AVID Assistant 2 Users Manual

Squadron Strike Variant

This is a reference guide to Squadron Strike Variant of AVID Assistant 2. It points out
all of the buttons and explains their functions. It does not provide step-by-step instructions.

This is a work in progress. Feel free to comment using Google Docs comment feature. You can
also email your feedback, suggestions, et cetera to avid@adastragames.com.

And now a word from our sponsors.

The AVID Assistant 1 was funded via Kickstarter. AVID Assistant 2 was not.

The primary developer of AVID Assistant 2, Mike Zebrowski, has declined to be paid by Ad
Astra Games for a variety of reasons. To be clear, payment have been offered but declined.

Instead Mike would rather work for beer money. To that end, with Ad Astra Games blessing,
Mike has set up a Patreon page. If youd like to buy Mike a drink or two for his efforts, please
consider become a patron.

Ken Burnside, the creator of Squadron Strike, also has a Patreon page. Mike has indicated that
if you can only support one creator, to support Ken.

Ken Burnside Mike Zebrowski

Concepts
The following are the core concepts used throughout the AVID Assistant 2 (AA2)

Hex Number Coordinate System

If using the Ad Astras deluxe paper maps, AA2 can display where objects are located using the
numbers found in the hexes followed by the altitude.

Example:
2021+6 means that a ship is located in Hex 2012 at Altitude 6.

There are two types of Hex Number coordinates: Absolute and Relative. The difference is the
meaning of the altitude value.

Absolute coordinates are shown with their true altitude.

Relative coordinates are indicated by a in front of the coordinate. The altitude portion of the
coordinate is measured from a Ship.

For example, EoT markers are measured with Relative Coordinates from their Ship.

If a Ship, EoT market, Torpedo, et cetera is positioned off the map, their location is displayed
used Offset Coordinates as measured from Hex 1618.
Offset Coordinate System
If not using the Ad Astra Deluxe Hex map, you may instead use the Offset Coordinate System.
This system represent points on the map with a coordinate system based on the 8 directions of
the AVID (A,B,C,D,E,F,+, and -).

Coordinates are a series of comma separated [Magnitude][Direction] pairs with any direction
having a 0 magnitude being omitted. The order in which the Magnitude/Direction pairs are
recorded is unimportant; however, AA2 orders them by Magnitude. Negative magnitudes are
not permitted.

The origin point, as it is 0 magnitude in every direction, is written as 0, 0, 0

There are two types of Offset coordinates: Absolute and Relative.

Absolute coordinates are measured from a pre-defined origin hex. The origin can be any hex on
the map. Place a marker in that hex to indicated that it is the origin.

Relative coordinates are indicated by a in front of the coordinate. Relative Coordinates are
measured from a Ship instead of the origin. For example, EoT markers are measured with
Relative Coordinates from their Ship.

AA2 supports lazy entry of coordinates and simplifies them to their proper form. For example, if
you enter (6F,7A, 4E), AA2 simplifies the coordinates to (3A, 10F), which is the blue hex in the
illustration on the next page. This is useful for counting around obstructions on the map, such
as another ship, stack of tiles, missile markers, et cetera.
Example:
Absolute Coordinates are shown in black. Relative Coordinates are shown in red. Lazy Entry
Coordinate is shown in blue.

The purple hex is at 11B, 9A from the green Origin Hex because it is 11 hexes in direction B
and 9 hexes in direction A.

The relative coordinate from the purple hex to the red hex is 14D, 4E because the red hex is
14 hexes in direction D and 4 hexes in direction E from the purple hex.

