defeat
various enemy forces composed of small, medium
and large space ships, space stations, and ground-
based resources.

The game is designed as a series of combat missions
in which the goal is to destroy an enemy resource,
secure an enemy position, or defend a friendly resource
from an enemy attack.  Unlike most space combat sims,
Starshatter missions are fought within the context of
a large dynamic military operation.

In the attack type of mission, victory is achieved
by destroying the resource(s) and escaping to safety.
In the secure and defend types of missions, victory is
achieved by preventing the destruction of the resource
while simultaneously destroying the enemy or forcing
the enemy to retire.  In any mission, achieving a
partial victory is a possibility.

Individual mission designs will be characterized by:
1) the locale, including various space bodies such as
   stars, planets, planetoids, asteroid fields, space
   stations, nebulae, terrain, cities, and so forth
2) the composition and placement of enemy forces
3) the composition and placement of friendly or neutral
   forces, if any
4) the objectives / resources / victory conditions
   for each force element


RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY:

Space ships and ground units are each endowed with a
group of resources that they use in battle.  These
resources fall into eight different categories:

Ship System List:

  1.  Vital (Hull/Stabilizer/Core/Life Support)
  2.  Econ (power management)
  3.  Conventional Drive
  4.  Hyperdrive (optional)
  5.  Shields
  6.  Weapons
  7.  Flight Ops (optional)
  8.* Systems (computer)
    a.Communications
    b.Sensors
    c.GNC
    d.Tactical (target tracking)

Large space ships are capable of supralight travel by
means of "hyperdrive," which is similar to the same
concepts used in Star Wars and Babylon 5.

Smaller ships (fighters, attack) are not capable of long
distance travel using hyperdrive, and must be carried
to and from missions by a larger ship (a destroyer or cruiser).

All combat will occur at sublight velocities using
conventional plasma projection or fusion drive.  However,
damage to the hyperdrive may effect the outcome of a
mission (e.g. by delaying a safe escape).

Ships and ground targets may employ various types of
weapons, both matter and radiant energy based.  From
the AI's point of view, all weapons are of one of three
different types: guided, unguided, or regional.  Guided
weapons include their own AI to direct their flight path
to a target.  Unguided weapons simply follow the straight
line course set for them at launch time.  Regional weapons
inflict damage on any resources that happen to occupy the
same volume of space as the weapon during its deployment.
Any single ship or ground target may employ several fire
control AI systems to manage multiple beam weapons and
missile launchers.

Ships and ground targets may employ defensive screens
or shields.  These shields are invisible barriers that
prevent the transmission of both matter and radiant
energy weapons.  Shields (actually, shield generators)
are degraded by the process of deflecting weapons and
will eventually burn out, leaving the ship open to
attack.  Larger ships will employ multiple shield
generators to screen various parts of the ship.  In
addition, larger ships can mount more robust shield
technology, requiring heavier weapons to penetrate.

Laser/Particle Beam cannon types:
* Alpha
* Gamma
* Delta
* Omega

Explosive Missile weapon types:
* Pyrotechnic
* Thermonuclear
* Antimatter
* Varion (Torpedo)

In addition to basic laser and explosive missile types
of weapons, Starshatter features several advanced weapon
types:

* Cruise Missiles (very long range guided munition)
* Bomb-pumped Laser Warheads
* CIWS Laser Turrets

* Plasma Cannon  (very high power energy weapon)
* Fusion Burst   (ultra high power energy weapon)
* Graviton Pulse (goes through all shields)

Whenever any ship system takes damage, the capabilities
of the ship in that area are temporarily or permanently
downgraded.  Most systems are capable of limited self-
repair.  Safe bases will be provided for full repair
both during and between missions.

Although there will be no powerups just lying around,
there will be both friendly and enemy supply ships on
each mission.  Small ships can resupply themselves at
any time by docking with a friendly supply depot or
ship.

While ships are grouped into the broad categories of
"large," "medium," and "small", there are several
distinct classes within those categories.  Ships in
each class will have typical size parameters as
follows:

   CLASS       LENGTH (m)  CREW
   ----------- ----------- -------
   Fighter     10-20       1           Small
   Attack      25-50       2-3
   Destroyer   200+                    Medium
   Cruiser     400+
   Battleship  800+                    Large
   Carrier     1000+

   Station     unlimited

As the class names indicate, small ships are analogous
to modern combat aircraft, while medium and large ships
are analogous to modern naval surface warships.  Medium
and large ships are sometimes referred to as "Starships"
because they are capable of interstellar travel.

