21 Jun 2011
Finally, the day has come for us to release space into Entropia Universe!
Mainly, these notes contain information about new space features, but also about current systems that have been changed and are affected by space.
Space
In introducing the Space system, we are taking a big step forward towards the goal of having a complete universe. You can now travel through and in space with the space ships that we reintroduce. The space connects all planets in one universe and traveling between them in space ships replaces the interplanetary teleporters. This system introduces new dynamics to the intergalactic trade which will give meaning and strength to the local planet market.
However, take care and travel safely; the whole space, except in the parking zones outside the space stations, is a lootable PvP area where you can battle your opponents.
The main space concepts are presented in these notes, but you should also check out the Beginner's Guide for some basic instructions, http://www.entropiauniverse.com/entropia-universe/beginners-guide/space-guide:
Space Traveling and Navigation
Entering and Leaving Motherships and Other Ships
Utilizing New Motherships
Mothership Enhancements or Modifications
Defending and Destroying Motherships
Space Traveling
Each planet has a space station located just outside their stratosphere. You can dock a space ship there or teleport yourself to a planet. Note that teleporting from a space station to a planet is a one-way transfer. You can also leave space by flying with a small space ship towards a planet, currently only with either the Quad-Wing Interceptor or Sleipnir with a space thruster attached to it. The thruster is a small propulsive device used to facilitate speed travel. It is necessary when breaking through the stratosphere in both directions.
Note: When a thruster's health point is 10% from 0 you need to repair it (UL) to be able to use it or replace it (L). In space you can find repair stations on space stations and in motherships.
The only way to reach space from a planet is by flying there with a small space ship (currently either the Quad-Wing Interceptor or Sleipnir with thruster attached to it). However, you can teleport from FOMA Fortuna's and Crystal Palace's hangars to Planet Calypso for a fee.
When you fly back and forth between planets and space you will travel through a teleportation sphere. The stratosphere is 1000 meters up from the planets's surfaces and you enter the teleportation sphere at 1100 meters. Each planet has predefined landing areas for space ships, where you will be teleported to when leaving space for a planet.
Compared to ships flying in the planets' atmosphere the ships flying in space can collide with each other.
Tip! You do not need the thruster to fly in space, so you can hitchike with someone else from a planet to a space station. Then spawn a VTOL from your Inventory and cruise around yourself.
Custom Waypoints
Added support for custom waypoints in Map UI. See Beginner's Guide for further information.
Landing Fee on Planets
Each time you enter a planet's atmosphere the pilot will be charged a fee of 2 PED.
Teleportation Fee from Space to Planets
Each time you teleport from space to a planet you will be charged a fee of 7 PED.
No Interplanetary Teleportation
With the introduction of space and spacecrafts, teleportation between planets is disabled and traveling through space is the way to go instead. However, it is possible to teleport from FOMA Fortuna's and Crystal Palace's hangar to Planet Calypso for a fee of 17,5 PED.
Space Ship Overview
Current space ship types:
Aniara Class Mothership
Quad-Wing Interceptor (Medium Fighter) - requires attached thruster to travel between planets and space
Sleipnir (VTOL)- requires attached thruster to travel between planets and space
Guest Lists
A passenger can only enter a space ship when on the guest list.
In general, adding and removing guests from a guest list of a space ship is similar to the current vehicle guest list behavior.
There are some major differences between managing a guest list on a mothership or a smaller ship. On motherships, the manager can remove a passenger from the guest list, during a flight. The passenger will then enter space and die a slow space death and be revived at the nearest available space station.
Avatars can request to be added to the mothership's guest list and the manager can accept or deny from wherever he or she is at. However, to add a guest without a request, requires that the manger is on board the mothership and opens the Guest List UI. Then the manager can only add avatars already added to his or her Friend List.
On smaller space ships, passengers removed from the guest list will not be automatically removed from the ship. They have to leave the ship themselves or log out, and will not be able to enter it again. Adding guests to the guest list is done from outside the ship, just as for previous vehicles.
Motherships
Motherships are extremely large vessels that can take both crew and many passengers as well as small ships. When not in use they remain where they are located.
It is not possible to drop items inside a mothership.
The following terminals and items are standard equipment on motherships:
Battle Stations
Engineering UI
Fuel Containers
Guest List Terminal
Repair Terminals
Revive Terminal
SI Management Controls
SI Repair Sections for the mothership
Teleporter used for teleportation to space stations
Televators
Trade Terminals
Mothership Enhancements or Modifications
You can enhance the status of a mothership in the following ways:
Restore SI. Restore the ship's health (SI value) at the SI repair sections.
Increase max SI Value. In a mothership's SI management terminal you can increase the maximum SI value by adding minerals. Such an increase will also restore the ship's health to this new maximum value.
