Stations
From Starsonata Wiki
Stations are found all throughout the universe. They come in two main varieties: AI and player owned. Stations fulfill a number of important roles and much of the game depends on them. To dock at a station, slow down and press the Dock key (default R). If the station is moving, you will have to try and match its speed in order to dock.
Contents
Player Stations
Building Stations
- To build a station, a player must first have a level in Station Management equal to or greater than the Tech Level of the station they want to own. Before laying down a station, it is necessary to determine whether or not that character has enough station slots to do so. See Station Management for the necessary formula.
- Once a player has determined he has enough slots, he can begin building his station. Stations cannot be built in Earthforce territory or galaxies owned by other teams. A player also cannot build inside an owned galaxy of his team if he is not of sufficient rank to do so. Once the player has determined where he wants to build, he must then determine whether or not that galaxy has enough space.
- The player can place the station by finding a clear spot in space and double-clicking the Station Kit from within his inventory. The station will be placed and the player can now dock and begin giving orders.
- If the player wanted to attach a station, they must target a planet or moon and have a sufficient relative speed, then double-click the Station Kit from within his inventory.
Station Mastery
- Station Mastery is a skill that gives %5.5 bonuses to most basic stats on a station, and %2 to most basic stats on all permanent drones.
Transferring Ownership
- It is possible for a player to transfer ownership of a station. The person the station is being transferred to must have all the skills the previous owner had in order to accept the station. This means she must have the appropriate level of Station Management, Electrical Engineering, Equipment, and so forth. To transfer ownership, the owner of the base targets the base and presses the Target Options key (default X), then selects the Transfer Ownership option. From the list that pops up, the owner selects the new owner and completes the operation.
Abandoning
- It is also possible to abandon a station. To abandon a station, target it and press the Target Options key, then select Abandon. Affirm the action and the station will be abandoned. An abandoned station can be claimed by the next player to dock there, and everything in it will become his. A player cannot claim ownership of an abandoned station if he lacks the Station Management skill necessary, or does not have enough slots. Unclaimed stations will eventually decay and disappear.
- A note about docking privileges
- You may not be able to dock at some station for a number of reasons. For example, some stations in Lyceum require you have the Infinite Knowledge skill in order to dock. The owner of a player station can also decide who can dock there: only certain ranks of his team, himself, or anyone.
AI Stations
In addition to player stations, there are AI owned stations. These stations cannot be attacked and will not attack players, though there are exceptions. Stations allow players to acquire skills, complete missions, purchase gear, repair your ship, use the bulletin board, and park their ships.
Many stations are permanent, like Ice Matrix or Lush Incision, while others come and go with each passing universe. Numerous special stations provide skills or items that can't be found anywhere else. Some even provide special services, like the Neuro-Doc.
The Station Menu
General
- The first screen shown when docking at a station, the General tab displays the stations's welcome message, the status of the Emperor, and the missions that station offers. When docking at a player owned station, there is no missions section. This is also where the Repair All button can be found.
Trade
- This is the tab which allows players to buy and sell items. The items available for purchase vary from place to place, as do the prices. For commodities the price changes to reflect supply and demand, and this is the basis for trade.
- It's possible to navigate through the various categories by clicking their respective icons, and to sort the items in each category by clicking the column headers. Buy an item by selecting it in the list and clicking Buy. To buy more than one, enter a number in the box provided and then click Buy. To sell an item, right-click on it from the ship's inventory and select Sell. To see how much an item is going for on the market, right-click it and select Check Market Price. A new window will pop up showing all the known stations buying and selling that item and their prices. Note that some stations may not be willing to buy certain items, especially player stations. Player station can run out of items, and AI stations can run out of commodities. There are also the Buy Max and Sell Max buttons, which will buy or sell as many of the selected item as possible. The Undo button is only available at AI stations and will undo the last transaction.
- If a player station doesn't have a Trading Bay equipped, then the Trade tab won't be shown while docked.
Skills
- The Skills tab allows players to acquire new skills. A list of the available skills is shown, along with the max level trainable at that station, the player's current level in that skill, and the cost in Skill Points to acquire a new level of that skill. To get a new skill, select it from the list and click Acquire Skill. If the player has met all the requirements for that skill, then he will be given the next level of it. Not all stations offer skills, and some offer skills that can't be found anywhere else. To see where a specific skill can be trained, look it up on the Wiki and there will be a list of stations and requirements.
Storage (Formerly known as TSL)
- This tab allows a player access to the Translocational Storage Locker. The TSL is an inventory that is accessible by all characters on an account and can be moved between multiple stations (at a cost). Credits and items can be stored inside the locker. There is a space limit within the locker, and more space can be bought using the Expand Storage button. To move an item into the locker, select it from the ship's inventory and drag it into the locker area. Reverse the process to remove an item.
Ships
- The Ships tab displays all owned ships docked at that station. To move between ships, double-click the desired one. To sell a ship, click Sell Ship..., and to gut a ship, click Sell Ship Contents.
Bulletin Board
- The Bulletin Board is where players can pay to have a message put up. Every station shows the same bulletin board. This tab also shows the top teams and top players by score and level, respectively.
