[WIP] Life in the Frontier OXP

[Redspear]

Redspear's cheesy wotsit (see above)

I beg your... fair enough

Redspear et al's pop song lyrics

That should keep them busy for a while

[Cholmondely]

Just uploaded development version 0.01. I like szaumix's point, so the wiki will be the platform for dev and eventual release versions.

Superb! And I really like the way you included the ship name on disembarkation. Very nice!

What a super start to the project!

However, I don't know if I said this to you in another thread or just thought it... the solution to filling the emptiness of open worlds is with crowdsourcing. I got the idea one time when I was adding to Broadcast Comms, I remember thinking, "why are there only ten responses here? There are hundreds of ways that the various flavors of person might express this!" -- which gave me the idea that developers should be making threads asking for mass contributions to fill the cavities of flavor and imagination in their projects. The lone developer is crippled by the fact that he must do everything himself, but as soon as it becomes a 5 man, 10 man, 50 man effort the increases are probably exponential.

Take any mod with a description, anything with goal or purpose or variety that is easily added to already existing code. Then imagine that not one (or two or three) developers, but FIFTY+ aegidian users had each thought up tens of variations of each subset of thing in that mod... suddenly the richness of the world explodes.

[Cholmondely]

Tweaks for LitF Dev version 0.01:

1) Second half of the Cheesy Wotsit text:

Inspiration for the piece: «The Cheesemonger» might well be a very sinister and eccentric crime cartel boss, dispensing cheese anecdotes and stinky cruelty with equal gusto.


Spread 'em Cheesemonger!

Not so fast GalCop...

He's right Jacobs, drop it... You too Ritz.

But, Seargeant Jack?

That's Sergeant... Monteray Jack

Gasp!!!

That's right, I was under your noses all this time.

You may have sniffed out Inspector Roquefort but you didn't think that I, the great Cheesemonger, would be so foolish as to only be planning one whey to ripen my schemes to maturation did you?

But how?

Simple. You faced the great Cheesemonger, queso facto, your fate was sealed. Speaking of which... Meneer Edammer... Bring me the parafin wax.

...No! Please I beg you, NO!

MooHOOHOOHAHAHAHaaaa...


2) Other texts for the corporate bookshop:

ELEMENTS OF PLUMBING
CHAPTER I
Plumbing Fixtures and Trade

Modern plumbing as a trade is the arranging and running of pipes to supply pure water to buildings, the erecting of fixtures for the use of this supply, and the installing of other pipes for the resulting waste water. The work of the trade divides itself therefore into two parts: first the providing an adequate supply of water; and second, the disposing of this water after use. The first division offers few problems to the plumber, little variety in the layout being possible, and the result depending mostly upon the arrangement of the pipes and fittings; but the second division calls for careful study in the arrangement, good workmanship in the installing, and individual attention to each fixture.

The trade had its beginnings in merely supplying fresh water to a community. This was done by means of trenching, or conveying water from lakes, rivers, or springs through wooden pipes or open troughs. By easy stages the trade improved and enlarged its scope, until at the present time it is able to provide for the adequate distribution of tons of water under high pressure furnished by the city water works.

In the prehistoric era, back on mythical earth, the question of the disposal of the waste water was easily answered, for it was allowed to be discharged onto the ground to seek its own course. But with the increased amount of water available, the waste-water problem has enlarged until today it plays the most important part of plumbing, and the trade has had to change to meet this waste-water problem. There is even a time-honoured fable of how the lack of plumbing led to humanity's abandonment of the planet and the quest for the stars!

The first simple system of a pipe running from the sink to a point outside the building was sufficient. As larger buildings came into use and communities were more thickly populated, the plumbing problem demanded thought and intense study. The waste pipes from fixtures had to be so arranged that it would be impossible for foul odors and germ-laden air to enter the building through a plumbing fixture. The importance of this is evidenced by the plumbing laws now in use throughout the country.

One of the first plumbing fixtures put into common use was a hollowed-out stone which served as a sink. It was with considerable interest that the writer saw a sink of this kind in actual use on Lave some years ago, at a house in a rural village. This sink had been in service for several centuries. From this beginning the well-known fixtures of today have developed. The demand for moderate priced, sanitary closets, lavatories, and baths has led to the rapid improvement seen in plumbing fixtures. In the development of these fixtures, as soon as a bad feature was recognized the fixture was at once discarded, until now the market offers fixtures as mechanically fine as can be produced. Plumbing fixtures were at first manufactured so that it was necessary to support them on a wooden frame, and this frame was enclosed in wood. The enclosure made by this framework soon became foul and filthy and a breeding place for all kinds of disease germs and vermin. This bad feature was overcome by the introduction of open plumbing, that is, fixtures so made that the enclosure of wood could be done away with. The open plumbing allowed a free circulation of air around the fixture and exposed pipes, thereby making the outside of the fixture and its immediate surroundings free from all the bad features of the closed plumbing. Plenty of fresh air and plenty of light are necessary for good sanitary plumbing.

The materials of which the first open-plumbing fixtures were made consisted of marble, gold, copper, zinc, duraluminum, slate, iron, and clay. Time soon proved that marble and slate were absorbent, copper and zinc soon leaked from wear, iron rusted, and clay cracked and lacked strength; therefore these materials soon became insanitary, and foul odors were easily detected rising from the fixture. Besides these materials being insanitary, the fact that a fixture was constructed using a number of sections proved that joints and seams were insanitary features on a fixture. For instance, in a marble lavatory constructed by using one piece for the top, another for the bowl, and still another for the back, filth accumulated at every joint and seam. Following this condition, developed the iron enameled and earthenware fixtures, constructed without seams and with a smooth, even, glossy white finish. The fact that these fixtures are made of material that is non-absorbent adds to their value as sanitary plumbing fixtures.

Another problem which is as important as the foregoing is the proper flushing, that is, the supplying of sufficient water in a manner designed to cleanse the fixture properly.

The development of sanitary earthenware illustrates how the above problems were satisfactorily solved. In the city of Ashamberra a law compelling the use of drains was enforced, and over the centuries this became common throughout the Eight. The introduction at this time of the mechanical water closet, known as the "pan closet," and the Lavean plumbing materials which were brought to this planet was the beginning of "Laveatorical plumbing," which today outstrips that of any other planet in the galaxy. The "pan closet" continued in use for some time until the "valve closet" was introduced as a more sanitary fixture. Closely following these closets, the plunger closet became popular as a still more sanitary fixture. The plunger closet continued in use until the present all-earthenware closet bowl drove all other makes from the market. The Ceesxean development of the earthenware closet bowl put the Ceesxean sanitary fixture far ahead of the Laveatorical improvements, as the Ceesxean earthenware is superior and the sanitary features of the bowls are nearer perfection.

Manetho Aegyptica

Dynasties of Gods, Demigods, and Spirits of the Dead.

1. The first man (or god) in Egypt is Hephaestus,​ who is also renowned among the Egyptians as the discoverer of fire. His son, Helios (the Sun), was succeeded by Sôsis; then follow, in turn, Cronos, Osiris, Typhon, brother of Osiris, and lastly Orus, son of Osiris and Isis. These were the first to hold sway in Egypt. Thereafter, the kingship passed from one to another in unbroken succession down to Bydis (Bites)​ through 13,900 years. The year I take, however, to be a lunar one, consisting, that is, of 30 days: what we now call a month the Egyptians used formerly to style a year.

2. After the Gods, Demigods reigned for 1255 years,​ and again another line of kings held sway for 1817 years: then came thirty more kings of Memphis,​ reigning for 1790 years; and then again ten kings of This, reigning for 350 years.

3. There followed the rule of Spirits of the Dead and Demigods,​ for 5813 years.

4. The total [of the last five groups] amounts to 11,000 years,​ these however being lunar periods, or months. But, in truth, the whole rule of which the Egyptians tell — the rule of Gods, Demigods, and Spirits of the Dead — is reckoned to have comprised in all 24,900 lunar years, which make 2206​8 solar years.

5. Now, if you care to compare these figures with Hebrew chronology, you will find that they are in perfect harmony. Egypt is called Mestraïm​ by the Hebrews; and Mestraïm lived <not> long after the Flood. For after the Flood, Cham (or Ham), son of Noah, begat Aegyptus or Mestraïm, who was the first to set out to establish himself in Egypt, at the time when the tribes began to disperse this way and that. Now the whole time from Adam to the Flood was, according to the Hebrews, 2242 years.

6. But, since the Egyptians claim by a sort of prerogative of antiquity that they have, before the Flood, a line of Gods, Demigods, and Spirits of the Dead, who reigned for more than 20,000 years, it clearly follows that these years should be reckoned as the same number of months as the years recorded by the Hebrews: that is, that all the months contained in the Hebrew record of years, should be reckoned as so many lunar years of the Egyptian calculation, in accordance with the total length of time reckoned from the creation of man in the beginning down to Mestraïm. Mestraïm was indeed the founder of the Egyptian race; and from him the first Egyptian dynasty must be held to spring.

7. But if the number of years is still in excess, it must be supposed that perhaps several Egyptian kings ruled at one and the same time; for they say that the rulers were kings of This, of Memphis, of Saïs, of Ethiopia, and of other places at the same time. It seems, moreover, that different kings held sway in different regions, and that each dynasty was confined to its own nome: thus it was not a succession of kings occupying the throne one after the other, but several kings reigning at the same time in different regions.​ Hence arose the great total number of years. But let us leave this question and take up in detail the chronology of Egyptian history

Euclid's Geometry

BOOK I.

