Military Technology - Master of Orion 2 - Microprose

Command - upgrades immediately

Tachyon Communications     => +1 Command, 3 Parsecs per Spacestation
Subspace Communications    -> +2 Command, 6 Parsecs
Hyper Space Communications -> +3 Command, Unlimited Range

Scanners

Battle Scanner* => +2 Parsecs on Ship
Space Scanner   ->  2 Parsecs + Ship Size - 1
Tachyon Scanner ->  3 Parsecs, -20% Jamming
Neutron Scanner ->  5 Parsecs, -40% Jamming
Sensors         ->  8 Parsecs, -70% Jamming

Stealth Field => Reduces emissions of hyperspace drives
Cloaking Device => Hide Ships from long-range scans
                   +80% Defence against beam weapons, when cloaked
Phasing Cloak => Hide Ship in Combat for up to 10 turns
Stasis Field => Enemy Ship can not attack or be attacked while another Ship
                has it in this field

Spys - upgrades immediately

Neural Scanner => +10
Cyber Security Link => +10 
Telepathic Training => +5
Psionics* => +10
Stealth Suit => +10 

Shields

Reinforced Hull => x3 Structure
Heavy Armour      =>  +50% Armour
Tritanium Armour  -> +100% Armour
Zortrium Armour   -> +300% Armour
Neutronium Armour -> +500% Armour
Adamantium Armour -> +700% Armour
Xentronium Armour ->   +?% Armour (from Orion)
Multi-Phased Shields => +50%

Class I Shield   =>  x5 Damage to Destroy
Class III Shield -> x15 Damage
Class V Shields  -> x25 Damage
Class VII Shield -> x35 Damage
Class X Shield   -> x50 Damage
Hard Shields => -3 Damage

Shield Capacitor => Triples recharge rate of Shields 

Troops - upgrades immediately

Powered Armour => +10 Combat +1 Hit
Anti-Grav Harness => +10 Combat
Tritanium Armour  => +10 Combat
Zortrium Armour   -> +15 Combat
Neutronium Armour -> +20 Combat
Adamantium Armour -> +25 Combat
Personal Shield => +20 Combat
Laser Rifle  =>  +5 Combat
Fusion Rifle -> +10 Combat
Phasor Rifle -> +20 Combat
Plasma Rifle -> +30 Combat

Battleoids 

Boarding Parties

Troop Pods =>Doubles numbers of Marines on Ship
Assault Shuttles => Allows your Marines to attempt to capture or sabotage
                    enemy Ships, may be 'shot down' before they get there
Security Stations => +20 Marine defence against Boarding Parties
Transporters => Allows Marines to board enemy Ships from a range of 12 
                squares, when there shields are down. Planets can also be
                bombed from this range, instead of the normal 3

Drive - upgrades immediately

Nuclear Drive     => 2 Parsecs/Turn
Fusion Drive      -> 3 Parsecs/Turn
Ion Drive         -> 4 Parsecs/Turn
Anti-Matter Drive -> 5 Parsecs/Turn
Hyper Drive       -> 6 Parsecs/Turn
Interphased Drive -> 7 Parsecs/Turn
Jump Gate => +3 Parsecs/Turn
Star Gate => 1 Turn between your Systems

Dimensional Portal => As fleets in that System to attack the Antarans

Warp Dissipater => Prevents Enemy Ships retreating in combat
Augmented Engines => +5 Combat Speed
Subspace Teleporter => Allows 18 square hyperspace jump in combat 

Fuel Cells - upgrades immediately

Standard Fuel Cells  =>  4 Parsecs
Deuterium Fuel Cells ->  6 Parsecs
Iridium Fuel Cells   ->  9 Parsecs
Uridium Fuel Cells   -> 12 Parsecs
Thorium Fuel Cells   -> Unlimited Range
Extended Fuel Tanks => +50% Fuel Cells

