Galactic Civilizations 2 - Twilight of the Arnor

Cheat Codes:
------------
Submitted by: David K.

-= Enable Twilight Cheat Mode =-
Use the Twilight executable, not the base GalCiv2 executable. In the Ultimate
Edition, the file is inside the Twilight folder and is named
GC2TwilightOfTheArnor.exe.

* Create a Windows shortcut to Twilight\GC2TwilightOfTheArnor.exe.
* Open the shortcut Properties and append a space plus cheat after the closing quote
  in Target. The end of the target must read:
  "...\Twilight\GC2TwilightOfTheArnor.exe" cheat
* Launch the game with that shortcut. Cheat hotkeys now override some normal
  shortcuts. In particular, Ctrl+M adds money instead of toggling music.
Cheat mode exposes developer/debug actions that can radically alter a campaign. Keep
a separate save before experimenting with map, race, planet, alignment, autoplay, or
instant-win commands.

-= Money, Research, Ships, and Map =-
* Ctrl+M - Add 10,000 bc to the treasury.
* Ctrl+R - Complete the technology currently being researched.
* Ctrl+Shift+R - Research all technologies except the Technology Victory line.
* Ctrl+B - Spawn a Battleship at the mouse cursor.
* Ctrl+C - Clone the selected ship in its current tile. The same debug key can also
  colonize an empty world when used in that context. Save first before experimenting
  with it.
* Ctrl+H - Fully heal the selected ship.
* Ctrl+T - Teleport the selected ship to the mouse cursor.
* Ctrl+U - Reveal the entire galaxy map.
* Ctrl+J - Complete the next planetary improvement or military project in the build
  queue on every one of your worlds.
* Ctrl+Shift+J - Complete projects for the other civilizations.
* Ctrl+A - Upgrade the selected ship without changing components: +8 HP, +2 movement,
  +5 to each weapon type, and +6 to each defense type that was already above 0.
* Ctrl+F - Show the frame-rate/debug meter.
* Ctrl+I - Show debug information for the selected ship.

-= Race, Planet, Event, and Game-State Commands =-
* Shift+T - Spawn several Arnorian units under your control.
* Shift+W - Win the current game immediately.
* Shift+L - Lose the current game immediately.
* Ctrl+V - Force a United Planets meeting.
* Ctrl+0 through Ctrl+9 - Hail major civilizations directly.
* Ctrl+Y - Trigger a Mega Event.
* Ctrl+L - Assign remaining unowned planets to major civilizations. Do not use this
  in a campaign you intend to keep.
* Ctrl+N - Restart the current game on a newly randomized map.
* Ctrl+W - Make the selected race lose on its next turn. With no race selected, you
  lose instead.
* Ctrl+Z - Let the AI run the game in autoplay. Use this only for testing.
* Ctrl+P - Add one point of Planet Class to the selected planet. This does not
  automatically create the corresponding terraformed tiles on an existing colony.
* Ctrl+Shift+P - Raise uninhabitable planets to Planet Class 10.
* Ctrl+Shift+Q - Colonize the selected planet. Do not use it on a Planet Class 0
  world; attempting that can crash the game.
* Ctrl+Shift+D - Spawn a minor race.
* Ctrl+Shift+B - Spawn a random starbase type at the cursor; this debug command can
  also create Terror Stars.
* Ctrl+Shift+E - Trigger all planetary events.
* Ctrl+Shift+H - Inflict 5 damage on the selected ship.
* Ctrl+Shift+M - Open the alignment selection screen and grant nearly all
  technologies except Miniaturization and Technology Victory.
* Ctrl+Shift+T - Hail your own civilization.
* Ctrl+Shift+U - Enable the free camera.
* Ctrl+Shift+V - Force a political-party vote.
* Ctrl+Shift+X - Show a quarterly report.
* Ctrl+Shift+Z - Enable AI autoplay.
* Ctrl+Shift+W - Convert the selected enemy ship or planet to your control.

Hints and Tips:
---------------
-= Start With the Correct Twilight Ruleset =-
The Ultimate Edition contains Dread Lords, Dark Avatar, and Twilight of the Arnor,
but their campaigns were built around different rules. For the Twilight campaign, use
GC2TwilightOfTheArnor.exe. Do not use the Twilight ruleset as a drop-in replacement
for the older campaigns when you want their intended balance.

