Glossary¶
Authoritative top-level glossary for SectorWars 2102. When other docs reference a term, this is what it means. Definitions here are intentionally short — one or two sentences each. For deeper consolidated reference (full tables, code paths, edge cases), see FEATURES/definitions.md.
Terms are listed alphabetically.
A¶
Advanced Genesis Device — Top-tier Genesis Device that sacrifices a Colony Ship to spawn an instant Settlement-phase colony. See FEATURES/galaxy/genesis-devices.md#advanced-tier-colony-ship-sacrifice.
ARIA (Adaptive Reactive Intelligence Assistant) — Per-player AI companion. Tracks consciousness levels (1–5) and a bonus multiplier (1.0×–1.5×) that affects turn regeneration and trading. Used heavily in first login (as the security guard) and in trading/haggling. See FEATURES/gameplay/aria-companion.md, SYSTEMS/aria-dialogue.md, OPERATIONS/aria.md.
ARIA Bonus Multiplier — A 1.0×–1.5× scalar stored on the player record that increases turn regeneration rate and trade margins as ARIA consciousness grows. See SYSTEMS/turn-regeneration.md#aria-multiplier-table.
ARIA Consciousness Level — Integer 1–5 representing ARIA's developmental stage for a given player. Higher levels unlock richer dialogue and larger bonuses. See FEATURES/gameplay/aria-companion.md#consciousness-tiers.
Asteroid Field — Sector special type. Mineable; presents movement hazards. See FEATURES/galaxy/sectors.md.
B¶
Black Hole — Sector special type. High danger; may enable unique travel. See FEATURES/galaxy/sectors.md.
Border Zone — Mid-security zone within a region. Policing 5, danger 4, limited PvP. See DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#zone (Zone schema).
Bounty — Credit-denominated reward placed on a player or NPC for elimination. Tracked alongside personal reputation. See FEATURES/gameplay/bounties.md, SYSTEMS/bounty-and-reputation.md#bounty-placement.
C¶
Cargo Hauler — Heavy freighter ship class. 1,000 cargo, 2 drones, 2 Genesis capacity, slow. See FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md.
Carrier — Capital combat ship. 12 drones, 5 Genesis capacity, +20% to nearby allies via Fleet Coordination. See FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md, SYSTEMS/fleet-coordination.md.
Central Nexus — The 5,000-sector universal hub region (central_nexus). Single zone "The Expanse"; sparse infrastructure; partitioned into 10 thematic districts. See SYSTEMS/central-nexus-districts.md, OPERATIONS/multi-regional.md#central-nexus.
Citadel — Fortified player structure on an owned planet, levelled up over time. Tracked as part of player progression. See FEATURES/planets/citadels.md.
Citizenship — Subscription tying a player to a player-owned region. $5/month; grants residency rights subject to the region owner's governance settings. See OPERATIONS/monetization.md#12-galactic-citizen-5-month, OPERATIONS/multi-regional.md.
Cluster — Proximity-based grouping of 10–25 sectors used for navigation. Carries nebula properties when applicable. A sector belongs to exactly one cluster. See DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#cluster, FEATURES/galaxy/generation.md#step-4-clusters.
Colonist — Population unit. Sold only at each region's Sector 1 hub at 30–80 cr/unit; consumes 1 cargo space per unit. See FEATURES/planets/colonization.md#acquiring-population.
Colony Ship — Slow, high-capacity vessel with 5 Genesis capacity and Terraforming Modules (−30% Genesis sequence time). See FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md.
Combat Drone — Drone variant used in offensive engagements. 1,000 cr each at military stations. See DATA_MODELS/combat.md#drone, FEATURES/galaxy/sectors.md.
Combat Resolver — The subsystem that turns drone counts, weapon types, ship-class matchups, shields, hull, and RNG into a CombatResult. See SYSTEMS/combat-resolver.md, FEATURES/gameplay/combat.md#combat-resolution-model.
Credits — Universal currency. Stored on the player record, never on the ship; never lost on ship destruction. See FEATURES/economy/lifecycle.md.
Crimson Nebula — Nebula type with the highest Quantum Shard yield. Quantum field 80–100. See FEATURES/galaxy/quantum-resources.md#nebula-types-and-field-strengths.
D¶
Defender — Combat-oriented ship class. 6 drones, 3 Genesis capacity, Shield Projection ability. See FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md.
Drone — Autonomous combat or utility unit. Types: combat, defense, mining, scout, research. 1,000 cr each at military stations. Ships, sectors, and planets can host drones. See DATA_MODELS/combat.md#drone, FEATURES/galaxy/sectors.md.
E¶
Escape Pod — Indestructible failsafe craft. Every player has one. On ship destruction the player ejects to it, retains all credits, loses all cargo. Pod movement consumes substantially more turns than a normal ship. See FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md#destruction-escape-pod, FEATURES/gameplay/combat.md#escape-mechanics.
Expanse Zone — Central Nexus's sole zone. Policing 3, danger 6, open PvP. See DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#zone (Zone schema).