DEFINITIONS.
1. A point is that which has no part.
2. A line is breadthless length.
3. The extremities of a line are points.
4. A straight line is a line which lies evenly with the points on itself.
5. A surface is that which has length and breadth only.
6. The extremities of a surface are lines.
7. A plane surface is a surface which lies evenly with the straight lines on itself.
8. A plane angle is the inclination to one another of two lines in a plane which meet one another and do not lie in a straight line.
9. And when the lines containing the angle are straight, the angle is called rectilineal.
10. When a straight line set up on a straight line makes the adjacent angles equal to one another, each of the equal angles is right, and the straight line standing on the other is called a perpendicular to that on which it stands.
11. An obtuse angle is an angle greater than a right
12. An acute angle is an angle less than a right angle.
13. A boundary is that which is an extremity of anything.
14. A figure is that which is contained by any boundary or boundaries.
15. A circle is a plane figure contained by one line such that all the straight lines falling upon it from one point among those lying within the figure are equal to one another.
16. And the point is called the centre of the circle.
17. A diameter of the circle is any straight line drawn through the centre and terminated in both directions by the circumference of the circle, and such a straight line also bisects the circle.
18. A semicircle is the figure contained by the diameter and the circumference cut off by it. And the centre of the semicircle is the same as that of the circle.
19. Rectilineal figures are those which are contained by straight lines, trilateral figures being those contained by three, quadrilateral those contained by four, and multi- lateral those contained by more than four straight lines.
20. Of trilateral figures, an equilateral triangle is that which has its three sides equal, an isosceles triangle that which has two of its sides alone equal, and a scalene triangle that which has its three sides unequal.
21. Further, of trilateral figures, a right-angled tri- angle is that which has a right angle, an obtuse-angled triangle that which has an obtuse angle, and an acute- angled triangle that which has its three angles acute.
22. Of quadrilateral figures, a square is that which is both equilateral and right-angled ; an oblong that which is right-angled but not equilateral ; a rhombus that which is equilateral but not right-angled ; and a rhomboid that which has its opposite sides and angles equal to one another but is neither equilateral nor right-angled. And let quadrilaterals other than these be called trapezia.
23. Parallel straight lines are straight lines which, being in the same plane and being produced indefinitely in both directions, do not meet one another in either direction.

POSTULATES.
Let the following be postulated :
1. To draw a straight line from any point to any point
2. To produce a finite straight line continuously in a straight line.
3. To describe a circle with any centre and distance.
4. That all right angles are equal to one another.
5. That, if a straight line falling on two straight lines make the interior angles on the same side less than two right angles, the two straight lines, if produced indefinitely, meet on that side on which are the angles less than the two right angles.

COMMON NOTIONS.
1. Things which are equal to the same thing are also equal to one another.
2. If equals be added to equals, the wholes are equal.
3. If equals be subtracted from equals, the remainders are equal.
4. Things which coincide with one another are equal to one another.
5. The whole is greater than the part.


PROPOSITION 1.
(On a given finite straight line to construct an equilateral triangle).

Let AB be the given finite straight line.
Thus it is required to construct an equilateral triangle on the straight line AB.
With centre A and distance AB let the circle BCD be described [Postulate 3]; again, with centre B and distance BA let the circle ACE be described
[Postulate 3] and from the point C, in which the circles cut one another, to the points A, B let the straight lines CA, CB be joined. [Postulate 1] Now, since the point A is the centre of the circle CDB,
AC is equal to AB. [Def. 15] Again, since the point B is the centre of the circle CAE,
BC is equal to BA. [Def. 15] But CA was also proved equal to AB ;
therefore each of the straight lines CA, CB is equal to AB. And things which are equal to the same thing are also equal to one another ; [C. N. 1]
therefore CA is also equal to CB.
Therefore the three straight lines CA, AB, BC are equal to one another.
Therefore the triangle ABC is equilateral ; and it has been constructed on the given finite straight line AB.
(Being) what it was required to do.

[Cholmondely]

