Objects

This page is a discussion of various items in the game that will be pertinent to the player, including items that the player can buy and sell during the course of the game, items that can be picked up during their explorations, and items that are crucial for achieving victory. It is hoped that this page will serve to direct the artistic members of the team in their efforts to create imagery for everything in game, and that it will serve to guide programmers in modeling data structures to match the information associated with each object. This page does not in any way refer to objects in a programming sense (as in object-oriented programming), though all objects themselves are of various Classes in the programming sense.

Mission Items
This first section contains the mission critical objects that will be used in the game. Mission critical objects may be of any of the many types discussed on this page, provided they are required to bring a mission to a successful close. This definition includes objects in side quests as well as those required for the main overall plot. Object creators should keep in mind whether or not their object can be used in a manner that they don't intend, and what the consequences will be to the player for using it in such a fashion.

Mission Critical Items come with the following pieces of information:
 * Object Name: This lists the name of the object. In most cases, the name is self-explanatory. Any nicknames for the object should be included in this field, in italics.
 * Location: This is an indication of where the object can be found in game. This data should include the Sector, star system coordinates, orbital lane and planetary coordinates.
 * Purpose/Function: This is an indication of what the object does and why it is important to its mission. It should be clear from the context of what's written here in which mission the object is relevant.

Standard Trade Good List
Part of Starflight I was the ability of the player to go to the Trade Depot at Starport in order to buy and sell various materials and goods, such as minerals, lifeforms, and artifacts. Starflight II expanded on the concept of trading in the Starflight Universe, by allowing the player to buy and sell these goods at alien homeworlds. Goods subjected to trade in this manner (trade goods) were an important part of revenue building in the original games.

This is a list of the Standard Trade Goods that will be included in SF3. These goods can be bought and sold at any trade post that's technologically advanced enough to either want or carry the item. Unlike specialty trade goods, the supply and demand for standard trade goods changes on a daily basis. Something that may sell for a high price one day may not be tradable the next. Because of this generality, there is far less data available for Standard Trade Goods as opposed to other forms of trade goods.

These goods come with the following information:
 * d% Roll: This lists what number represents the good as the result of a "d% roll" (i.e. the selection of a random integer between 0 and 99). This roll is used in the preparation of trade good lists by the game; for more information, see the discussion under the Trading and Commerce Module.
 * Name: This lists the name of the good. In most cases, the name is self-explanatory and is all the information the player will have during a trading session involving that good.
 * Standard Trade Value: This lists the standard trade value of the item, which will determine the trading prices for the good as well as help determine the final overall result of a trade; for more information, see the discussion under the Trading and Commerce Module. The Standard Trade Value is good for a volume of one cubic meter.
 * Technology Level: This lists at what technology level the good becomes available for buying and selling. The player may sell goods from a lower technology level to a society that's at a higher level, but may not sell higher technology goods to a society at a lower tech level.

Specialty Trade Good List
This is a list of the Specialty Trade Goods included in SF3. Unlike Standard Trade Goods, these goods can only be bought and sold at specific planets. The player can almost always buy these goods for below their STV. Likewise, they can almost always sell these same goods for well above their STV. As a result, Specialty Trade Goods generally always make a profit. More than that, selling a Specialty Trade Good to a species that really wants that good can quickly improve their opinion of the player. Because they can only be bought and sold at particular worlds, there's a little more information available for Specialty Trade Goods than Standard Trade Goods.

These goods come with the following information:


 * Name: This lists the name of the good. In most cases, the name is all the information the player will have during a trading session involving that good.
 * Standard Trade Value: This lists the standard trade value of the item, which will determine the trading prices for the good as well as help determine the final overall result of a trade; for more information, see the discussion under the Trading and Commerce Module. The Standard Trade Value is good for a volume of one cubic meter.
 * Sells: This lists who sells the item in question, as well as at what specific worlds the species will sell the item. The player must go to a listed world to buy the item in question, even if that species has more than one world at which they conduct trade.
 * Buys: This lists who will buy the item in question, as well as at what specific worlds the species will buy the item. The player must go to a listed world to sell the item in question, even if that species has more than one world at which they conduct trade. Note that some items have ; the player will waste their money (and take up precious cargo space) should they buy any amount of that material.

Lifeform List
This is a list of trade information for the lifeforms included in SF3. Lifeforms are a secondary source of income; though they are a 100% profit source, collecting lifeforms is time consuming and generates comparatively small profits as compared to similar volumes of minerals or trade goods. Collecting lifeforms is also potentially dangerous: some lifeforms are capable of causing significant injury or even death to characters, and damage to vehicles. Lifeforms are never sold at trade centers; they must be captured out in the wild.

For full lifeform stats, see the Bestiary page. The following information about lifeforms deals strictly with their trade:
 * Name:This lists the common name of the lifeform. In most cases, the name is self-explanatory and is all the information the player will have during a trading session involving that lifeform.
 * Size:This lists the unit size of the lifeform in question, or the internal volume of the entire lifeform in cubic meters.
 * STV per m3:This lists the lifeform's standard trade value per cubic meter. As some lifeforms are quite a good deal larger than a cubic meter, this lets a trader know how much they can expect to get/pay out for the lifeform based on its volume.
 * Unit Standard Trade Value:This lists the lifeform's total standard trade value, or the total value of the lifeform.
 * Buyer(s):This lists what species will buy the lifeform in question, as well as the location of the specific worlds at which the species will buy the lifeform in question. The player must go to a listed world to sell the lifeform in question, even if that species has more than one world at which they conduct trade.

