I haven't *really* started playing Aurora yet, but I've been reading as much as I can about it. I did have a few questions I thought I would ask concerning various gameplay mechanics.
Piracy: It seems to me that any attempt at piracy/privateering with the intent to capture their targets would be very risky if the ship were moving more than 1-2k m/s. Therefore, I'd assume that the best ship design for a dedicated piratical vessel would be microwave-armed vessel with various methods of point defense, with either dedicated assault ships or a carrier that holds several assault shuttles. This would probably be backed up by a more traditional fleet to defend captured vessels on their way to a more secure location. Given the rather specialized form of warfare, this would probably target mainly (only?) civilian-type vessels.
Confirm/Deny?
Ground Troops: According to the wiki, it seems that only the Engineering/Construction brigades have uses outside of combat. Constructions functioning as a factory, and Engineering to help recover installations. This is the case, yes? Do Engineering Brigades have any uses outside of recovering installations (ie Trans-Newtonian industry)?
Construction Brigade: Based on my tests, the Combat Engineering Brigade research becomes available immediately after you research the Assault Company/Brigade tech, but I cannot find what unlocks the Construction brigade. Is there a prereq in the Construction tree?
Personality Attributes: Am I just missing something on the wiki, or is there no page listing attribute boosts/deficiencies by attribute (a la the government page)?
Terraforming:Will Terraforming automatically take place once facilities/ships are in place, or do I need to know what kinds of gases to use?
Task Force Training Duration: How long does Task Force Training normally take, and is there a way to change the default length? I ask because in a test game I sent a task force on training without realizing that I had set the design for 3 months intended deployment but had given them 6 months+ of fuel. Cut morale down to half at least, and the TF showed no signs of slowing down or returning to base. I didn't see a way to cancel task force training. . . . . . just the big black/red bar saying that the task force was undergoing training maneuvers. I assume that it has somethign to do with the standard/sub-orders? I'm just a big dumb-dumb who didn't see the End Task-Force Training button. Derp.
Power Plants: Mainly used for non-missile weapons/shields, correct?
I will probably have more questions that I'll post to this thread as I get more in-depth into Aurora, as I am finishing up testing a few last mechanics on a heavily SMed game and will probably start a newbish AAR on my first non-cheaty game soon