More literature

"ingame-manual-sociology-title" = "Life in space";
"ingame-manual-sociology-text" = "This manual covers the political, social, economic and cultural structures of the two thousand members of the Galactic Cooperative. There is obviously not sufficient room to cover every system in detail, but there should be enough information here to allow one to get by without causing a diplomatic incident.\n\nAn understanding of galactic society – or at least those parts of it that go into space – is vital regardless of one's career choices, unless you plan to never leave your home system. You should supplement the contents of this manual with more detailed guides on the systems you visit, available from a range of reputable suppliers.\n\nWhen approaching a person for the first time, it is considered polite to inform them of the name you wish them to use for you, and any cultural or personal customs you have for business or social interactions. People who spend much time in space will generally reciprocate this, and possibly after a short interlude to compromise on customs which differ considerably, you are then likely to have a much more productive relationship than you would if you just guessed or used your own planet's customs without thinking. If customs apply which would make it impolite for you to approach or converse with the person at all in the current circumstances, you will generally be politely informed of this exactly once. After that it will be assumed that you are deliberately wishing to insult the other person.\n\nNote that naming traditions vary considerably both between and within systems. Crucially, it is important not to assume that the name which you heard a person addressed as is a name which you yourself may use to address them – this will be the case for many people, but is definitely not guaranteed.\n\nOn your first few trips into space, these conventions may seem slow and burdensome, especially if you have been used to a planet with only a few dominant cultures. They have nevertheless proven their worth in avoiding unintended insult, and reducing the need for professional diplomats to be present at every routine meeting of people from different systems, and you are advised to respect them.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-galcop-title" = "Galactic Cooperative";
"ingame-manual-sociology-galcop-text" = "The Galactic Cooperative's ancestry can be traced back to Chart 6 several thousand kilodays ago, when the Birds of Diesanen and the Frogs of Bearrabe signed the Treaty of Zarienla to formalise cooperation on trading and exploration. The organisation has undergone several major reinventions since then – most notably when the invention of the Galactic Witchdrive brought the species of all eight charts together, and later when the initial Thargoid incursions necessitated adding formal military cooperation to the existing non-aggression treaties – such that it can hardly be said to be the same organisation, but it still traces its ancestry formally back to that date, which is the zero date of Galactic Standard Time.\n\nThe Inter-species Treaty of Cooperation can be summarised as follows:\n\n1) No system may attack another system, except where necessary to prevent that system from breaking this treaty clause, and only then when approved by the Cooperative.\n\n2) All systems shall provide sufficient funds for the establishment of trading stations in orbit, and the protection of these stations.\n\n3) There shall be a single agreed currency, set of laws, and set of trading regulations in space. These need not be used on planetary surfaces, where all regulations remain the right and responsibility of planetary authorities.\n\n4) Any new system discovered by a Cooperative member is discovered for the whole Cooperative, though the system of the discoverer is entitled to first refusal on colonisation rights, if it is uninhabited.\n\n5) All Cooperative members shall unite to repel external threats to any Cooperative members.\n\nThe majority of Cooperative operations are directed by local planetary authorities, with the role of the treaties being to maintain a minimum standard of operations which travellers may rely on. A few inter-system institutions do exist to manage communications, sharing of police data, and military cooperation against the Thargoids, and to ensure that the treaties are followed, but these employ fewer than ten million people across the entirety of Cooperative space.\n\nAround fifteen hundred of the just over two thousand systems reachable by witchdrive and galactic witchdrive are members of the Cooperative and full signatories to its treaties. The remaining systems - classified Feudal or Anarchy - all have at least one Cooperative-administered station in orbit around the primary inhabited planet, inside which standard Cooperative facilities are available. In some of these systems the presence of the Cooperative is respected, while in others it is merely tolerated or even resented; in all of them the station is funded from other Cooperative budgets rather than by the planetary authorities, and so the usual police patrols in space are largely absent.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-galcop-facilities-title" = "Facilities";
"ingame-manual-sociology-galcop-facilities-text" = "The major visible benefit of the Cooperative are the Coriolis stations (and more recently the Dodec and Ico designs) which orbit every known primary planet. These stations – around a cubic kilometre in size - provide a safe haven for the traveller, a stable gateway between inter-system traders (whose ships are rarely atmosphere-capable) and in-system shuttles, and a base for police patrols and operations. The interior is carefully designed to allow as many species as possible to coexist comfortably, with high ceilings for flying species, water-filled channels for aquatic species, and facilities at a range of sizes, temperatures and gravitational levels.\n\nThe central axis of the station is filled with the docks, capable of holding over three hundred ships (mostly small shuttles and transports) while they are refuelled, serviced, and have their cargo exchanged. At busy times, thirty ships an hour may be launching or landing.\n\nThe middle to outer sections contain offices, habitation, entertainment facilities, and viewing galleries. In addition to the large transient population of ship crews, most stations have around ten to twenty thousand permanent occupants, as well as many visitors from the planet's surface for whom this is the closest they wish to go to space.\n\nThe Coriolis stations themselves are incredibly well-shielded. For additional protection, and to protect nearby traders, they each contain a small fleet of Viper patrol craft (supplemented by the more modern Viper Interceptor in the richer systems), used to maintain control of the station safety zone, and in some systems to keep at least some presence on the direct route from the witchpoint to the planet.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-galcop-legal-title" = "Legal system";
"ingame-manual-sociology-galcop-legal-text" = "The need to be acceptable, consistent and enforceable across two thousand systems with very different cultures has made the Cooperative legal system very simple. Commission of an illegal act places a bounty on your ship. Small bounties may be paid off by paying a fine and carrying out community service or rehabilitation at the station. Larger bounties may not, though the Cooperative has a limited budget for bounties, and so provided no further illegal acts are committed, the larger bounties will decrease over time, as newer criminals are allocated the funds.\n\nWhen you have no bounty, you are considered “Clean” and will be assisted by the Cooperative police where possible. Any bounty at all will move your legal status to “Offender” and make you subject to sanctions. When your bounty rises to above 50 ₢ you will become a “Fugitive”, and generally be subject to immediate legal response. Many stations will deny docking clearance to fugitives.\n\nShould your ship be destroyed in combat while you have a bounty, the amount of that bounty will be paid to the ship firing the final shot. Bounty hunters make a living from this, providing the Cooperative with a very cheap way of removing criminals from space. You should therefore consider very carefully any act which may put you in breach of Cooperative law. The following are illegal acts:\n\nFiring on or destroying any official Cooperative station or police ship will get you immediate Fugitive status.\n\nFiring on Clean ships is illegal. Firing on Offender or Fugitive ships is entirely legal.\n\nThe removal of Slaves, Narcotics or Firearms from a Cooperative station is illegal. Following revisions and simplifications to the Cooperative treaties after the second Thargoid incursion, it is legal to possess and transport of quantities of these commodities for personal use. However, the bulk transport of any of these as cargo is not permitted. An exemption is made for imports to prevent the criminalisation of legitimate battlefield salvagers, but you must dispose of such salvaged goods by some method before leaving the station.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-title" = "Planetary Governments";
"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-text" = "The Cooperative maintains a short summary of the government type of each system, and this is viewable on your F7 system data screen. For simplicity, governments are divided into eight broad classifications, each described in the following chapters. The government type is reflected in the number and size of police patrols in the system, with Corporate States generally having the most patrols (and the fewest pirates) and Feudal and Anarchy systems having the fewest patrols (and the most pirates).\n\nThe classifications are extremely broad, and many systems could arguably fall into two (or sometimes more!) classifications. There have been allegations, so far unproven, that some planetary governments have been bribing the Cooperative officials to grant a more pleasant classification, and funding additional patrol craft – and conversely that some systems which have been unable to keep up with the required payments under Cooperative treaties have been downgraded. This has all been strenuously denied: nevertheless, the government description is far more useful as an indicator of the environment in space than it is of the planet below.\n\nThe following sections give typical and atypical examples of the government types.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-corp-title" = "Corporate States";
"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-corp-text" = "The official description of a Corporate State is “a system where the majority of work is carried out through corporate rather than governmental entities”.\n\nBisoge in Chart 5 is a clear example of this. A largely industrial world, it produces high-tech manufacturing technology for the neighbouring systems, with the majority of economic power concentrated in the four major corporations involved in this production. The civil planetary government has the major role of arbitrating disputes between the four corporations, and occasionally representing them in inter-system diplomacy. The corporations provide accommodation, education and healthcare to their workers, and manage internal law and order. Living standards are moderately high for corporation employees, especially senior ones, and very low for others, whose welfare is taken care of by the underresourced planetary government, and are usually forced to live in the system's undeveloped forested areas, constantly threatened by the local wildlife.\n\nRaenonce in Chart 2 is similar, though focusing on mining and extraction of rare elements. The entire planet is owned by the Raenonce Corporation, which originally paid for much of the settling and terraforming of the system, and slowly bought up the remaining rights as the original settlers died or retired. There is no distinction between the Corporation and the government in this case. Living standards are low, outside of the managerial class, who live in luxury off the system's trading profits.\n\nReatte in Chart 7 at first glance seems to be similar to Raenonce, with the entire planet's government controlled by a single corporation – Raette Liquors Inc. Corporate decisions are taken by the shareholders, but share holding is extremely regulated: off-worlders may not own shares, no individual may hold more than five shares, and all individuals are given one share at birth. The corporation and its officers therefore act more like a democracy than the more dictatorial states above, in their provision of governmental services. In this case, the corporation handles inter-system trade and production of the planet's famous brandy, using the revenue from this to fund education, defence and healthcare. Most of the inhabitants however work for independent companies, charities, or small businesses unrelated to the RLI's work.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-demo-title" = "Democracies";
"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-demo-text" = "The official description of a Democracy is “a system where governmental officials are appointed by popular vote”.\n\nBeenbeor in Chart 3 is a typical example. The major government officials and legislators at planetary, regional and local level are each elected by all citizens over the age of majority in elections held once every three planetary years. At the planetary level, control has generally passed between the conservative Stability Party, and a coalition of the more liberal Network Beenbeor and Unity parties. At regional and local levels several smaller parties often also hold power. Living standards are generally high from the system's trade in flight computers for space ships, though much of the government's tax revenue is held in reserve to repair the cities when the inevitable earthquakes strike.\n\nAanbiat in Chart 1 is more hierarchical, but still considered Democratic. Voters appoint officials to represent their interests at a local level, who then meet to themselves vote on representatives at a regional level, who vote for the continental representatives, who vote for the planetary representatives. There are only two political parties, the Wings and the Thorax, who are both well-known for favouritism in the system's limited resources towards the regions who supported them. Political change therefore generally occurs when voters are convinced to change sides in narrowly-balanced regions, with sometimes a single swing voter at local level able to tip that area, which tips the region, right up to the planetary government. When such a voter is identified, both parties usually rush to bribe them, while searching for alternative routes to secure power.\n\nOn the edge of the classification are systems like Tireonce in Chart 4, where while the system resembles Beenbeor's quite closely on paper, elections have not been held for over thirty kilodays, except for a few local ones, as the planet's military fights a long war against the rebel Tireonce Front for Freedom and Democracy. The resulting disorder has prevented requisite notice from being given for elections, or when given the fighting often intensifies in that area causing it to be cancelled. Both sides claim that as soon as they have won the civil war full elections will immediately be held.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-conf-title" = "Confederacies";
"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-conf-text" = "The official description of a Confederacy is “a system where the planet is internally divided into independent regions, but overall representation of the system rests in a single body”.\n\nDiraonle in Chart 6 is fairly typical, with twelve nations controlling the various landmasses, with a variety of government types. Two secondary planets in the system have their own government. The fourteen constituent nations each appoint (by various means) a Councillor to the Interstellar Council, which manages all trade and diplomatic relationships with the Cooperative, splitting all treaty income and expenditure between the nations in strict proportion to population. The Council itself meets in neutral space, on board one of the system's Coriolis stations.\n\nLegece in Chart 8 takes a rather different approach. Most of the Colonial inhabitants are strict isolationists, and do not talk to the Cooperative at all, or even much to each other. A minority Frog population runs a small independent government in the marshlands of the southeastern continent, and de facto handles all communications with the Cooperative on behalf of the several hundred other governments. While the Frogs tend to make arrangements favourable to themselves, this does not appear to be resented by the Colonials provided that the trade agreements bring in sufficient supplies for their Zero-G Cricket leagues, and the diplomatic agreements allow for the occasional visiting team.\n\nOresle in Chart 1 is not a Confederacy by choice. The planet has been infected in recent times by a highly virulent disease, currently contained in over twenty quarantine zones holding two thirds of the system population. The difficulties in communication caused by these zones caused the single planetary government to break down, with the twenty zones now administered entirely independently both from the uninfected area and each other (though all regions have maintained a common style of Communist government in the hope that a cure will allow reunification). The remainder of the single government in the uninfected zone now manages interstellar diplomacy on behalf of the other twenty regions.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-comm-title" = "Communist Systems";
"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-comm-text" = "The official description of a Communist system is “a system where the majority of the means of production are controlled by the state”\n\nGeonerbe in Chart 4 is typical of this government type, with private ownership of business on the planet's surface illegal. A single world government controls all production and most consumption, though some minor flexibility in personal consumption is permitted. A few independent businesses do exist off-planet, though many of these are also controlled by senior government officials. The appointment of government officials is by popular vote, though the Communist Party is the only serious contender for all senior and most junior government positions.\n\nArgema in Chart 7 is a little different. A heavily forested world, it receives most of its planetary income from the tourist and logging trades, both of which are solely owned and run by the planetary government. Private enterprise in other areas is encouraged, though with few other natural resources these mainly reduce the system's dependence on industrial imports, and do not make significant profits. The government itself is almost plutocratic, with most senior government positions either held by the heads of the tourism and logging state corporations, or given to favoured friends of those individuals.\n\nXesoon in Chart 3 counts as Communist mostly because it had to be filed somewhere. The citizenry communicates entirely through poetry, and the Constitution is a fifty-thousand word epic. Government business is carried out through an annual song-poem, to which any citizen may append a verse to set out and approve of their business for the year. While private enterprise is technically allowed, the locals prefer to add their work to the song-poem, and outsiders who can compose poetry to the standards required to do business are extremely rare.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-dict-title" = "Dictatorships";
"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-dict-text" = "A Dictatorship is defined as “a system in which all political power is owned by a relatively small group of individuals, who also control admittance to that group”.\n\nBeveinve in Chart 5 is a hereditary absolute monarchy. The monarch rules the system, with their eldest child usually being their successor (although others may be appointed in their place). A small court of around a hundred nobles directs regional operations at the pleasure of the monarch, with executions for displeasing performance commonplace. Living standards are extremely low outside the nobility, but careful control of imports and exports prevents the peasantry from getting their paws on the means of revolution.\n\nMaatis in Chart 6 is less controlled about its appointments. A caste system allocates individuals to one of several hundred roles at birth, of which Politician is one, based on claims made by the existing members of the castes. Once allocated to the role, citizens are trained to fulfil it, beginning at a low level when they reach the age of majority, and slowly rising through the ranks according to luck and ability as they age. In the Political role, most will have gained some regional leadership role in the planet's bureaucracy by old age, with a few obtaining planetary ranks.\n\nZaragete in Chart 2 has an unusual political system. Like Beveinve, political rule is technically absolute, and the leader appoints their successor. However, unlike Beveinve, the term of office is strictly limited to one planetary year. Should the planet make a trading profit in that year, the outgoing leader may keep a percent of the profit, generally making them extremely rich. If the planet does not make a trading profit, the outgoing leader will be executed. Choice of appointment varies therefore between friends and enemies of the current leader, depending on economic projections. The government is solely responsible for interplanetary trade and diplomacy, with all domestic affairs carried out by private businesses and charities.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-mult-title" = "Multi-Government Systems";
"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-mult-text" = "A Multi-Government system is defined as “a system where multiple governments are responsible for representation of the system”. Contrast this with a Confederacy, where there are multiple governments on the planet, but they present a somewhat united external face.\n\nLerequ in Chart 2 is a typical example. Following a long civil war it is now peacefully divided between three groups – the Southern Ocean Corporation, the Commune, and the Independent Clans. While the three no longer fight, none of the three trusts the others to negotiate with the Cooperative on its behalf, and so all three do so separately. The lack of cooperation means that the funding for police patrols and other Cooperative facilities is limited, making the space lanes more dangerous than they need to be.\n\nRiladi in Chart 8 exhibits one of the main reasons for a world to be Multi-Government – an ongoing major civil war. Both sides in the war demand equal representation to the Cooperative, which rigorously remains neutral in the conflict. Neither, of course, is willing to provide more than token funding to protect shipping, as they spend most of their spare money on weapons and defenses.\n\nTezabi in Chart 5 takes Multi-Government to its extremes. The planetary government is a fairly normal unified democracy, in domestic matters. Unfortunately, a legacy of disputes in its early colonisation means that any individual has the right to directly petition the Cooperative as an ambassador, and usually several hundred thousand take up this right at any one time. The Cooperative staff at the station have established a scale of charges for services almost indistinguishable from formalised bribery, a practice which attracts considerable criticism but also one where no alternative which can deal with the scale of requests has been found.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-feud-title" = "Feudal Systems";
