APPENDIX IV: PLANETS: VIEW
Excerpt from the MoO3 manual, pages 56-7:
Th[e Univalue Ring's] scale (represented by a circle around the planet) shows the relative development of that planet by the civilization that controls it, based on that civilization's maximum technological abilities in the areas of economic development, environmental development, population size, and military defense. [..]
NAME
Name of planet expressed as name of star followed by Roman numeral describing the orbit number…
CONTROLLED BY
This shows the dominant race on the planet. [..]
PLANET SIZE
A number ranging from 1-12 indicating the size of the planet. [..]
MINERAL RATING
A measure of the abundance of heavy elements making up the composition of the planet. [..] The Mineral Rating has six levels; Ultra Rich, Very Rich, Rich, Average, Poor, and Very Poor.
BIODIVERSITY
A measure of the diversity of the biomass of the planet. Biodiversity has five levels; Very Diverse, Diverse, Heterogeneous, Homogeneous, and Very Homogeneous. [..]
AVERAGE FERTILITY
Fertility is based on the habitability zone and the ecosystem density, and affects food production and the population growth rate. [..]
POPULATION
Number of population points on the planet. [..]
GRAVITY
The gravity level of the planet. There are five levels of gravity a planet can have; Crushing, Heavy, Average, Light, and Nil. [..]
SPECIALS
A list of any planetary and regional specials that exist on the planet.
APPENDIX V-A: SHIPYARDS: SHIP CHARACTERISTICS
Excerpt from the MoO3 manual, page 113:
STARSHIPS
Starships are built with Jump Drives allowing them to traverse open space as well as use Jump Lanes. These are the standard vessels in the fleet.
SYSTEM SHIPS
System Ships are slightly larger than Starships and do not have to have Jump Drives installed, leaving more room for optional equipment. [..]
ORBITALS
Orbitals are even larger than Starships and also do not have Jump Drives installed. They must still have engines, since these act as the power source for the Orbital. [..]
STEALTH
[..] Stealth ships are smaller than other ships of the same Size and Class, but are harder to detect and target in both Combat and Non-Combat situations. [..]
SHIP CLASS
[..] There are 14 classes each of ships and orbital platforms, but only 7 ship graphics and 3 platform graphics for each species.
APPENDIX V-B: SHIPYARDS: WEAPONS PANEL
Excerpt from the MoO3 manual, pages 114-5:
DIRECT FIRE WEAPONS
Direct Fire Weapons are further broken down into four different types… [Beam, Particle, Mass Driver and Fusion in order of longest range/lowest damage potential to shortest range/highest damage potential]. [..]
Weapon Mount
The Weapon Mount… has a number of effects on the weapon. In general, the bigger the weapon mount, the greater the damage the weapon does. However, bigger weapons tend to fire less often than smaller weapons. [..] Weapon modifications are individual to each weapon. [..] No weapon has more than six mods available to it.
MISSILES
Missiles have less variety than Direct Fire Weapons, but have a longer range and tend to pack more of a wallop than the equivalent technology level of Direct Fire Weapons. [..] [Here,] the number of volleys per combat is essentially unlimited.
FIGHTERS
[..] The[se] carry smaller versions of weapons, which do less damage than full sized ship weapons but have the advantage of being on independently maneuverable platforms. [..]
SUB-LIGHT ENGINES
[..] The[se] provide primary power for the ship, supporting all of its weapons and others systems and allowing it to move. Sub-Light Engines are only useful within a solar system. [..]
JUMP DRIVES
A Jump Drive allows a ship to move [f]aster [t]han Light, either across open space or along Jump Lanes. Unlike Sub-Light Engines, Jump Drives always take a set amount of hull space. [..]
APPENDIX V-C: SHIPYARDS: DEFENCE PANEL
Excerpt from the MoO3 manual, pages 116-7:
ARMOR
Armor is unique among ship systems in that it does not take up hull space, because it's on the outside of the structure. [It] works in two ways: by deflecting low-damage attacks and by absorbing damage that would normally go to vital internal systems. [..]
SHIELDS
[..] The larger the [Shield G]enerator, the larger the amount of damage that can be absorbed by the shields. However, shields are incapable of completely absorbing an attack. [..]
SHIP SPECIALS PANEL
Ship specials include various useful technologies… Colony Bays and Outpost Pods provide additional hull space to carry all of the supplies necessary for the construction of new colonies or outposts on other worlds. [..] ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) helps the ship confuse enemy targeting systems. [..]
INDUSTRY DEA
In order to build any ships (interstellar or orbital), a planet must have at least one Industry DEA…
SHIPYARD CAPACITY
To build ships with hull sizes greater than 4, you must construct additional Shipyard Capacity on your planet. [..]
MoOving In: A Detailed Preview of Master of Orion III