Items in Avian Hunt

Items in Avian Hunt are purchased upgrades that apply to a specific unit only. There are items that could be used for a wide range of units, and others that could only be used on a specific type. Items have a risk of being destroyed if too much damage is taken on a unit in a short time during the attack phase.

Items can be purchased for specific units from anywhere, and activated immediately. They can enhance the capabilities of a ship and make it stronger, especially for a player.

The economic value in items is in the frequency of use: If a player's strategy is to send many waves of cheap ships on suicide runs, items would be too costly and ineffective. However, if a player has resources sufficient only for a few units against a stronger opponent, the best course of action is to place as many items on each unit as possible, to minimize casualties. Such instances where a player has a limited supply of human resources and yet enough to upgrade what he already has is in the main campaign mode.

General items
General items are able to be equipped to any unit or building.
 * Astromech droid: Astromechs can slowly but steadily increase hull points if they have been damaged. Astromech droids can also restore items that have been destroyed during that turn if (and only if) the hull points are full.
 * Shield generator: Shield generators put out different levels of power depending on the unit they are equipped to. It also costs much more to make a shield generator for a much larger ship, such as a Star Destroyer. Shield generator points must be depleted to 0 before the hull can take any damage (though if the damage dealt is greater than the remaining shield power, the difference is subtracted from the hull). This is a bit difficult, seeing as unless a shield generator is destroyed, the shield points will gradually restore themselves, and will do so much quicker than an astromech droid can repair hull damage.
 * Sensors: Sensors allow the unit it is equipped to to view a radar screen that shows the direction, though not distance, the enemy units are in. Also, an icon of the color of a faction is used to mark the loyalties of each ship. Without sensors, occasionally a player (or sometimes even a CPU player!) might mistake a friendly unit as an enemy and open fire on the wrong ship. Sensors make this just about impossible to happen.
 * Targeting computer: Targeting computers allow missiles to home in on enemy units when targeted. This applies to all secondary weapons. To lock on to an enemy unit, the right mouse button must be held down while the targeting reticule is centered on the enemy unit for four seconds. When the right mouse button is released, a missile will be fired and will continue to home in on the enemy until it either runs out of power or collides with something. Targeting computers are crucial to combating craft like heavy fighters and some bombers, which can outmaneuver some fire and still have sufficient shielding in case they are hit. Missiles can take much more health away from an enemy fighter, and when they home in on the enemy, they are much more accurate against small units.
 * Communications relay: Communications relays can save a lot of resources if a player is commanding squadrons consisting of multiple units. This item makes the information from sensor relays and targeting computers be accessible to every unit in the squadron, even if only one sensor relay or targeting computer exists. This means if a staple unit (such as a capital ship or a fighter in the hands of a skilled player) has both sensors and communications, every unit in the squadron will also behave as though they had sensors. Communications relays are best put on a capital ship or frigate, where they are heavily fortified and less likely to be destroyed.