-= Early Expansion Without an Economic Collapse =-
Population is the foundation of tax income, while factories and laboratories mainly
create capacity that costs credits when you use it. A colony rush can leave your
empire looking productive while the treasury collapses.
* Claim high-value worlds and useful environment types first, but watch the treasury
  after each wave of colonies.
* Do not run 100% industrial capacity merely because the slider allows it. Raise
  spending only as fast as taxes, trade, and reserves can support it.
* Keep approval high on young colonies when rapid population growth matters. Taxes
  raise income but lower approval, so treat the tax slider as an empire-wide tradeoff
  instead of free money.
* Food sets a population ceiling. Build farms when a good colony is genuinely hitting
  that ceiling, not automatically on every world.
* Asteroid mines add manufacturing capacity to the planet they feed; they do not
  directly produce cash. If you need money, improve income and approval instead of
  expecting more asteroid mines to fix the treasury.

-= Use Bonus Tiles Without Letting Them Bankrupt You =-
A manufacturing or research bonus tile multiplies the capacity of the matching
improvement placed on it. The extra output is still production that must be funded. A
powerful factory or lab tile pays off only when the empire can afford to use it.
* Put factories on manufacturing bonus tiles and laboratories on research bonus tiles
  when that matches the colony's role.
* If the treasury dives after a powerful improvement finishes, lower empire spending
  temporarily instead of demolishing good infrastructure.
* When no social project or ship is queued, unused production in that category does
  not need to be funded in the same way. Keep queues intentional.

-= Twilight Research Inflation Changes Tech Planning =-
Twilight of the Arnor increases later research costs as your civilization accumulates
technologies. Collecting every cheap technology can therefore raise the cost of the
technologies you actually need.
* Pick a near-term strategic goal before opening many side branches: colonization,
  economy, a specific weapon/defense matchup, diplomacy, or a victory route.
* Trade for a technology because it changes a real decision, not simply because
  another civilization offers it cheaply.
* Unique racial tech trees mean a build order copied from another civilization may
  contain technologies or improvements your race does not have.

-= Useful Normal Hotkeys =-
* F1 - Planet List. F2 - Ship List. F3 - Research.
* F4 - Domestic Policy. F5 - Foreign Policy. F6 - Civilization Manager.
* F7 - Shipyard. F8 - Options.
* Tab - Select the next ship. Enter - End the turn.
* Ctrl+S - Quick Save. Ctrl+L - Open the Load/Save dialog.
* Ctrl+N - Start a new map with the current galaxy settings.
* B - Build a starbase when a Constructor is selected.
* U - Break up the selected fleet.
* 1 through 5 - Switch among the main map views.
* These are normal-mode shortcuts. Cheat mode reassigns several Ctrl combinations, so
  do not use the cheat shortcut for an ordinary long campaign unless you need it.

Combat and Ship Design:
-----------------------
-= Match Every Weapon to Its Real Counter =-
GalCiv II has three attack types and three matching defenses. Correct matching is far
more important than simply adding the biggest defense number available.
* Beam weapons -> Shields.
* Missile weapons -> Point Defense.
* Mass Drivers -> Armor.
A mismatched defense is heavily reduced: it rolls only up to roughly the square root
of its listed value against the wrong attack type. Inspect the enemy fleet before
committing a new design.

-= Design for the Fleet You Are Fighting =-
* If an enemy is concentrated in one weapon family, put most defensive mass into the
  matching defense instead of building a little of everything.
* If its defenses are lopsided, use the attack type it is least prepared to stop.
  Recheck after the AI begins fielding redesigned ships.
* Logistics research increases the number and size of ships you can combine into a
  fleet. A strong individual hull can still lose if it cannot enter an efficient
  fleet.
* Twilight adds components that improve fleetmates, hit points, or combat in friendly
  territory. Treat those as fleet-role components, not automatic upgrades for every
  hull.
* Keep cheap scouts, constructors, troop transports, and warships in separate roles.
  Keeping a transport out of combat is usually more valuable than loading it with
  weapons.

-= Dread Lords: Strike Before Their Worlds Mature =-
The Twilight campaign repeatedly exploits the same weakness: Dread Lord ships are
extremely powerful, but their captured worlds need time to build the infrastructure
behind that power. When a mission gives you a direct Dread Lord objective, delay less
and hit the relevant base before it matures.

