About Combat


    Combat is how players resolve strategic confilcts, when diplomatic efforts
fail, military strength often has to carry the day. There are three different
types of Combat, Fleet to System, Fleet to Fleet in space, and Fleet to Fleet
orbiting a System.  Combat is impossible in a Star Cloud, any fleet that
wanders into an Ion Storm may lose some ships due to the storm itself.
  Combat is done after a fleets movemnt. Once you combat you are not allowed
to move that fleet anymore.  If there is more than one opposing fleet at a
given location you may combat each opposing fleet and any system at that place
as well with your fleet.
  Combat victory can be elusive, you remove a number of ships or System defense
from your opponnt based on the military strength of the fleet you are
combatting with, and your opponent does the same with his.  When either party
loses all of their ships or system defense, then the combat is settled.
  When you lose ships you may set ship priorities, such as which type of ship
to lose last. Priority one is the last type of ship to go, Priority five is
the most expendable ship type. The setting you will get (Default) if you decide
not to set priorities, will expend the cheapest ships in the fleet first.


Fleet to System Combat:


      A Fleet of ships may combat any system that it may land on allowed by
the normal rules of movemnt.  Any opposing fleets must be combatted first.
( see Fleet to Fleet Combat on a System  below)
During system combat, the fleet  combats the system defense of the planet. 
The greater the planets defense the more difficult the planet will be to 
subjugate.  You will be prompted for the normal fleet and location selections,
and you will also be asked if you would like to destroy the system. If you 
destroy the system, neither you nor your opponents will be able to develop it 
for resources after.  Fleet to System Combat is a one shot deal.  Your fleet 
strikes against the system defense and the system defense strikes back.  If 
you  decided to destroy the system and you succesfully remove all of the 
system defense then the planet will thereafter be destroyed. If you didn't 
decide to destroy and you remove all system defense, than you can go on to 
develop it.  If system defense remains after your combat, then you will have 
to wait until next turn, and try again.


Fleet to Fleet Combat in Space:


      A Fleet may combat another Fleet in space. This type of combat is also
a one shot deal. You strike against the opposeing fleet and they strike back.
if two fleets remain after the combat then you will have to wait until next
turn to strike again.  However if during your opponents turn, he decides to
attack you, you of course will get your own return strike in response to your
opponents attack.


Fleet to Fleet Combat on a System:


      Fleet to Fleet Combat on a System is a duel to the death. In this type
of combat " There can be only ONE!". The outcome will depend on the total
number of ships in your fleet as well as the military strength.  A large fleet
of Pi ships can sometimes overwelm an Infinity Fleet of greater military
strength. A Small exploratory fleet may want to think twice about sitting
on an opponents system for a turn.


Ship cost and strengths:




Type of ship  cost in resources   military strength Development Strength


Explorer  Inf.     18                    5                  
Military  Inf.     16                   10                  
Developer Inf.     12                    2                  4
Military  Pi        5                    3                  
Developer PI        3                    0                  2
*System   Def       3                    1


* System Defense is not a ship type, it remains with the system that
ordered it.


Combat Table:


following is a table for Combat Results for a given Military Strength
vs. a 2 times 1-6 Die Roll


this is used by the program, and is as was specified, in the
original board game rules.
           Die Roll      2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  1  1  1
                                                 0  1  2


       M    1..2         1  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  1
       I    3..5         2  1  1  1  0  0  0  1  1  1  2
       L    6..10        3  2  2  2  1  0  1  2  2  2  3
            11..20       4  3  3  3  2  1  2  3  3  3  4
       S    21..30       5  4  4  4  3  1  3  4  4  4  5
       T    31..40       5  5  4  4  4  2  4  4  4  5  5
       R    41..50       6  5  5  4  4  3  4  4  5  5  6
       E    51..60       6  6  5  5  4  3  4  5  5  6  6
       N    61..70       7  6  6  5  5  4  5  5  6  6  7
       G    71..80       7  7  6  6  5  4  5  6  6  7  7
       T    81..90       8  7  7  6  6  5  6  6  7  7  8
       H    91..100      8  8  7  7  6  6  6  7  7  8  8


*  Fleets with strengths greater than 100 are handled by the
   program by additional rolls on the 91..100 scale
   depending on total strength


   i.e. a fleet with a strength of 152 will get one die roll
   on the 91..100 scale and one roll on the 51-60 scale.


** The combat results represent ships lost in the battle, or system Defense
if the combat is against a planet