General Guide

Main Menu

In this menu you can create a new game or load a saved game. You have 3 save slots you can utilise to run up to 3 concurrent games or create different save points for the same game. Each time a new game is created, a new Universe is generated and pretty much everything within it is randomised. Every Kickstarter, Itch and Patreon supporter of this game will be named in the Credits section, as well as any assets we've used that were made by some awesome creators, so please check this out too! 

Universe and Galaxies

The game Universe contains 10 Galaxies. Each Galaxy is a grid of 6 x 10 x 10 cells. Each cell contains a Location. You can fly from one Location to another via controls contained within the Flight Deck. Each flight will cost several units of Fuel multiplied by the distance between the starting Location and target Location. This cost will rise depending on the total mass of Goods stored in your Ship's Cargo Hold. Travel between Galaxies is only possible by entering a HyperGate. 

Star Date

Time in the game is represented by the universally recognised and non-relativistic unit called the Star Date. When the game begins, Star Date is set at 1. Every couple of minutes, the Star Date will be incremented unless the game is paused. Each unit of distance travelled between Locations will also cause the Star Date to be incremented. Most Jobs/Quests you receive will have some sort of expected completion date on them, so it's worth keeping track of the Star Date, especially if you have things to do. Whenever the Star Date changes, Agents within the game will perform actions causing the game to slowly evolve and change.

Locations

The following Locations can be found in the game: Planets, Space Stations, Asteroid Fields, HyperGates, Black Holes, Stars, Interstellar Space and Intergalactic Space.

Asteroid Fields

Asteroid Fields can be found scattered through each Galaxy. They vary in their composition from mineral rich to barren rock, and are often home to bases. These bases vary from mining operations, penitentiaries and military installations. Some are known to host Pirate and Rebel bases too but these are well hidden from Faction interests. If you are lucky enough to find an unclaimed mineral rich Asteroid Field you may be able to stake your claim to it and start your own mining operation but protecting it from all manner of covetous parties may prove to be challenging. 

Black Holes

Black Holes can be found near the centre of each Galaxy. Despite all the boring physics stuff we’ve heard guys in dickiebows tell us about them, they remain the most mysterious entities in Space. This is mostly due to their nature of sucking any scientists bold enough to get to close to their spaghettified doom. Despite this, rumours and legends persist of a captain named Mr Hoo and his ship The Rogue, who has visited Universes beyond our own. To follow in his footsteps one would need tech way beyond what even the best Astromechs can provide. And probably a Superquantum Computer, but as everybody will tell you, they were all destroyed after the Great AI Rebellion. 

HyperGates

HyperGates allow you travel extremely quickly between Galaxies. Don’t ask how the physics works as it’s extremely complicated, but what we can be sure about is you will need a HyperDrive to be installed on your Ship to enter this Location. Once docked, you’ll be able to select which Galaxy you want to travel to. 

Planets

Planets are the most interesting places in the Galaxy. Mainly because they’re full of people, and some of those people have lots of money, and you’re in the business of trying to get as much of it as possible. Home to multiple major Space Ports, Cities, and Outposts there are many places to Explore. Each Planet is controlled by a Faction, and has a number of attributes broadly representing its social, economic and political status. 

Space Stations

Space Stations are not affiliated with any Faction and offer a relatively safe haven in Space. They make for great waypoints on long journeys, have no Customs, which allows for easy/cheap refuelling and repairs. They are often home to Casinos and Cantinas too, which means they can also be a good source of Jobs with many travellers and adventurers hitchhiking their way across the Galaxy. 

Stars

Stars are potential sources of great amounts energy, and with the right Ship Upgrades you may never need to pay for Fuel again. However you won’t be able to go near them without Solar Shielding. 

Landing Locations

Planets, Space Stations, Asteroid Fields and HyperGates have 1 or more possible Landing Locations contained within them. In the case of Space Stations or HyperGates, there is only one place to dock your Ship. With larger Locations, such as Planets and Asteroid Fields, there can be many places to dock. Each Planet will have at least one Space Port to dock at, and these will always be visitable. Some Landing Locations are only discoverable through interactions with other Agents, or as a result of following certain Quests. There may be hidden Outposts on Planets where you can readily buy/sell Contraband, or top secret Bases on otherwise unremarkable Asteroid Fields. Suffice to say, the further you stray from the beaten path, the more dangerous things might become. 