Medium ships may be outfitted with towing rigs.  Large
ships may be outfitted with flight decks.  Both of these
can be used to capture a ship.  Flight decks can also
be used to repair and re-supply smaller ships.

Ships may be organized into battle groups that are led
by a "flagship."  The flagship is responsible for the
general direction of the other ships in the battle group.
This includes such things as setting the overall state
of readiness, prioritizing targets, and deciding to
pursue or retire.

==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                       TACTICS 

Aside:

I really want to avoid the typical "furball" (as seen
in XvT, WCn, etc.) as much as possible.  One thing I've
always liked about DOOM style games is the measured pace
of the action.  During the course of a single level, the
player faces a variety of enemies and situations in small
packets, controlled by the level architecture.  I would
like to mimic this in Starshatter somehow, but the "open-
ness" of the space setting makes it difficult.

Some ideas:

Missions will be sliced up into sections by distance and
obstacles.  So there might be a group of sentry ships to
defeat as you enter the playfield, followed by a short
flight to the next enemy force package.  The enemy will
be somewhat slow to react to the player's presence.  Per-
haps enemy ships will need to stick close by other resources
on guard duty or some such.

A challenge:

Unlike DOOM, the player and enemy ships have the same
capabilities.  This means that with reasonable AI, the
player will get killed about as often as the enemies.
As a result, if the player is vastly out-numbered as
usual he won't last very long with even odds.  Result:
we may need to fudge the damage on the player's ship
somewhat to give him an edge.  Either that, or the
player will only be allowed to battle one or two enemy
ships at a time.  Or, the enemy AI should preferentially
attack red-shirt pilots instead of the player.

USING HYPERDRIVE:

How about, most ships are equipped with hyperdrive.
This allows the player to travel to places that are too
far away to be seen with tactical scanners.  In effect,
jumping through hyperspace places "doors" between scenes
of action.

Let's postulate that hyperdrive allows supra-light travel
at some ridiculous velocity.  While in hyperspace the ship
is essentially impervious to everything except gravitons.
If the ship passes too close to a gravity well or gravitic
weapon, the hyperdrive will "stall".  The ship will return
to normal space, and the hyperdrive will be offline for
several seconds.

Further postulate that shields and weapons are powered
down during hyperspace transit.  So you can run, or you
can fight, but not both at the same time.

While in hyperspace, the player can pilot the ship in
the usual manner (or perhaps just using the keyboard),
but the ship is no longer as agile (perhaps 1/5th as
agile as in sublight flight, perhaps this is variable
depending on ship design).  The point is that the player
can point and go, without some hokey "warp out" animation
sequence.

Of course, it's a big universe out there.  There is no
point in *making* the player wander around in the middle
of nowhere for an hour because he overshot the battle.  So
we will also provide a nav map with preset way points.
The player can plot a course to anywhere in the mission
profile by clicking on the way points and pressing "GO".
While under "auto-pilot" like this, the player can still
operate all of the ship systems, review the database, etc.
Nav courses can also be pre-plotted as part of the mission
profile.  Nav points should be reasonably close together,
so as to provide a "breather" but not "boredom".

At any time, the player can steer the ship and break out
of autopilot, without the navigation system forgetting
the plan.  This provides a nice possibility of "secret areas"
like checking for the secret base on the far side of the
3rd moon.

While in hyperspace, the view of the universe is altered.
Sublight ships are invisible, as is space dust.  Planets
and other gravity wells are important, so these are still
visible in some way.  Probably want to replace the "star
and nebula" sky shell with something more distinctive, a'la
Bab5 hyperspace, might be nice to have it be animated.

Even though you never see your own ship go into hyperspace,
it would be great to have a suitable special effect for when
another ship does so.  Perhaps something like the spiral
smoke trail from "Eraser".  Whatever it is, it has to convey
a sense of speed (without silly elongation effects or fake
motion blur).

SENSORS AND SCOUTING:

Ships will have access to both passive (short range) and
active (long range) sensors.  Passive sensors rely on the
detection of radiation emissions from target ship systems
such as shields, weapons, drive, reactors, active sensors,
and communications (this is analogous to IR or passive sonar).
Active sensors transmit an energy beam into space and detect
the "echo" of the energy bouncing off a target ship (in a
manner analogous to radar or active sonar).