Economy and Colonies:
---------------------
-= Population, Taxes, Approval, and Food =-
* Population drives tax revenue and also contributes influence and soldiers. A
  high-population world can be valuable even when it is not your main factory.
* Higher taxes improve revenue but reduce approval. High approval accelerates
  population growth; 100% approval gives the normal population-growth bonus and is
  especially powerful for the Torian Super Breeder.
* Each unit of food supports one billion population. Extra food above the current
  population ceiling does not itself make people grow faster.
* Very large populations can become harder to keep happy. Add food because the colony
  can profit from the extra people, not just because another farm fits.

-= Production Is Spending, Not Free Output =-
Military production, social production, and research consume credits when used.
Factories and labs let you spend faster; they do not create the money that pays for
that output.
* If ship construction and research both stall the economy, reduce total spending or
  specialize worlds rather than trying to maximize every slider at once.
* A purchased ship arrives without making that turn's normal military production a
  good investment. Avoid habitual rush-buying on worlds already producing huge
  amounts unless the timing is worth the waste.
* Use economic buildings, population, trade, and government bonuses to support the
  industrial base before expanding production again.

-= Governments and Elections =-
Advanced governments introduce Senate elections and can require approval before you
can adopt them. In Twilight, the technology bonuses are race-tree-specific, so do not
assume every civilization receives the same economy bonus from the same government
technology. Keep approval high enough to win elections or you can lose your
political-party bonus and suffer its penalty instead.

Trade and Espionage:
--------------------
-= Establish a Trade Route =-
Research Trade, build a ship with a Trade Module, and send it to a colony owned by
another civilization. The freighter is consumed when the route is established.
* The route starts from the planet where that freighter was built, not from the
  planet it happened to pass last. Build long-range freighters on the colony you
  actually want as the home endpoint.
* Longer routes and larger populations at both endpoints increase the route's base
  value. Economic starbases whose range covers the route can improve the income.
* Trade with another civilization improves relations with it. A profitable route can
  therefore support both the treasury and an alliance plan.
* The Domestic Policy trade tab lists active routes, average income, and your current
  route limit. Freighters on the route can be attacked, so hostile space can erase
  the investment.

-= Use Agents to Disable Enemy Improvements =-
Espionage is not only an information meter. Agents can directly disable eligible
improvements on enemy planets, while your own agents can neutralize enemy agents.
Counter-espionage improvements are the defensive answer when hostile agents keep
appearing on your worlds.
* Before an invasion in Twilight, placing spies on all farms of the target colony can
  cut its population to 8 billion on the next turn. The defender can neutralize the
  spies, so invade while the opening lasts.
* Higher espionage levels reveal progressively more information about the target,
  including planetary improvements and technologies. Invest in espionage against a
  rival when that information changes an invasion, technology, or diplomatic
  decision.

Starbases and Influence:
------------------------
-= Choose the Right Starbase Type =-
A Constructor establishes a starbase, and additional Constructors add unlocked
modules. Select the starbase to see its area of effect; most assistance applies only
inside that radius, while galactic-resource mining benefits the whole civilization.
* Military starbase - use ship-assist modules to increase the attack, defense, speed,
  or other combat performance of ships inside its range. Weapons installed on the
  starbase defend the starbase itself; they do not automatically attack nearby
  fleets.
* Economic starbase - boosts production on nearby colonies and can increase the value
  of trade routes that pass through its range.
* Influence starbase - strengthens cultural pressure in its local area. Use it to
  push border worlds toward you or to reinforce a threatened cultural frontier.
* Resource starbase - can be founded only on a galactic resource. Additional mining
  modules increase the civilization-wide bonus supplied by that resource.
* Overlapping starbase bonuses can stack. Plan around which planets, fleets, trade
  lanes, or border systems fall inside each radius, not simply how many starbases you
  own.

-= Read Cultural-Flip Risk on the Planet =-
Select a planet and check the relative foreign influence value shown in parentheses
next to its influence rating. When foreign influence is more than four times the
planet's own influence, the colony can defect; a skull-and-crossbones warning marks
danger.
* Raise local influence, add an Influence starbase, or remove the foreign pressure
  before a valuable border world reaches a prolonged high-risk state.
* The same mechanic can work offensively. Sustained influence greater than four times
  an enemy colony's native influence gives that colony a chance to culturally defect
  to you.