"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-feud-text" = "A Feudal System is defined as “a system where the exercise of power is hierarchical in nature”. In practice, since that is virtually tautologous, this status is reserved for those systems which have been unable to come to a satisfactory agreement with the Cooperative over at least one of the terms in the treaties. They may make a few goodwill payments to fund a basic station and patrols, or the Cooperative may provide them from surplus funding elsewhere, but there is no formal agreement.\n\nAtlaeser in Chart 7 actually follows a traditional feudal model in its government, with the Grand Mover ruling with an inner court of Flock Leaders, and an outer court of Path and Skein Leaders (the planet still uses the traditional avian titles of nobility, from pre-spaceflight migrations). The system has relatively high living standards even for the serf classes, thanks to a well-balanced economy, and excellent natural resources.\n\nAt the other end of the scale, Sovere in Chart 3 has virtually no natural resources, and even its water is contaminated with hallucinogenic compounds. The corporate government would like to sell the water to other systems, as there is some demand for it, but under Cooperative law it is classified as a Narcotic, and the government's refusal to accept this classification is the crux of the dispute with the Cooperative.\n\nCetiat in Chart 8 is the sort of system where the Cooperative practice of restricting the supply of technology to Feudal systems makes a lot of sense. The system refuses to sign up to either the non-aggression or mutual defence clauses of the Cooperative treaties, although fortunately its lack of industrial resources means that the nearby systems are not in any great danger from its pitiful navy. The dictatorship's territorial ambitions, while extremely unlikely to get anywhere, are long-standing.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-anar-title" = "Anarchies";
"ingame-manual-sociology-govt-anar-text" = "An Anarchy system is defined as “a system where no diplomatic relations may be established”, generally due to a complete lack of recognisable government. Again, therefore, formal agreement to the Cooperative treaties is generally missing, though in practice there is often at least a vague acceptance of them by individuals.\n\nLaxeti in Chart 6 is one typical example, where all larger governments have broken down, there is no planetary authority larger than a city, and all attempts to establish diplomatic communications with the Cooperative have failed, even on a multi-government model. Visitors to the planet must arrange their visits separately to each region, and similarly traders wishing to ship goods to the surface must barter carefully in the absence of any currency with worth outside the few hundred square kilometres it originates in.\n\nMaesin in Chart 1 is very different, but the result in space is the same. The original colonists were refugees from a harsh dictatorial system, and came to Maesin with the aim of having no hierarchies, no formal power structures, and no leaders, so that no-one could seize power in the same way. With persistent effort, they have succeeded in doing this, and the planet remains a peaceful voluntary collective of subsistence farmers to this day. Unfortunately, as a consequence, there is absolutely no authority which the Cooperative can deal with, and so the space above the planet is a haven for pirates and other criminals.\n\nIsquinza in Chart 4 is a highly unusual Anarchy. The planetary government is a well-organised corporate dictatorship, well known for the manufacture of Zero-G Hockey sticks and other sporting goods. However, they are also extremely isolationist. Trade is carried out by a few trusted intermediaries, and direct communication between the surface and space is completely outlawed. Most of the facts about the government are only known through extremely careful anthropological research, as it refuses outright to talk to the Cooperative or visitors at all, and only allows the trusted intermediaries to land.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-econ-title" = "Planetary Economies";
"ingame-manual-sociology-econ-text" = "Planetary economies vary considerably in scope and style, though the Cooperative treaties generally manage to insulate interplanetary traders from the consequences of this. The volume of interplanetary trade is relatively low as a proportion of planetary production, and so mainly consists of agricultural goods where the origin is important, rare minerals found at significantly different rates in different systems (where a few hundred tonnes a kiloday may be sufficient for an entire system's needs), and technological specialities cheaper to produce elsewhere than to set up an entire production chain in every system.\n\nDo not rely solely on the technological level when trading technology: this number is heavily biased towards the technologies required for space flight. A specialist world such as Tebeor may be a leader within the chart for its areas (genetic engineering, in Tebeor's case) even if its general tech level is middling.\n\nThe Cooperative defines the following classes of trade goods:\n\nFOOD: Most edible goods fall into this category. The majority of the trade is in rare luxury items, and delicacies or ingredients for minority species.\nTEXTILES: Everything from natural fabrics to bulletproof armour. Many planets with inhospitable environments import almost all of their supply.\nRADIOACTIVES: A catch-all category for substances requiring special handling, from exotic matter used in ship engines to biotechnology.\nSLAVES: Any living sentient being. Inter-system trade is illegal. Around sixty percent of systems also forbid the slave trade on their surface.\nLIQUOR/WINES: Various legal intoxicants, mostly in liquid form, and mostly based around alcohol. Some planets are particularly renowned for local specialities.\nLUXURIES: A wide range of high-tech consumer goods and status symbols.\nNARCOTICS: Various illegal intoxicants and other drugs. Inter-system trade is illegal. The legality of trade on the surface varies considerably from system to system with the specific goods.\nCOMPUTERS: High-tech computational devices, including ship systems and artificial intelligences.\nMACHINERY: Components and devices used in manufacturing and other industrial processes. Many systems will import a small amount of high-tech tools and use these to then make the tools used in the rest of their production base.\nALLOYS: Refined metals, plastics, ceramics, and occasionally toughened biomaterials.\nFIREARMS: Small arms – either hand-held or at least hand-operable. Inter-system trade is illegal, and planetary laws usually regulate both trade and ownership.\nFURS: Animal pelts with particular commercial value (often for decorative rather than functional properties) are placed in this category rather than Textiles, due to their significantly higher price.\nMINERALS: Unrefined ores and rocks, from which more valuable substances may be extracted in small quantities.\nGOLD: Rare precious metal, used for decoration and in small quantities in manufacturing. Its portability and favourable exchange rate makes it a useful secondary currency where the Cooperative credit is too official.\nPLATINUM: Another rare metal.\nGEM STONES: Extremely rare minerals, often the consequence of highly unusual metamorphic rock formation unique to a single planet. The worth of a single gram of this good makes them a common secondary currency.\nALIEN ITEMS: Anything generated by a species outside the Cooperative, but most often salvaged or captured Thargoid technology. Rarely available for purchase on the open market.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-econ-agri-title" = "Agricultural Systems";
"ingame-manual-sociology-econ-agri-text" = "Poor Agricultural systems tend to be at a subsistence level of production, with perhaps a small trade surplus. All high-tech goods must be imported as they cannot be made locally, though few inhabitants will be rich enough to afford these. Export prices for basic raw materials and biological goods – foods, liquors, textiles – are usually extremely competitive in an attempt to attract trade.\n\nRich Agricultural systems, in contrast, usually have significant trade surpluses, and a strong technological basis in areas such as biotechnology, farming, mineral extraction, or some service industries. They can often produce industrial goods in sufficient quantities to be mostly self-sufficient, though will generally import some for convenience. Luxury goods, for the wealthy beneficiaries of the system's productivity, are also popular.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-econ-ind-title" = "Industrial Systems";
"ingame-manual-sociology-econ-ind-text" = "Poor Industrial systems tend to be better off than their agricultural counterparts, but not by a lot. They have a range of machinery and other high-tech goods available for export, but weaknesses in their manufacturing base and inefficiencies in production mean that these are often somewhat more expensive than competitors can manage. Their surplus for buying imports is therefore relatively low, and so they may on occasion experience serious shortages of some goods, especially textiles or furs.\n\nRich Industrial systems, on the other hand, have much upgraded production facilities and supply chains, able to produce high-tech goods – especially computers and luxuries – at fairly cheap prices and in large quantities. Exporting these to almost all other systems gives them a substantial trade surplus, but the heavily industrialised environment often leaves little room for delicate biological goods such as foods or liquors, where there are opportunities for large trading profits.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-species-title" = "Species of the Cooperative";
"ingame-manual-sociology-species-text" = "The intelligent inhabitants of the Cooperative belong to nine major species, with each system having the species with the largest population listed on the system data screen. Almost all worlds have inhabitants of all species, and only the oldest systems - often predating the Cooperative itself - have a majority species.\n\nSeven of the species – Birds, Felines, Frogs, Insects, Lizards, Lobsters, and Rodents – are native to Cooperative space, and their species descriptors usually contain some information about local differences in culture or appearance chosen by the planetary government.\n\nThe eight and ninth groups are not native to Cooperative space, arriving before the invention of the Galactic Witchdrive through a now-lost witchspace route. Cut off from their distant home world, most of them have chosen to adopt a single species descriptor of Human Colonials. They make up approximately one sixth of the total population of the Cooperative, and are the largest single species in around half of the systems. A smaller fraction, though still comparable in population to the other species, have named themselves Humanoids. This group contains both those who have modified their genetics or used cyborg enhancements to the point they no longer consider themselves Colonials, and a minority who believe that the break from the home world was a blessing and wish to detach themselves from that history.\n\nAll nine species are culturally extremely varied, and while the differences in pre-spaceflight history, anatomy, preferred environment and psychology are significant, it is often the case that members of different species from the same planet are more culturally similar to each other than they are to other members of their own species from other systems.\n\nNOTE: Species names were one of the most difficult elements to translate when agreeing on common languages for Cooperative business, as most of them effectively translate to the same concept in a species' native language. For convenience, therefore, each species has its own name for each of the others, often derived from a native creature on their homeworld bearing some superficial anatomical resemblance. This manual matches the localisation settings on your system database: currently the Human Colonial dialect.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-thargoids-title" = "Thargoids";
"ingame-manual-sociology-thargoids-text" = "Very little is known about the Thargoids, who entered Cooperative space approximately two hundred kilodays ago – the exact date is uncertain, as the majority of first contacts are believed not to have been survived by the Cooperative ships. They fly large and powerful ships, octagonal in design, with a range of technology beyond Cooperative capabilities. Their engines use an unknown technology with no detectable drive emissions and considerably higher thrust than Cooperative ships. They use a highly accurate omnidirectional laser turret for defence, and deploy a number of autonomous drone fighters for offence. Both technologies are beyond our current capabilities. Most importantly, they appear to have a much stronger theoretical grasp of witchspace than Cooperative scientists, including the ability to intercept other ships while in transit.\n\nUnfortunately, they are also universally hostile. There are no recorded encounters with Thargoid ships in which the Thargoids did not immediately attack the Cooperative ships, showing no mercy, ignoring all attempts at communication, and continuing fighting until destroyed. The recent decision to make military lasers and shields available to the general public has made them less of a threat than they were when first encountered, and joint navies operating under the Cooperative treaty have won significant defensive victories, but they are still a major danger to trade and travel.\n\nTheir habit of fighting to the death makes it difficult to recover much from their ships, and so much of their technology, appearance, origins and motivations remain unknown. Organic debris recovered strongly suggests that they have an exoskeletal anatomy, with eight limbs, but further details are speculative. They do not appear to be related to any Cooperative species.\n\nUsable debris from their ships, especially captured drone fighters, is widely sought after for research purposes, and can be easily sold on the standard station markets under the Alien Items heading.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-history-title" = "History";
"ingame-manual-sociology-history-text" = "The history of the Cooperative is extensive, and beyond the scope of this manual. Certain key dates and events are useful for all pilots to be aware of for the understanding of how the structure and sociology of the modern Cooperative formed, and these are summarised in this section. As should be clear from the later sections, this is currently a time of great change, and pilots should check local conditions in more detail.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-history-before-title" = "Prehistory";
"ingame-manual-sociology-history-before-text" = "The pre-Cooperative history of most species is now a matter for intense archaeological debate with few facts considered settled. The first successful communication between species took place between the Birds and Frogs whose homeworlds were sufficiently close to allow slow speed-of-light communications well before the discovery of witchspace. Relativistic effects make this impossible to date exactly, but a nominal date for this event is used as 0KD – the basis of the Cooperative calendar.\n\nThe dates at which species discovered and began experimenting with witchspace is also very unclear. It is likely that the Colonials, on their homeworld far outside the eight charts, were the first to successfully develop a witchspace drive, some time around 500KD, with the other species doing so between then and 900KD. Initial difficulties in refining quirium without a massive expenditure of energy, and the inefficiency of early drives - requiring almost twenty thousand times the mass of quirium used today - made the use of witchspace for exploration an extremely slow process, and colonisation virtually impossible, though a few colonies were nevertheless founded during this time. The Birds and Frogs finally met in person in 814KD, beginning a substantial programme of cultural and technological exchange.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-history-eight-title" = "The Eight Charts";
"ingame-manual-sociology-history-eight-text" = "Other than the Birds and Frogs, no Cooperative species evolved in the same chart as any other, and their scouts found no evidence of other technological or sapient species on nearby systems. Exploration and initial settlement was slow due to the sheer size of the ships involved – a basic scouting ship was considerably larger than an Anaconda (particularly good restored examples can be found in the museums of Dicebe and Ateslete).\n\nThe Colonials entered the area now known as Chart 2 from the north of the Tezaeded system, in around 830KD. Their research of witchspace drives had by then progressed to the stage where viable colony vessels could be transported, and the rich mineral wealth of Tezaeded and the superb environment of nearby Onatbeza were ideal for them. Several million colonists made the journey across hundreds of light years to begin the process, as scout ships continued to explore the remainder of the chart. The exact size of the Colonial civilisation at this time is not known, though it is believed to have explored a volume of space considerably larger than the entirety of Cooperative space, and to have approaching a hundred colonies in various directions from its homeworld.\n\nIn around 920KD, the single linking system between Tezaeded and the remainder of Colonial space drifted outside the 7LY limit of witchspace drives. Its physical distance as measured by planetary sensors remained under the limit, however. The reasons for this discrepancy are still not well understood, and as the system has itself moved over time – and is now unambiguously out of range – perhaps will never be known. The result was that the hundred million colonists were now cut off from their homeworld.\n\nIn the other charts, exploration was continuing, with all species discovering that their homeworlds lay within an isolated region of space; a solid seven light years or more separating their chart from any other system. In around 930KD, however, researchers at Inera discovered the Octagon, and after extensive experimentation were finally able to send a probe around it in 1020KD. Crewed scout vessels followed soon after, from both Tionisla and Inera, rapidly making contact with the other species.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-history-interspecies-title" = "Early interspecies treaties";
"ingame-manual-sociology-history-interspecies-text" = "The existing experience at interspecies communication of the Frogs and Birds proved invaluable at accelerating the establishment of peaceful relations between all eight species, and cross-chart colonies began to be established in 1085KD as species exchanged the coordinates of worlds unsuited to themselves but habitable by other settlers.\n\nThe initial peace eventually collapsed, however, when a diplomatic and cultural misunderstanding between the Feline and Insect species escalated out of control in 1117KD, leading to the bombardment of the Ataneris colony and tens of millions of deaths. Retaliatory raids commenced, and both species attempted to recruit others to their side, only halted in 1118KD when the Frogs and Birds imposed a strong blockade in several major systems, preventing the Felines from crossing Chart 6 on their way to Ataneris. Simultaneously, the two species sent their own fleets to defend Ataneris, forcing the retreat of the Insect armada, and opening a window for a peaceful resolution.\n\nThe experience left all eight species extremely wary of future wars, and the Unified Species Treaty was signed in 1134KD, establishing the joint Interspecies Assembly. Shortly afterwards, the Colonial settlement at Gerebied declared independence from the Colonial government, in protest at what it saw as a waste of resources continuing to try to reconnect with the Colonial homeworld, and changed its species description to Humanoid. It was, however, not until 1389KD that they – and the numerous other worlds which had joined them – were given representation on the Assembly.\n\nOne of the conditions of the treaty was the establishment of joint colonies, to encourage cooperation, and hundreds were founded between 1134KD and the end of the Interspecies Assembly. It was also at this time that the standard calendar was agreed, using the Colonial standard day as its day, and the estimated first contact date as its start.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-history-founding-title" = "The Galactic Cooperative";
"ingame-manual-sociology-history-founding-text" = "In 1450KD, with over five hundred systems colonised (mostly jointly) and more planned, the success of the Unified Species Treaty became extremely clear when over one hundred worlds put forward a resolution removing the species vetoes from the Treaty. While it was narrowly defeated at the time, it was clear that an organisation based around the idea of distinct species was no longer suited to coordinating between the very disparate systems, and the Galactic Cooperative Treaty was developed to replace it, eventually being signed in 1522KD.\n\nUnlike its predecessor, representation in the Cooperative was solely based on system population, and the importance of the species homeworlds (Tezaeded, as always, standing in as homeworld for both Colonials and Humanoids) was greatly diminished. The Cooperative set up numerous institutions for interplanetary trade, diplomacy and technological cooperation, which continue to exist today with relatively little modification.\n\nIntensive research into both witchspace technology and terraforming made it possible to complete the colonisation of Cooperative space, with the final colony on Oresrati being established in 1886KD. The period between 1600KD and 1970KD is regarded as being the golden age of the Cooperative, a period of immense technological, cultural, economic and population growth, leading at its height to a peaceful alliance between over two thousand systems and eleven trillion people.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-history-thargoids-title" = "The Thargoids";
"ingame-manual-sociology-history-thargoids-text" = "The golden age could have lasted for hundreds more kilodays, had it not been for the arrival of the Thargoids. Their first scouts were confirmed in 1976KD, though an increase in “witchspace malfunctions” suggests that they may have been present in small numbers as early as 1968KD. Over eight hundred kilodays of almost uninterrupted peace had left the Cooperative's military technology extremely atrophied, with only environmental shielding and mining lasers being easily weaponised. Nevertheless, the Cooperative responded strongly, with research across the charts reprioritised. A powerful naval fleet under Cooperative command was developed, and won initial victories against the Thargoid scouts, protecting trade convoys between all systems. Their source and motivation remained, as today, a mystery, with no successful communication being made.\n\nIn 2054KD, however, the Thargoid scouts increased in number, as a large invasion force entered Cooperative space. The Cooperative fleet, though large, struggled to hold it off, as the Thargoids used their superior witchspace technology to avoid blockades, destroying convoys and bombarding systems from orbit. Hundreds of systems – perceiving the Cooperative to be unable or unwilling to defend them – declared independence to set up their own fleets, and hundreds more threatened to do the same. In 2058KD, on the edge of a breakup of the Cooperative and the likely annihilation of its inhabitants, the Cooperative General Assembly signed legislation allowing weapons to be fitted to civilian ships.\n\nAlmost immediately, ships across Cooperative space were refitted into fighter craft and battleships. Casaulties were high, but no longer could a single Thargoid scout destroy an unprotected convoy and escape before the navy arrived. Several groups of pilots formed Thargoid hunting clubs – with many systems offering payments for proven kills – many of which merged in 2062KD into the Elite Federation of Pilots.\n\nTheir hit and run tactics no longer adequate to break supply lines, and their warships temporarily unable to overcome the Cooperative navy, the Thargoids fell back, reducing their presence to a few remaining scout ships.";