Beam Weapons

Laser Cannon     => 1-  4 Damage
Fusion Beam      -> 2-  6
Ion Pulse Cannon -> 2- 14
Neutron Blaster  -> 3- 12
Graviton Beam    -> 3- 15
Phasors          -> 5- 20
Plasma Cannon    -> 6- 30
Mauler Device    -> 1-100
Pulsar           -> 2- 24 x Ship Class

Mass Driver      =>  6 Damage
Gauss Cannon     -> 18
Disruptor Cannon -> 40

Gyro Destabilser => 3-7 Damage, Shields/Armour not damaged, Range 15
Plasma Web => 5-25 Damage first turn, 5 less each turn there after, Range 15
              Can fire every other turn, web strengths cumulative

High Energy Focus   => +50% Beam Damage
Structural Analyser => +100% Beam Damage
Hyper-X Capacitors => Allows Beams to be fired twice in one turn,
                      but then can not fire next turn

Fighter Bays => Beam close attack
Heavy Fighters => Combined beam/bomb close attack

Displacement Device => 30% chance of Enemy Beams missing
Inertial Stabiliser =>  +50 Defence against Beam Weapons, half movement cost
Inertial Nullifier  => +100 Defence against Beam Weapons, zero movement cost
Lighting Field => 50% Chance of destroying missile, torpedo, or fighter 
Time Warp Facilitator => Two Combat turns for every normal one

Beam Accuracy

Electronic Computer      =>  +25%
Optronic Computer        ->  +50%
Positronic Computer      ->  +75%
Cybertronic Computer     -> +100%
Moleculartronic Computer -> +125%
Battle Scanner* => +50%
Tractor Beam => +20%, Slows Ship, Maximum Range 12 Squares, 
                many have cumulative effect
Rangemaster Targeting Unit => Reduces range inaccuracy to 1/3                  
Achilles Targeting Unit => Triples chance of hitting weapon and shield
                           systems, once through shield. Ignores armour

Jammers

ECM Jammer            =>  70% chance Missiles miss
Multi-Wave ECM Jammer -> 100% chance Missiles miss
Wide Area Jammer      -> 130% chance Missiles miss, 70% for other Ships

Bombs

Nuclear Bomb     =>  3-12 Damage
Fusion Bomb      ->  4-24
Anti-Matter Bomb ->  5-40
Neutronium Bomb  -> 10-60

Bomber Bays =>
Holds fleets of Bombers that can attack the enemy at point blank range

Death Spores   => Each one has 10% chance of killing a unit of population
Bio Terminator -> Each one has 20% chance of killing a unit of population
                  Both damage diplomatic status

Torpedoes and Missiles

Anti-Matter Torpedoes =>  25 Damage, fire every other Turn
Proton Torpedo        ->  40
Plasma Torpedo        -> 125, -5/Square, Range 24

Nuclear Missile   =>  8 Damage
Merculite Missile -> 14
Pulson Missile    -> 20
Zeon Missile      -> 30

Anti-Missile Rockets => Up to 85% change of hitting, Range 15

Fast Missile Racks => Can fire two volleys a Turn, but then must wait a Turn

Dauntless Guidance System => If original target destroyed,
                             missile or torpedo picks new target
Emissions Guidance System => Missile targets Ships engines 

Missiles can be destroyed in flight by beams weapons and anti-missile 
rockets, torpedoes can not