-= Protect the Starting Survey Ship =-
Your starting flagship carries a Survey Module and can investigate anomalies for
credits, ship bonuses, or permanent civilization bonuses. A replacement survey ship
requires later technology, so losing the flagship early can leave useful anomalies
unclaimed for a long stretch of the game.

Civilizations and Tech Trees:
-----------------------------
-= Twelve Races, Twelve Different Technology Trees =-
Twilight gives each major civilization its own technology tree, improvements, and
components. Plan around your civilization's own tree: a strong Terran research path
may not exist for the Yor, Thalan, or Korath.
* Terran Alliance - Super Diplomat. Lean on better deals and treaties; diplomacy is
  one of the Terrans' core strategic advantages.
* Drengin Empire - Super Dominator. Going to war grants free Dominator Corvettes; use
  the early swarm before its small hulls become obsolete.
* Altarian Resistance - Super Organizer. Being attacked can draw similarly aligned
  civilizations to your side, so diplomacy and alignment can strengthen your defense.
* Arcean Empire - Super Warrior. Your fleet receives first-strike advantage when you
  initiate combat, so positioning to attack on your own turn matters.
* Torian Confederation - Super Breeder. At 100% approval, its population growth bonus
  becomes enormous; build your economy around keeping high-growth worlds happy.
* Yor Collective - Super Isolationist. The Yor can colonize barren worlds and cap
  foreign ship speed at 3 parsecs per turn inside their influence.
* Dominion of Korx - Super Trader. Starts with key trade technologies and earns extra
  trade income; protect freighters when diplomacy breaks down.
* Drath Legion - Super Manipulator. It is easier to push other civilizations into
  wars; let rivals spend ships and population before choosing your own target.
* Thalan Empire - Super Hive. Factories are far cheaper and ship range is greater;
  rapid industrial expansion can still outrun the treasury that must fund it.
* Iconian Refuge - Super Adapter. Can colonize Aquatic and Toxic worlds from the
  start; use those environment niches during the colony rush.
* Korath Clan - Super Annihilator. Spore Ships can take defenseless colonies by
  killing the population and leaving a toxic world under Korath control; inherited
  infrastructure with almost no taxpayers can create a severe maintenance burden.
* Krynn Consulate - Super Spy. Begins with espionage advantages, including an early
  spy and stronger counter-espionage access.

-= Trade Screen: Watch for Unique Technologies =-
Twilight marks civilization-specific technologies in the trade interface. A unique
technology can be valuable precisely because your own tree does not normally lead to
it. Check what it unlocks before paying a premium, and remember that owning one
foreign tech does not turn the rest of that race's tree into your tree.

Victory Conditions and Terror Stars:
------------------------------------
-= Sandbox Victory Routes =-
Sandbox victory conditions are chosen at galaxy setup; campaign scenarios can use
their own objectives. Each normal victory route has different win conditions, so plan
around the one you intend to pursue before committing your economy.
* Conquest - eliminate every other major civilization. Minor races do not have to be
  conquered for this victory.
* Diplomatic - ally with every surviving major civilization. Relations must be Close
  and both sides need the Alliances technology before an alliance can be formed.
* Influence - control at least 75% of galactic influence, stay out of war with the
  other major races, and hold the threshold for 10 weeks after the warning appears.
* Technology - follow your civilization's Twilight-specific Technology Victory branch
  to its final victory technology. The exact branch differs between racial tech
  trees.

-= Ascension Victory =-
A Twilight galaxy can contain up to five Ascension Crystals; some maps have fewer.
Build the required starbase on a crystal to start collecting Ascension Points.
* Each controlled Ascension Crystal generates 1 Ascension Point per turn.
* Reach 1,000 Ascension Points to win.
* Losing an Ascension Crystal stops its future income but does not remove points you
  already accumulated. Retake it or claim another crystal and continue the race.
* One crystal takes far too long by itself. Holding several shortens the clock but
  also gives rivals obvious starbases to attack.
* Treat Ascension bases as victory infrastructure: defend the approaches and keep
  Constructors available for replacement instead of trusting influence borders.

