Sensors

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[edit] Overview

Using the sensors of ships, wings and ground bases is the basic way to gather information on planets as well as enemy ships, ground bases, wings, worm holes, jump gates, and other objects in space. Gathering this information and using it to your advantage is a big part of the art of war. Without tactical intelligence, you wouldn't know where to send your combat units or where the best places to colonize are. The best sensors are found on your ships. The higher the power rating of the ship sensors the better able the system is at detecting dim sensor contacts.

There are 200 Movement Phases every game turn. During those movement phases, your units with sensors will attempt to scan for other objects. Your units that have sensors will send out a pulse. That pulse will have a chance of returning contact data back to your ship based on how much noise each object is putting out. How often the pulse is sent out depends on the capabilities of the scanning unit. How far the pulse can go out and return is dependant on the scanning unit as well. The noise level is also referred to as the Sensor Profile or hide rating. Large objects, such as planets are difficult to hide. Some ships and pods have technologically advanced devices on them that will cloak them from sensors.

[edit] Sensor Settings

There are four different kinds of sensor setting for each ship, which can be set by corresponding switches in the ship's mission screen. The settings vary in the effective scan range and the amount of sensor noise that is created by the sensors. You can turn on several of the switches, but only the "highest" enabled setting has an effect. Wings only have one setting for their scanners, which is either on or off. Ground bases have built-in scanning capabilities which can only be enhanced with the Scanner building. The active scanners emit an active subspace scanning beam that other ships can detect. If you turn off all of your scanners you will still be able to detect enemy ships and object using your passive detectors, which are always on and do not emit any signals that enemies can detect. The best way of finding the enemy is by building ships with powerful sensor system and sending it out into deep space with the high power sensors turned on.

Setting Effect
High Power Scanner Scans using 100% of the ship's rated sensor power.
Medium Power Scanner Scans using 50% of the ship's rated sensor power.
Low Power Scanner Scans using 25% of the ship's rated sensor power.
Planetary Scanner Gives the passive sensors a 10 mw power boost.
Passive Very unpredictable. Can detect objects from 5 to 335 ly. Can detect beyond 30 ly only about 10% of the time. Passive scanners will not work if Short, Medium or Long Range Sensor is on.

[edit] Sensor Ranges

The range that a sensor pulse can go out to is based on the power of the hull that you own. Each hull has a Scan Range attribute, which determines the maximum range of the pulse. Wings have a scan range of 0 unless their scanners are turned on, which increases their scan range to 10. Ground bases have a scan range of 2 unless they have a scanner building, which increases their scan range to 100 (or whatever is configured in the game's HConfig setting). If the base is on an asteroid then the scan range is 2, even if it has an active scanner building. The scan range for wings and ground bases is not increased by Exotic Techs.

[edit] Scanning Frequency

How often that your ship, base, or wing has a chance to send out a pulse varies slightly and some objects in space are easier to scan for than others. Outer space is a big place.

This table shows how often scanning attempts are made. The number of movement pulses between scans is shown. The term "phase" is synonymous with "tick".

Scanning Unit Scans Prior
to Movement 		Scan Frequency
During Movement
Ship 6 Every 5th Phase
Base 1 Every 5th Phase
Wing 1 Every 5th Phase


This table shows the chances that a scan be made against a target from a given scanning unit. "Things" below are jump gates and worm holes.

Scanning Unit vs Target(s) Scans Attempt Possibilities
Ships Planets Visible within range
Partial scan within half range
Full scan within 25 ly
Bases 2.5% chance to attempt to scan
Automatic scan within 5 ly
Ships 2.5% chance to attempt to scan
Pods, Wings & Things 2.5% chance to attempt to scan
Minefields 2.5% chance to attempt to scan
Bases Planets Visible within 600 ly
Partial scan within 100 ly
Full scan when on planet
Bases Full scan within 10 ly
Ships 2.5% chance to attempt to scan
Pods, Wings & Things 2.5% chance to attempt to scan
Wings Planets Full scan within 15 ly
Bases No chance to attempt
Ships 2.5% chance to attempt to scan
Pods, Wings & Things 10% chance to attempt to scan
Minefields 2.5% chance to attempt to scan

[edit] Scanning Attempt

When your scanning unit finally gets its chance to attempt a scan, there is a contest evaluated between your scanner and the sensor profile or hide value of the target. The odds are first determined from the power of your sensors and the distance to the target, such as: (sensor range - distance to target) / sensor range. This basically means that you have a % chance of 100% at range 0, which decreases lineraly down to 0% as you reach the maximum range of your scanners. This result is multiplied by the sensor profile of the target then the dice are rolled. If you hit your mark or less then you know that something is there, but you aren't quite sure what it is. This is called "contact". If the dice roll your way and you get less than half of what you needed in % then you got a good scan of the target and you are able to detect more specifically what the target is. This is called "detection".