Space 

Wherever the word Space is used, it is typically referring to these 2 Location types: Interstellar Space and Intergalactic Space. You will find more information about them throughout this Guide. There is a third form of Space, which is Deep Space. This marks the outer limits of each Galaxy and is visible in the Flight Deck while in Short Range view mode. You cannot interact with Deep Space, just think of it like a border that helps us visualise the outer reaches of the area we can travel within.  

The Bridge

The Bridge of your Ship is the first menu you will see after the game loads. It contains a brief overview of your Finances, your Inventory, your Location, your Ship's Health, and a menu showing any available On-Board and On-World Services. 

Finances

You start the game with a small amount of Cash. You also have a Bank Account, which is empty of funds. As the game progresses you earn Cash and/or Bank Credits whenever you complete Jobs or buy/sell Goods. You will have to use Cash to purchase Fuel, Ship Upgrades, Crew Equipment, etc. Bank Credits will allow you to keep some portion of your money safe away from theft or loss. To move funds between Cash and Bank, you will need to visit a Unibank branch. 

Ship Health

There are 6 values that represent your Ship’s condition and you will need to keep a close eye on them throughout the game:

1. Hull is the external structure of your Ship. It can take damage in Space Battles, or from things like Meteor Storms. Your Ship's Hull can be repaired by Astromechs while docked and by Jury Rig during Space Battles. If this value reaches zero, your Ship will be Destroyed. 

2. Engines can take damage in Space Battles, or from things like Meteor Storms. Your Ship's Engines can be repaired by Astromechs while docked and by Jury Rig during Space Battles. If this value reaches zero while you are in Space, you will be Stranded. If this value reaches zero while you are in a Space Battle, your Ship will not be able to move.  

3. Weapons can take damage in Space Battles, or from things like Meteor Storms. Your Ship's Weapons can be repaired by Astromechs while docked and by Jury Rig during Space Battles. If this value reaches zero while you’re in a Space Battle, you will not be able to fire any of your Ship’s Weapons. 

4. Shields protect your Ship from damage, but each time they do, they get weaker. They can be recharged over time, by Astromechs while docked, or while stationary in Space by deploying your Ship’s Solar Collectors.

5. Electrical Systems power everything on your Ship, however they are most useful during Space Battles as you can funnel power from your reserves into the systems that need it most. Each time this is done the reserves in the system are depleted. They can be recharged over time, by Astromechs while docked, or while stationary in Space by deploying your Ship’s Solar Collectors. 

6. Fuel will used each time you journey through Space. If you run out while in Space, you will be Stranded. If you haven’t enough Fuel for a journey, you won’t be able to take off. Fuel can be replenished by visiting a Fuel Depot, which can be found on all Planets and Space Stations. 

On-Board Services

While on-board your Ship, you are able to access the Flight Deck, Captain's Log, and manage your Crew, Inventory and Ship.  

Captain’s Log

A log of all your Jobs and important information relating to Campaign Quests, Businesses, Contacts, Rumours, etc. will be stored here. Each line can be expanded for more detail by clicking on it. 

Crew

Your Crew is composed of 6 characters: Captain, First Mate, Second Mate, Chief Engineer, Surgeon, and Boson. Each has their own specific role to play. The Crew menu itself allows you to: 

1. Edit each Crew member’s appearance such as their name, Dialogue avatar, and character used when in Exploration Mode.

2. Assign Skill Points to their list of Skills

3. Assign Equipment that is used when in Exploration Mode and Combat. 

Captain

Your Captain is the leader of your Crew and should be highly skilled in Captaincy and Tactics. Your Captain will also benefit greatly from having a good mix of Soft Skills to use while interacting with other Agents. 

First Mate

Your First Mate is responsible for the security of the Ship and the Crew and should be highly skilled in a variety of Combat Skills. The Security Skill will also be of great benefit to this character so they may better protect your Ship and Businesses. 

Second Mate

Your Second Mate is responsible for piloting your Ship, and should be highly skilled in Pilotry. The Counter Measures and Evasive Manoeuvers Skills will also be of great benefit to this character to help protect your Ship during Space Battles or to avoid things like Meteor Storms. 

Chief Engineer 

Your Chief Engineer is responsible for the Engines and general upkeep of your Ship, and should be highly skilled in Engineering and Jury Rigging. 

