Below is an outline for the various components of Noc Norade. This is a work in progress and will constitute the manual when the game's finished. Flavoring art currently consists of non-free images plundered from the web. I'm currently checking with several artists for permission to use different works.

Scenarios

Players can choose among several scenarios, which determine the game's objectives and ending conditions. All scenarios are played by two to four players, each of which can either be controlled by a human (via hot seat or network) or an AI of a set difficulty. Players designate their fleet's initial layout, usually within limited territory and without knowledge of their opponent's placement.

Teams can be declared before starting, allowing players to share in victory or the bitter taste of defeat. Ship benefits are shared, such as repairing, rearming, and shared vision. A turn limit can also be added to prematurely end the game if no winner is determined within the alloted time.

Scenarios with an asterisk have an optional "warp" setting which staggers the arrival of ships. If set then fleets don't have an initial layout. Instead, players set the order in which their forces arrive. Reinforcements appear in the player's starting corner at the end of their turn. This makes them defenseless on arrival, vulnerable to being destroyed if an enemy controls that starting location.

*Skirmish- Standard death match that lasts until only one side has ships remaining. This can also have a "kill limit" which ends the game when a player destroys a set number of their opponents. The count is either the absolute number of ships destroyed or weighted according to their classification as follows:

*King of the Hill- A common scenario in first person shooters, the objective is to collect points by occupying the center of the sector. This is highly customizable from requiring solitary control to granting a bonus for each consecutive turn the 'hill' is held. This is obviously incompatible with some sectors (like black holes or stars) in which the center is obstructed.

*Capture the Flag- Like the actual game, each side starts with a stationary "flag" beacon. The objective is to eliminate opponents by stealing their beacon and carrying it back to the carrier's side. If a ship carrying a beacon is destroyed then the beacon is either dropped in place or return to its owner's corner depending on the settings.

Blockade Runner- A single side is designated as the "runner" and must escort a convoy of transports under their control from one side of the sector to the other. Not all may need to survive for the runner to win. If multiple sides manage to stop the runner then the side that destroys the most transports wins.

*Mothership- A cosmic game of chess, each player begins with a single "mothership". The mothership is a flagship class vessel and particularly hard to destroy, but if lost that player is eliminated. The objective is to be the last remaining player.

Base Command- Each player controls a series of stations capable of constructing other vessels. The objective is to be the last side remaining, which requires destroying the enemy's stations to stem their ability to construct reinforcements. The time it takes to construct a vessel depends on its classification:

Galactic War- An intergalactic war is played out in a risk-like game. The map is composed of interconnected systems, each with their own characteristics and ability to construct additional reinforcements. Fleets can be maneuvered and skirmishes played out when opponents meet. The objective is to clear the galaxy of all opposition. More a subgame than a scenario, this is an idea for future extension.

Sectors

Another flexible component of the game is the sector, which determines environmental properties like obstacles and hazards. Games are played on a 2D vertically-aligned interlaced hexagonal grid of a predefined size. The game might be expanded to be 3D in the future via the JOGL OpenGL bindings but this would introduce several complications such as a harder interface for ship selection/controls, generating and importing ship models, and additional library dependencies.

Crafts

Fleets are composed of numerous types of crafts, each with their uses and abilities. In addition to the stats listed below ships produce energy, which is used by many of their systems. This is measured in percentages and by default ships fill 20% of their battery each turn.

Ships fall into the following four classifications with a few common features:

• Drone- Small, unmanned vessels controlled deployed to either support the fleet or provide added firepower.
• Fighter- Fast vessels used for surgical strikes. Their hit and run tactics are supported by:
  1. Afterburners (Innate)- Movement can be extended at the cost of 10% energy per space.
  2. Auto-Repair (Toggle)- The fighter recovers up to five hull per turn (each point recovered costs 3% energy).
• Corvette- Specialized vessels of a medium scale.
• Capital- Heavy vessels with substantial firepower. Their scale allows for:
  1. Launch Bays (Innate)- They can carry, repair, and launch drones and fighters.
  2. Shields (Toggle, Energy Use: 10%)- An energy barrier is generated to absorbs incoming attacks, draining damage from the battery rather than the hull.

Mech (Assault Drone)

• Shock Cannon (Damage: 7-10, Range: 4, Ammo: 10)
  High powered projectile weapon that shoots uranium shells up to twice a turn.

• Cobalt Warhead (Innate, Damage: 50)
  The nose of the mech is wired to a high yield explosive that detonates on impact, making this an effective kamikaze weapon.

• Irradiate (Toggle, Range: 5)
  Being unmanned, the drone can leave its nuclear reactor unshielded, emitting waves of intense radiation. This sickens the crew of nearby crafts. A substantial enough dose is fatal and may leave ships derelict. The mech can then board and plug itself into the ship's navigation system to take it over. This radiation is cumulative among mechs and has no effect against other drones.
  Chance of becoming derelict = (50 - (10 * Mech's Range) - Current Hull)%

Bit (Beam Drone)

• Linear Particle Accelerator (LPA)
  The high powered energy cannon around which the bit is built has two methods of firing:

  1. Limited Release (Damage: 15-20, Energy Use: 40%)
     Fire a narrowly focused beam, used for long range fire support.

  2. Full Release (Damage: 1/10 - 1/5 Energy, Blow Through: 1/20 Energy, Energy Use: All)
     Completely drains the bit to fire a blast only limited by the energy put into it. Each beam utilizes up to a hundred percent energy and any extra goes toward expand the beam's width both directions. For an example, with 243% energy the beam would have a width of three, the center beam holding the charge of 100% and the outer beams having 72% energy each.

