Starports

From Starport: Galactic Empires

Starports are the common man-made outposts that dot the galaxy and serve the needs of interstellar commerce. Today, almost one in every four known star systems contains a starport.

A starport serves the system it is in, selling goods the system's planets are rich in, and importing those resources it lacks. Many starship captains are simple merchants who make their living trading these resources from system to system.

Occasionally, shady characters are caught attempting to rob starports.

Experience is granted for docking at a port for the first time. On the first day of a galaxty, it usually starts at 0 and slowly increases to 100. This setting also resets to 0 when a new patch to the game is downloaded. On some older permas, every port gives 0 exp.

Lone Star Lounge

The Lone Star Lounge at each Starport offers you several options:

Purchase drinks: You can buy four drinks, each of increasing price.

• $5 - Spice Water
• $50 - Arcturan Light
• $500 - Hullbanger
• $5,000 - Captain's Stash

The bartender may provide more information as you buy more drinks. Expensive drinks have the most effect. The $5 and $50 drinks are generally not worth your time. The $500 drink is best for getting information without going broke. You will be limited to 11 drinks; this means $5500 at most spent.

The information you will get from the bartender includes:

• Tips on colony governments - generally not useful to any but very new players
• "Jettisoning colonists is pretty mean" - you lose reputation if you jettison colonists
• Last character seen in the bar
• Location of Intergalactic Paradise Worlds
• Location of Artifacts
• "The center of (some resource) production in the galaxy is (system name)" - The meaning of this is under debate, but it is not colony location. It may be the system with the largest number of resource-producing planet types.

Recruit colonists: The number of colonists a character can successfully recruit depends on his experience and reputation. If you take only some of the colonists, those you leave behind may lose their interest. Therefore, it is wise to take as many colonists as possible each time.

Find taxi and escort missions: Sometimes a patron at the lounge might need some help, like a taxi ride to another port. The going rate of cab fare is about $3,000 per hop and they usually tip extra if you get there fast. You will also get experience and reputation. Escort missions also offer money, experience and reputation.

Deep Space Inn

You can go offline while at a starport. Your character will be checked into the Deep Space Inn which will charge him an hourly fee. Each starport's Inn has a slightly different rate, ranging from $2,000 credits per hour to $4,000 credits per hour, and the price is tripled for evil reputation characters. The Inn's price is usually cut in half once more than $50,000 credits have been spent on drinks at the Lounge bar. If your character runs out of money while parked at a starport, he will be kicked out to nearby space and vulnerable.

Merchant Docks

This is where you can trade resources. You can also buy shields and cargo holds at a fixed rate.