Sneak Peak of Planetary Exploration!

Eukelade

Hey space travellers. It's been a minute since we let you all know where we were with the economy update, so today I thought I'd show everyone a sneak peak of the upcoming PLANETARY EXPLORATION feature. This new feature will allow people who prefer doing their exploration on foot to obtain commodities from the land by triangulating the location of resources on various planets.

So without further ado, here's a log of the current system in action.

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We open in the desert of Anemoi, on the planet Delphi.

>l

In the searing desert.                                           

Rocky sand lies all around, formed in gentle ripples by the wind, which brings little relief as it sweeps over the sandscape. Hot and arid, the surroundings are oppressive despite the open expanse. 

Like a dark shadow, a caliginous eagle rests upon the sand. Watching with keen eyes is a hungry looking cania.

A tall cactus stands here, covered in fragrant blossoms. A broken engine from a hover vehicle lies on the dusty ground.

You can EXPLORE WILDERNESS from here.

[n] -> A trackless expanse of sand

[nw] -> In the searing desert

>explore wilderness

You enter the wilderness.

Crossing a trackless desert.                                                     

Nobody seems to have set foot in this part of Delphi for some time, and the dunes and sand flats stretch away in every direction that you can see. The only evidence of life is that of the native fauna, which is plentiful in this undisturbed region.  The air is hot and dry.

A ferocious, brown-scaled tigrid slinks around.

You can LEAVE WILDERNESS from here.

[n] -> Wilderness

[e] -> Wilderness

[se] -> Wilderness

>east

You walk to the east.

Crossing a trackless desert.

Nobody seems to have set foot in this part of Delphi for some time, and the dunes and sand flats stretch away in every direction that you can see. The only evidence of life is that of the native fauna, which is plentiful in this undisturbed region.  The air is hot and dry.

Graceful and skittish, a spiral-horned kegri prances here. 

This is a control point.

[ne] -> Wilderness

[e] -> Wilderness

[se] -> Wilderness

[s] -> Wilderness

[w] -> Wilderness

(It looks like our intrepid explorer has found one of the control points for this area of the wilderness. Of course, before she starts triangulating, she needs to stop and scan the pokem...the animal.)

>probe kegri

-- a spiral-horned kegri (#36241) ---------------------------------------------

Race: Animal                  Gender: Genderless

Affiliation:                      Unknown Status: Healthy

 

Description: This animal has a narrow-waisted body and four long, slender

legs that end in something not dissimilar to W'hoorn paws. Two spiraling horns

jut from its forehead. Its face is long and slender, and it has a white-tufted

tail that lashes at the back of its legs.

Strength: You estimate that it is laughably weak.

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>xenozoo scan kegri

You aim your bioscanner at a spiral-horned kegri and activate the device, and a beam of blue light plays out across your target.

You shift slightly to keep a spiral-horned kegri in your sights, careful not to let anything break the beam.

A wireframe holographic model of a spiral-horned kegri rotates slowly on your bioscanner's display as you collect more information about the creature.

There is a low hum that builds in your device, and the bright beam of blue light intensifies briefly.

With a quick snap, your bioscanner's information gathering laser flickers off, and information about a spiral-horned kegri begins to scroll across the holographic display.

Studying this creature has taught you a few things. You have gained 2 lessons!

(Research done with. Moving on!)

>i

You are wielding in your hands:

a kickass Eukebuster 9000 in your right.

 

You have:

a triangulation device.

You are wearing:

a white T-shirt for Haxley's Casino, a compact jetpack, really comfortable pants, a pair of self-lacing sneakers, and LUCENT Soundwavez.

>probe device

-- A triangulation device (#51790) ---------------------------------------------

Owner: Unknown               Usable life: 60 mo.

Mass: Small                       Resetting: No

Description: This device is used to take readings of nearby surroundings, with

the purpose of detecting mineral or gas deposits. A shining paristeel sphere

makes up the body of the object, a few dials and knobs fitted on its surface

allowing for precise calibration. A small screen gives out readings of its

analysis and the device can be fixed to most terrain types with the metal tripod

that stands attached to the paristeel head.
Usage Syntax: WILDERNESS TRIANGULATE

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>wilderness

WILDERNESS LEAVE                   Leave the wilderness.

WILDERNESS TRIANGULATE             Set up triangulation gear.

WILDERNESS DESIGNATE <player>      Let someone pick up your newfound resources.

>wilderness triangulate

You hit a button on the top of a triangulation device, and a low clicking begins to repetitively sound from within the sphere.

Three legs telescope automatically from the bottom of the triangulation device, and you release the sphere to allow them to find equilibrium on the uneven terrain.

After a few mincing steps, the triangulation device's legs plant themselves solidly, sending paristeel spikes deep into the earth.

The metal sphere of the device opens with a whirr, and blue light begins to scatter and play across the surrounding area.

A status light on the top of the tripod begins to blink an erratic amber, indicating that the device is still in the process of getting a solid reading on the area.

There is a low humming sound just on the edge of your hearing, subsonic frequencies pulsing through the tripod's spikes and into the ground beneath your feet.

Holographic screens blink to life, flickering in the air around the device in the form of ghostly charts, graphs, and sonic readouts as various environmental data collection subroutines are activated.

The status indicator on the top of the tripod flickers from blinking amber to steady green, and the readouts stabilize, a topographical map of the area projected above it.

You have successfully set up the triangulation gear at this location.

Your efforts are successful, and you discover 6 units worth of raw Iriil! You can use SHIP PICKUP IRIIL to pick it up, or WILDERNESS DESIGNATE <player> to let another player do so.

>west

>leave wilderness

You leave the wilderness.

(Upon successfully exploring the wilderness, Eukelade, our intrepid explorer, returns to her ship, currently in orbit around Delphi.)

The bridge of The Mantis.                         

A fish tank bubbles quietly nearby, the creature within swimming happily about.

[s] -> The upper deck

>ship deploy scoops

The ship prepares to deploy its scoops.

The scoops round the ship are now deployed.

>ship pickup iriil

The ship scoops up 6 units worth of raw Iriil from the surface of Delphi.

Eukelade says to a fishtank with a single fish inside, "I'm rich!".

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And that is, essentially, how you use the planetary exploration feature - though unlike what you saw in my log, you'll need to triangulate three different control points before gaining access to the resources of the area. It's especially handy if you don't love space, but have a friend or employer who does - you can spend your time roaming the unexplored reaches of various planets for someone willing to collect the fruits of your labors - and hopefully split the profit. Keep in mind this feature is still in development, but we want to get it into your hands soon.

We are always interested in feedback, so let us know what you think!! Thanks for reading!