Surgeon

Your Surgeon is responsible for the health and wellbeing of your Crew, and should be highly skilled in Medicine. 

Boson

Your Boson is responsible for the storage of Goods and supplies aboard your Ship, and should be highly skilled in Logistics. The Smuggling Skill will also be of great benefit to this character should you wish to engage in more dubious forms of Trading. 

Skills

There are plenty of Skills built into the game at present, and more will be added as the game develops. Some Skills are really only of value to specific characters, though there is total freedom on how you build their Skills. Having some redundancy on key Skills is no bad thing as this may enable you to deal with the loss of a Crew member (it might be good idea to have a backup Pilot, for example). 

Most (but not all) actions in the game will require some D20-style Skill Test to see if you, or other Agents in the game, have succeeded or failed. 

Some Skills are also used to determine how effective your Crew is in certain scenarios. In the case of Space Battles and Combat, some of your Crew's Skill Levels are used to generate action points, which influences how much your Crew can do in a single turn. 

Skill Tests

Skill Tests function as such:

Skill Level + D20 > Difficulty Level = Success

Certain scenarios, and other buffs and debuffs (which can gained from things like Equipment and Special Skills) can affect this test. Modifiers will usually come in the form of Advantage (roll 2 D20s, selecting the highest), Disadvantage (roll 2 D20s, selecting the lowest), or by adding/subtracting values from the relevant Skill Level. Having some Skill Level in Luck may grant a re-roll should the first attempt fail. 

The Crew member that takes a Skill Test at a given time will vary depending on scenario. Some tests will affect a single character that is responsible for a particular thing. Others will affect the whole crew, or whichever member of the Crew is most skilled at a particular thing.

Skill Levels 

Skill Levels start at 0, and can be incremented to 20. All day-to-day tests will have their Difficulty Level capped at 20, which means 100% success rates can be achieved with enough levelling-up. Your Crew are given a little head start on their most important/relevant Skills when a new game begins, which should help get you started. 

True heroes (or indeed true anti-heroes) aren't going to be happy doing run-of-the-mill tasks forever, so high level tasks will require Epic and Legendary Deeds which will have Difficulty Levels of 20-40, or perhaps even higher. This means even the most accomplished Crew will still have to do some work!

A lack of a particular Skill may exclude your Crew from taking certain Jobs/Quests. The more Skilled your Crew becomes, the rewards and difficulty of these tasks will increase.

Skill Points

Lots of actions in the game will yield an XP reward as well as some other benefit, like earning money. Each time you earn XP it will increment your Crew's Total XP. Whenever your Total XP passes a Crew Level threshold you will be granted a number of Skill Points to spend on upgrading your Crew's Skills. 

When a new game starts, you will notice you have a few spare Skill Points you can spend straight away in the Crew menu.

Generalist Skills

While some Skills are best kept to certain characters, there are some that the whole Crew will benefit from having. The Skills you might find most useful to have spread around your Crew will largely depend on the type of game you want to play. A game that is heavy on Space Battles will be improved by having plenty of Gunnery skill points generating lots of highly accurate/damaging fire power. A game that is heavy on mining or combing lost Derelict Vessels for Bounty will be improved by having plenty of ZeroG skill points to keep your Crew fast and nimble in low gravity environments. 

Special Skills

You can also spend Skills Points on a separate class of Specialist Skills that provide buff/de-buff abilities, special attacks, etc. These may be passive or active, and will help you create a more specialised Crew with some powerful tricks up their sleeves.  

Equipment 

Each of your Crew will have their own personal Equipment, accessible via the Crew menu. This includes stuff like weapons, clothes, and other miscellaneous gear and gadgets, which can be stored on and about their person. Your Ship's Armoury allows you to store any Equipment you don't have equipped making it easy to switch loadouts around depending on the scenario.

Inventory

Your Inventory is represented by a list of all types of Goods, with a number on each line representing how many of that type that you have onboard, stored in either your regular Cargo Holds or Smuggling Holds. The total amount of Goods you can transport is limited by the number of Holds you have installed on your Ship. In the Inventory menu, you can move Goods between your different types of Hold. You can also Jettison Goods while stationary in space. This can be a useful (though expensive!) way to either save some Fuel in an emergency or to abandon Contraband to prevent you getting in trouble with Customs. 