Modify mothership functions. If you are the mothership manager you can modify and upgrade the mothership functions by adding different devices, that can, for example, affect number of available gunner positions. You can do this through the Engineering UI.
Note: Currently, these devices will not deteriorate but will do so when the reactor system has been further developed.
Defending and Destroying a Mothership
A mothership has several gunner seats where you can help defending the ship you are on, that is, if you are a guest with gunner rights. The ship is divided in several sections with separate SI values. A damaged section can be repaired from the inside, but when one section is destroyed, the complete mothership is destroyed.
From inside the ship you can see when each section's health changes, either from hits or from reparation. Both the interior and the section's health bar is updated accordingly.
A destroyed mothership will be transferred to the closest available space station as will its crew and passengers. Each participant will be revived at the space station.
Communication
The force channel in the Main Chat can be used to only chat with passengers and crew within the mothership you are on.
Other Ships
Smaller ships, currently Sleipnir and Quad-Wing Interceptor, can travel both in space and at planet level, but for entering and leaving space they need to have a thruster attached to them.
When in space, if you have a space ship (that is not a mothership) spawned and you leave it unattended for a time or if the ship is destroyed or if you die in space, it will be returned to your Inventory. The Recall all vehicles action also recalls all space vehicles to your Inventory. Note that when you are on a planet, all vehicles (space ships as well as ground vehicles) are returned to a Storage Facility instead of the Inventory.
Death in Space
If you die in space you will be revived at the nearest valid revive terminal, which can be on a space station or a mothership. Note that if you are still on the guest list of the mothership you last visited and it is located on the same space server as where you died, this is where you will be revived.
Looting Ships and Avatars
The whole space, except in the parking zones outside the space stations, is a lootable PvP area where you can battle your opponents. To loot one or several avatars, after you have destroyed the ship, you have to kill them during the time the avatars are floating around in space - before they choke and return to a revive terminal. You can see the avatars from the markers visible above them.
Note that you can now loot the destroyed vehicle's Inventory.
Space Ship Reputation System
A space ship can have a reputation, either as a good or evil ship. The total reputation point is based on both the ship's karma and the captain's and crew's skill; passengers' skills do not count.
Karma points are valid for space ships only and currently there is only one way to gain karma for a ship: by killing other ships.
Good or Evil Ship
Your first karma action in a new space ship with neutral reputation gives the ship its basic reputation as good or evil. Currently this can only be set when destroying another ship:
A neutral ship destroying any other ship becomes evil.
A neutral ship destroying an evil ship becomes good.
After the initial reputation is set you can continue to increase these points and aim for a grand title for the ship by destroying other ships.
Note: Destroying the same space ship within a period of 10 minutes does not give any points.
What you should do to continue to gain evil karma for the ship:
Destroying good ships.
What you should do to continue to gain good karma:
Destroying evil ships.
Blueprints
You can find blueprints for constructing space ships, space thrusters, welding wire and engineering devices.
Professions and Skills
New professions:
Captain Profession
Gunner Profession
New skills:
Pilot
Space craft engineering
Deep space knowledge
Space craft systems
Space craft weaponry
Mothership Auctions
Today, the first three motherships will be added to the universal auction on a 24-hour auction period. When these auctions expire, one mothership will be added on a 24-hour auction period every 24th hour, or when the previous auction expires, whichever comes last.
Changes in Current Systems and Tools
Disabled Vehicle Actions in Space
The following vehicle actions are disabled when in space:
Exit Vehicle
Next Seat
Previous Seat
MindForce Restriction in Space
Mindforce teleportation, including wormhole, cannot be used on motherships or space stations.
No Interplanetary Teleportation
With the introduction of space and spacecrafts, teleportation between planets is disabled and traveling through space is the way to go instead. However, it is possible to teleport from FOMA Fortuna (previous CND) and Crystal Palace to Planet Calypso for a fee of 17,5 PED.
Planet Bound Auctions
To further spur the interplanetary travel and economy, the auctions will be bound to each planet. This means that you can still view auctions on all planets, but for you to place a bid on an auction or collect an item, you have to be on the specific planet.
Items that MindArk put up for auction, such as the motherships after this release, will be universal. These auctions can be bid on and the items collected from all planets having an auctioneer.
Tip! As a space ship manager, remember to keep an eye on supply and demand for various goods on different planets; you will have the opportunity to retain the interplanetary trade balance.
PvP Loot
In space and in contaminated zones you can now loot the destroyed vehicle's Inventory.
Vehicle Repair Tool
The vehicle repair tool that you have used to repair vehicle's SI value can also be used on the new space ships and the mothership interior. However, this tool now requires welding wire to function.