F¶
Faction — NPC organization. Six designed factions (Terran Federation, Mercantile Guild, Frontier Coalition, Astral Mining Consortium, Nova Scientific Institute, Fringe Alliance) plus hostile-only Pirates. Per-faction reputation scale −1000 to +1000. See FEATURES/gameplay/faction-lore.md, FEATURES/gameplay/factions-and-teams.md#factions-npc.
Fast Courier — Light, fast ship with 25% pirate-encounter avoidance via Stealth Systems. See FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md.
Federation Zone — High-security zone. Policing 9, danger 1, restricted PvP. See DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#zone (Zone schema).
Fleet — Multi-ship combat formation owned by a team. Five formations: Standard, Wedge, Defensive, Offensive, Scatter. See FEATURES/gameplay/fleet-tactics.md, SYSTEMS/fleet-coordination.md.
Frontier Zone — Low-security zone. Policing 2, danger 8, unrestricted PvP. See DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#zone (Zone schema).
G¶
Galaxy — The full game universe. Default seed: Terran Space (300 sectors) plus Central Nexus (5,000 sectors); player-owned regions add 100–1,000 sectors each. See DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#galaxy, FEATURES/galaxy/generation.md.
Genesis Device — Planet-creation tool. Three tiers: basic, enhanced, advanced. See FEATURES/galaxy/genesis-devices.md, SYSTEMS/genesis-deploy.md.
Governance — The rules a region owner sets for their player-owned region: taxes, PvP, citizenship requirements, treaty terms. See FEATURES/gameplay/regional-governance.md, SYSTEMS/regional-governance.md.
H¶
Hull — Ship structural integrity. Range 200–900 by class. Weapons differ in shield vs hull effectiveness. See FEATURES/gameplay/ship-systems.md#21-hull.
I¶
Insurance — Ship coverage tier. BASIC (50% / 5% deductible), STANDARD (75% / 10%), PREMIUM (90% / 15%). See FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md#insurance.
L¶
Light Freighter — Entry-level player ship. 500 cargo, 2 drones, 0 Genesis. See FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md.
Luxury Goods — Core trading commodity, 75–200 cr range. High-margin, volatile market. See FEATURES/economy/trading.md.
M¶
Market Pricing — Dynamic price formula based on supply ratio: midpoint = base_price × (1.5 − supply_ratio), with a 15% spread. See SYSTEMS/market-pricing.md#pricing-formula, FEATURES/economy/trading.md#pricing-model.
Military Rank — Achievement-based progression, 18 ranks across five tiers (Enlisted, NCO, Warrant, Officer, Flag). Earned via rank points; never lost. Trading bonus 0%→+50%. See FEATURES/gameplay/ranking.md#military-rank.
N¶
Natural Warp Tunnel — Pre-existing FTL connection between sectors. Must be discovered. Most are bidirectional. Costs 1 turn to traverse. See FEATURES/galaxy/sectors.md#natural-warp-tunnels, DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#warptunnel (WarpTunnel schema).
Nebula — Cluster-level property; six types (Crimson, Azure, Emerald, Violet, Amber, Obsidian) each with distinct quantum field, primary resource, and effect. See FEATURES/galaxy/quantum-resources.md#nebula-types-and-field-strengths, FEATURES/galaxy/generation.md#nebulae-cluster-level.
O¶
Ore — Core trading commodity, 15–45 cr range. Construction baseline. See FEATURES/economy/trading.md.
P¶
Personal Reputation — Player alignment, separate from faction standing. Range −1000 to +1000, eight tiers from Villain to Legendary. See FEATURES/gameplay/ranking.md#personal-reputation, SYSTEMS/bounty-and-reputation.md#reputation-tier-table.
Photonic Crystals — Rare material for sensor and weapon enhancement; only in specific nebula types. See FEATURES/galaxy/quantum-resources.md.
Pirates — Hostile-only NPC group; not a faction in the standing/reputation sense. See FEATURES/gameplay/faction-lore.md#pirates.
Planet — Colonizable celestial body. Eight types (Terra, M/L/O/K/H/D/C-class) with distinct habitability, growth, and resource multipliers. See FEATURES/planets/colonization.md#planet-types, DATA_MODELS/entities.md#planet.
Player-Owned Region — Player-funded region of 100–1,000 sectors. $25/month ownership, $5/month citizenship; owner sets governance. See OPERATIONS/multi-regional.md#regional-territories, OPERATIONS/monetization.md#13-region-owner-25-month.
Population Hub — The Sector 1 of every region; hosts a population hub planet plus a Class-0 station; only place colonists can be purchased. See FEATURES/planets/colonization.md#acquiring-population.
Port — Synonym for Station in user-facing docs. The codebase uses station. See DATA_MODELS/entities.md#station.
Prismatic Ore — Rare material for superior hull reinforcement; ~1 in 10,000 asteroids. See FEATURES/galaxy/quantum-resources.md.
