Post by: Larac on February 14, 2009, 12:48:30 AM
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
Post by: waresky on February 14, 2009, 04:28:33 AM
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
Post by: Father Tim on February 14, 2009, 06:30:31 AM
Post by: Hawkeye on February 14, 2009, 06:33:28 AM
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 AIOh, 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.
Post by: Larac on February 14, 2009, 10:26:35 AM
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
Post by: Charlie Beeler on February 14, 2009, 10:45:32 AM
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.
Post by: Erik L on February 15, 2009, 02:08:36 PM
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.
Post by: TrueZuluwiz on February 15, 2009, 05:28:00 PM
Post by: jfelten on February 18, 2009, 06:55:32 AM
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.
Post by: Randy on February 18, 2009, 12:50:10 PM
Quote from: "waresky"
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).
Post by: waresky on February 18, 2009, 03:15:28 PM
"tehorically"
but for now impossible.ok 80000 SolarSystem per hundreds probably body inside.
Post by: TrueZuluwiz on March 03, 2009, 02:24:46 PM
Post by: Erik L on March 03, 2009, 03:11:35 PM
Quote from: "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.
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.
Post by: Cassaralla on March 03, 2009, 04:57:51 PM
Unbookmarked ones though . . . then I'd much rather have a physical book.
Post by: Erik L on March 03, 2009, 05:19:21 PM
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
Post by: SteveAlt on March 03, 2009, 08:19:23 PM
Quote from: "Erik Luken"
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 :)
I have been looking for ways to spend more time writing and am I currently doing a couple of creative writing courses. I am also giving serious consideration to writing a novel and trying to be published, although that would slow Aurora down considerably. One other option is to write an Aurora "novel", which would involve playing a campaign to some type of conclusion, writing sections as I go and keeping notes all the way through then revisiting everything and organising the material either into a full novel or some type of fictional non-fiction book, along the lines of the Third World War by Sir John Hackett. This would be a lot more fun than writing a manual. If I tackled this project, I wouldn't report on the campaign as I went, I would just produce a book at the end of it. As Aurora was created to help me write fiction, this would be the ultimate realisation of that goal. If I had any success with this approach, then other players could also tackle similar projects.
Steve
Post by: jfelten on March 23, 2009, 12:30:11 PM
Quote from: "Cassaralla"
I find properly bookmarked pdfs to be great, even superb.
Unbookmarked ones though . . . then I'd much rather have a physical book.
I agree in general. Although if it isn't bookmarked, as long as the PDF isn't locked, I can create my own bookmarks and have done so many times. If you have the software it generally only takes a few minutes to bookmark on the coarse level such as by chapter. What does irk me is when the PDF is locked and not bookmarked.
One nice tool that comes with the full version of Acrobat that few people know about allows you to create a search index of multiple PDF files. I've indexed thousands of PDF files before each hundreds of pages in length and searching them is near instant.
I'm trying to get away from paper entirely. That way I can pack my laptop and have everything in one place.