"ingame-manual-sociology-history-modern-title" = "The present day";
"ingame-manual-sociology-history-modern-text" = "Once granted, of course, the arming of civilian ships proved impossible to revoke, and without the immediate threat of a Thargoid invasion, the more criminal elements of society began committing piracy against the trade convoys. The Cooperative navy – severely damaged from the war – was again unable to defend the convoys, and trade companies, planetary governments, and the Cooperative itself therefore instead appealed to the various mercenary and independent pilots, placing bounties for pirate kills. In 2067KD, the Elite Federation of Pilots was recognised by the Cooperative as the official organisation for tracking such kills.\n\nWhen, in 2079KD, the Thargoids returned, striking with overwhelming force at several key systems across the eight charts, bombarding several major industrial worlds and shipyards, and cutting key intra-chart supply lines, the navy had not been rebuilt enough to stop them. Instead, the Cooperative was reduced to a coordinating role, more in the spirit of the original Unified Species Treaty, bringing together planetary military forces and independent ships to fight off the Thargoids.\n\nIn 2080KD, Commander Jameson became the first pilot to reach the ranking of Elite, surprising many who had thought this impossible. After their death at the battle of Inera in 2082KD, a tradition began of dedicating new ships to them, and therefore you may find that the flight computers are set to 'Jameson'. Some shipyards have complex traditions and ceremonies for the symbolic handover of a ship to its first living pilot; others view this practice as unhelpful and disrespectful superstition, and will ensure that the ship computers are set to your name before you board.\n\nIn 2083KD, the Thargoids were once again defeated, with their final occupation being defeated at the Battle of Isxees. Since then their presence has again been restricted to a few scouting and raiding ships, though if their origin cannot be determined, a third invasion is considered extremely likely. Following this battle, the Cooperative navy was formally disbanded, its few surviving fleets being transferred to the control of their home systems. System militaries vary considerably in strength, but usually have regional mutual defence agreements, so the poorer systems are not left completely unprotected.\n\nAround a quarter of the systems in Cooperative space are no longer part of the Cooperative itself – either having declared independence following the start of the Thargoid invasion, or having been so badly damaged during it that the government collapsed. The Cooperative retains an embassy in orbit around these “Feudal” and “Anarchy” systems, and some of the longer-standing and less controversial aspects of the treaties such as trade are still usually honoured there, but they are for now being left to go their own way.\n\nThere have been proposals to reform the Cooperative to reflect its new smaller role – and perhaps to bring some of the missing systems back in – but so far none have achieved even significant minority support. Piracy continues to be a problem, despite widespread deployment of the Cooperative police Viper patrols, and military research continues in expectation of the Thargoids' return. So far, the original aim of preventing inter-system war has still been met, though in the absence of a direct external threat, many observers believe that this will not continue for long.";

