Space Combat Guide

Charging up those lasers and readying those missles? This guide will help lay out the basics you need to know going into space combat and should help make things run more smoothly. There is a fuller and more complex guide at Space Combat.
For a guide to flying in space, please see our spaceflight guide.
==Before Combat==
There's a lot of work to be done before you go into battle. Some things to keep in mind:
* +control/add any pilot who may need to fly or control ship beforehand. You can always remove them later!
* Move ships and supplies into place. Have your fighters squadroned and on the ships they need to be, have fleets formed where possible, have your upgrades done, and have ammunition purchased and on board. If at all possible, have this done a full day ahead of time, so you have time to deal with last minute details the day of.
* Be aware of +traveltime and consider how long it will take you to move reinforcements or supplies from place to place. Keep in mind that if you do not have a galactic comsys, it is a roundtrip to first send a ship with the request and then send ships.
* Recruit +temps at least 30 minutes before hand. The more +temps you need, the earlier you'll want to start. It is probably a good idea to point them to this guide as a reference, particularly for those not used to ground combat.
* Choose a comsys frequency and be sure everyone knows it and is on it. Use +comsys/scan to be sure people have it set up correctly.
==Starting Combat==
In space combat, +turn is enforced through code. This begins when one of two things happens: 
* A warship in the area types +guard, indicating that it is alert and guarding the area. 
* A warship in the area performs a combat action, such as firing a weapon.
==During Combat==
Combat can be fast and confusing. If you keep the following in mind, hopefully some of the pain can be eased and fun can be had.
===Posing & Order===
In space combat, keeping track of pose order is one of the things that will make things go smoothly. Remember, combat is as much about RP as it is about code and seeing who comes out on top!
* Use +turn to determine pose and attack order. 
* The first +turn round is used to scene-set and does not involve combat. It should only involve +blocking if the ship is arriving from the direction it is blocking. It may involve deploying fighter squadrons.
* Each person poses and then does a coded combat action. Results of the combat are posed by those involved in the next turn round.
* Keep poses prewritten. This is one of the most important aspects to keeping battle flowing smoothly. Write your pose several turns before yours and then go back to adjust as things happen if needed. You can also have your combat code pre-typed and ready to go.
* Read poses and respond logically. Try to keep in mind distances and orientations and note that sometimes you may not be able to realistically target a ship. Other ships may pose blocking it, or guarding it. In these instances, however, the ships would also be unable to attack others. When in doubt, communicate and cooperate.
====Posing and Room Commands====
* To pose on a ship, use +ship <pose>. All poses are prefixed with your ship name - you cannot @emit. @emit actions will be seen by others in the same room, on the ship, with you, as normal. 
* To see the space room you are in, type +scan.
* To see another ship in your room, type +scan <ship>. 
* To see the stats of your own ship, type +ship from the bridge. When commanding a squadron, use +squadron. 
* OOC from a bridge speaks to everyone in the entire space room - not just those on your ship.
====+turn Actions====
During space combat, the following coded actions are considered to take one +turn of time. You can always skip your +turn by using +wait. If there is ever a question or a situation in which it seems these guidelines may not apply, talk to the people you're playing with to come to an agreement.
*+block
*+bombard
*+dock (from the ship docking)
*+fly (one turn for each room)
*+hyperjump
*+ion 
*+laser 
*+missile 	
*+navigate
*+run
*+torpedo	
*+tractor
*+turbolaser	
*+undock (from the ship undocking)
===Weapons and Combat Actions===
Different ships have different weapons. Check +ship to see what you have available, as well as what ammunition you have. Missiles and torpedoes cost money. Lasers, turbolasers, and ion cannons do not. 
====Laser Cannons====
A single laser cannon does not do much damage, which is why most serious starfighters carry at least two and why larger light vessels can carry up to seven. They're most used in dogfights. 
:Syntax: 
::+laser <vessel>
====Turbolaser Cannons====
Turbo lasers are considered the ultimate spacefaring weapon: drawing power directly from ship reactors, they have no ammunition limitation, and each is considerably more powerful than a single laser cannon. They're also free. 
You can split turbolaser fire to target multiple ships.