The fundamental strategy of scouting is to detect the enemy
targets while simultaneously thwarting the enemy's attempt
to detect the player.  The basic tool for implementing this
strategy is Emission Control.  The player must balance the
energy output of his own ship against the ability of the
enemy to detect and target him.

The ships will have an Emission Control system, with a range
of EmCon options.  As the EmCon level is increased, more
ship systems are enabled and allowed to radiate.  The ship's 
computer will attempt to minimize the EmCon level to the
greatest degree in accordance with safety.  If unfriendly
ships are detected at close range, the computer will increase
the EmCon level to allow the use of shields and weapon systems.
The player can also override the automatic EmCon setting in
situations where stealth is paramount.

Each ship will be modeled by a passive and active sensor
cross-section.  The passive cross-section (PCS) is a dynamic
number that represents the current radiation level of the
entire ship.  The PCS is the current sum of the radiation
levels produced by all active ship systems.  The active
cross-section (ACS) is a fixed number for each ship type
which represents the amount of energy reflected by the ship's
hull (aspect angle ignored).

Each sensor system will be modeled by type and efficiency.
During each frame of simulation, the sensor system will
sample all targets in the game.  For each target, two levels
of detection will be computed as:

   Detect_pas = PCS / range   * Eff_pas
   Detect_act = ACS / range^2 * Eff_act(Power_act)

If the level of detection for a target is 0.5 or less, the
avionics will not register the target as a contact, and will
not display it in the HUD or tactical viewscreens.  If the
level of detection is 1.0 or greater, the avionics will
register the target as a contact, display it in all view-
screens, and allow weapons targeting of the contact.

If the level of detection is between 0.51 and 0.99, the
avionics will be able to detect position and classification
only (not velocity or capability).  Weapon targeting will
not be possible.  

The target's affiliation will only be displayed if its IFF
transponder is enabled. (in all cases?)

-----------------------------------------------------------
EmCon 1: Silent
   Generator   - idle
   Shields     - disabled, discharged
   Weapons     - disabled, discharged
   Sensors     - passive only
   Comms       - receive only, IFF disabled

EmCon 2: Stealthy
   Generator   - 50% limit
   Shields     - disabled, discharged
   Weapons     - enabled,  discharged (missiles only?)
   Sensors     - active low power
   Comms       - receive, transmit encrypted, IFF disabled

EmCon 3: Normal (launch condition)
   Generator   - 100% limit
   Shields     - enabled, charged
   Weapons     - enabled, charged
   Sensors     - active full power
   Comms       - receive, transmit, IFF enabled
-----------------------------------------------------------
Table 1: EmCon Settings


Short range (passive) sensors will be able to detect EmCon
2 targets up to a range of 100K, and EmCon 4 targets up to
a range of 500K.  Long range (active) sensors will be able
to track all targets up to a range of 1M (maybe as high
as 2M).

The flag ship serves as Wide Area Search Protocol (WASP)
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.

==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                        STORY

An ancient Evil has awoken in the galaxy...

The story will be told against a backdrop of two warring
powers, one peaceful/isolationist, one warlike/imperial.
The warlike power seeks to control less sophisticated
races and civilizations and to lead them in an attack on
the peaceful power.  The player is a member of one of
these "less sophisticated" races (i.e. a human) who gets
caught up in the subtle yet violent conflict between the
two titans.

Since the conflict between the powers involves the con-
trol of lesser species, you can never really know who is
on your side.  Or even which side is really yours.  As a
soldier, you will be forced to choose between obeying
orders from your superiors, and doing what you believe
is right.

The game begins with the player assigned to the Tekton-
Organon Combat Training Facility in the Janus System.
The player can choose a career path as a fighter pilot
or as a starship commander.  In either case, they are
assigned a first vessel, and sent through a course of
ten or so training missions with both simulated and live
fire against combat instructors and drone targets.

During the last training mission (a sort of final exam)
the CTF is destroyed in a hit-and-run attack by the enemy.
The player is immediately assigned to a combat billet and
sent into the fray.  (Note that once the player has
completed the training missions, future games will not
require the player to repeat them.)

The remainder of the game takes the player through a
series of combat missions against more and more difficult
alien opponents.  Midway through the game, the player
learns that the true enemy is the EVIL that has instigated
the conflict in the first place.

In the end, the "good" power offers a weapon of last
resort to the player.  This weapon will cause the explosive
annihilation of several dozen stars in enemy space.  It
will immediately result in several billion civilian deaths,
with tens of billions of casualties resulting from radiation
poisoning over the next several centuries.  Other, more
dire, and more global consequences will also result...