Holds 

There are 2 types of Hold: the Cargo Hold; and the Smuggling Hold. Your total cargo capacity is determined by the number of Cargo Hold units you have, while your total Smuggling capacity is determined by the number of Smuggling Hold units you have. 

Cargo Hold

Your Ship comes equipped with a single Cargo Hold. This is your standard, high capacity storage area for Goods. Anything stored in a Cargo Hold is visible on your Ship’s manifest, and is therefore visible to Customs should you declare your cargo or if they search your Ship. Goods that are visible to Customs may attract Customs Duty when docking at a Planet’s Space Port. You can increase your cargo capacity by buying additional Cargo Hold units from an Astromech. 

Smuggling Hold

Your Ship comes equipped with a single Smuggling Hold. While not providing as large a storage area as the standard Cargo Hold, the Smuggling Hold allows you to transport Goods without declaring them on your manifest. This effectively allows you to avoid Customs Duty on any Goods contained within. However, Smuggling is not an easy thing to do. Each time you attempt to Smuggle Goods through Customs there is a chance that Customs will conduct a manual search of your Ship. The more smuggled Goods you have on board, the more likely it is your secret Smuggling Holds will be discovered, unless you are skilled at hiding them. You can increase your smuggling capacity by buying additional Smuggling Hold units from an Astromech. 

Flight Deck

The Flight Deck of your Ship allows you to view the Galaxy around you. There are 2 views: Short Range and Long Range. The Short Range view shows a 3 x 3 x 3 cube of space with your current Location at the centre. The Long Range view shows a 6 x 10 grid of a single z-plane of space. While in Long Range view it is possible to view the entire Galaxy in slices. In both views, your current Location is marked with an alternatively coloured border, and symbol representing your Ship. Some Locations can be Scanned for further information, or selected as a destination by clicking Set Course.

Scanning Locations 

Using your Ship's geoscanner, it is possible to get information about a Location before visiting it. The type of information available will change depending on the Location type. Scanning a Planet will reveal details such as the controlling Faction, Price of Goods, Taxation, Import Duty, Wealth and Stability. Scanning a Space Station will reveal its reputation, with some being strictly controlled and policed, while others are notorious lawless outposts. Scanning an Asteroid Field will reveal its Composition, Ownership Rights, and Base Type. 

Travelling Through Space

To move around the Galaxy, enter the Flight Deck, select a Location and click Set Course. Not all Locations can be selected as a destination: Stars, Black Holes, HyperGates are off limits at the start of the game. Specialist equipment must be installed on your Ship before these Locations become visitable. Empty Space Locations can be visited, though there's typically not a lot there, and more often than not your Ship will simply pass through these areas as you move from one Location to another without anything happening. Interstellar Space can be regarded as relatively safe to begin with, though this may change depending on who controls the region and what kind of a Reputation you have with that Faction. Intergalactic Space is much more dangerous, often riddled with Pirates or worse. As you plot journeys, you should be aware of what Space you will traverse, as you may well encounter other Vessels along the way. 

Stranded

If you are Stranded in Space, you can use your Ship's power reserves to drift to a nearby Planet or Space Station though this will increase your journey time exponentially. If you have one equipped, you can use your Ship's Distress Beacon to call to other Vessels for assistance. Some Vessels will happily tow you to nearby Planet or Space Station, others might just see you as easy pickings. 

Space Encounters

While travelling through Space you may encounter friendly/hostile Vessels. You can Scan, Hail, Attack or Flee these Vessels. Likewise, they may try to scan, hail, attack or flee you. All Vessels have an Engine Signature which can indicate its size/power without requiring you to Scan/Hail. 

Who Sees Who First

Just like in the good old days of tall ships, who sees who first is extremely important in dangerous, unpoliced waters (or in our case, Space). While there's no one sitting up on top of mast in the crow's nest with a telescope on your Ship, there are countless systems feeding information to your Crew on where they are and what's near by. Each time your Ship comes across another Vessel in Space, a Skill Test will be performed to see if your Crew spotted them first. 

Scanning Vessels

Scanning a Vessel will reveal its Class and Designation, but will also alert its Crew to your presence. Scanning in itself is not aggressive action and is customary when Vessels come across one another in Space. Whether you decide to choose to Scan a Vessel or not should be dependent on your current situation; if your Smuggling Hold is full of highly expensive Contraband, perhaps it is best to remain undetected. 