Lifeforms will be restricted to the following rules of selling:
 * All Delta Sector lifeforms may only be sold at specific worlds. It will be generally assumed that the Empire has garnered a plethora of scientific data on said lifeforms due to their heavy use of trade, and thus they will not be accepted at any Starport. As with all forms of life, the Numlox will accept Delta Sector lifeforms in trade at Sysrq.
 * All Alpha Sector lifeforms may be sold at Starport Central for half of their total STV (it's assumed that while the Empire has some lifeforms in their catalog, the data collected on them is not as complete owing to the still hostile nature of the Sector's outward edge). Some worlds of the Alpha Sector will accept specific lifeforms in trade, but they are otherwise treated the same way as Standard Trade Goods and Minerals (whether or not a species will want them will be random from day to day). As with all forms of life, the Numlox will accept Delta Sector lifeforms in trade at Sysrq. Due to their limited tradability, all Alpha Sector species will be so marked.
 * All Beta Sector lifeforms may be sold at Starport Central for full price, and at Outpost Two for one-tenth their STV (the Empire has no data on these creatures, but SO2 is in no condition to accept or use the data). They are otherwise treated the same way as Standard Trade Goods and Minerals. As with all forms of life, the Numlox will accept Delta Sector lifeforms in trade at Sysrq. Due to their limited tradability, all Beta Sector species will be so marked.

Mineral List
This is a list of minerals included in SF3. Note that for the most part the list of minerals that was in SF1 and SF2 is in SF3. Minerals are never sold at trade centers, with the sole exception of fuel minerals. As the name implies, fuel is necessary for the functioning of the player's ship. Trade centers may or may not buy minerals depending upon the demand (as with Standard Trade Goods). The sole exception to this general rule is Starport Central, which will always buy minerals.

Minerals have a very minimal amount of information:


 * Name: This lists the name of the mineral. Note that there is no distinction made between trading refined minerals and raw ores.
 * d% Roll: This lists what number represents the mineral as the result of a "d% roll" (i.e. the selection of a random integer between 0 and 99). This roll may be used in the preparation of trade good lists; upon determining how many minerals a trade center is willing to buy, d% rolls can be used to determine which specific minerals are desired. Note that since fuel minerals are always available for purchase, they are not represented by a d% roll. This number can also be used by the game's planetary exploration routine to generate "random" minerals (i.e. ones that are not listed in the planet's stats for its lithosphere; for more information see the discussion under the Planetary Exploration Module. Shyneum will be the fuel mineral early in the game, with Luminium becoming available after the game's conclusion. Endurium is considered a contraband material; for more details, see the discussion of contraband under the Trading and Commerce Module.
 * Standard Trade Value: This lists the standard trade value of the mineral, which will determine the trading prices for the mineral as well as help determine the final overall result of its tradefor more information, see the discussion under the Trading and Commerce Module. The Standard Trade Value is good for a volume of one cubic meter of material.
 * Type: This lists the "type" of the mineral. A mineral may be one of four types, either mineral, repair mineral, fuel, or contraband. Repair minerals are minerals that can aid in extended repairs, and are always available for purchase at Starport. Fuel is always available at any trade center. Contraband minerals are illegal to trade in, but can fetch the player a handsome profit; for more information, see the discussion under the Trading and Commerce Module.

Artifact List
This final section lists a number of objects which can best be described as artifacts. These are items that can be found through exploration, items that can be bought to enhance the player's abilities, and objects whose sole purpose is to be sold off. This list will not include mission-critical artifacts (though it is likely they will be handled the same way in code).

Artifacts come with the following pieces of information:
 * Name: This gives the name of the artifact. This may or may not be very descriptive of the object; if not, an explanation of the object's general shape may be provided in the Notes Section.
 * Size: This lists the bounding box volume of the object in question, in cubic meters. Unlike trade goods and minerals, artifacts must be sold and bought as whole units (i.e. the player may buy one Flux Scan, but not 1.8 cubic meters of a Flux Scan).
 * Standard Trade Value: This lists the STV of the artifact in question. Because artifacts must be bought and sold in unit, this is the unit price for the artifact (not per cubic meter, as with other trade items). However, they may be handled the same way as minerals and trade goods, and so a price per cubic meter may need to be provided in the XML code.
 * Type: This lists a sub-category under which the artifact falls. There are several different types of sub-categories, as follows:
 * Curio: The artifact is something considered novel, rare, or bizarre. It basically is a special case of an Art Object, and has no game effects. Curios can be found during planetary exploration.
 * Trade Route: The artifact is a map which gives suggestions for trade. Trade Route maps were introduced in SF2, and so are exclusively from the Delta Sector. They can be purchased during any encounter with a Humna Humna starship, provided the player has established an excellent rapport with the Humna Humna (i.e. has them in a "friendly" state during communications).
 * Ancient Technology: This artifact is a piece of technology created by the Ancients. These Endurium-based items are rare, priceless, and can only be found through careful planetary exploration.
 * Technology: The artifact is a useful piece of recent technology, generally manufactured for sale or for general use sometime within in the last two or three thousand years. Some pieces of technology have to be found through exploration, while others can be bought at trade centers (provided that the potential purchaser has established a good rapport with the seller).
 * Generic: Those few artifacts that do not fall into one of the above categories are simply called "generic", for lack of a better term. Generic artifacts usually have some qualities of more than one category. Their characteristics will be listed in the artifact's notes.
 * Notes: This lists any additional information about the artifact in question. This can include game effects (if any) and the location of the item (if it's unique).

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