Classic NPC ship classes

Classic GE 3.2e defines five Cybertron-type classes and three Droid-type classes in MBMGESHP.MSG. The two types use different automated behavior. In classic, both Sarten classes occupy Cybertron slots; they do not have a separate Sarten faction AI. The figures below are shipped class settings, not promises that every class is currently present. See Ships, Cybertrons, Droids, and NPC slot allocation.

In classic GE, each newly created NPC receives the listed shield and phaser Marks: these class-table values are both the class limits and its installed equipment. ge-next later introduced variable starting Marks for NPCs. Configured count is the class's requested population, not a guaranteed number of active ships. Global slot limits, class-slot crowding (bug 6), and stale NPC records (bug 13) can change what actually appears.

Cybertron-type classes

#	Class	Name prefix	Shield / phaser installed	Warp	Scan	Kill pts	DAMF	Configured count
21	Cybertron Scout	`Cybertron`	2 / 2	8	50,000	1,000	90	10
22	Cybertron Battle Cruiser	`Cyberquad`	3 / 3	10	1,000	2,000	100	5
23	Cybertron Base Star	`Cyber Base-`	9 / 16	0	200,000	10,000	2000	1
24	Sarten Attack Drone	`SADx3`	1 / 1	8	20,000	50	30	6
25	Sarten Obliterator	`SOBx9`	5 / 16	15	400,000	500	500	2

The name prefix is followed by the game's instance number. The Cybertron Base Star is meant to be stationary: its configured warp and acceleration are both 0. In classic, however, long-distance pursuit can assign it speed directly, bypassing the zero-acceleration limit. It cannot turn toward its target, and repeated collisions with the galactic perimeter can destroy it. ge-next prevents zero-acceleration Cybertrons from pursuing; see bug 16.

Class	Torpedo / missile	Other systems	Acceleration	Cargo (tons)	Lowest target class	Toughness
Cybertron Scout	Yes / No	mines, decoys, jammers, zippers	2,000	900	0	0
Cybertron Battle Cruiser	Yes / No	mines, decoys, jammers	5,000	12,500	0	1
Cybertron Base Star	No / No	mines, decoys, jammers, zippers	0	1,250,000	20	1
Sarten Attack Drone	No / No	decoys, jammers	1,200	100	0	0
Sarten Obliterator	Yes / No	None	200	234,000	3	1

Droid-type classes

#	Class	Name prefix	Shield / phaser installed	Warp	Scan	Kill pts	DAMF	Configured count
31	Lydorian Garbage Scow	`NCC Lx4`	1 / 1	1	25,000	5	100	2
32	Murdonian Transport	`Trans-Gal #2`	2 / 5	8	25,000	200	100	2
33	Vakory Survey Drone	`Vakory SD-82`	1 / 1	4	25,000	50	100	2

These are the stock Droid classes; their AI is simpler than the Cybertron combat path. The Lydorian Garbage Scow's listed maximum of warp 1 is misleading: its dedicated behavior uses impulse-speed requests below 1,000 rather than warp travel. Its class value does not mean the Scow normally engages warp.

Class	Torpedo / missile	Other systems	Acceleration	Cargo (tons)
Lydorian Garbage Scow	No / No	mines, decoys, jammers, zippers	50	10,000
Murdonian Transport	No / No	mines, decoys, jammers, zippers	400	30,000
Vakory Survey Drone	No / No	mines, decoys, jammers, zippers	1,200	100

Classic torpedo and missile fields are yes/no capabilities, not launcher counts. NPC price fields exist in the source but do not describe a player purchase option.

Lowest target class is the minimum player ship class number a Cybertron will consider when looking for a new target. A value of 0 imposes no class cutoff; the Base Star's 20 excludes player classes below 20 (which is all player classes, because the intended behavior is that the base should not pursue anyone), while the Sarten Obliterator's 3 excludes classes 1 and 2. It is only one condition for target acquisition: a ship must also be present, uncloaked, and eligible under the target-claim limit. An already assigned target is handled separately. The field remains in use in ge-next. It does not govern Droid behavior.

Toughness in classic

Toughness is a binary Cybertron AI setting in classic: 0 is normal; 1 takes the tough or Cyberquad-style branch. The shipped Battle Cruiser, Base Star, and Sarten Obliterator have value 1. The isquad() check makes a tough Cybertron willing to attack regardless of the usual random aggression test or the player's kill count. While engaged, it also schedules more frequent action updates. Ordinary Cybertrons fire fewer torpedoes at players below 60 kills; tough Cybertrons do not receive that concession. Conversely, a tough Cybertron near a player has a small random chance to break off pursuit, so the setting is not an unconditional increase in aggression.

This value does not directly multiply damage, strengthen shields, or replace DAMF; installed equipment and the class's other settings still matter. Classic Droid classes list toughness 0 but have their own routines and do not use isquad(). ge-next reworked toughness as a graduated 0–4 factor, so its values should not be read as the classic binary switch.

The Sarten Obliterator's 234,000-ton cargo capacity also has an unintended combat effect in classic: phaser damage is divided using cargo capacity instead of DAMF. Its effective phaser divisor is 16.6, rather than the divisor of 5 implied by its DAMF of 500. This makes the ship nearly invulnerable to all but the most powerful, close range phaser strikes. ge-next applies DAMF to phasers; see bug 25.

NPC movement is not always constrained by the table's maximum warp. Some classic AI branches request fractional warp or speeds above the configured maximum; this is distinct from deliberate Cybertron long-range pursuit and from the immobile Base Star defect. See bug 18 and Cybertrons for pursuit behavior.

Cybertron-type classes

Droid-type classes

Toughness in classic

See also