==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                      STRATEGY

Although Starshatter is fundamentally an action title,
there is also a significant back-story and strategic
element to the gameplay.

The game occurs in a far-distant future of the Milky
Way galaxy.  Our corner of the galaxy, an area some
ten or twenty thousand light years in diameter is popu-
lated by thousands of human-intelligent species on tens
of thousands of worlds.  Many races live in approximate
isolation, but most are organized into complex poly-
specific civilizations spanning many star systems.
Humans are not central in galactic affairs (as in Star
Trek or Star Wars) but are merely another species.  And
some of the other species and civilizations are *much*
older and *much* more advanced than ours.


POLITICAL FACTIONS:

- Starshatter (warlike/imperial power)

* Sterat Empire (controlled by the Starshatter)

* Brenel Core (military/intelligence corporation)

* Zolon Empire (hive-like hereditary empire)

* Marakan Hegemony (Failing human imperial civilization)

* Terellian Alliance (peaceful commerce group)
  Alliance of Terellian Republics (ATR)

+ Ele'aan Fusion (peaceful/isolationist power)

The player is a human starfighter pilot in the military
of one such civilization, Tekton-Organon, which is in
turn part of the Terellian Alliance.  The computer plays
the part of the player's superior officers in assigning
missions and offering criticism and praise for performance.
In addition, the computer plays the role of all enemy
pilots and politicians.

The game follows the action in an interstellar conflict
between the Terellian Alliance and those civilizations in
the control of the Starshatter.  The player is assigned
missions and ships commensurate with his ability by the
computer.

==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                      MISSIONS

Each of the three episodes follows the action in a military
campaign against a single enemy civilization.  Individual
missions will be constructed on the fly by the dynamic
campaign manager (or by the player if acting as operational
commander).

Each episode takes place in a fixed volume of space con-
taining about a dozen star systems.  The global campaign
map will treat the star systems as points in a 2D map.
The action will take place within individual star systems,
which use a finer grained map.  The enemy will control
most of the star systems, although a few will be neutral,
allied, or controlled by the player's faction.  These may
need to be defended if the enemy is able to incur.

Rather than being "mission based", Starshatter is an
"operational simulation".  Each campaign episode is
broken down into a series of military operations, each
of which occur in a given star system.  Different opera-
tions will have different rules of engagement and victory
conditions.  Some will require the player to secure a
neutral or allied star system from hostile threats.
Others will involve incursion into hostile territory.
Still others will have more limited objectives, such
as securing a friendly position in a neutral system,
without violating neutral airspace or damaging neutral
assets.

Major resources such as space stations, ship yards,
SAM and sensor sites will be part of the fixed universe
design.  Likewise, the initial number, type, and location
of warships is fixed at design time.  It is hoped that
the combination of large numbers of ships and small
random factors (battle outcome, planetary position,
time of attack) will result in increased variety of
enounter for the player.

During the game, the campaign manager must keep track
of the location and make-up of each ship and battle group.
As each ship is destroyed in battle, it must be removed
(permanently) from play.  New ships and battle groups
can be constructed on each side, at a rate dependent
on how many critical resources the side controls.  In
addition, reserves may be advanced from rearward areas
to support an operation.

For each mission, the computer will assemble a mission
profile by selecting one or more objectives, selecting
a location for the battle, and assigning friendly and
enemy forces. The computer can choose randomly from
among the nearby resources to attack (or defend) and
the nearby ships on both sides to fight.

Missions will be generated in accordance with the current
strategic objectives for the operation.  The dynamic
campaign manager will keep a prioritized list of
strategic objectives, mostly related to major fixed
resources.

Before the battle, the player will be given a gene-
rated mission briefing describing the mission objec-
tives, locale, and the makeup of his own group.

Once the player completes the mission (or loses it),
the computer will tally up the losses on both sides
and remove those ships from the campaign roster.  A
generated mission debriefing will detail kills and
losses, pilot ratings, etc.

In order to keep the player doing something interesting,
he will have to be assigned to an attack force, either
a battle group or fighter wing.  Early missions will be
shorter and simpler, with a single objective in a
single system.  Later missions will get more involved,
with multiple objectives and sometimes requiring free
drive travel to other systems.  In addition, the com-
plexity of missions will be modulated by the user's
chosen difficulty level.

Sometimes, the objectives will be enemy forces: e.g.
destroy a fighter wing or cripple a battle group.
Other times, they will be fixed resources like space
stations or fortified moons.  Still other times, they
will be distributed or moving targets: e.g. shut down
interplanetary shipping throughout the system.