-= Terror Stars =-
A Terror Star is a mobile starbase that destroys an entire star system. It is slow,
undefended, and expensive enough that its build site and approach need protection
before you start the project.
* Complete all five Terror Star technologies. Use one Constructor to establish the
  Terror Star, then five more Constructors to finish its modules: six Constructors
  total.
* After construction reaches 100%, the Terror Star must mobilize for 10 turns before
  it is operational. Protect it during this countdown.
* Once operational, plan around a movement speed of 1 and no conventional defenses.
  Escort it instead of treating it as a normal warship.
* Attack the target star with the Terror Star. Destroying the star also destroys its
  planets and other objects in that system, so verify the target before firing.

Campaign Route:
---------------
-= Mission 1 - Of the Arnor =-
This is the opening survival/clearance fight that introduces Tandis. The victory
state reveals the Dread Lord-held world Ai'lur and the Arnorian plan. Do not waste
time preparing for a shard objective that does not begin until later missions.

-= Mission 2 - Proving Grounds =-
Objective: wipe out the Yor presence in the quadrant. Tandis gives you an Arnorian
Battle Cruiser; preserve it and let ordinary ships take unnecessary risks whenever
possible.

-= Mission 3 - Shatter Point =-
Objective: capture Ka'thax and its shard. Build a Transport, remove the planet's
defenses, and invade Ka'thax. This is a lightning strike through a Korath-heavy
quadrant, not a requirement to conquer everything.

-= Mission 4 - Sea of Dread =-
Objective: get at least one ship safely to Sector X:4, Y:0. You are explicitly
outmatched in a straight fight. Use range, speed, scouting, and a safer route around
heavy Korath/Dread Lord concentrations.

-= Mission 5 - Crossfire =-
Objective: capture Tarnex and recover the shard. You receive three Arnorian Battle
Cruisers and the Fortitude technology for extra fleet hit points. The wars between
the Drengin and Yor and between the Dread Lords and Korath are background threats;
Tarnex is the mission target.

-= Mission 6 - Rock & Hard Place =-
Objective: make the Iconians your allies. Protect them and improve the relationship
until alliance is possible. The mission can be solved through diplomacy, military
action, or a mixture; exterminating every other civilization is not required.

-= Mission 7 - Conflagration =-
Objective: capture the Dread Lord world Du'toth and recover the last missing shard.
Du'toth lies across the war zone, so build a protected invasion corridor for the
Transport instead of trying to clean the entire quadrant first.

-= Mission 8 - Nightmare =-
Objective: destroy the star system containing Kai'vox after the shards are placed
there. You already hold Kai'vox, but Dread Lord forces are closing in. Research and
build the Terror Star while the Krynn and Iconian buffer still buys time, protect
Kai'vox, then escort the Terror Star to the target star. Atlas improves fleet
movement and helps your mobile defense, but the Terror Star itself remains slow.

Editors and Mods:
-----------------
-= Built-In Editors Are Part of Twilight =-
Twilight ships with editors for maps, scenarios, technology trees, and planetary
improvements. Use them for controlled custom content instead of hand-editing live
game data.
* Keep an untouched copy of any XML or scenario you modify. A syntax error can
  prevent a tree, improvement, or mod from loading cleanly.
* Twilight mods use the GC2TwilightArnor user-data configuration. If you switch
  between large mods, back up Prefs.ini and race configuration files rather than
  stacking incompatible settings.
* Old Community Update packages are unofficial. They can still be useful for a
  specific modded playthrough, but do not overwrite the official Twilight executable
  without keeping the original and a separate save/config backup.

Solutions:
----------
-= Shatter Point - Take Ka'thax Without Fighting the Whole Map =-
1. Queue or buy a Transport early enough that it arrives with your attack fleet.
2. Scout the direct path to Ka'thax and avoid optional Korath fights.
3. Destroy or drive off the ships defending Ka'thax.
4. Move the Transport onto Ka'thax and invade the planet.
5. Once Ka'thax falls, the shard objective is complete; do not wait for total
   conquest.

-= Sea of Dread - The Exit Is Sector X:4, Y:0 =-
1. Do not try to clear the Korath and Dread Lords in a frontal campaign.
2. Use scouts or expendable ships to expose safer lanes around major fleets.
3. Preserve at least one fast ship for the run to the objective.
4. Route that ship to Sector X:4, Y:0.
5. Reaching the target sector with one ship completes the escape objective.

