A silly question perhaps

[Larac (OP)]

What is Aurora?

I know its a software system for a 4 x game, but I am not sure which rule set it goes with.

I have looked for it but I am still not sure.

Lee

[waresky]

What is Aurora? *_*

A best Computer game for simulated an Expanded Empire in theorical 1.000.000.000 Stars.
A Dream who,same me and Steve,had play in past some RPG sci-fi game,best overt all Megatraveller and AD 2300.
Science,Exploring,Strategical,Tactical,Surveying,Mapping,Colonizing,Expanding.
Design and Build Ships Design own made..Fighters,Transports,Minelayers,Colonizer,Scouting and many others ships class..

Hard to manage,this Aurora yes..but satisfactory

[Father Tim]

Aurora is its own ruleset; its own 4X game.  It is unique, and relies heavily on the data management and computational abilities of a computer.  You couldn't play it with paper & pencil.

[Hawkeye]

Well, still being a newbe, I will try to describe it

Except for travel through wormholes and FTL sensors/comunication within a system, pretty much anything else is as much rooted into real physics as is possible, given this is a SF setting with spaceships plowing the starlanes.

As of yet, there is no AI present, but Steve is working on it as I am typing, and he has stated that version 4.0 will be available within the next 2 weeks (don´t beat me, if it will take 3   ) with the first edition of AI

Oh, and I allmost forgot.
While aparetly, most people play it in SpaceMaster mode (like Gamemaster in RPGs) playing all sides by themselves, the game is set up to be played as multiplayer.
Hm, now that I mention this, I never looked into how this is supposed to work, PBEM, or online.

[Larac (OP)]

Thank you all for the info.

So it is like Vbam or Starfire, are there a set of rules, stages or phases in written form so I have an idea of what everything does and can do or is it just open the software and tinker?

For multiplayer will the SM add all orders or can the players send turns? Email? Direct Connect?

Just trying to figure out how to figure it out I guess.

Thanks again
Lee

[Charlie Beeler]

Lee,

Several of us are old Starfire hands.  Steve authored the Starfire Assistant years ago.  Aurora has it's concept roots in the Assistant program but it has grown to be so very much more.

There is no complete set of rules in manual form for Aurora.  but the bulk of what your asking about can be found in this forum under many topic headings.  There is a basic turtorial up in the Acadamy that, even though was written for an older version, can get you started.  Best advice is download the pieces needed for the current version and follow the tutorial as best you can for a starting point.  Play around with it to find how the verious areas function.  Ask questions.  If you like several of us, you'll get hooked.  

Don't be afraid to make suggestions of changes or additions you'd like to see.  As you've probably already found, as a group we like to hashout ideas.  Seve mines these suggestions and discussions for what eventually gets added.

[Erik L]

I keep meaning to update the tutorial...

If anyone wants to update parts, feel free

I think we can also manage to comb through the mechanics and rules forums to work up a basic manual. But the manual would be more like one for a computer game, than one for something like Starfire, VBAM, Full Thrust, etc.

[TrueZuluwiz]

A user's manual would be a great idea. Just don't use PDF format, please. PDF is designed to make people stop using it and look elsewhere for info.

[jfelten]

Might as well wait for 4.x before updating the tutorial now.  

I think PDF is the perfect format for such manuals.  They are readable on any platform and regardless of platform retain the intended formatting.  There is a built in bookmark function which works well and it doesn't take much effort to create hyperlinks etc.  Since Adobe effectively opened the PDF file format it has a lot going for it.

[Randy]

What is Aurora? *_*

A best Computer game for simulated an Expanded Empire in theorical 1.000.000.000 Stars.

Again,

  This is IMPOSSIBLE in Aurora. The real theoretical Max number of star systems is something less than 80,000 (probably really under 10,000 if playing the game and not just generating systems).

[waresky]

Yes yes randy,again:)
"tehorically"
but for now impossible.ok 80000 SolarSystem per hundreds probably body inside.

[TrueZuluwiz]

PDF format may be the greatest thing since sliced bread for the formatter, but for the user trying to find something it.........well, it sucks.

[Erik L]

PDF format may be the greatest thing since sliced bread for the formatter, but for the user trying to find something it.........well, it sucks.

The PDF's I generate for my games all have automatically generated bookmarks, defined by the headings in the document. And searching by keyword is fairly simple too, at least in Adobe Reader 9.

[Cassaralla]

I find properly bookmarked pdfs to be great, even superb.

Unbookmarked ones though . . . then I'd much rather have a physical book.

[Erik L]

How about this?

Once a "rule book" is written, it's supplied via PDF and print? A 100pg perfect bound black & white paperback manual sized 4.25" x 6.875" would run $6.50 US for printing through Lulu.com. They'll do one off prints. The book can be priced so all that would be paid is printing and shipping, i.e. $6.50 plus whatever shipping costs there are.

But before any printing is done, we'd need the book content, and Steve's approval