At any time, the player's group may get assigned to
a defensive mission (scramble).  This can mean defending
a fixed resource from an incoming enemy attack.  Or it
could mean escorting an important freight convey through
unsecured space.

Mission objectives can be constructed from verb-noun
imperatives:

       Verb List              Object List
   ----------------        -----------------
   Intercept               Ship
   Shadow                  Group of Ships
   Escort
   Defend

   Strike                  Space Station
   Capture                 
   Blockade
   Defend

   Launch From             Starship or Station
   Dock With
   Dock/Rearm/Launch

   Clear                   Mine Field / Satellite Grid

   Go To                   Location
   Patrol
   Hold At


We may also need to define some high-level tactics for
achieving these objectives which can be used by the
enemy AI.

Here are some ideas:

   Massed or Dispersed
   Attack at Long Range or Up Close
   Stealthy or Overt Approach (psychological impact, force disposition)

   Clear space or Nebula (won't always have a choice)
      * Find other ways to screw up sensors
        - pulsars
        - jammers

   Guerre de Course?
   Use Decoys?
   Keep Reserves?
   What kind of Antiscouting/Deception?
   What kind of weapons?

==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                       COMMAND

A unique feature of STARSHATTER is the ability to choose
between a career as a fighter jock or a starship commander.
The fighter side of the game will play similar to a space
combat sim or an air combat sim.  The starship side will be
quite different:

Starships are big, expensive, powerful platforms, but they
are not terribly maneuverable.  In general, one does not
"knife fight" with a star destroyer.  Starships will make
use of a variety of long range (even beyond visual range)
weapons including cruise missiles, varion torpedoes, and
attack ships.  These can be used to weaken or destroy an
enemy vessel while putting the ship at minimal risk.  Once
the enemy has been sufficiently weakened, the player can
safely close range and finish the job with supremely power-
ful but short range energy weapons.

The commander can select and direct long range weapons
to attack enemy sub-targets to achieve a specific goal,
whether it is to disable, disarm, or outright destroy an
opponent.  It will probably be great fun to disable an
enemy, close range, and ask them to "surrender...or DIE!"

In these long range attacks, timing and distance will be
everything.  The player must be close enough to detect the
enemy and coordinate a strike, but not too close to be
detected first.  Then the player must close range quickly
enough to finish off the enemy before an effective counter
attack can be mounted.  The opportunity for deception and
possum-playing on both sides will add to the tension.

However if the player is unlucky enough to find himself
on the receiving end of a BVR attack, he still has several
interesting options.  If the long range attack has revealed
the location of the enemy (a likelihood), the player can
request assistance from better positioned allies (if any).
Alternately, he can choose to hunker down into a defensive
posture or launch a counter-attack.  If the situation seems
truly grim, he can also choose to reconfigure power systems
and run.

To compensate for the lack of maneuverability, the player
will need to be given control over a richer variety of
defensive assets.  In addition to basic fighter cover and
CIWS lasers, starships will be able to carry and deploy
sensor probes and weapons pods.  Sensor probes are usually
passive sensor arrays mounted on a stable platform analogous
to a modern sonobouy.  They are deployed by the starship and
send target contact information back to it.  Weapons pods
are more like unmanned, unshielded, undriven fighters.
They have the ability to orient themselves in space, and may
even be capable of limited movement through translation
thrusters.  But basically they sit where they are left and
fire lasers and missiles at any unfriendly targets that
wander into range.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steps needed to get there:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-  Passive and Active Sensors
-  Tactical Situtation MFD
-  System Targeting
-  System Damage Combat Results
-  Long Range Weapon Types
-  Sensor Probes and Weapons Pods
-  AA Turrets on Starships
-  Fighter AI Commands
-  Starship AI
-  Squadron AI Commands
-  Big Explosions and Shock Waves

==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                         AI

AI STATE
-----------------------------------------------------
Threats
Targets
Allies
Destinations
Objectives
Self health
Team strength
Morale
Tenacity/Recklessness
Mood/Stability
Difficulty


High Level Behavior
-----------------------------------------------------
Choose to continue or retire the engagement
Guard a position or resource
Search for a target
Plan an assault on a group of targets
Assign an objective to a teammate
Call for help