.
Ad Astra Map Characteristics

Ad Astras deluxe paper maps

Ad Astras deluxe paper maps are the standard paper maps that have been included with
Squadron Strike and Attack Vector:Tactical since 2016,

Hex Number Offset Coordinate Description

1618 0,0,0 Origin Point / Center of Map

0201 14F, 10A Red Starting Hex

1709 9A, 1F Sheet A rosette (Red Nebula Center)

3136 15C, 10D Blue Starting Hex

1727 9D, 1F Sheet B rosette (Blue Nebula Center)

3218 8F, 8E Yellow hex on right

0118 8B, 7C Yellow Border hex of left #1

0119 7B, 8C Yellow Border hex of left #2

Ad Astras Felt maps

The felt maps that Ad Astra sells as an accessory are a 31 by 53 hex grid. From the center hex
to either map edge is 15 hexes away in A and D respectively. The four corners are 26 away in
B, C, E or F and 2 away in A or D.
Attitude Notation
Users do not need to know the Attitude notation as AA2 displays the results graphically.

A ships attitude is expressed in standard Ad Astra format of [Nose] ([Top]). Color bands are
expressed with a number of + or - signs: in the upper hemisphere, Blue is +, Green is ++, and
Purple is +++; in the lower hemisphere, Blue is -, Green is --, and Purple is ---.

AB(+++)

B+(E++)

AF(B)

E-- (DE+)
Data Synchronization Modes
The most powerful feature of AA2 is the ability share data with other players.

It is important to note that AA2 is not an online game such as Overwatch or World of Warcraft.
There is no central server monitoring games to keep everyones phone, tablet, or computer in
sync.

In order to sync data with other players, you need a Game Name and Game ID. A
ll players
must use the same Game Name and Game ID. This information is entered on the Setup
Page.

You create a Game Name, like My Game or Village Games May 13. A dropdown of common
game names is provided as well.

The server generates the Game ID. Enter a Game Name in the Sync Settings Popup or Game
Setup Wizard, click New, and the server will send you a Game ID.

Important: Only one player should request a Game ID.

There are several Synchronization Modes. The Mode is set on the the Setup Page.

Mode Meaning

Manual Ship Data will sync only when the Sync button is pressed. Turn information is
not synced.

Auto AA2 will check for new data every 10 seconds and when the sync button is
pressed. Turn information is synced.

Follow Identical to Auto Mode, except that the Turn Advance button is disabled.

Lead Identical to Auto Mode and the Turn Advance button remains enabled.

Games can also be saved and restored from the server. This way, games can be saved and
resumed at a later date. However, games that have been inactive for 30 days will be deleted.
Data Synchronization Button

The Data Sync Button will indicate that current state of the synchronization

Sync Button Meaning

Missing a Game Name or Game ID. No

actions are possible.

Game Name and Game ID have been

entered, but not confirmed as valid.

Click the button to send a test sync to the

server. No data is transferred during a test
sync.

Test Sync to Server has passed and in

Manual Mode.

Click to Sync with the server.

Test Sync to Server has passed and in Auto,

Follow, or Lead mode.

Click to Sync with server.

A sync is in progress with the server.

Generally lasts ten seconds.

An error has occurred. Most likely the Game

Name or Game ID is invalid or the connection
to the internet has been lost.

Click to send a test sync to the server.

Target Colors
On the AVID, Arcs, and Plotting pages, the currently selected target is displayed. On the AVID
and plotting pages, the target is displayed as one or more sets of crosshairs. On the Arcs page,
the windows through which the target is visible are highlighted. The color of the crosshair or
window indicates the information shown.

Color Meaning

Red Bearing to the targets Box Mini

Blue Bearing to the targets EoT tent

Purple Bearing from your ships EoT tent to the targets EoT tent. This is a
predictive bearing that will be relevant to your ships position after the
Movement Phase.

Squadron, Fleet, and Enemy

Each ship and weapon on the table is classified as belonging to your Squadron, Fleet, or
Enemy. The primary purpose of the classification is to serve as a filter on the Ship Selection
Bar so that users can limit which ships and weapons are selectable on each bar.

Term Meaning

Squadron These are the players ships and weapons.

Fleet These are the ships and weapons that are on the same side as the player
but controlled by another player.

Enemy These are the ships and weapons that are on the opposite side.
Loading External Data
AVID Assistant 2 can load in ship data from the image files that are created by SpaceShipPDF.

An image file can be accessed in one of two ways:

1) Via the Load Ship button on the Ship Action Menu
2) Drag and Dropped onto the App.