Hailing Vessels

When a Vessel is hailed there are several dialogue options allowing you to communicate with its Captain. Some Vessels may have some special role to play in the game and yield tasks or clues about certain happenings in the Galaxy. Most will not have much to say, and will just want to get to on their own journey, but some may want to engage. The power of conversation is an important aspect of this game, and much can be gleaned by asking the right questions to the right people. Indeed such is the power of words, that a particularly daring and charismatic Captain might be able to win a battle without even firing a shot. 

Vessels

Vessels range in size from Small to Medium, Large, and Massive. Generally speaking, the larger a Vessel is, the more powerful it will be. Larger Vessels not only have larger Engines, Weapons, Electrical Reserves, and denser Hulls but also, highly skilled veteran Crews. Vessels vary greatly depending on the owning Faction and the Vessel’s primary purpose or classification. Some Vessels will be extremely aggressive, others will simply try to escape any attempt to attack it. Some might only be aggressive to certain targets, and entirely passive to others. 

Space Battles

If you Attack a Vessel, or are attacked yourself, you will enter into a Space Battle. This is a tactical, turn-based game of cat and mouse, in which you must use the resources available to your Ship to defeat the enemy. The tactics used by enemy Vessels during a Space Battle will vary greatly depending on owning Faction and the Vessel classification. 

Battle Area

When the Space Battle begins, your Ship and the enemy Vessel are placed at opposite ends of the Battle Area. At each corner is a Flee Zone which will allow either you or the enemy to Flee the Space Battle if it can be reached. 

Round

A Round consists of 2 turns: one for you and one for the enemy. Each Round begins with a roll-off between both Captains to determine who takes the initiative. The higher your Captain's Captaincy Skill is, the better your chances will be of taking your turn before the enemy Vessel. 

Action Points

Your Crew's Skill Levels in Engineering, Jury Rigging, Pilotry, Counter Measures, and Gunnery will generate an equivalent number of Action Points each turn that can be used to control your Ship. Unspent action points do not carry over from one turn to the next, so use as many of them as you can. 

Turn Order

There is no specific order in which you are required to spend Action Points. In this sense it is possible to conduct your turn as you see fit. You can shoot first, move later, or vice versa. You could shoot first, generate some more Gunnery Points via Engineering, and then shoot some more. The choice is yours.

Engineering

In the Engineering menu, you can spend Engineering Points to manipulate your Ship to suit your situation. The amount of Engineering Points that are available each turn is determined by your Engineer’s Engineering Skill level. You can change Shield Focus, or utilise your Ship’s Electrical Reserves to boost your Engines (gain Pilotry Points), Shield Health (replace health lost to damage), or Weapons (gain Gunnery Points).

Shield Focus

Your Shields can be focused in a number of different ways: 

1. All - 50% damage to Shields, 50% to Target Zone. 

2. Hull - 100% damage to Shields if enemy targets your Hull. 100% damage to Engines/Weapons if enemy targets these instead.

3. Engines - 100% damage to Shields if enemy targets your Engines. 100% damage to Hull/Weapons if enemy targets these instead.

4. Weapons - 100% damage to Shields if enemy targets your Weapons. 100% damage to Hull/Engines if enemy targets these instead.

Jury Rig

In the Jury Rig menu, you can spend Jury Rigging Points to perform emergency repairs on your Ship. Each Jury Rigging Point can be spent to repair one point of damage to your Ship’s Hull, Engines or Weapons. The amount of Jury Rigging Points that are available each turn is determined by your Engineer’s Juryrigging Skill level. The amount of points available can be boosted by using your Repair Drones. 

Repair Drones

These helpful little bots add a number of Jury Rigging Points to your total for the turn, though once used will have to recharge for a number of turns before you can use them again. 

Pilotry

In the this menu, you can spend Pilotry Points to manoeuvre your Ship around the Battle Area. The amount of Pilotry Points that are available each turn is determined by your Second Mate’s Pilotry Skill level. Each manoeuvre costs a certain amount of Pilotry Points in order to enact. Manoeuvres can be chained together, or done at different stages of your turn (e.g. you can move, shoot and move again provided you have enough points to spend). 