-= Crossfire - Tarnex Is the Objective =-
1. Use the three Arnorian Battle Cruisers as the protected core of your strike fleet.
2. Take advantage of Fortitude's extra fleet hit points during the assault.
3. Ignore distant wars that do not block the route to Tarnex.
4. Destroy Tarnex's space defense and bring a Transport with enough soldiers.
5. Invade Tarnex; taking the planet secures the shard and ends the mission.

-= Rock & Hard Place - Win the Iconian Alliance =-
1. Keep the Iconians alive; if they fall, the alliance objective is lost.
2. Use trade, gifts, diplomacy, and common enemies to improve relations.
3. Fight Yor or Korath forces when they threaten the Iconians, not just to clear the
   map.
4. Check diplomacy regularly and form the alliance as soon as the option is
   available.
5. The alliance is the victory condition; eliminating every rival is unnecessary.

-= Conflagration - Capture Du'toth =-
1. Identify the shortest defensible route across the central war zone.
2. Build the Transport before your combat fleet reaches Du'toth.
3. Keep the Transport screened by warships; do not expose it to Dread Lord
   interception.
4. Remove Du'toth's orbital defense, then invade immediately.
5. Capturing Du'toth obtains the final missing shard and completes the objective.

-= Nightmare - Finish the Terror Star Before the Buffer Collapses =-
1. Protect Kai'vox; losing it returns the shard set to the Dread Lords.
2. Research all five Terror Star technologies immediately.
3. Use one Constructor to found the Terror Star and five more to finish it.
4. Protect the completed Terror Star through its 10-turn mobilization period.
5. Use the supplied Arnorian fleet to delay Dread Lord approaches, not to chase them.
6. Use Atlas-enabled fleets to intercept threats while the Terror Star mobilizes.
7. Escort the operational Terror Star to the star containing Kai'vox.
8. Attack that star with the Terror Star to finish the campaign.

Technical Issues:
-----------------
-= Current Twilight Executable and User Folder =-
* Steam currently launches Twilight through Twilight\GC2TwilightOfTheArnor.exe. Use
  that executable for Twilight-specific shortcuts and troubleshooting.
* Twilight preferences: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\GC2TwilightArnor\Prefs.ini
* Twilight sandbox saves: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\GC2TwilightArnor\*.sav
* Twilight campaign saves are stored below the same user folder, commonly in the
  Twilight of the Arnor campaign subfolder.
Back up the GC2TwilightArnor folder before deleting preferences, testing a major mod,
or replacing user data. Steam does not provide cloud synchronization for these saves;
if Windows redirects Documents through OneDrive, verify the real folder you are
backing up.

-= Black Screen or Broken Display After Launch =-
Stardock released a May 2025 update focused on modern display and 1080p support. If
Twilight still opens to a black screen on a modern Windows system, use the Twilight
preference file rather than the older GalCiv2 user folder.
1. Exit the game.
2. Back up GC2TwilightArnor\Prefs.ini.
3. Open Prefs.ini and set Fullscreen=0.
4. Launch Twilight again and confirm that windowed mode reaches the main menu.
If the problem persists, back up the entire GC2TwilightArnor folder, rename it, and
launch once so Twilight creates fresh user data. Stale files from an older
installation can survive upgrades and break startup. Restore saves selectively only
after the fresh configuration works.

-= Save debug.err Before Relaunching =-
Twilight writes debug.err in the GC2TwilightArnor user folder. The file is
overwritten when the game runs again, so copy it immediately after a crash or failed
start. It can preserve error details that disappear on the next attempt.

-= Crash While Generating a New Galaxy =-
1. Copy debug.err before relaunching so you preserve the log from the failed
   generation attempt.
2. If a mod is enabled, disable it and try an unmodified new game first.
3. If debug.err stops during race creation, back up the RACECONFIGXML files in the
   GC2TwilightArnor user folder, then remove them and try again.
4. A successful retry confirms damaged custom-race data. Recreate only the race
   settings you still need instead of restoring the entire broken set.
Removing RACECONFIGXML files resets custom race changes; it does not require deleting
your normal saved games.

-= Buttons Have No Text After Installation =-
If the interface loads but button labels are blank, reboot Windows once before
changing game files. The game can be installed before Windows has fully registered
its fonts.