Scanners can not track ships traveling through hyperspace. Ships in hyperspace can not use their scanners while in hyperspace. All scanning takes place after all hyperjumps have happened. In other words, you won't know where the hyperjumping ship went unless you detect it at its jump destination. Also, the hyperjumping ship doesn't have a scan of any objects between the source of the jump and the destination.

[edit] Scanning Results

When you have established "contact" with an object in space, then it will appear as an unknown contact. You may get varying levels of information from the contact, such as its energy signature, speed, heading, position in space, waypoint, and object ID. This information will help you get a "best guess" as to what it is. Contact with planets simply shows you that there is a Planetary System there, but you cannot target it with transporters yet since you haven't identified the planet in the system. You can determine what the star type of the star in the system is, which is important to some races.

When you have detected an object then you can tell what type of object that it is: ship, wing, base, jump gate, worm hole, pod, etc. You get more details of its name, owner, and other parts of its configuration. Detected planet provides you with a partial scan, which will tell you the planet's climate, stress values, and soil rating. You still don't know what's on the planet's surface. To get a full scan of a planet, you have to be close enough or have a device/ability that will give you information as if you were on the planet.

You are still limited in what you know about the contents of ships, pods, and wings. When you have a scan of an enemy ship, you have partial information. Only when the player turns on the Allow Commands race setting will you get full and accurate details. The Evil Empire can use their Dark Powers to sense the weapon load out of ships. The Rebels can use their Light Powers to sense the presence of a super weapon on ships.

Once you have a scan of a target, you keep it until the next turn.

[edit] Things that effect ship sensors

  • Crewless ships have a scan range of 0 (Host 213e).
  • If a ship has no personnel on board or has 100% system control damage then you will be able to get an accurate scan of the contents of the ship (Host 213j).
  • After a hyperjump, your scanners only work at one quarter normal scan range afterwards, so you often can't see anything.
  • Ships with more than 40% system damage have a 70% chance of scanner failure.
  • By buying the Tachnor Sensor Array exotic techs, the sensor range of your ships can be increased by up to 600 lys with High Power sensors enabled, 300 ly with Medium Power, and 150 ly with Low Power. Planetary Scanners are not enhanced by the Tachnor Sensor Arrays.
  • Turning on the Gravitonic Accelerator ship device will render the ship's scanners useless. Even passive sensors won't work.
  • Turning on a Mine Sweeper Array cuts your scan range in half.
  • Captured ships that are a hull that your race cannot normally manufacture (i.e. Alien Hull) has half of its scan range.
  • A ship or wing within 2 ly of a planet has its scan range cut in half.
  • Privateers have twice the odds of detecting a ground base.
  • Privateers have 1/8 the odds of detecting a minefield.
  • Rebels have 1/8 the odds of detecting a gravitonic minefield.
  • Rebels have a harder time getting a partial scan of planets. Their range for getting a partial scan for planets is 25% that of normal.
  • Any ship will get a full scan of a planet if it is within 25 ly.
  • Any ship will get a full scan of a ground base if it is within 5 ly.
  • A Gold Pod can cloak and not be seen at all.
  • If a ship hits a Laser Minefield then its sensor range becomes 0.
  • Ships that are being towed have a sensor range of 0.
  • Newly built ships, pods, wings and things cannot be scanned.

[edit] Other ways to find things in space

  • Centaur owned ship ships can see stars up to 5000 ly away.
  • Rebels can find natives on planets using Light Powers.
  • Spy Attacks can help find ships and bases.
  • You automatically have a full scan of everything you own. (big surprise there!)
  • Buoys can be scanned by players that you give permissions to.
  • Players can share their base scan information, ship scan information or all scan information that is not their own (contact).
  • A Tachyon Emitter can increase your chances of scanning an enemy within its radius.
  • When you hit a minefield, you will get a scan of it.
  • When you build a jumpgate, you get a scan of it.
  • The Bioscanner ship device will give you a full scan of the planet that it detects has natives on it. It will also cancel the sensor distortion of a Holo Jammer device.
  • The Long Range Mine Detector ship device will find active minefields within 500 ly.
  • The Robot-owned ships can detect minefields within 150 ly.
  • The Spy Scanner ship device can find heavily populated ground bases within 1000 ly.
  • The Probe Launcher ship device can find ground bases within 500 ly.
  • The A. Interstellar Class Frigate, A. Odin Class Carrier, and Lotus Class Pursuit Ship have Gravity Sensors, which detect ships with Gravitonic Minefield Dropper, Warp Chunneler, Gravitonic Accelerator, or Gravity Well Generator within 400 ly.
  • Aczanny ships have HyperScanners, which find ships using hyperdrives and warp chunnelers.
  • When a planet explodes, some players get a message sent to their headquarters from their scientists of the occurrence.
  • When a super weapon is fired somewhere in the galaxy, the scientists notify their leader.
  • Some natives will alert players when they are afraid of a particular race that will cause them harm. Ghipsoldals and Humanoids will alert players when Cyborg are near. Insectoids will alert players when Enforcers are near.

[edit] See also

[edit] Research

  • Do Pods scan? If yes, what is their range? What can they scan?
No.
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