Counter Measures 

In this menu, you can spend Counter Measure Points to protect your Ship from attack. The amount of Counter Measure Points that are available each turn is determined by your Second Mate’s Counter Measure Skill Level. Your Second Mate will be able to perform evasive manoeuvres to avoid fire, or if you have Ship Upgrades such as Chaff Launchers and Mines you can deploy them to disrupt enemy attacks and movement.

Gunnery

In this menu, you can spend Gunnery Points to fire your Ship’s Weapons. The amount of Gunnery Points that are available each turn is determined by your Crew’s aggregate Gunnery Skill Level. You can spend Gunnery Points to boost each Weapon's accuracy and/or damage. You can also set your Target Zone to hone in attacks on a particular part of the enemy Vessel. 

Target Zone

Your attacks can be focused in a number of different ways: 

1. Hull - attacks to this zone are intended to destroy the enemy Vessel. 

2. Engines - attacks to this zone are intended to prevent the enemy Vessel from moving. 

3. Weapons - attacks to this zone are intended to prevent the enemy Vessel from attacking.

4. Shuttles - attacks to this zone are intended to destroy any fighters/bombers the enemy Vessel launches.

You may have to switch your Target Zone depending on how the enemy Vessel sets their Shield Focus. 

Ship Weapons

You Ship comes equipped with 2 Hull-mounted Cannons. Each of your Ship’s Weapons have a profile which determines its damage, range, accuracy, cooldown and the amount of Gunnery points it cost to fire. You can buy more Ship Weapons by visiting an Astromech. Ship Weapons vary widely in their profiles and allow you to greatly modify your Ship's damage output or tactical abilities to suit your needs. 

Boarding Actions

To make a Boarding Action, both of the following conditions must be met: 

1. The enemy Vessel is in cell next to your Ship.

2. The enemy Vessel's Engine Health is at zero. 

When you Board an enemy Vessel, the Space Battle will finish, and you will be transitioned to Exploration Mode. When aboard the enemy Vessel, you will be required to find your way to the enemy Bridge and take control of it, killing any resistance along the way. Enemy Vessels may also try to Board your Ship. If this happens, expect a bloody battle for survival. Depending on the type of Vessel, Boarding Actions may yield greater rewards than simply blowing it to pieces. 

Ending Your Turn

Once you’ve completed all of your actions, you’ll need to click the End Turn button to hand over control back over to the game. If you won the initiative, the enemy Vessel will have its turn. Once both you and the enemy Vessel have their turns, the Round will finish, and a new Round will begin. 

Fleeing the Battle

A Space Battle may be avoided entirely if you or the enemy Vessel attempt to Flee during the initial Space Encounter. The success of this is dependent on your Second Mate’s Pilotry Skill, though some Ship Upgrades can also help. If a Space Battle starts, it is still possible to Flee by manoeuvring your Ship onto one of the Flee Zones at each corner of the Battle Area. If you are positioned on top of a Flee Zone by the end of the Round, the Space Battle will finish. It is worth noting that you may have to endure a turn of enemy shooting before the Space Battle finishes, depending on who went first or second that turn. Certain Ship/Vessel loadouts may try to prevent Fleeing (e.g. Tractor Beams) and Flee Zones may be blocked by faster moving opponents. Some Vessels may try to Flee if they feel outgunned when they face you. 

Victory Conditions

The Space Battle will finish if either your Ship or the enemy Vessel is destroyed, a Boarding Action takes place, or if either party Flees. 

Ship Destruction

If your Ship is destroyed, you will respawn 90 days later on the nearest Planet with a new Ship. All Ship Upgrades will be lost, as well as any Cash or Goods you had onboard. 

Bounty

Bounty can be obtained in 3 ways: 

1. If you destroy the enemy Vessel during the Space Battle, you will have an option to scan the wreckage and some small amount of its Cargo may be recovered. 

2. If you successfully complete a Boarding Action, all of a Vessel's Cargo may be recovered. 

3. If you successfully board and comb a Derelict Vessel, anything stored aboard may be recovered.

In all cases, your current journey will be interrupted by recovering Bounty so you will need to return to the Flight Deck to select a destination once this process is finished. This has been done so you can manage your Inventory before continuing your travels. If Contraband is recovered as Bounty it may be best stored in your Smuggling Hold before you enter Customs. If you recover more than you can store, it may be best to Jettison the excess than risk the Fine.   