Q¶
Quantum Crystal — Crafted from 5 Quantum Shards at a Class 7+ assembler. Required for player warp gates (5 per gate). See FEATURES/galaxy/quantum-resources.md#refining-shards-into-crystals, FEATURES/galaxy/warp-gates.md#quantum-crystal-supply-chain.
Quantum Jump — Special ability of the Warp Jumper ship — directional jump of 5–10 sectors with a 24-hour cooldown. See FEATURES/galaxy/sectors.md#quantum-jump-warp-jumper, FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md.
Quantum Shard — Found in nebulae (mostly Crimson). Five shards combine into one Quantum Crystal. See FEATURES/galaxy/quantum-resources.md#refining-shards-into-crystals.
R¶
Radiation Zone — Sector special type. Causes hull damage if a ship is unshielded. See FEATURES/galaxy/sectors.md.
Region — A logical division of the galaxy. Three types: Central Nexus, Terran Space, Player-Owned. See entries above, DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#region (Region schema), OPERATIONS/multi-regional.md.
Reputation — See Faction (per-faction reputation) and Personal Reputation. Both are detailed in FEATURES/gameplay/ranking.md#personal-reputation and FEATURES/gameplay/faction-lore.md.
S¶
Scout Ship — Light, fast ship with Advanced Sensors. 1 drone, 0 Genesis. See FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md.
Sector — Lowest navigable unit. Special types: NORMAL, NEBULA, ASTEROID_FIELD, BLACK_HOLE, RADIATION_ZONE, WARP_STORM. ~85% are NORMAL. See FEATURES/galaxy/sectors.md, DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#sector.
Sector 1 — The population-hub sector of any region. Always carries a population hub planet and a Class-0 station. See FEATURES/planets/colonization.md#acquiring-population.
Shield — Ship energy defense. Range 50–800 by class. Weapons differ in shield vs hull effectiveness. See FEATURES/gameplay/ship-systems.md#23-shield.
Ship — Player vessel. Carries cargo, drones (0–12), Genesis Devices (0–5). Nine types in code. See FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md, DATA_MODELS/entities.md#ship.
Station — Trading station. Class 0–11 determines commodity buy/sell pattern. See DATA_MODELS/entities.md#station, FEATURES/economy/trading.md#stations-ports.
T¶
Team — Cooperative alliance. Default cap 4 players (configurable per-team). 10,000-credit creation cost. Roles: Founder, Officer, Veteran, Member, Recruit. Shared treasury holds 12 resource types. See FEATURES/gameplay/factions-and-teams.md#teams-player.
Terran Federation — Designed faction; one of six. Rivalry with Fringe Alliance (combined reputation cap 800). See FEATURES/gameplay/faction-lore.md#terran-federation.
Terran Space — The 300-sector new-player starting region. Standard density; three zones split Federation/Border/Frontier in thirds. See FEATURES/galaxy/generation.md#step-2-regions, DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#region.
Treaty — Diplomatic agreement between regions or between players and a region. See FEATURES/gameplay/regional-governance.md#treaties-between-regions, SYSTEMS/regional-governance.md#treaty-negotiation.
Turn — Atomic unit of player action. Daily allocation 1,000, regenerated continuously (≈0.0116 turns/s base, modified by ARIA bonus multiplier). No carryover above the cap. See FEATURES/gameplay/turns.md.
Turn Cost — Number of turns an action consumes. Travel = 1 (modified by ship speed), dock/undock = 1 each, trading while docked = 0, combat costs vary by defender's ship type. See FEATURES/gameplay/turns.md#action-cost-matrix.
Turn Regeneration — Continuous accrual of turns up to Player.max_turns. See SYSTEMS/turn-regeneration.md.
V¶
Villain — Lowest tier of personal reputation, at −1000. See FEATURES/gameplay/ranking.md#tiers-personal_reputation_servicepyreputation_tiers.
W¶
Warp Gate — Artificial one-way warp structure built by sacrificing a Warp Jumper plus 5 Quantum Crystals, 100k–500k credits, and 7–14 real-time days. 0 turns to use; two gates required for round trips. See FEATURES/galaxy/warp-gates.md.
Warp Jumper — Built-only ship class. 500,000-credit construction cost; jump-only movement; required sacrifice for warp-gate construction. See FEATURES/gameplay/ships.md, FEATURES/galaxy/warp-gates.md#prerequisite-ship-warp-jumper.
Warp Storm — Sector special type; temporary; disables nearby tunnels. See FEATURES/galaxy/sectors.md.
Warp Tunnel — Generic term for any FTL link between sectors. See Natural Warp Tunnel and Warp Gate. Schema: DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#warptunnel.
Z¶
Zone — Security/policing band defined by sector-number range within a region. Four types: EXPANSE, FEDERATION, BORDER, FRONTIER. A sector belongs to exactly one zone (orthogonal to its cluster). See DATA_MODELS/galaxy.md#zone.
Deeper reference¶
This page lists short, single-sentence definitions optimised for quick lookup. For the full consolidated reference — including price tables, ship stat tables, nebula effect tables, code path citations, and game-rule details — see FEATURES/definitions.md.