Mid Level Behavior
-----------------------------------------------------
Assess a threat, or group of threats
Select a target from a group of targets
Select a subcomponent of a larger target
Select a weapon to use when attacking
Attack a Target using an offensive combat maneuver
Assess own capabilities or "health"
Assess team capabilities or strength
Set levels of agression and desperation
Set desired level of stealthiness
Choose to pursue or break-off an attack
Seek cover
Seek repair or supplies
Follow a flight plan
Launch or recall a ship

Low Level Behavior
-----------------------------------------------------
Navigation:
   Idle
   Evade a Threat
   Seek an Objective
   Avoid an Obstacle
   Match Target Velocity
   Form with Target (ally)
   Dock with Target (ally)
   Hold Position
   Orbit(patrol) Position

FireControl:
   Fire upon a target
   Set EMCON level

Primitive Behavior
-----------------------------------------------------
Turn or Establish Heading
Accelerate or Slow Down
Fire a Weapon
Target a Weapon
Select Sensor Mode
Set EMCON Level
Activate Countermeasures

==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                      INTERFACE

SCREEN CONCEPTS:

-----------------------------------------------------
Main Menu
-----------------------------------------------------

   New Game
   Continue Game
   Quick Mission
   Training

   Player Info (callsign, difficulty level, stats)
   Game Options (controls, audio-video settings)

   Help!
   Exit

-----------------------------------------------------
Help Menu
-----------------------------------------------------

   Online Manual
   Keymap
   About...
   Credits

-----------------------------------------------------
Operational Command
-----------------------------------------------------

   Operation Name, Date, Status
   ----
   Orders               (overview of operation)
   Theater              (system map showing resources)
   Strat Plan           (edit objective list)
   Intel Rpt            (news feed)
   Status               (current score, us vs. them)

   - missions -
   Active    ##         (current mission list)
   Pending   ##         (missions in prep)
   Scramble  ##         (inbound threat list)

   Commit               (engage current mission)
   Cancel               (back to main menu)

   Also need controls to navigate the maps, and
   control visual clutter.
   
   [May want to offer simpler versions of this
   screen for "Starship Command" and "Fighter
   Command", allowing the player to focus on
   combat simulation rather than strategy.]

-----------------------------------------------------
Mission Planning
-----------------------------------------------------

   Briefing Data (scrolling text and images)
      Mission Title
      Objective List
      Force Package
         package callsign
         wingmen and loadout
      Annotated Flight Plan
         launch time
         nav points and events
         time on target
      Intel Report
         expected counterforce
         degree of confidence

   Package              (select wingmen)
   Loadout              (select weapons)
   Nav Map              (edit nav points)
   Targets              (assign objectives to flights)

   Commit               (engage current mission)
   Cancel               (back to previous screen)

   [NOTE: same screen can double as Alert Intercept
   by changing the title and removing the edit buttons]


==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                      TRAINING

Training Missions (both services)

1. Basic Flight and Navigation
2. Guns
3. Missiles
4. Combat Maneuver
5. Sensors / Stealth
6. Wingman Interface
7. Long Range Scan
8. Tactical Navigation and Waypoint Setting
9. Advanced Tactics
   a. Starship Assault (fighter weapon school)
   b. Cruise missiles & Flight Ops (fleet tactical school)
10. Situation Awareness (Final Exam)


=======================================================
                     MISCELLANIA

Sensor ships and stations will be important resources in
winning the information war.  Both the player and the AI
will need to exploit and protect them appropriately.

Briefings/Debriefings and other Intelligence Reports
must adequately communicate the overall game situation
to the player in order to allow the player to make
meaningful decisions.  This is crucial to establishing
immersion and making the player care about the outcome
of the game.

Briefings and Info Bursts will be more visceral if they
include simulated "news footage" of the events being
related.


=======================================================
                DYNAMIC CAMPAIGN NOTES

1. Fighter jocks will be allowed to choose from a
   menu of generated missions that have been assigned
   to the player's squadron.

2. Cruiser skippers will be given only one generated
   mission at a time (like KA or SFC), but it will be
   somewhat broader in scope.

3. Carrier admirals will do what exactly?

4. Both cruiser and carrier missions will often start
   in the field or on patrol.  Fighter missions will
   always start and end at a base (carrier|station|
   dirtside starbase).

5. Cruiser and carrier missions will not normally
   include the starsender translation to the area of
   conflict.  The player will only go through the
   sender in real time as part of a mission (not as
   prelude or ending to a mission).

6. Admirals will need to be able to generate orders
   for their forces during the battle.  This implies
   some kind of Op Command workstation.