When an image file in opened, it will read in the relevant data and display an Add Ship dialog
box with all of the appropriate fields filled out.

Currently, AA2 can read the following data from a image file: Class Name, Movement Mode,
Movement value, Pivot Rating, Roll Rating, ECM, ECCM, ECCM Range, and Profile Numbers.

Ship Name, Hull ID, position, attitude, and starting Speed/Vector still need to be set by the user.

A technical problem
The image file that is generated by SpaceShipPDF embeds the ship data using the zTxt chunk,
which is part of the PNG specification. Unfortunately, 99.9% of all image editors out there
ignore the zTxt chunk and will not preserve it if the file is modified outside of SpaceShipPDF.

This is an issue on mobile devices as many cloud-based file services will often display preview
images of the files that will strip the zTxt chunk and thus remove the ship data. If using a
service such as DropBox, you will need to ensure that you are downloading the actual image to
your mobile device and not a preview image.
Start Page
First page that is displayed when the software starts.

Number Function

0 Version of the software.

1 Will launch a new Squadron Strike game

2 Will launch a new game using the generic calculator

3 Resumes the previous game.

4 Clears all game data

5 Goes to the About Page

Squadron Strike Pages
AA2 for Squadron Strike is composed of 9 main pages and numerous popups

The main pages can be accessed via the tab bar that is along the the top of the application.

Pages are generally in one of two groups: Main or Maintenance. Users can toggle between
these groups by using the light blue button with the three white dots in the upper left corner.
The remainder of this section will examine each page in greater detail.

Page Group Purpose

AVID Main Displays ships attitude. Used to set Free Style Targets

Arcs Main Displays a firing arc diagram with current bearings.

Plot Main Plot ships movement.

Turn Main Guides the game through the turn sequence.

3D -- Displays a 3d render of ships box mini, tilt blocks, and

stacking tiles or the AVID ball with bearings to the current
target.

Ships Maintenance Add/Modify ships. Generally used at the start of the game to
setup the ships.

Setup Maintenance General settings page. Place to enter data sharing

information.

List Maintenance Displays a complete list of all ships in the game.

Setup Page
The Setup Page is where you will enter the information needed to start a game. Once a game
begins, there is usually no reason to return to this page.
Number Function

0 Toggles On/Off the Torpedoe specific functions and pages. If not using
torpedoes, toggle this to Blue to turn off.

1 Toggles On/Off the Electronic Warefare specific functions and pages. If not using
Electronic Warfare, toggle this to Blue to turn off.

2 Toggles On/Off the Fighter specific functions and pages. If not using Fighters,
toggle this to Blue to turn off.

3 Displays the Setup Wizard.

4 Displays the Game Sync Settings Popup. Used to Setup/Save/Load games.

5 Displays the Fleet Setting Popup. Used to set hex colors and to name your Fleet.

6 Displays the Display Options Popup. Used to change coordinate systems, swipe
modes and symbol rotation modes.

7 Full Screen Toggle. Toggle this to go fullscreen. Very important to do on most

mobile devices.

8 Synchronization Button. Activates the Synchronization function. See the

Synchronization section for more details.

9 Shows the current Synchronization Mode. Clicking will cycle through the different
modes. See the Synchronization section for the different sync modes.

10 Exits the current game and returns to the Launch page.

Game Sync Settings Popup

Number Function

0 The Name of your Game. This is the name that you make up to share data between your
fellow players. All players must use the same Game Name!

1 This dropdown has a selection of possible game names. They are optional to use.

2 This is the ID of the game that was generated by the Server. It will always be 10 digits
long. The label Game ID will turn Green once a valid ID has been entered. All players
must use the same Game ID!

3 Test Synchronization Button. Activates the Synchronization function. See the

Synchronization section for more details.

4 Ask the server for a Game ID. In order to retrieve a Game ID, the Game ID field (number
1) needs to be blank and a Game Name (number 0) needs to have a name entered.