Planetary Defence

Space Academy => +1 Ship Crew Starting Level, +1 Experience/Turn in System
Marine Barracks => 4 New Marines immediately, +1/5 Turns up to half 
                   population limit, removes 20% Morale Penalty.
                   Militarily they are not much use as enemies almost
                   always bomb Colonies, instead of invading, however they
                   do help prevent rebellions on recently conquered planets
Armour Barracks => 2 New Tanks immediately, +1/10 Turns up to quarter
                   population limit, removes 20% Morale Penalty                   
Missile Base     => Fires up to 300 Missiles against enemy ships
Ground Batteries => Fires up to 300 Beam Weapons against enemy ships
Fighter Garrison => Holds 24 Interceptors, 18 Bombers, or 12 Heavy Fighters
                    Squadrons renewed every 10 Turns, with latest tech 
Warp Field Interdictor => Slows Ships within 2 Parsecs to 1 Parsec per turn
Star Base      => +2 Command Rating, +2 Parsecs for Scanners, 2 BC/Turn
Battle Station -> +3 Command Rating, +4 Parsecs for Scanners, 3 BC/Turn
                  +10% Ship Attack
Star Fortress  -> +20% Ship Attack,  +6 Parsecs for Scanners, 4 BC/Turn
                  All three automatically repair Ships in System over time
Stellar Converter => 400 Damage to each of the four Ship Shields, 6 BC/Turn
                     Destroys Planets turning them into asteroid belts
Artemis System Net => Damages Ships entering system, greater chance for 
                      bigger Ships
Basically in this game there is no such thing as defence, early in the game planetary defences may destroy low tech battleships and below. But once your enemies start getting good technology your defences become impotent, getting the best missiles, torpedoes, fighters, bombers, beams, and armour helps. However these will have to face a grand fleet of many titans and possibly doom stars, so even if systems are garrisoned with a few Ships, they will fall, and usually have all population and buildings destroyed. Don't build Star Fortresses, wait for Battlestations to become available, they give you more Command Points and a Ship Attack Bonus. They are so expensive that it would be a waste to scrap a Star Fortress, there are better things to build.

The only defence is to not research titans, doom stars, and stellar converters, in the hope others will not either - if you do, they stand a very good chance of acquiring them through espionage, trade, or conquest. Also only have a few large fleets, at least up to the limit of your Command Points, once exceeded you pay 10 BC for each Command Point, and can soon get bankrupt. Try and use diplomacy to avoid wars, as they are incredibly destructive, the others will pick each other off, have 4 or 5 Colony Ships standing by at all times, then you can claim vacated planets immediately. Note, no system will have more than 4 habitable planets, initially. Don't occupy planets in systems, where there are alien colonies, resident fleets will cause you trouble, claim all planets in a system however bad, nearly all can be improved. Before war breaks out the enemy will accuse you of stealing technology (only steal technology from weak powers, or powers you are at war with, to help prevent this). Offer 10% Tribute immediately, this will usually solve the problem, but can place a great strain of the treasury, particularly of weakly run empires, but less strain than the liquidation of half your worlds.

If war breaks out don't attempt to defend any of your colonies, it is hopeless unless your opponent is very weak technologically or militarily. Send your Ships to enemy colonies and destroy or occupy them (beware of rebellion), this will reduce the enemies Command Points and Treasury, and sooner or later they won't be able to support their fleet.

Ship Construction

Titanium Armour => Allows interstellar travel
Colony Base => Builds new Colony on empty Planet in System
Colony Ship => Builds new Colony on empty Planet in another System, 
               1 Command Point/Turn while in transit
Freighters => In Fleets on 5, to transport 5 food or 1 Colonist, 
              ½ BC/Turn while in use
Outpost Ship => Builds refuelling/scanning post in another System on Planet,
                Asteroid Belt, or Gas Giant. 1 Command Point/Turn while in
                transit
Transport => Holds 4 Marines always equipped with the latest weapons and 
             armour, 1 Command Point/Turn
Titan Construction => 5 Command Points/Turn
Doom Star Construction => 6 Command Points/Turn

Battle Pods => Most Ship Space requiring a higher Construction Cost
Megafluxers => +25% Ship Space

For every addition Command Point you do not have, you must pay 10 BC

Damage Control

Survival Pods => Allows leaders to survive if their Ship is destroyed,
                 providing at least one Ship in the Fleet survives 
Advanced Damage Control => Repair a Ship completely after each battle,
                           upgrades immediately acquired
Automated Repair Unit => Repairs 20% Structure/Armour and
                         Repairs 10% Internal Systems per Battle turn
Energy Absorber => 25% of Damage diverted, and fired at Enemy next turn