7. The mission planner algorithm must construct
   generated missions that are "fun", not just logical
   to the campaign.  I have a vague notion of using
   time/distance heuristics to place enemy units as
   "challenges" on the battle field.  e.g. For xxx
   type of mission, place an enemy destroyer yyy
   minutes away from the (player|objective|sender).

8. The generated missions do not have to hang together
   as well as previously planned.  That is, we don't
   need to maintain the feeling that the player is just
   a unit in an RTS game.  Instead, the campaign manager
   is just a device for generating interesting single
   player missions as would be found in any game with
   a static campaign.

   On the other hand, the player should not see any
   obvious contradictions between the big board and
   what occurred during their missions.  That means,
   any kills they witnessed must still be visible
   between missions in the intel report/event log.


=======================================================
             SAMPLE OPERATIONAL SCENARIOS

--- COLD WAR, LOW TENSION ---

1) Training Center (see above)

1a) Live Fire:
   Engage in "live fire" exercise with a friendly
   power.

--- COLD WAR, HIGH TENSION ---

2) Restore Order:
   The enemy is supporting a terrorist puppet govt
   in an allied star system.  Aid the locals in putting
   down the disturbance.

3) Deliverance:
   The enemy is sponsoring terrorists and pirates
   harassing a small outpost system.  Ensure free
   access to the space lanes and aid the delivery
   of needed supply convoys.

4) Freedom Fighters:
   The enemy is supporting a despotic govt that is
   occupying a weaker friendly or neutral system.
   Aid the locals in driving out the occupying force.

5) Strategic Withdrawal:
   Ownership of a former protected star system is
   passing back to the enemy.  Oversee the withdrawal
   of friendly forces.  Try to avoid active conflict.

--- FORMAL DECLARATION OF WAR ---

6) First Blood:
   A research and educational center is on the front
   lines and in harms way.  Set up a strong defensive
   posture, and oversee the evacuation of non-military
   personnel.

7) Sneak Attack!
   The enemy has already struck a friendly system,
   but they have not yet had time to fortify their
   position.  Coordinate with local forces and evict
   the hostiles.

8) Fortress of Light:
   Protect an Eleaan frontier system from enemy
   attack.
 
9) Turning Point:
   The enemy is seeking a decisive victory by wiping
   out the home fleet.  Turn the tables on them by
   attacking first.

10) Firestorm:
   Press the advantage by invading a series of
   enemy manufacturing and military systems.

11) Nightfall:
   Climactic operation against the enemy home system.


=======================================================
                 MISSION TEMPLATE TYPES

FIGHTER
  TACTICAL FIGHTER WING

  ATTACK SQUADRON

DESTROYER/CRUISER
  SQUADRON
    Anti-shipping
    Shipping Escort, anti-fighter
    Shipping Escort, anti-cruiser
    Shipping Escort, general
    Picket
    Squadron Hunter

  BATTLE GROUP/TASK FORCE
    Force-on-Force Engagement
    Starbase Bombardment, pre-assault
    Starbase Bombardment, anti-fighter

CARRIER


=======================================================

Ship Names:

F-32G   Falcon Squadrons
   Flying Tigers, Bearcats,  Aces High,   Cool Hands, Wizards

F-36C   Stormhawk Squadrons
   Nighthawks,  Mustangs,    Stallions,   Chargers,   Blazers

F/A-38D Talon Squadrons
   Starknights, Lancers,     Wild Bunch,  Razorbacks, Buzzards


Berents Class FF
   Berents,     Bosporus,    Barth,       Bering,     Balen,
   Clarkeston,  Carlisle,    Canton,      Delmar,     Dardenelles,
   Darmstadt,   Leyte,       Messina,     Mountebank, Morgan,
   Malory,      Parker,      Rainier,     Sorrel,     Seychelles,
   Tanly,       Trieste,     Yarmuz,      Zephyr,     Zodiac
   
   
Spectre Class DD
   Spectre,     Wraith,      Shadow,      Warlock,    Phantom,
   Mistral,     Nemesis,     Necromancer, Merlin,     Nightshade,
   Moloch,      Demon,       Phobos,      Deimos,     Enigma, 
   Phantasm,    Revenant,    Banshee,     Barrows,    Gorgon

Courageous Class DG
   Courageous,  Fearless,    Stalwart,    Defender,   Guardian,
   Steadfast,   Assurance,   Protector,   Heroic,     Valiant,
   Dauntless,   Vanguard,    Redstone,    Victory,    Honor,
   Braveheart,  Defiant,     Audacious,   Valorous,   Confident

