Atmospheric Combat Vehicle
Atmospheric combat vehicles are vehicles specially designed to do combat in the atmosphere of a planet. More specifically, they're designed to drop explosives on ground-based targets identified by the vehicle's computer system while maintaining sufficient armament for close quarters combat with other atmospheric vehicles.Commands
MAP - Displays a map of the airspace grid. The map will show you a graphical representation of the area as well as provide a coordinate rundown and a brief summary of your vehicle's status (hull integrity, armament, etc)
RANGE - Displays a list of objects, along with their coordinates, that are within range of the automatic weapons.
FIRE <direction or stop> - Fires automatic weapons at the direction specified. If there is no target in that direction, the computer will abort firing. Once you establish a lock, the weapon will continue to fire until the target moves out of the locked position. If you specify STOP as an argument, the weapon will stop firing.
BOMB - Releases a bomb at your current coordinates. The bomb will travel steadily down the Z-axis until it impacts something.
DETONATOR <direction> - Releases a detonator in the given direction.
DETONATE - Detonates all released detonators.
DAMAGE - Displays the vehicle's damage report.
REPAIR - Deploys a repair microdrone to repair a bit of hull damage. Note: The drone will be lost after use, so make it count.
STATUS - Displays hull integrity as well as the ship's remaining supply of repair microdrones, ordnance, and explosives.
LAUNCH - Launches your vehicle from a vehicle bay.
RETURN - Returns your vehicle to a vehicle bay.
SCAN [object] - Displays basic information about an object in the sector.
OUT - Exits the vehicle.
Navigation
If you're familiar with navigating a starship, you have the basics of atmospheric combat vehicle navigation down. The numbers on the number pad correspond to the direction you wish to move in the sector.
Movement Commands:
1: Moves southwest. (Modifies X coordinate -1, Y coordinate +1)
2: Moves south. (Modifies Y coordinate + 1)
3: Moves southeast. (Modified X coordinate +x, Y coordinate +1)
4: Moves west. (Modifies X coordinate -1)
5: Stays where you are. (Modifies nothing. Useful with Z-axis navigation)
6: Moves east. (Modifies X coordinate +1)
7: Moves northwest. (Modifies X coordinate -1, Y coordinate -1)
8: Moves north. (Modifies Y coordinate -1)
9: Moves northeast. (Modifies X coordinate +1, Y coordinate -1)
-: Moves down. (Modifies the Z coordinate +1)
+: Moves up. (Modifies the Z coordinate -1)
Weapon Notes
Automatic Weapons - Automatic weapons will use up ordnance, usually about ten per shot. They continue to fire as long as their designated target is at the coordinates you locked on to. If you wish to abort firing for whatever reason, type FIRE STOP. Automatic weapons are useful for destroying bombs or missiles before they reach their intended targets.
Bombs/Explosives - Bombs are typically used to destroy targets on the planet's surface, though they can also be used to destroy other vehicles. When you launch a bomb, you should match your target's X and Y coordinates. Bombs take time to travel, so once launched, there is a window of opportunity for another vehicle to intercept the bomb, either by automatic weapon fire or by getting in its path.
Missiles - Surface targets may launch missiles at you. Unlike bombs, these are capable of tracking your vehicle and inflicting considerable damage. It's recommended that you be prepared to fire automatic weapons at a missile or to maneuver yourself behind another vehicle at just the right time. Missiles tend to slam into anything that gets in their way rather than avoiding it. There's also the possibility that, if you're far enough away when it's launched, you may be able to outrun it past the sector's edge.
Detonators - Detonators take advantage of explosive gasses already present. Once launched, a detonator will begin to fall through the atmosphere in much the same way as a bomb. At any given time, the ship that launched the detonator can DETONATE it, causing nearby pockets of volatile gasses to explode. Any nearby vehicles, bombs, or structures will be damaged by the detonation. In addition, vehicles may find themselves pushed back by the concussive force. It's also worth noting that one detonator has the ability to detonate any undetonated detonators in proximity to it regardless of who launched them.
The power of a detonation depends on the quantity of volatile gasses in the area at the time. Typically it's guaranteed that a detonator's power will be at least half that of a bomb with an ideal total power equally that of a bomb in all directions.
Repair / Rearm
There are two ways to repair/rearm an atmospheric combat vehicle. Both will require you to spend some time in the store you purchased your vehicle from.
The first way is to simply repair and rearm from the store. To do this, make sure your vehicles are all in your ship's vehicle docking bay and that it's landed on the planet with the store. Then simply choose the appropriate menu items in the store, choose your ship, and choose your vehicle. The store will prompt you to confirm the transaction and you're done.
More conveniently, if you have a battlecruiser, you can store ammunition and supplies on your ship. In the vehicle store, choose the ammunition or supplies that you wish to stock up on, choose your ship, select the ship option, and confirm the transaction. In your ship, you'll notice that the "Fighter Rearm" room has been renamed to "Vehicle Repair and Rearm". The following commands are available:
STATUS: Displays the status of loaded supplies and ammunition.
REPAIR: Repair a vehicle in the ship's vehicle docking bay. [NOTE: This consumes quite a bit of your ship's power.]
REARM: Arms a vehicle in the ship's vehicle docking bay with the appropriate armament or supplies.
Cautionary Notes
Your ship must be in space to launch an atmospheric combat vehicle. This means that the starship you launch from will be vulnerable to attack if you leave it unattended. It's highly recommended that you have somebody remain aboard your ship to make sure that it doesn't fall victim to attack. Just in case, however, your vehicle will alert you if your ship comes under attack by conventional weapons.