On-World Services

While docked at a Location, you will notice buttons are active under this heading on the Bridge menu. As well as being able to Explore the Location, this menu will give you quick access to the most common On-World Services, namely: Astromech, Casino, Fuel Depot, Telex, Tradezone, and Unibank. 

Exploration Mode

When you enter Exploration Mode, you will enter a top-down isometric view of the Location. All Locations will be explorable to some degree and it is here that the game opens up. There will be plenty of places for you meet and interact with 1000s of Agents and environments throughout the Universe.

Astromech

Astromechs offer a range of services that are of massive use to budding Captains. They can install Ship Upgrades, repair your Ship's Hull, Engines and weapons, and recharge your Shields and Electrical Systems. They won't do any of this for free, of course. 

Ship Upgrades

Ship Upgrades come in all manner shapes, sizes and uses. Your Hull can be reinforced and plated. Your Engines can be upgraded to provide greater speed and manoeuvrability. Weapons come in all sorts of different flavours. There is a part for every purpose. There are some limits to the amount of parts you can fit (for example, Weapons and Holds) and some parts may fit in the same place as others, meaning you will have to choose which part is more important to you. Some Ship Upgrades are not available at regular Astromechs and may be rewards for completing certain tasks. Others , might be lost or experimental tech hidden aboard legendary Derelicts drifting through the far reaches of Space. 

Casino

If you fancy your luck, and want to make some easy money, you can try visiting a Casino, though be warned it's not the most reliable way to earn a living. Gambling is outlawed on most Planets but some Space Stations and less oppressive Locations are home to Casinos. Often a place of intrigue, Agents of all backgrounds can be found here.

Fuel Depot

Keeping your Ship's Fuel Cells charged is a key commitment and Fuel Depot is where you'll need to visit to get filled up. Fuel Depots can be found on all Planets and Space Stations. Keep a constant eye on your Fuel levels, and be sure you’re making money on each journey. Fuel isn't cheap and there's only one thing worse than getting Stranded in Space, and that's not having enough Cash to pay your fuel bills.

Telex

Telex is the all encompassing social media, entertainment and communications network covering the entire known Universe. It's not available in Space due to the limitations of photon-based devices (though it can be if your Ship is equipped with extremely rare and expensive Quantum Communications), but when you are docked, Telex gives you a way to send/receive messages, get up to date on news, and watch videos of cats doing the craziest things.

Tradezone

If a Location has a Tradezone, you’ll be able to visit a Merchant who will buy and sell Goods. Goods are purchased by the Kiloton and as such, prices are often a barrier to new traders so you may have to do some work to get enough funds to start buying and selling. Prices can fluctuate massively from one Planet to the next, and things like war or instability can result in rapid price changes as demand outstrips supply. Some Planets have specialist economies or manufacturing strengths that result in prices of particular Goods being higher or lower than in other non-specialised Planets. Such variation makes it possible to for traders to make impressive returns on the Goods they move from one part of the Galaxy to another. Running such a business is not seen as safe career choice however, as trade ships are often the target of Pirates or worse in depths of Space. But you know what they say... if it was easy, everybody would be doing it. 

Merchants also offer Courier Jobs. They will offer some cash initially to cover your fuel costs and any Custom fees you might incur, plus a reward for completion. Jobs start off small but by building your Reputation and Skills these will be become steadily more lucrative. The higher your Logistics Skill, the bigger the Jobs will become. 

Goods

There are many classifications of Goods in the game. Some are big and heavy (taking up a lot of Cargo Hold space), some are cheap, some really expensive. But to you, all that matters is what you can make the most money on and finding a network of Planets that each require another's product: the trader's dream. Merchants will have varying stock profiles, meaning some Goods will not be available to purchase in certain Locations. This could indicate a lack of supply of these Goods, and a potential opportunity for someone willing to import them. 

Contraband

Certain classifications of Goods are deemed Contraband by interplanetary consensus, and most mainstreet Merchants will not buy or sell them. Contraband can be recovered as Bounty, or bought and sold on the black markets hidden down the back streets of Cities or in lawless Outposts. Dabbling in such transactions can be a dangerous business as you might expect, so it may be prudent to come armed and be skilled in the art of Racketeering.  