5 Erases all local data and loads the game data from the server. Must be in Manual Mode to
use.

6 Erases all data on the server and saves all local data to the server. Must be in Manual
Mode to use.

7 Displays the Game Id Number in a large font so that other players can see it from across
the table.
Fleet Setting Popup

Number Function

0 These three items will allow you to set the color of the Hexagon that surrounds the
AVID. You can specify a color for your ships, a color for other ships in your Fleet
and a color for everyone elses ships. It is best to have these colors be different.

1 You can name your Fleet here. All players that have the same Fleet name are
considered to be part of the same fleet.

2 This dropdown has a selection of common fleet names. They are optional to use
Display Options Popup

Number Function

0 Toggles between the different Coordinate Modes: Offset and Hex Number

1 This is the AVID Symbol Rotation button. When set to Rotate, the AVID symbols
will rotate with the AVID. When set to Up, the AVID symbols will always point up.

2 This is the swipe mode button. On touch screens, swiping left or right will change
the current page. Click this button to Off to disable swiping.
Ship Action Menu
This menu is used to add/update/remove Ships

Number Function

0 Brings up dialog box to add a Mode 0 Ship

1 Brings up dialog box to add a Mode 1 Ship

2 Brings up dialog box to add a Mode 2 Ship

3 Brings up a system file selection dialog to load in a PNG file that was
generated by SpaceShipPDF. See Loading External Data for more information

4 Brings up dialog box to Update the currently selected ship

5 Copies the current ship. All information is copied except for Ship Name and
Hull Id.

6 Deletes the currently selected ship (Will ask for confirmation)

7 Brings up a Vector Entry Dialog to move all of the ships on the map. Useful for
when the battle is about to move off the map.
Add/Update Ship Dialog
This dialog is identical between all 3 ship types with one exception and the Add and Update
Ship Dialogs are identical As there is so much data, each row is collapsible as shown by the
two images.
Number Function

0 The name of the Ship. This is required.

1 Picks a random name for the ship

2 The Class of the Ship. This is optional. Our direct experience is that knowing
youre shooting at Magellan #2 reduces confusion when playing in loud rooms,
so while its optional, its a very good idea.

3 The Hull Id. Usually the number on the ships box mini or EoT tent. This is
optional. See the note on ship classes for why its a good idea!

4 Click to enter the Pivot rating of the ship. Use the maximum rating on the SSD.

5 Click to enter the Roll rating of the ship. Use the maximum rating on the SSD.

6 Click to enter the Move rating of the ship. Use the maximum rating on the SSD.

7 Click to enter the Nose/Aft profile number from the SSD

8 Click to enter the Left/Right profile number from the SSD

9 Click to enter the Top/Bottom profile number from the SSD

10 Click to enter the ECM rating of the ship. Use the maximum rating on the SSD

11 Click to enter the ECCM rating of the ship. Use the maximum rating on the SSD

12 Click to enter the ECCM Range.

13 Click to enter the location of the ship. See Coordinate System for more
information on coordinates in AA2.

14 Click to enter the current (or starting) speed of the Ship. For mode 2 ships, the
current vectors are entered.

15 This toggles the ownership of the ship. Useful if one player is setting up all of the
ships for a game, or when ownership of a ship changes due to a player leaving
the game.

16 Cancel Button. Closes the dialog without creating/updating the ship.

17 Ok Button. Closes the dialog and updates/creates the ship.

Ships Page
You set your ships attitude on the Ships page. After the game begins, you can use this page to
correct mistakes. Other than that, it is rare to come back to this page.
 Number Function

0 Selects a different ship.

1 The name of the current ship.

2 Click this button to go to the 3D page.

3 The AVID used to set the location of the Nose and Top markers.

When in Nose mode, clicking a window will move the nose there. To put it
below the plane click the window a second time.

When in Top mode, the pink circles appear, showing the valid locations for the
Top marker. These circles represent the Great Circle. Clicking a window will
place the Top marker in that window. If the window represents two choices on
the Great Circle, one below the plane and one above, clicking the window
multiple times will alternate between the choices.