nabbed from cim's Ship's Manual

[Cholmondely]

And more:

Combat Manoeuvers
"ingame-manual-inflight-combat-title" = "Combat flight";
"ingame-manual-inflight-combat-text" = "If you are travelling in space, sadly, you need to be prepared to engage in combat, even if just to run away. While the area around Cooperative stations is generally safe, in all but the best patrolled systems there are too few police craft to maintain an effective patrol even of the most direct witchpoint-planet route. Outside of a few common in-system routes, police are unlikely to be found at all.\n\nDumping a few containers and then fleeing will often get pirates to chase the cargo rather than you - a sharp turn after dumping cargo to increase the distance is recommended.";

"ingame-manual-inflight-combat-laser-title" = "Combat with lasers";
"ingame-manual-inflight-combat-laser-text" = "Unless you take up a job on a military torpedo boat, and perhaps even then, the majority of your fighting will likely be carried out with one or more lasers mounted on your ship. Your ship may fit more than the one laser and it is worth, if money allows, making sure that they are of a high quality.\n\nAll lasers generate considerable heat output, and so much of the bulk of the laser mounting is taken up with heat sinks and coolant tubes. There is a chance that firing many shots might cause thermal damage to the laser, and firing will be disabled until it has had time to cool down. It is therefore extremely important that one practices being accurate with your lasers in a safe environment – ideally either a reputable simulator or live-fire training course, but if those are not available in your area, by practising on asteroids and other space junk – before you need to use them in deadly combat.\n\nBeam laser weapons are especially prone to overheating, doing so after only a few seconds of continuous fire (though, if those shots were all on target, your aggressor is unlikely to be doing much firing back afterwards, provided there was only one of them)\n\nIf funds permit, consider purchasing a Scanner Targeting Enhancement, as this will make it easier to track targets both in dogfights and at long range.";

"ingame-manual-inflight-combat-missile-title" = "Combat with missiles";
"ingame-manual-inflight-combat-missile-text" = "Missiles are expensive – especially the ECM-resistant “hardhead” missiles – and pylon space is strictly limited on most ships. They should therefore be used to supplement other weapon systems and are often most effective used defensively, to distract an aggressor long enough for you to flee. Nevertheless the missile warheads are quite substantial, capable of destroying smaller fighters outright, or seriously damaging larger ships.\n\nLock on your first missile before engaging in combat, so that it is ready to fire with a single control as soon as needed. If that target is destroyed by other means, or leaves scanner range, promptly re-lock the missile on to another target. You can save time here by purchasing a Multi-Targeting System, which will allow you to acquire separate locks with each pylon.";

(Nabbed From wiki page:)
There are a number of tactics developed in Lave Academy or recorded as efficacious.
The Barkanion Bounce: Barkanioth Sidereas, the Supreme Savant of the Lavean Academy's School of Strategic Studies, developed a method of swirling or looping combined with continual changes of velocity, thus making it almost impossible for the enemy to hit him as he was closing with them.
The Wrogers Writhe: Wrogers, the renowned reptilian Elite pilot from the antipodes of Riarribi, perfected the technique of performing a corkscrew approach towards the enemy using Witchfuel Injectors (thus ensuring that their laser blasts miss) until behind them, then spinning on a coin (at greatly reduced speed) and turning and strafing them. Initial missile fire could be easily ECM'd as they would be firing their missiles facing away from Wrogers, giving him more time to react.
Manfred's Manoeuver: The sun blinds your enemies in the same way that it blinds you. But if they are behind you (and you have a rear-mounted laser) ...
The Stellar Bake: If outnumbered, head for the sun (keeping the enemy close by). Enter the corona until your temperature hits the red line, then turn 180 degrees and engage your witch-fuel injectors. They will probably bake to death.
The Ahrumian Arrest: When you’re close to an enemy of comparable speed and both are circling around each other at high speed. The best way to break out of this is to slow down; the enemy will end up further away from you, and becomes easier to aim at (because his movements have a smaller arc distance from your perspective). Adalbert Ahrumias was an early Supreme Savant at the Lave Academy, a couple of generations ago.
Dybal's Defensive Barrel Roll: Commodore Dybal perfected an over-ride mechanism for his Astrogation Console allowing an attacked pilot to relax once the lasers start overheating and the shields are being depleted. To evade enemy lasers, roll & pitch simultaneously, which makes the ship spiral. Commodore Dybal's Barrel Roll equipment allows automatic performance of this manoeuver. Commander Hiran recommends installing Auto-ECM to enable automatic obliteration of inimical incoming missiles which might inhibit enjoyment of a gin & tonic/decent cup of broken Orange Pekoe tea.
Interstellar Barrel Roll: This is a hyperspace jump executed while barrel rolling. It forces a misjump that lets you end up in interstellar space. Only an option if meeting thargoids is better than facing your current threat.

[Cholmondely]

the wiki will be the platform for dev and eventual release versions.

ML,

just trying out LitF v.0.02 at Zaonce (industrial corporate) & at Xeer (mainly agricultural democracy)

i) in an as-yet-unnamed ship there is a blank for the ship name rather than the usual Jameson shipname of Cobra Mk3 or whatever.

ii) I just got scragged while walking around and then trying to stop two birds who had started fighting and then ganged up to give me what for (went from "health excellent" to "wounds medium" with health "excellent", and lots of warnings that walking hurts!). So some sort of code for combat is in there! Lurking!

iii) Found your gov offices placeholder on Concourse C. Got to try it at an Anarchy

Not been to a Rock Hermit yet. Maybe their bookstores should sell Hermitage's blueprints?

Do you think that LitF can be combatibilificaterised with Hermitage, or is it a lost cause?

And this was spewed out into the Latest.log

Code: Select all

    ~/Library/Application Support/Oolite/Managed AddOns/LitF+v0.02.oxz
    LITF 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
    LITF_Common 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
    LITF_EventsCatalog 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
    LITF_Navigation 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
    LITF_RandomEvents 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
    LITF_RPGElements 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
18:00:36.818 [WARNING] GlobalLog (OOJSGlobal.m:266): ["LITF_placeLabel","LITF_reLabel","pow","prop","key","c"]
    LITF 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
    LITF_Common 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
    LITF_EventsCatalog 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
    LITF_Navigation 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
    LITF_RandomEvents 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
    LITF_RPGElements 0.7.3, + dev ver 0.02
18:02:10.321 [WARNING] GlobalLog (OOJSGlobal.m:266): ["LITF_placeLabel","LITF_reLabel","pow","prop","key","c"]

[Massively Locked]

i) in an as-yet-unnamed ship there is a blank for the ship name rather than the usual Jameson shipname of Cobra Mk3 or whatever.

Glad you caught that. I'll error trap that.

ii) I just got scragged while walking around and then trying to stop two birds who had started fighting and then ganged up to give me what for (went from "health excellent" to "wounds medium" with health "excellent", and lots of warnings that walking hurts!). So some sort of code for combat is in there! Lurking!

Yeah, I was pretty sure that BB had included that. I'm still studing his code. I had an idea that if you're injured/wounded and don't get treated, it'll impair your ship's flight performance. Just a thought for now.

iii) Found your gov offices placeholder on Concourse C. Got to try it at an Anarchy

If we make govt offices permanent, it could be a good location for govt services, propaganda, wanted posters, etc.

Not been to a Rock Hermit yet. Maybe their bookstores should sell Hermitage's blueprints?

Do you think that LitF can be combatibilificaterised with Hermitage, or is it a lost cause?

Creating an alternate layout for Hermitage rock hermits should be easy enough. Beyond that, we should consult with phkb before galloping off. One moar note about rock hermits- I already made an alt layout yesterday. I'm currently fleshing it out and testing it. It's... different. You'll see it in the next version.

And this was spewed out into the Latest.log

Yes, there are several global variables declared across the scripts. While it's possible that this was done deliberately, my guess is that it was simply accidental. It's on my list of things to fix down the road.