• Sensor Array
  Being designed for long range fire support, the bit has an advanced compliment of both passive and active sensors.

  1. Passive (Innate)
     The bit's passive sensors provide the silhouettes of bodies up to double its normal sight range. This vision has limitations, such as identifying ship types or differentiating drones from asteroids, keeping it from replacing the need for forward scouts.

  2. Active (Energy Use: 60%)
     A sizable charge can be channeled through the array for a quick, active sensor pulse. This doubles the bit's line of sight and boost the sensor range to encompass the whole sector for the turn. However, this reveals the bits position to opponents as well.

• Hibernate (Toggle)
  The bit can shut down non-essential systems such as weapons, sensors, and engines to triple its energy production. However, this leaves the bit stationary and vulnerable to being ambushed. It takes a full turn to toggle between states.

Pod (Support Drone)

• Repair (Energy Use: 20%)
  Prioritizing repairs on the heaviest damage, RMAs are able to recover 10% of the lost hull of any neighboring vessel. In an emergy the RMAs can be programmed to scrap the pod and apply the material to patch work. This recovers triple the pod's remaining hull of a neighboring craft.

• EM Field Generator
  The pod is capable of generating electromagnetic fields for protection in a couple of ways:

  1. Deflector (Innate)
     In addition to being heavily armored, the front of the pod channels a strong electromagnetic current capable of deflecting most incoming harm. This prevents 75% of the damage dealt by weapons faced head on.

  2. Static Screen (Toggle, Energy Use: 15%)
     An electromagnetic screen can be projected forward to into a mesh of RMAs to disperse incoming energy and small projectiles (ie, anything but warheads). This is intended as a countermeasure against known long ranged threats, providing an umbrella of protection. Blocked attacks drain a percent of the pod's battery equal to its damage (dampening overkill and collapsing the screen if the pod runs out). Ships can pass through the barrier unharmed and it allows for outgoing attacks.

• Countermeasures
  The pod is equipped with a couple of means of intercepting incoming fire:

  1. Chaff (Ammo: 2)
     A wide angle countermeasure, this remains in space for a while blocking warheads and cannon fire. This is dispersed when crafts pass through it.

  2. T14 Interceptors (Innate, Range: 5, Ammo: 7)
     The pod carries a compliment of specialized RMAs that act as a missile defense system. When a missile passes within range an RMA is automatically deployed to intercept it, either hijacking the navigational system or detonating the warhead.

Seris (Interceptor)

• Pulse Cannon (Damage: 20-25, Range: 6, Energy Use: 40%)
  Cannon shoots pulses of charged ionized gas at high velocities.

• Hornet Volley (Homing Projectile, Damage: 15-25, Ammo: 8, Speed: 6, Duration: 2)
  Fired four at a time, this swarmer warhead allows the interceptor to attack numerous targets at once. The missiles have limited fuel, making this a close ranged weapon.

• Jump Drive (Energy Use: 75%)
  An intra-system jump device, this folds space to allow the interceptor instantaneous passage anywhere within the system.

Versa (Bomber)

• Anti-Matter Torpedo (Guided Projectile, Damage: 25-40, Ammo: 5, Speed: 3, Duration: 4)
  A heavy rocket with an anti-matter core capable of crippling, if not destroying, vessels several times the bomber's size.

• Point Defense Turret (Targeted, Energy Use: 40%)
  A heavy neutralizer turret designed to allow the bomber to get in close proximity to its target. This fires sizable ionized bursts that temporarily cripple the systems of crafts trying to intercept the bomber. The effect lasts for five turns minus the craft's armor. This has no effect against projectiles.

• EMP (Energy Use: 75%)
  The bomber is capable of generating an elector-magnetic pulse that disrupts the power systems of nearby crafts, throwing their systems into chaos. This requires a turn of preparation to shut down and protect essential systems before the pulse can be released. The effects are as follows:
  • Energy Loss: 100 - (10 * distance) %
  • Stuns for: 10 - armor - (distance / 2) turns
  • The guidance systems of all warheads are disabled, making them dumbfire

Galar (Cruiser)

• Flak (Targeted, Damage: 25-40, Ammo: 5, Speed: 3, Duration: 4)
  A rapid fire turret, this shoots explosive shells up to twice a turn. This allows the cruiser to quickly pepper the surrounding area with shrapnel to dispatch light crafts.

• Mine (Dumbfire Projectile, Damage: 75-120, Ammo: 3, Speed: 0, Duration: 20)
  Remotely detonateable cluster of interlaced hydrogen bombs capable of a tremendously high yield explosion. The delicate nature of the mine keeps it from being used in missiles. This can be deployed in a stealth state, keeping it from being visually detected but this halves the mine's duration.