:Syntax: 
::+turbolaser <vessel>
::+turbolaser <vessel1, vessel2, vessel3 ...>
====Missiles====
Concussion missiles are expensive, but are the most recently-introduced weapon in galactic warfare, the fastest and most accurate projectile. They are best used against fighters. 
You can choose how many missiles, up to the maximum number of launchers you have, to use in each attack. 
:Syntax: 
::+missile <vessel>[=<missiles>]
::+missile <vessel1, vessel2, vessel 3 ...>[=<missiles>]
====Ion cannons====
Ion cannons do little to no good against shielded vessels, but take systems out quickly once shields are down.
:Syntax: 
::+ion <vessel>
====Proton Torpedoes====
Proton torpedoes are powerful but expensive, and are most often used to target capital ships. 
You can choose how many torpedoes, up to the maximum number of launchers you have, to use in each attack, and you can also target multiple vessels. 
:Syntax: 
::+torpedo <vessel>[=<torpedoes>]
::+torpedo <vessel1, vessel2, vessel 3 ...>[=<torpedoes>]
====Blocking and Movement====
For a full guide on movement in space, see the spaceflight guide.
Blocking a flight path attempts to prevent others who do not have the correct passcode set from passing. Enemy ships can attempt to +run a blockade to get past. Failure means a lost turn, during which other ships can fire upon it. Hyperlanes are particularly different to +run.
:Syntax: 
::+block <flight path>
::+unblock
::+run <flight path>
If you want to hyperjump out during combat, you must first spend a +turn using +navigate, which will calculate the hyperlane exits in the room and plot a course. You must also take a +turn for each time you +fly through a room.
A capital ship can also use +cover to protect a ground area from bombardment.
===Comsys===
Before each combat scene, forces should agree on a comsys frequency and adjust their comsys systems in order to communicate. 
* To turn your comsys on, type '+comsys/on' - to turn on a ship's comsys, use '+comsys/on here'.
* To adjust frequency, type '+comsys/frequency <frequency>' or +comsys/frequency here=<frequency>'.
* To speak to people on your frequency (the most common use), type '+comsys/transmit <message>'. You can also begin with a pose to include vocal cues by using +comsys/transmit :<pose>.
* To speak to everyone in range, use '+comsys/broadcast <message>'. These messages will be prefaced with (all channels).
* To speak to a single person, use '+comsys/speak <name>=<message>'. These messages will be prefaced with (single channel).
* Note that when you are in a room with someone, they are able to hear the comsys messages you send, but not those which you receive (much like listening to someone talk on a telephone).
* To see who is in your frequency or range, type '+comsys/scan'. Note that the information in +comsys/scan is considered IC and may be used as intel. If you don't want to appear on a +comsys/scan, you need to turn your comsys off or change your frequency so that you show as 'unknown'.
===Ships & Squadrons===
 
In combat, there are many different types of ships, but the four you will hear most often are fighters, bombers, space stations, and capital ships.
Fighters are small ships that are usually squadroned, and the term may include microfighters, snubfighters, and interceptors.
Starfighters can be formed into squadrons which can then be controlled by one person.
Squadrons have 12 'spaces' and can be a mix of any type of fighter until those spaces are filled. For example, a squadron could hold 12 size-1 fighters, 6 size-2 fighters, or 3 size-2 fighters and 6 size-1 fighters.
Bombers are heavy snubfighters that are well-suited to bombing runs on capital ships or ground targets as they carry both the weapons to do the job and the plating to absorb a few hits.
Space stations sit in orbit in strategic locations to defend planets, support fleets, control trade and the like. They are capable of extremely slow flight and possess a hyperdrive to get them to their final location where they are deployed and rendered immobile. At all times, a space station is highly vulnerable and depends upon the ships it harbors to protect it.
Capital ships are the largest ships in the galaxy and possess an array of weaponry that is illegal for non-government entities to possess that often consists of multiple turbolaser batteries, missile launchers, torpedo tubes, ion cannons, tractor beams. They are also heavily armored and boast powerful shields, wide-reaching communication systems, and vast hangar space. However, for all of their strengths, all capital ships are plagued by slow speed and poor maneuverability that means that they can be swarmed by the smaller, faster fighters.
Category:Combat
Category:Space System
Category:Guides