4 This rotates the AVID in 30 degree increments allowing the user to orientate
their device to the physical map.

If the initial placement of a ships EoT tent seems to be in the wrong hex, make
sure that the AVID has been rotated to match the map.

5 Click this button to bring up the Ship Action Menu.

6 Click to enter the absolute coordinates of the ship. See Coordinate System for
more information on coordinates in AA2.

7 Click to enter the current (or starting) speed of the Ship. For mode 2 ships, the
current vector is entered.

8 Click to enter Nose mode, which allows you to move the Nose marker on the
AVID. When selected, the button turns Green.

9 Click to enter Top mode, which allows you to move the Top marker on the
AVID. When selected, the button turns Green.
Vector Entry Dialog
This Dialog is used to enter position data and vectors.
Number Name Function

0 Final Area If the Scratch Pad is 0,0,0,this is the final value set when the
green check button is pressed.

1 Scratch Pad The temporary value. If it is not 0,0,0 when the green check
button is pressed, it acts as the final value

2 Numeric entry area Displays the numbers as they are entered. When a Letter is
pressed, it moves the data up into the Scratch Pad

3 Direction Letters. When a direction is pressed, takes the number in the

Numeric Entry area and adds it to the Scratch Pad.

4 Delta Button Adds the Scratch Pad to the Final Area and Resets the
Scratch Pad to 0,0,0

5 Set Button Sets the Scratch Pad to the Final Area and Resets the
Scratch Pad to 0,0,0

6 Back Button Removes the last number pressed

7 Erase Button Clears the Scratch Pad and resets it to 0,0,0

8 Cancel Button Exits the dialog without saving changes

9 Green Check Exits the dialog and saves the changes

Button
Numeric Entry Dialog

Number Name Function

0 Final Area If the Numeric Entry Area is 0, this is the final value set when the
Green Check button is pressed.

1 Numeric entry area Displays the numbers as they are entered. If it is not 0 when the
Green Check button is pressed, it acts as the final value

2 Back Button Removes the last number pressed

3 Erase Button Clears the Numeric entry area and resets it to

4 Delta Button Adds the Numeric entry area to the Final Area and Resets the
Numeric entry area to 0

5 Set Button Sets the Numeric entry area to the Final Area and Resets the
Numeric entry area to 0

6 Cancel Button Exits the dialog without saving changes

7 Green Check Button Exits the dialog and saves the changes
List Page
This page shows all of the ships and their current positions, attitudes, and EoTs.

Important: List Page does not support predictive bearings and will not update during the Plotting
Phase.

Number Name Function

0 Ship Row Each ship has a row of information. If the row is blue,
you own the ship. If it is not blue, then you dont own
the ship.

Clicking on a row will bring up a menu for that ship.

1 Ship Attitude and Ships current Attitude and Position

Position

2 Ship EoT Ships current EoT in both relative and absolute

coordinates.
Ship Actions
Action to perform on the last selected ship

Number Function

0 Claim/Disown a ship as part of your Squadron

1 Go to the 3D page

2 Brings up dialog box to Update the currently selected ship

3 Copies the current ship. All information is copied except for Ship Name and
Hull Id.

4 Deletes the currently selected ship (Will ask for confirmation)

Ship Selection Bars
At the top of several pages are a pair of rows that are used to select the current ship or missile
as well as its target. The top row is the Attacker Bar where the attacker is selected. The bottom
row is the Target Bar where the target of the attacker is select.

The arrow keys on the right and left side of each row will cycle the user through the available
items. By default, the Attacker Bar will only allow the user to select their own ships and missiles.
Similarly, by default, the Target Bar will only allow the user to select with ships and missiles of
their opponents.

Several pages may place additional constraints upon the different bars. For example, when on
the Arcs page and in Impacting mode, only missiles that are impacting on the current turn are
selectable in the Attack Bar. Regardless of any constraints, the current selections will not
change until one of the arrow keys are pressed.