Unibank

Unibank is the only banking corporation left in the entire known Universe, following centuries of mergers and acquisitions. The brand goes to great lengths to paint itself as a helpful and benevolent. With smiling faces plastered across every advertising medium visible in every corner of the Galaxies, Unibank are extremely keen to sell their virtues, though accusations of corruption are often met with brutal consequences (which are always found to be accidental, of course). And woe betide anyone that fails to make loan payments on time. Indeed, a recent study showed that Unibank was the largest single employer of Bounty Hunters, though the researchers were soon found to be entirely uncredible because of some leaked Telex messages. Unibank branches can be found on all Planets and Space Stations, and useful mainly for you to exchange Cash for Bank Credits and vice versa. Unibanks allow you to pay for things like Customs Duty and Fines. And should you run out of money or need investment, they offer loans at great rates. Branches are often loaded with Cash and can sometimes be the victim of robbery. Unibank is obviously extremely quick to respond to such incidents, and has its own private police force to call upon.  

Other Places To Visit

There are many other places to visit beyond these most common services. Stores sell small arms and equipment. Medical centres offer healing and the latest in Human Enhancement Tech. Cantinas are filled with travellers, traders, bounty hunters and more, and they will often have work for you or be in need of assistance. 

Agents

Every NPC in the game is described as an Agent. There are many classes of Agent, and each have varying degrees of autonomy, uniqueness and impact on the game. Some captain Vessels, some run businesses, some are wrapped up in events that might change the course of history. 

Quests

While most Agents simply offer Jobs (basically a reward in exchange for some service), some will offer Quests. Quests are like Jobs, but they have a story or narrative attached to them and will often chain together as plots unfold. Quests will generally yield higher rewards than Jobs but are also more likely to get you killed.  

Jobs

Jobs are offered throughout the Universe by a range of Agents. Most will require some background in the type of work involved, which will mean a member of your Crew having some training in a particular Skill. When you accept a Job, a contract is formed between your Crew and the Agent. When you complete the task, you will be rewarded and your Reputation with that Agent will improve. Fail, and your Reputation will suffer with that Agent. Depending on the Agent, failure might even bring other penalties. At the time of writing, we've only added Courier Jobs to serve as an example but in the full game you can expect a lot more. Security Jobs could involve providing safe passage to some VIP. Mercenary Jobs could involve discreetly blowing up some Faction's base. Bounty Hunting Jobs simply require a Ship, some guns, and the ability to not get soppy. 

Reputation

Reputation serves as a way for you to build relationships with other Agents in the game. Each time you succeed at a task, your Reputation will improve not only with the Agent that provided the work, but also with any beneficiaries of it. Succeed often and Agents will come to regard you as dependable. If you fail, the same applies, meaning failure can affect your relationships elsewhere and you might not be trusted to carry out big important stuff. Likewise, if the task involved robbing Peter to pay Paul, Paul might love you but Peter will not. And neither will Peter's friends. And they might be powerful. So be careful who you cross!

Customs

Space Ports are the primary Landing Locations on Planets, and each will have a Customs office monitoring the comings and goings of visitors. The nature of the Customs office will vary from one Planet to the next, some are relaxed, others much more aggressive, but they will always ask if you have anything to declare before entry. If you have Goods in your Cargo Hold, you are bound by interplanetary law to declare them and display your manifest. If you answer yes, they will calculate the Customs Duty owed on these Goods. If you answer no, they may take you on your word or decide to search your Ship. Should a search take place it will always reveal what is in your Cargo Hold, and there is a small chance your Smuggling Hold will be discovered in the process.   

Customs Duty

Customs Duty is calculated per unit of Goods and is based on set of rates laid out by an interplanetary trade agreement. While many political commentators have said publically that this system was necessary to create a fast-moving trade environment in response to the disasterous policy blunder known as Uniexit, many traders have noted that the Universe has simply gained a new tax where none existed before. Whether the blunder was a convenient accident or not is unknown, but one thing is for sure - no one likes taxes. Planets that are under Faction control will always apply Customs Duty, while unfederated Planets will vary from regime to regime. 

Fines

Fines will be applied for any Contraband discovered on your Ship. The fines are calculated per unit of Contraband and is based on set of rates laid out as above. The cost of a Fine is exorbitant and should be avoided at all times.  

Seizure

Further to receiving a Fine on any Contraband, Customs will seize any Contraband they discover. This can be extremely costly with Contraband being amongst the highest valued forms of Goods.