Added Capabilities
Unit Upgrades
Upgrades are modifications made to a unit in order to improve its performance. Extra sets of missiles, oversized engines and exceptionally powerful radar are examples of such. Note that since all units are built to be functional 'out of the box', in most cases upgrades increase the effectiveness in a given field - ships do not need to be given radar upgrades simply to track targets and tanks do not need to be given armor upgrades just to resist shells. A functional level in most abilities is assumed to exist.
Each upgrade adds 50% of the unit's base cost and provides a significant bonus. Each unit may have up to its tech level (normally 3) in upgrades at no further penalty.
Upgrade List (Not exhaustive)
+X Weapons
This covers a wide variety of lethally-tasked systems, ranging from slug-firing infantry rifles to ship-mounted laser cannons and everything in between. Represents the quintessential ‘gun’.
+X AA Weapons
These are weapons specifically designed to engage small, fast-moving targets. They commonly represent a combination of high-agility missiles, lasers and rapid-fire railguns.
+X Melee Weapons
Melee weapons includes such things are shotguns, claymore mines, dumb bombs, offensively-tasked CIWS gatling guns and, yes, giant robot swords.
+X Shields/Active Defenses
Representing various defensive measures such as defensive jammers/dazzlers, chaff, point-defense guns and other similar equipment, Active Defenses are the primary protection on most warships.
+X Armor
Armor is passive protection against attacks, making it both more and less effective than Active Defenses. On most warships it represents damage-mitigation features more than actual belts of hyper-steel. In contrast on ground vehicles it is one of the main modes of defense.
+X Sensors
This normally represents powerful, long-range radar and lidar systems. These are often necessary to detect or acquire targets at long range. Additionally, they are of great help in detecting heavily stealthed vehicles.
+X ECM
While many modern units are equipped with a variety of defensive electronics, some take this a step further and mount powerful wide-area electronic jamming systems. Such equipment can disrupt sensors and decrease effective weapon range. However it is not subtle.
+X Command
While all military formations have integrated C3 facilities, sometimes it is desired to have particularly large, well-outfitted command systems for large operations.
+X Stealth
Concealment from detection is a concept as old as warfare itself. However in an age of cheap, high-tech detection gear fieldcraft alone is often not enough to escape detection. To that end sophisticated materiels and clever design is often mated to hide from prying sensors.
+1 Aerospace Capable
This upgrade is specific to ships of all sizes. It enables the so-fitted ship to enter atmosphere at high speed and perform there – without it, even gravity drive ships are rather sluggish and clumsy. In space, it has the additional effect of significantly increasing tactical mobility. However, the increased fuel demands of high-performance engines results in a 50% increase to He3 or Monopole consumption.
+X Docking Collars
While transporting HLVs between the stars is efficiently done with Conveyors, they are generally treated as military liabilities. Slow and fragile, they make attractive targets. As a consequence, some militaries have opted to transport HLVs on specially-outfitted warships.
On warships, every +1 Docking Collar upgrade allows 1 HLV docking point per 40 IP of ship cost.
On Conveyors/Heavy Conveyors, every +1 Docking Collar upgrade increases HLV docking points by 50% of base.
Reduced Capabilities
Slotfree Added Capabilities
Certain added capabilities do not use upgrade slots. This is currently a list of known slot-free added capabilities. +0 capabilities do not cost IP to add.
Electronics
+1 Heavily Automated (requires Compuphile)
+1 Computronium AI (requires Compuphile and Computronium)
+1 ACE (requires Hyperglions, for special operations and aerospace)
Power Technologies
All reactor caps can only be added to a unit with helium-3 upkeep. See Power Technologies for more details.
+1 Deuterium Reactor(requires no traits)
+1 Monopole Reactor (requires monopoles to fuel)
Engines
Engines are only slotfree for warships.
+0 Gravity Drive (no requirements)
+0 Rocket Drive (no requirements)
+0 Condensate Drive (requires Condensates)
+0 Delta Dust FTL Drive (requires Delta Dust)
Augmentations
Augmentations are all infantry-only.
+1 Cybernetics (requires Cyberize!, only the first cap is slotfree)
+0 Xenomorphs (requires Xenomorphs)
Other
+0 Superhangars (requires Hangarize!)