Number Function

0 Selects a new attacker.

1 Selects a new target. Holding down for longer than second will select closest
enemy ship.

2 Selects a new attacker. Holding down for longer than second will bring up the
Attacker/Target Options dialog box.

3 Selects a new attacker. Holding down for longer than second will bring up the
Attacker/Target Options dialog box.

4 Name of the currently selected Ship

5 Name of the currently selected Target

Number Function

0 Selects a new attacker.

1 Selects a new target. Holding down for longer than second will select closest
enemy ship.

2 Selects a new attacker. Holding down for longer than second will bring up the
Attacker/Target Options dialog box.

3 Selects a new attacker. Holding down for longer than second will bring up the
Attacker/Target Options dialog box.

4 Name of the currently selected missile group. Clicking the name will bring up the
Missile dialog box which as more information.

5 Name of the currently selected Target. If the target selected is the target of the
missile group, the background will change to a reddish color.

Number Function

0 The sideways triangle indicates that the selection is a weapon.

1 The name of the ship that launched the weapon

2 The group id of the weapon.

3 Underlined means that the weapon is a missile group.

4 The Turn that the weapon was launched

5 Name of the weapons target. It has the @ symbol as in targetted at.

6 Number of weapons in the group.

Attacker/Target Options Dialog Box

Number Function

0 When toggled to blue, ships/weapons in the users Fleet are selectable in the
Attacker Bar.

1 When toggled to blue, Enemy ships/weapons are selectable in the Attacker Bar.

2 When toggled to blue, the users ships/weapons are selectable in the Target Bar.

3 When toggled to blue, ships/weapons in the users Fleet are selectable in the
Target Bar.

4 Toggles between sorting the Target Bar by name or by range.

5 Closes the dialog box.

AVID Page
Important: It is not possible to change a ships attitude on this page. A Ships attitude is set on
the Ships Page at the start of the game and on the Plotting Page during the game.

Number Function

0 Ship Selection Bars

1 Click this Button to go to the 3D Page

2 Range to the Current Target in Red and Range to the Current Targets EoT in
Blue

3 This rotates the AVID in 30 degree increments allowing the user to orientate their
device to the physical map.

4 The bearing window of the Current Target in Red and Current Targets EoT in
Blue
AVID Page - Free Style Target Mode

Each ship can target one Free Style Target at a time. A Free Style Target is either a hex on
the map or a bearing from the ship. This allows players to target items on the map, such as
Missiles and Fighters, that are not currently supported by AA2. Free Style targets can be
entered by selecting a window on the AVID to move the target point or by entering a Delta
Coordinate from the Ship to the Target.

Number Function

0 The bearing window of the Free Style Target in Red

1 Brings up the Vector Entry Calculator.

AVID Page - Predictive Mode

During the Plotting Phase, the AVID enters predictive mode and shows the future attitude of the
ship as well as predicted bearing from your EoT tent to the targets EoT tent, including the
estimated range to the selected target after movement.

Number Function

0 Predicted Bearing to current target shown in purple

1 Predicted Range to current target shown in purple

2 The Pivot Path. Blue is above the plane and Green is under the plane

3 The Roll Path. Blue is above the plane and Green is under the plane
Arcs Page

Number Function

0 The bearing windows to the current target. The Red Window is the current bearing
to its Box Mini while the Blue Window is the bearing to its EoT marker. If multiple
windows have the same color, the attacker can choose which window to use.

1 The Dark Grey lines delineate the different facings: Top, Bottom, Nose, Aft, Right
and Left.

2 Range to the Current Target in Red and Range to the Current Targets EoT in
Blue

3 Side of the target that will be hit, the ACC penalty (Profile + ECM - ECCM) and
range to target. Click to bring up the Attack Profile dialog box.

4 Brings up the Missile Dialog box. Only active during the Combat phase when the
current Attacker is allowed to fire a Missile at the Current Target.

5 Cycles between Arcs, Incoming, and Impact modes

Arcs Page - Predictive Mode

During the Plotting Phase, the Arcs Page enters into predictive mode and shows the predicted
bearing and range to the selected target.

