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1.5.3 The Interstellar Information Network
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The IIN was, according to Eckerts "History of the major races", originally started by the Munkvold in 260BC (earth years) but it only attained it's widespread status in the last 300 years thanks mostly to the efforts of the Mogensen and Nosnerual. The IIN has evolved, through human computer engineering, to a highly complex network spanning most of known space. The IIN is a standard interface to information on nearly every major server much like the www.
 In Explorer the IIN will not consist of millions of nodes, though the way the systems generates the sites will make it appear so. The IIN (and StarNET to a lesser degree) will adapt to the player and the universe so that it evolves with the DUM.
StarNET is the major meeting place of millions of people and as such is used not only for communication but also for advertising and notices. As such StarNET will be the place where the player can look for jobs, ideas or warning that they are being hunted. Some of the things which will appear on SterNET are:
=> Escorts. The player is asked to join an escort fleet for a ship passing through dangerous areas of space.
=> Adverts. These will range from simple junk mail (oh yes, there's nothing quite like junkmail to give a sense of reality) up to job advertisements, corporate ads and so on.
=> Companies. Many companies will have sites on the IIN (as well as lesser services on StarNET). Here companies will ply their wares and occasionally post job notices or escort requests.
=> Finance. You can't escape them even in an imaginary universe! Here you will be able to open bank accounts, get loans or insurance and many other bank type nightmares.
=> Email. The player will recieve email! Junk mail will, as ever, will continue to be the bane of net life (though I will include an option to turn it off) but the player will recieve email from associates or companies, as well as security forces and individual characters. In the net version I hope to release, players will be able to mail each other in the explorer universe.
=> Info servers. These are the libraries of Explorer. I will be including all the game background, physics, theories and technical details along with sections on the denizens of the Explorer list (hell, you lot deserve some credit beyond you names appearing) as well as the reasons I am writing Explorer and why I set out to involve as many people as possible.
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1.6 The Dynamic Universe Model
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Most trading games suffer from one huge limitation; the universe is essentially static: borders are constant and nothing really ever happens. Everyone knows that real life is not like this but no-one has ever tried (well, that I've ever heard of) to implement a dynamic universe (and I am beginning to understand why!). In a dynamic universe NOTHING can be taken as constant; there will be several major influences on the DUM:
The game seeds; large numbers used as the basis for the pseudo- random number generators.
Race data; races will be defined by the model in many ways including the technology level, propensity to engage in conflicts, tactical levels, intelligence levels and their rate of expansion etc... each race will influence the models determining the system ownerships, military models, StarNET and many other game systems.
Conflicts; The outcome of conflicts can widely affect the DUM, from the system onership levels all the way up to the destruction of a race or the start of another conflict.
Player Actions; The effect the player will have on the universe will normally be small but there may be occaisions when the player could save or destroy the universe....
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1.7 Stations (ground based and space stations...)
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Here I must admit to cheating a little: My space stations will just be large ships either attached to the surface or in orbit. This means that several features will be available:
=> Stations CAN be destroyed or damaged!!! Unlike in Frontier where you could blast away for hours with the biggest gun you could get and nothing would happen it will be possible to damage stations because of the fact they are ships I can use exactly the same routines for calculating damage levels. If you use a really big weapon (asteroid mast driver for example) you will effectively be able to destroy a station. Stations will also be able to repair themselves or (in the case of spacestations) moved out of orbit. Reports of attacks on stations will appear in the news sites on the IIN...
=> You can 'move around' inside them. By this I don't mean a first person perspective walkabout game but rather the object data will be used to create a wireframe representation of the station with areas which you can visit highlighted. This map will be rotatable and scalable so that you can select the area you want to enter.
=> Spaceships can function as stations. This is how I will get large military ships (or interstellar passenger cruisers) to operate: in a military ship the game works exactly as if it was a spacestation with only military areas available. On a passenger cruiser the same is true except that services will be restricted.
=> I will implement defense systems for stations; All the weapons available to any large battleship can be fitted to a spacestation (so if you're in a tiny little fighter trying to attack a 7 mile long spacestation you *will* die... believe me...)
When the player requests docking permission from the station the player can either be brought in directly (under control of the station computers) or asked to adopt a holding position outside the station while other ships are delt with. Once in the station a fee wll be deducted from the player's account for docking charges. If the player is going to spend more than 3 hours in dock then an additional fee must be paid for holding area space. Stays of more than 24 hours (All time will be measured in Earth standard for simplicity, irrespective of your race, but the time will be available in your race's standard) will require a daily fee (paid in advance) and a room must be rented by the player (or 'alternative arrangements....') the player will be charged for every day the ship remains in dock *at the end of the stay*
Space stations and ports are more than docking ports, all of them provide other services from basic accomodation and network access up to shipyards, shops and hospitals.
1.7.1.1 Accomodation. As I said above, if the player wants to remain on a station for more than 24 Earth hours then the player must rent a room (or cabin). If the player is willing to pay for the more expensive accomodation then the player's health will improve slightly, otherwise the player's health will slowly decline....
1.7.1.2 StarNET Access. All stations, however basic, provide some form of StarNET access. Some will have local networks as well.