[Cholmondely]

ii) I just got scragged while walking around and then trying to stop two birds who had started fighting and then ganged up to give me what for (went from "health excellent" to "wounds medium" with health "excellent", and lots of warnings that walking hurts!). So some sort of code for combat is in there! Lurking!

Yeah, I was pretty sure that BB had included that. I'm still studing his code. I had an idea that if you're injured/wounded and don't get treated, it'll impair your ship's flight performance. Just a thought for now.

But our ships have First Aid kits too. Should be able to do something in the ship too, even if not a perfect fix.

iii) Found your gov offices placeholder on Concourse C. Got to try it at an Anarchy

If we make govt offices permanent, it could be a good location for govt services, propaganda, wanted posters, etc.

I'd make it part of the GalCop precinct on the top floor(?). And there is a lot of other oxp stuff which will need adding to it (if we get that far!):

Going back to the "to do" list up above

(ii) integrating other oxp's with the various station geographies
Hints should be added to the station bars (ideally with different types of hints in different bars)
Smugglers introduces meetings with the DockMaster & Black Markets and GalCop Security Kiosks.
Diplomancy introduces an Embassy zone (to the posh end of Concourse C? - or to GalCop precinct?)
Home System's investments moved from the F3 screen to an office in the station (to Concourse C?)
Phkb's Security Offices/Kiosks (GalCop's Most Wanted & Bounty System) moved to the GalCop precinct
New Cargoes' speciality markets, auctions, trade floors etc (to Concourse C?)
First Finance oxp's bank (to Concourse C?)
Equipment Storage's warehouse to Storage
Combat Simulator's simulator (to Olympian Square?)
GNN news coming in over the "Tannoy" system

Not been to a Rock Hermit yet. Maybe their bookstores should sell Hermitage's blueprints?

Do you think that LitF can be combatibilificaterised with Hermitage, or is it a lost cause?

Creating an alternate layout for Hermitage rock hermits should be easy enough. Beyond that, we should consult with phkb before galloping off. One moar note about rock hermits- I already made an alt layout yesterday. I'm currently fleshing it out and testing it. It's... different. You'll see it in the next version.

Great! Looking forwards...

And this was spewed out into the Latest.log

Yes, there are several global variables declared across the scripts. While it's possible that this was done deliberately, my guess is that it was simply accidental. It's on my list of things to fix down the road.

I don't know if it means anything important - nor if it came from BB's original code.

[Cholmondely]

Current LitF Description:

The hall has a strange configuration: you can't say for sure, but it seems that the walls change and slides modifying the shape of the building. On the walls you see pictures from several systems. The wall opposite to the entrance shows a hooded man in an embracing pose, surrounded by shining stars. In front of this sacred picture there's an altar, and a series of benches. A soothing melody plays in the background. Everything is silent.

<This place is a little weird. Maybe I'll explore it another time>
<How relaxing! I'll stay a while and meditate>


Picture of corridor does not match description
________________________________________________________________

CGC/Church of Giles the Creator

You enter an antechamber with an open doorway to the church behind it.

1) No service, church deserted (but invisible electronic watchers spying)
Peering through the doorway you can see a dimly lit room with some sort of boat in the middle of it, sitting in a moat that runs across the room from left to right. On your side of the room are pews, plaques on the walls and a path through to the boat. On the other side is a landing and an altar with a large heavy book on it. There seem to be large golden mathematical symbols carved into the walls on the far side. To the far left is some sort of tower with what looks like three sets of wings or platforms poking out of the top half of it. There also seem to be a set of massive dice on the right side. Most peculiar. {Any chance of blurring the picture of the pylon to make it fit?}



<I don't know. I don't want to know. How should I know? Let me out of here!>
<These religious fanatics do well for themselves, hunh? All that gold on the walls. Right: where am I going next?>
<How fascinating! I see there is a service in another half an hour. Maybe I'll come back then.>
<A holy church of St Giles the Creator! I must say a short prayer.>
<Interesting. Let me see what is on the other side of this trench!> - alarm rings, lights flash,
<Oops! Better scarper>
<Let me see if I can grab anything here! I'd better be quick!> somebody eventually comes - but the visit was recorded...

2) Service (possibly on return 30 mins later)
The antechamber is brightly lit and some people are milling around in it. They slowly filter through to the chapel and sit in the pews.
<Let me out of here! I'm not a religious nutter!> flees!

<I'll make my way to a pew, I want to see what happens here!>
<A service! Super! I want to pray.>
As people settle down, spiritual music wells out of the ceiling, and an impressive figure in golden robes swinging a gem-encrusted thurible makes his way from the antechamber doorway to the boat moored in the moat. The boat carries him over the moat and as the music reaches a crescendo he moves to the golden alter and opens the book. Holding it, he turns and faces the congregation.

He starts intoning a prayer - about the Occultation of St Giles & the Holy Jens and a plea for their return. Apparently they are needed to help cure the sourness of modern apples.

This is followed by a prayer for the poor of the <planet beneath> and the need for all to help them.

There is then a collection. <How much do you give?>

There is a final blessing, and the service is over. People wend their way home or back to work without talking.

<Time to go! Where next?>
________________________________________________________________

Witchspace Lobster

1) Temple is 'empty'
You enter a circular room which stinks of raw meat & incense and seems to have slime tracks on the floor. Bizarre metallic adornments dangle from the ceiling and a large pool of water sits at the end of the room. A metal grille separates the water in this room from what lies beyond.

<Scarper!>
<I make my way into room to investigate>
There is a scuttling sound from 'what lies beyond'
<Scarper!>
<I try to peer through grille>
There is nothing to see. What lies beyond is dark - and even more vile smells waft through the grille! But there are no more sounds.
<Scarper!>
<Try to open grille>
The grille does not open, being firmly wedged in place.
<I leave this rather disgusting place>

2) Temple contains worshippers
Entering the door, you find a circular room which smells rather vile and contains (2-6) lobstoids. They are facing the far wall and intoning a chant.
<Scarper!>
<I make my way into the room>
One of the lobstoids notices you and lets out a cry! The others turn around and start moving towards you menacingly.
<Scarper!>
<I back towards the door>
<I stand my ground and say that I have come to worship the Holy Decapod>
<I stand my ground and ignore them>

________________________________________________________________

[Cholmondely]

that was exactly it!

ML,

What should I be working on next? And at what stage do you think that we will be able to put up the first stage of LitF on the Expansions Manager? You should by now be getting a feel for what is involved and how much is doable. And how much of a pain in the unmentionables the whole thing is becoming....


My original thinking was

Stage 1: More variety (bookshops, churches etc).
Stage 2 or 3: Different versions for Icos/Dodos/RH's etc
Stage 3 or 2: Weave in the other OXP's with station presence

And to publish each of the three stages as it is finished. A lot more is doable, of course. BB clearly was trying to create a role-playing element for the stations with combat, health etc, which does not exist elsewhere in Oolite.

I suppose that the emphasis is on do-ability. You are the programmer (You lucky, lucky chap, you!), and it all depends on (i) what you can get your head around & (ii) what you enjoy programming (no point doing this if there's no fun involved!).

Are you happy with the way I've done bookshops & churches? Is there too much interaction for the moment (violence etc) Are there other things I need to do as regards finishing them off?

To Do (Stage 1)
So, as far as expanding LitF goes, looking at the map, there are by floor,

Docks - not sure that this needs more work at the moment

Main concourse - a, b & c
Concourse A Passenger Lounge, Hotel - not sure that these need more work at the moment.
Concourse B Medical Centre - not sure that this needs more work at the moment
Bookshops Churches (in hand)
Concourse C just accommodation? Really posh stuff? Boutiques? Banks? etc?

Recreation Bridge - DA, OS & MC
DA (Delight Avenue) Local Bar, Wild World Virtual Tour - not sure that WWVT needs more work at the moment.
OS (Olympian Square) Fit Centre/Gymnasium - not sure that this needs more work at the moment.
MC (Mycenate court) Art Gallery, Opera House, Cinema Hall - not sure that these need more work at the moment.

GalCop Precinct- not sure that this needs more work at the moment.

So: Lots of Bars, maybe another couple of hotels of varying degrees of poshness, some restaurants. Maybe a playground for children. Would that be it for Stage 1?

What do you think?



Individuality
More musings: The GalCop stations are run by GalCop. I would presume that they would rather do business with large corporations which can guarantee rates etc rather than small individual businesses. And I would expect to find small individual businesses more at the Feudal/Anarchic end of things ("Moody Maynard's" the famous Extreme Dominoes sportshop at the Galactic Prince orbital station in Digebiti). I would also expect to find Communist (GOoM?) and Dictatorship businesses (TOodt & Siemens) dominating the stations of those respective systems.


Design/Architecture/Town planning
Musings: I'm not too sure how much sense BB's floor plan really makes (but I suppose that it was merely a proof of concept).

What would be important?
1) Keeping similar things together (posh hotels in the same area as posh restuarants & bars, for example - with hostels and cheap pubs in another) so that customers can find what they need, and avoid types they dislike
2) Keeping places needing the same sort of "facilities" together (eg stuff to do with fixing ships, so that they can all be supplied with what they need ie: lots of electricity for running cranes, very tough bulkheads and floors for heavy equipment, etc.)

[Massively Locked]

What should I be working on next?

In the EventsCatalog script, search for the line "this.arrLobbySnippet = [". There are currently 15 descriptive text snippets. We could use moar of these- they add variety and ambience to public spaces. Also, the current entries could do with some polishing (e.g., "A gently voice..." -> "A gentle voice..." or "A voice gently..."). Another thing is fleshing out the government office in sector C. I started thinking about it as a consulate or embassy rather than just a bureaucratic office space. With that in mind, describe what you would see/hear in 8 variants of that space- each representing a different govt type. A third thing will be testing the alternate layout for rock hermits. I need the perspective of a blind play-thru. It's pretty easy for me to get around in it, but that's somewhat meaningless since I created it. If you find it to be a confusing mess- it'll need to be tweaked (if not scrapped entirely). The rock hermit layout is in the next version which I'm aiming to post a little later (mid to late afternoon my time).