Number Function

0 Predicted Bearing to current target shown in purple

1 Predicted Range to current target shown in purple

2 Impact side, ACC penalty and Attack range are disabled during predictive mode.
Arcs Page - Incoming Mode
When in Incoming mode, the number of incoming missile for the selected ship is shown along
with a heat map of where the missiles are coming from.

The Target Bar is constrained to only select incoming missiles targeting at the current ship
selected in the Attacker Bar.

Number Function

0 The number of incoming missiles as well as the highest concentration of missiles.

In the above graphic, 12 missiles are incoming with the highest concentration of
missiles in a single window being 4.

1 The heat map describing the incoming bearings of the missiles. The lighter the
shade of blue, the less incoming missiles.

The window where the currently selected missile is located will flash.

2 Side of the target that will be hit by the currently selected missile, the ACC penalty
(Profile + ECM - ECCM) and range to target. Click to bring up the Attack Profile
dialog box.
Arcs Page - Impacting Mode
When in Impacting mode, the Attacker Bar is constrained to only select missiles that will
impact during the current turn. The Target bar is constrained to only select the target of the
currently selected missile. Otherwise, this mode is identical to the Arcs mode.

Number Function

0 Side of the target that will be hit by the currently selected missile, the ACC penalty
(Profile + ECM - ECCM) and range to target. Click to bring up the Attack Profile
dialog box.

Remember: Missiles determine angle-of-attack based upon its midpoint, but its
range from its launch point. The software does this automatically.
Missile Control Dialog Box

Number Function

0 Name of the Attacker

1 Name of the Target

2 Changes the number of missiles in the group. Can be changed at any time to
account for losses from Point Defense.

3 Sets the Id of the missile group

4 The turn that the missiles were launched.

5 The hex that the missiles were launched from.

6 The midpoint of the missile flight. Note that is is a delta from the Origin

7 The angle from the midpoint to the target on the turn of launch

8 The angle from the midpoint to the target on the turn of impact. This field is
blank during the turn of launch.
 9 The difference between the midpoint angles. Used for missiles with the
Avoidable trait. This field is blank during the turn of launch.

10 Removes the missiles from the game and closes the dialog box. Useful for
quickly removing missiles that have been resolved.

11 Cancels any changes and closes the dialog box.

12 Launches/Updates the missile information and closes the dialog box.

Missiles are removed after the turn of impact, when the number of missiles is set to 0, or
the Resolve button has been activated.
Plot Page
Important: The Plot Page is only active and available during the Plotting Phase

Full Screen Mode


Phone Mode, Spread across two screen

Number Function

0 Click this Button to go to the 3D page for this Ship

1 Click this changes the orientation of the AVID.

2 These circles show the legal choices for pivots and rolls. Windows that are below
the plane are shown in green with dashed lines.

While the Nose or Top is in the Amber ring, players can toggle between
above and below the plane by tapping the Nose or Top icon.

3 The Pivot Path. Blue is above the plane and Green is under the plane
4 The Roll Path. Blue is above the plane and Green is under the plane

5 Predicted Bearing to current target shown in purple

6 Predicted Range to current target shown in purple

7 The Vertical Plotting Area. The lit up area show the value area in which the
vertical plotting arrow can be moved. Pivoting or changing thrust will reset the
Vertical Plot.

8 The current Vertical Plot magnitude.

9 The current Horizontal Plot magnitude

10 The Horizontal Plotting Area. The lit up area show the value area in which the
Horizontal plotting arrow can be moved. Pivoting, changing thrust, or changing the
vertical plot will cause any Horizontal Plots to reset.

11 Plotting Scoreboard. Shows the current plot, pivot, roll, thrust, et cetera
information. For Mode 1 ships, available pivot is adjusted so that Speed will not
drop below 0.
The Speed/Position labels will turn red if a change is made to Pivot, Roll,
Thrust, Vertical Plotting. This is to warn the user to double-check the
Horizontal Plot as it may have reset due to an earlier parameter changing.

12 Selecting this button will allow you to plot out the pivot on the AVID. If the button is
already selected and is pressed again, the pivot will reset.