1.7.1.3 Docking services. These will range from just somewhere where your ship is parked up to repair shops and refit services provided by the station.
1.7.1.4 Shipyards. Some stations will have shipyards where you can buy ships. You may own several ships but you can only fly one of them.
1.7.1.5 Shops. Depending on the location and size of the station you are at the variety, type and availability of goods will fluctuate. Stations in, or near, a warzone will be affected by blockades and transport difficulties by reduced availability and higher prices.Many shops will appear on the local network but many will be accessable in the station 'malls' (in cases like these the Wireframe which represents the station will show a large block for the mall, when the user selects the mall the view will zoom in and the mall will be replaced with a selection of polygons which can be selected to enter shops.
1.7.1.6 Medical sercives/ Hospital. In Explorer the player's health will be an integral part of the game. Depending upon the player's chosen race and actions visits may be required to medical bays on stations. In some places these services will be free, in others they must be payed for...
1.7.1.7 Security services. If you get up to no good then your likely to end up here sooner or later. These guys mean business and there's none of the 'you'r fined x' that appeared in Frontier. If you get caught then you can be fined or send to prison or both. Sentancing will be done via a jury system, not by an individual officer, and many races will have extradition treaties. The security services will be able to freeze your assets (sounds painful) if you evade capture.....
1.7.2.1 Docking. When a player appoaches a station the docking procedure will vary according to the player's ship type. (see section 2.1 for ships) Smaller ships will be taken into the docking tunnel (once any backlogs are cleared of course) but larger ships must either enter zero-g loading areas (for medium sized freighters) or send out shuttles to dock with the station. Only smaller ships can approach a ground station as larger ships may be damaged by gravitational or atmospheric effects. When the player docs at any station or capital ship the craft will be guided automatically to a transport pad... a diagram always helps; diag1.iff shows a docking port situated on a planet or small station. The ship enters the docking tunnel, under the control of the docking computers and is moved over a docking pad. Once on the pad the pad will be lowered into the dock bay and moved to a free space: the user then has to go through customs and security before entering the station. In ground based stations ony one shaft can be used. In spacestations or large ships two or four shafts may be used; see diag2.iff
1.7.2.2 Post Docking. Here the player must submit a manifest of his cargo in case of a customs search. This is normally the same as was compiled upon leaving the last station (see later) normally this isn't checked but if it is, and the manifest doesn't match the cargo, the player may be tried for importing illegal goods or smuggling. The player will also have to pay the standing charge for docking. No more dock charges must be paid until the player leaves.
1.7.2.3 Once on the station the player can either quickly sort out whatever he/ she wants to do and leave or rent a room. Rooms can only be paid for in daily or weekly amounts and their price depends on the station, the room and the person the player rents the room off. If the player doesn't rent a room after 24 hours then the player's health will begin to suffer and some administrations may charge the player extra for docking fees. The player will also be unable to, legally, access any station services except for the docking port, security service or rental agencies.
1.7.2.4 When the player is leaving cost of housing the player's ship must be payed and a cargo manifest must be compiled. The player doesn't have to compile a maifest which is exactly what is carried in the player's ships but the weight MUST be the same otherise the player's ships may be destroyed in a jump gate collapse and it makes it much easier for security to detect the manifest deception. When compiling the manifest list the player will be presented with a screen like the one shown below
+---------------------+ +-------+ +-------------------+ ` ` ` `
| Your hold contents` | |` Add | | The Manifest List |` ` ` `
+---------------------+ +-------+ +-------------------+` ` ` `
|` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `| +-------+ |` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `|` ` ` `
|` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `| | Del | |` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `|` ` ` `
+---------------------+ +-------+ |` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `|` ` ` `
+---------------------+` ` ` ` ` `|` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `|` ` ` `
| * merchandise list | |` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `|` ` ` `
+---------------------+` ` ` ` ` `|` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `|` ` ` `
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |` ` ` ` ` `|` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `|` ` ` `
+---------------------+` ` ` ` ` `+-------------------+
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The merchandise list gives a list of ALL possible merchandise..... The player will have to make sure that the weight of you manifest matches his/her ship weight (as it's easy to tell if you fake the manifest otherwise) If the player submits a false manifest and the local security force is good the player will be caught and prosecuted (poss 2 year jail sentance and 10,000 credit fine) otherwise the plyaer's ship will be lifted back into the dock tunnel by the station lift and then can proceed out into open space. If the player has arranged to pick up the goods he/she may have to go to a relay station (out in the boonies somewhere), another station or a large ship which can be docked with.
Docking fees will *NOT* be constant, even within the same station; matters like where the player's ship is docked, it's type and size and the amount of traffic will change the price asked. For example: a station where there is a lot of traffic can charge less for docking as it has more cash to work with, docks with low traffic must charge more to make up the shortfall. If the player has a large ship then he/she must pay more because he/she is taking more space up. Some stations will have better facilities in specific docking bays, for which the player must pay more...
If the player is transporting goods or people it is often necessary, for security or legal reasons, for the player to purchase a trading license for the required route (normally only major routes like Earth - Sirius require payment, it is normally free to register the route). Many sites on StarNET will have route registration facilities.
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