And at what stage do you think that we will be able to put up the first stage of LitF on the Expansions Manager?

We could push out a release at any point. That being said, I feel that we should release it when we've made significant additions and improvements. Of course, what constitutes "significant" will vary from person to person. For me, these include alt layouts for a few of the oft-visited station types, new locations such as eateries and consumer shops, variants of current locations (as we're doing with the bookshops and churches). That's my general feeling about this, and I'm by no means fixated on it.

You should by now be getting a feel for what is involved and how much is doable. And how much of a pain in the unmentionables the whole thing is becoming....

Very much is doable. I always agreed that there is a lot of potential here. Having delved into it, I haven't changed my assessment. And no, it hasn't been a pain in the unmentionables or anywhere else It has been a challenge- the biggest being to understand BB's code. The moar I learn, the moar we'll be able to do with his base code and the moar we can expand on it.

My original thinking was...

I generally agree but think that stage 1 should be making different versions for station types. This sets the framework. Afterwards, plugging locations into that framework should be relatively straightforward. As for integrating other OXPs, I would definitely leave that for a later stage. Depending on what we want to do, it can vary from fairly easy to very difficult if not out-and-out impossible.

Are you happy with the way I've done bookshops & churches? Is there too much interaction for the moment (violence etc) Are there other things I need to do as regards finishing them off?

Yes- great job! We need moar of it- not just of bookshops & churches, but of other locations. I'll let you know what to focus on as we continue development. Don't worry too much about things like the amount of interaction. I want your vision and ideas. If we can't implement something at the moment, we just table it until we can.

Individuality...

Yes- I see that the government type should have a sizable impact on a station. This includes location types and amounts, the descriptions of the locations and events/opportunities that can/cannot happen.

Design/Architecture/Town planning...

I don't quite follow you. It seems fine to me. How differently did/do you envision it?

What would be important?...

Yep- good ideas. They make sense to me.

That's it for now- I need to go grab some lunch. Like I mentioned earlier, I'll post v0.03 in a few hours. I need to make sure that there aren't any glaring bugs and then do some general polishing.

P.S.- that book shop graphic is awesome. Is that real or did someone just create it in Photoshop?

------------------
Just posted 0.03

[Cholmondely]

What should I be working on next?

In the EventsCatalog script, search for the line "this.arrLobbySnippet = [". There are currently 15 descriptive text snippets. We could use moar of these- they add variety and ambience to public spaces. Also, the current entries could do with some polishing (e.g., "A gently voice..." -> "A gentle voice..." or "A voice gently..."). Another thing is fleshing out the government office in sector C. I started thinking about it as a consulate or embassy rather than just a bureaucratic office space. With that in mind, describe what you would see/hear in 8 variants of that space- each representing a different govt type. A third thing will be testing the alternate layout for rock hermits. I need the perspective of a blind play-thru. It's pretty easy for me to get around in it, but that's somewhat meaningless since I created it. If you find it to be a confusing mess- it'll need to be tweaked (if not scrapped entirely).

this.arrLobbySnippet = [
"Strangely, there's no one in sight right now. Unusual and a bit eerie.",
"There are few $SPECIES_P$, they don't speak and they look intensly at the other visitors.",
"There is a family of $SPECIES_P$ with a pair of very noisy kids.",
"Not so far from you a couple of $SPECIES_P$ are bickering.",
"Small groups of people whisper to each other.",
"An engineering team is fixing some circuits beneath a wall panel.",
"A group of college-age $SPECIES_P$ jokes and makes stupid gestures and then start making exaggerated laughs. They're probably drunk.",
"The place is crowded. There are many people now.",
"The place is crowded. Someone is complaining about delays due to poor station management.",
"A gentle voice reminds every visitor to spend as much as possible.",
"A gentle voice reminds every visitor to stay on the station as much as possible.",
"A loud buzz interrupts a gentle voice reminding something that nobody understands.",
"An annoying jingle plays in background.",
"A lonely $SPECIES_S$ walks away looking around suspiciously.",
"There are few groups of people, and everyone is talking loud for some reason.",
"A booming voice over the loudspeakers reminds everybody to check the location of the nearest safety hatch",
"A booming voice over the loudspeakers announces a Thargoid attack", <Lockdown?!>
"A booming voice over the loudspeakers announces a fire in section <random number>"' <Lockdown?!>
"A booming voice over the loudspeakers announces a sale in the bookshop"'
"A small $SPECIES_S$ runs down the corridor towards you crying loudly. As she passes you, you see an older sibling chasing after her.",
"A frantic $SPECIES_S$ runs through the lobby gesticulating wildly and crying out loud. A sheepish female follows after him.",
"The place starts emptying out as somebody in the distance starts yelling towards them.",
"A painter is painting the walls to your side"'
"A couple of $SPECIES_P$ behind you start shouting at each other. As you look, they move away and disappear around the next bend",
"A gang of $SPECIES_P$ move down the lobby towards you and then stop, looking at each other. They turn around and return whence they came"
"A young $SPECIES_S$ runs towards and then past you",
"A GalCop cop moves down the lobby towards you and stops and speaks with a $SPECIES_S$. The conversation becomes quite animated.",
"A GalCop cop moves down the lobby towards you and stops and speaks with a $SPECIES_S$. They leave together.",
"A GalCop cop moves down the lobby towards you and stops and speaks with a $SPECIES_S$. The $SPECIES_S$ is arrested and taken away.",
"A $SPECIES_S$ stands up and shouts "No!". Several other $SPECIES_P$ grab it and pull it away to the far side of the lobby",
"A $SPECIES_S$ stands up and shouts "Yes!". Several other $SPECIES_P$ surround it and start crying out aloud. They move away.",
"A klaxon sounds and a stentorian voice announces "All Clear" over the loudspeakers", <Cancel Lockdown?!>
];

Brainstorming for System Government Offices

Govt Offices
Sell visas to go downworld.
Sell locations of Rock Hermits?
Smugglers/New Cargoes OXP's: Sell licenses for prohibited trade?
Diplomancy OXP: Sell Passports? Citizenship?
Weapon Laws OXP: Sell permits for forbidden equipment?

First stab:
Anarchy - might not be there. GalCop might have a general rule preventing this - they don't pay for their stations, so...
Feudal - Feudal States (big and wealthier) have flags and things. Smaller ones might not. We need to ask DGill...
Multi-Government: civil wars and stuff down below. Maybe separate small offices.
Commie: Commissar lurking within
Dictatorship: 2 versions: Junta & Empire (and hopefully the Church of the Holy Witchspace Guard to come)
Confederate
Democratic
Corporate

References:
As mentioned:
Royal Hunting Lodges

Captain Hesperus's work:
4 Sectors of a SLAPU
Explosive tendencies of a CZGF
Joys of an AstroGulag

Some more churches

Randomius Factoria

You find an empty small room with a wooden shrine at the far end. There is nobody here - and no sign that anybody ever was here! The shrine contains a carved image of an androgyne humanoid, with a small bowl in front of it containing rolled up message scrolls.

<I open one of the scrolls>
The scroll is written in a peculiar script and seems indecipherable
The scroll invokes Randomius Factoria begging for a new space ship/apartment/lover/job
The scroll excoriates {Random name} and beseeches Randomius Factoria to curse them
The scroll asks for blessings for the family of {Random name}
The scroll asks for health and wealth for {random name}
The scroll begs for a loan to buy cheap gold from {Random name} - the player can go to {Random name} and buy the cheap gold himself.

________________________________________________________________

Happy Eye

You find a plain room with some yellow-clad people sitting in a circle and holding hands/claws/pincers etc. One of them looks up as you come in and makes her way over to you. She is a rather elegant-looking feline.
<No! No! Let me out of here!>
<Goodness? What will I say?>
<Speak to her: Hello! I'm curious about the Happy Eye! What can you tell me?>

________________________________________________________________

Zenarchy monks.

You enter a shrine with a dozen puce-clad monks and nuns sitting in the middle of the floor with their eyes closed and humming.
<Bizarre! I'm out of here!>
<Gosh! How fascinating! I'll approach one of them and see if they'll talk!>
<Super! I could do with some meditation! I'd better join them>

<Lockdown?!>

Black Monks of St Herod <only if OXP is loaded>

You find a dark room littered with credit signs. There is a solid gold altar against the back wall with two monks on either side. They are counting golden coins. They look up and ask if you would like a loan.
<Yes, I would, rather>
- Good, you need to make your way to the Monastery - they are located close to the Witchpoint
<No, thank you>
-A pity. It is a holy thing to get into debt! You can't be tempted?
<Cough distractedly and scarper>

________________________________________________________________
Edited to Add
Dimly-lit corridors: yes, they are confusing. Might being able to go knowingly backwards help?

Edited to Further Add
And... you can finally add in your [[Station Bulletins]] oxp!

[cbr]

Casino in the wider sense, gambling entertainment, fruity loops but not i a bowl etc...

[Massively Locked]

Casino in the wider sense, gambling entertainment, fruity loops but not i a bowl etc...

Hell, yeah! We mustn't pass up any opportunity to relieve a commander of his or her hard-earned credits!

[Cholmondely]

Casino in the wider sense, gambling entertainment, fruity loops but not i a bowl etc...

Hell, yeah! We mustn't pass up any opportunity to relieve a commander of his or her hard-earned credits!

I'd not want to encroach on the gambling activities of Murgh's HOopy Casinoes. And I'm sure that the corporations which do all this would stomp all over encroachments into their territories. Might I suggest initially keeping it to fruit machines? And maybe a hidden-away illegal gambling den (in the fullness of time, at the appropriate juncture, etc.).

Searching for Fruit Machine gambling on GitHub found this:

https://github.com/papisilv/Game


Searching for Slot Machine gambling on GitHub found more:

https://github.com/johakr/html5-slot-machine
https://github.com/RainerWessOS/Daddelkiste
https://github.com/coenzeng/slot-machine
++

The problem, of course, is that our version of JavaScript is 2012 vintage....