-= Turn Button Stays Gray or a Turn Never Finishes =-
If the Next Turn button turns gray and the turn never finishes, open the Game
options and disable Skip Moves Left Over From Autopilot. This workaround is not
universal, so keep a recent save and revert the option if it does not change the
symptom.

-= Out-of-Memory Crashes on Huge or Immense Games =-
Very large late games can still hit out-of-memory crashes. Do not start by patching
the executable with old Windows XP-era memory hacks. Keep rolling saves, reduce the
load from galaxy size, ship count, or mods, and test the official Twilight executable
before considering any unofficial binary change.

-= Safe Reset Before Blaming a Mod =-
1. Back up saves, Prefs.ini, and any RACECONFIGXML files you care about.
2. Temporarily disable the mod or point ModsDir to a clean test location.
3. Launch the unmodified Twilight executable and test whether the problem still
   occurs.
4. If the clean game works, restore one mod/config layer at a time.
5. Keep the first known-good user folder so you can roll back immediately.

Reference:
----------
-= Combat Counter Matrix =-
* Beam attack -> Shields are the full-strength defense.
* Missile attack -> Point Defense is the full-strength defense.
* Mass Driver attack -> Armor is the full-strength defense.
* Wrong defense type -> only about the square root of its rating is effective.

-= Starbase Role Quick Lookup =-
* Military -> boosts friendly ships inside the starbase radius.
* Economic -> boosts nearby colony production and trade-route income.
* Influence -> strengthens cultural pressure inside its radius.
* Resource -> sits on a galactic resource and boosts its empire-wide benefit.
* Foreign influence ratio above 4 -> a colony can culturally defect.

-= Galactic Resource Color Quick Lookup =-
* Yellow resource -> Morale.
* Green resource -> Economy.
* Red resource -> Military.
* Blue resource -> Influence.
* Purple resource -> Research.

-= Super Ability Quick Lookup =-
* Terran Alliance - Super Diplomat: stronger negotiation leverage.
* Drengin Empire - Super Dominator: free corvettes when wars begin.
* Altarian Resistance - Super Organizer: same-alignment defensive support.
* Arcean Empire - Super Warrior: first strike when initiating combat.
* Torian Confederation - Super Breeder: exceptional growth at 100% approval.
* Yor Collective - Super Isolationist: barren colonization; enemy speed capped at 3.
* Dominion of Korx - Super Trader: starts with trade technologies and earns more
  trade income.
* Drath Legion - Super Manipulator: easier to provoke wars between rivals.
* Thalan Empire - Super Hive: very cheap factories and greater ship range.
* Iconian Refuge - Super Adapter: early Aquatic and Toxic colonization.
* Korath Clan - Super Annihilator: Spore Ships and Toxic colonization.
* Krynn Consulate - Super Spy: early spy/counter-espionage advantage.

-= Victory and Terror Star Quick Lookup =-
* Conquest -> eliminate all other major civilizations; minors do not block it.
* Diplomatic -> ally with every surviving major civilization.
* Influence -> at least 75% influence, no major-race war, then hold 10 weeks.
* Technology -> finish your race's Twilight Technology Victory branch.
* Ascension -> up to 5 crystals, 1 point each per turn, 1,000 points to win.
* Terror Star -> 5 techs -> 6 Constructors -> 10 turns mobilizing -> speed 1.

-= Trade and Espionage Quick Rules =-
* Trade route origin -> the planet where the freighter was built.
* Trade route destination -> a colony owned by another civilization.
* Agent on enemy improvement -> disables that eligible improvement.
* Your agent -> can neutralize an enemy agent on your planet.
* Spies on every farm before an invasion -> target colony can fall to 8B next turn.

-= Campaign Objective Quick Lookup =-
* 1 Of the Arnor - survive and clear the opening quadrant; discover Tandis.
* 2 Proving Grounds - eliminate the Yor presence; preserve the Arnorian cruiser.
* 3 Shatter Point - capture Ka'thax with a Transport.
* 4 Sea of Dread - get one ship to Sector X:4, Y:0.
* 5 Crossfire - capture Tarnex.
* 6 Rock & Hard Place - form an alliance with the Iconians.
* 7 Conflagration - capture Du'toth.
* 8 Nightmare - protect Kai'vox, build the Terror Star, destroy its star.

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