13 Selecting this button will allow you to plot out the roll on the AVID. If the button is
already selected and is pressed again, the roll will reset.

14 Increase/Decrease the current amount of thrust used.

15 Move the Vertical Plotting Arrow up or down

16 Move the Horizontal Plotting Arrow left or right

Star 1 Switches between the two screens in Phone Mode

To do: Hex base Horizontal grid

Turn Page

Number Function

0 Each ship has a row of information. Blue rows are your ships.

1 The ships current Attitude and Position

2 The ships current EoT in relative coordinate format

3 The Synchronization button. See the Data Synchronization section for more
information.

4 The Current Turn and Phase

5 The name of the current data record. This should be the same for all players. If it
not all players must re-sync.

6 The Turn Advancement button. This will advance to the next step. Pressing it
causes a sync with the server if the new step is Start of Turn, EoT flag adjustment,
or the start of the Movement Phase.
3D Page
This page does not appear in the toolbar(ie., it is an orphan page). It can be accessed from the
Ship, AVID, and Plotting pages by clicking the 3D button. From the List and several of the turn
pages, it can be accessed by clicking a Ship Row.

Number Function

0 Return to the previous page.

1 Toggle between Tilt Block view and Firing Arc view.

The 3D page uses WebGL for 3D rendering. Not all devices support WebGL. Support depends
upon security settings, video drivers, and graphics card used. If the 3D page doesnt appear, go
to http://webglreport.com to see if your device supports WebGL. WebGL Level 1 is required for
the 3D page to be rendered.
FAQ

Features

Can the predictive mode be extended to 2 turns instead of just 1? I

want to know where my targets EoT is going to be after they move.

No, the zone where a ship could be after 2 turns is simply too large of an area.

Technical Questions

Is there a reason that we need both the Game Name and Game ID?

The Game Name is actually the password for the game. It was discovered that calling it
a password was confusing as some players thought that the password was specific to
each player instead of the game. So we called it Game Name instead.

A password is required for the security features of the database to work properly. We
are not worried about hackers messing with games in progress; however, without the
security features of the database, it would be possible for anyone in the world to add
arbitrary data to the database.

The backend is run by a Google Firebase database. It is a real-time, NoSQL database.

It is essentially a large JSON file with security rules to prevent unwanted data from being
added. Part of those security rule requires a password, hence the need for a Game
Name.

Why doesn't the app verify all players have completed a given step
before advancing to the next phase?

AA2 is a distributed system that exchanges data via a Google Firebase database, which
acts like a glorified shared file. There isn't a single node in charge that is monitoring
everyone's status. Also, nodes do not maintain a constant database server connection,
so there is no way of knowing if a player has left the game or simply turned off their
tablet to save battery power.
 While it is possible to build a "ready to advance" system, it is not a straightforward
process due to the large number of corner cases. It is very easy to end up in a
deadlocked state because a user didn't properly indicate that they were done.

Also, as soon as one is put in, someone will want the ability to "unlock" their ready status
which creates a fun race-condition.

In short, it is a lot of work for very little gain in functionality. It is expected that player will
communicate with each other during the game. Asking if everyone is done plotting is no
different than using the regular AVID cards.

The software has several options for handling turn advancement.

1. Manual Mode doesn't exchange turn information, so players can skip ahead if
they wish.
2. Follow/Lead Mode allows a group to designate who is in charge of deciding
when the turn advances.

Why use Offset coordinates? They seem very inefficient.

AA2 uses a much more efficient coordinate system internally. However, Offset
coordinates are easier for users to understand and enter.

The Offset coordinates are also used as there isnt a standardized game map that the
the game is play on. While Ad Astra products have been shipped with a more
standardized map with numbered hexes since 2016, its use is not universal. Only
supporting that map would mean not supporting the white/blue maps that Ad Astra sold
pre-2016. It is also very common to bling out a setup with a felt mat, available from
numerous sources, including Ad Astra, which would have a different numbering scheme,
if if had one at all.

The Offset coordinate system allows any hex map to be used.