Devastator Class CA
   Devastator,  Annihilator, Onslaught,   Relentless, Argent,
   Stormwind,   Thunder,     Hurricane,   Inferno,    Torrent,
   Typhoon,     Vortex,      Predator,    Ravager,    Demolisher,
   Havoc,       Scourge,     Huntress,    Warrior,    Shrike

Orion Class CV
   Orion,       Antares,     Archon,      Titan,      Hyperion



OTHERS
   Wasp, Hornet, Scorpion, Deaths Head, 
   Wolf, Cobra, Viper, Raptor, Python

   Jackal, Zodiac, Scarab, Sphinx, Osiris,
   Onyx, Isis

-------------------
1 Fleet = 95 starships + 300 fighters

5 carrier groups
  1 CV + 60 Fighters
  2 CA
  1 DG
  1 DD
  2 FF

5 battle groups
  2 CA
  1 DG
  1 DD
  2 FF
  
5 destroyer squadrons
  2 DG
  2 DD
  2 FF

==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                    GALAXY : NAMES

   Adavan
   Aram
   Borreal
   Bress
   Casalle
   Chi
   Dawn
   Elkhart
   Fenn
   Gaul
   Garrison
   Haiche
   Hemmik
   Ilon
   Janek (Janus-3)
   Jarnell
   Kala
   Khalife
   Kolchev
   Korius
   Lanos
   Loris
   Marak
   Manse
   Muir
   Navara
   Nephrys
   Nergal
   Oleanne
   Omin
   Patagon
   Path
   Pollus
   Relay
   Renser
   Ri
   Rodis
   Senna
   Suven
   Tal Amin
   Tarsus
   Theramin
   Thralis
   Ur
   Volante
   Warren - world crack canyon/rain-forest settlement (must always face the sun)
   Whorl
   Xanthe
   Zephyr
   Zone

==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                 GALAXY : PLANET TYPES

   --= Landform Types =--
   Arid Desert   (Arrakis)
   Frigid Desert (Mars)
   Frozen Exotic (Titan)
   Temperate Planar
   Temperate Mountainous
   Tropical Forest
   Tropical Oceanic
   Icy Oceanic   (Scandinavia)
   Rocky Planar
   Rocky Mountainous
   Volcanic      (Venus, Io)
   Barren        (Pluto)

   --= Atmospheric Types =--
   Thin
   Clear, Breathable
   Dusty
   Foggy/Cloudy
   Dense Poisonous
   Layered

   --= Population Types =--
   Agrarian
   Industrial
   Mining
   Research/Technology
   Military
   Political
   Terraforming

==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                    GALAXY : RACES

   Human

   Ele'aan
   Eltaar - "Those Who Speak for Ele'aas"

   Marakan
   Commar

   Kasatti
   
   Zolon Empire



==================== STARSHATTER ==================== 
                  CAMPAIGN SEQUENCE

--- COLD WAR, LOW TENSION ---

1) Training Center - Live Fire:
   Engage in "live fire" exercise with friendly
   units on the border of Hegemony territory.

--- COLD WAR, HIGH TENSION ---

2) Restore Order:
   An outlying Hegemony system is using terrorist
   tactics to gain control of a neighboring neutral star
   system to create "breathing room" between themselves
   and the Alliance.  Drive out the terrorists and get the
   neutrals to sign a treaty with the Alliance.

3) Freedom Fighters:
   Hegemony taxation policy has driven an outlying
   system to resort to despotism to collect needed
   revenue.  A group of local freedom fighters is
   attempting to overthrow the Hegemony backed govt.
   Aid the locals in driving out Hegemony forces.

--- OPEN WARFARE ---

In response to campaign 3, the Hegemony formally
declares war on the Alliance.

4) Fortress of Light:
   The Hegemony has struck three Alliance systems,
   but they have not yet had time to fortify their
   position.  Drive out the enemy forces, and
   protect Alliance citizens and assets in the area.

5) Firestorm:
   Alliance Force:Command is planning a major offensive
   against the core Hegemony systems.  This operation
   is to strike major war production and ship yards
   to weaken the Hegemony resistance before the
   main offensive.

6) Nightfall:
   Climactic operation against the enemy home system.
   Discovery that the Hegemony worlds have been overrun
   by the Zolon Empire.

--- ALIEN STRIFE ---

7) Spear of Triton

8)