World Quickstart Guide
How to visit a world
Worlds form the core of The Universal's gameplay. Each world is part of a star system, and there are many star systems in the galaxy, but you don't have to spend much time in space at all if you don't want to. Here's a quick explanation of how to get out of space and onto the planet of your choice:
- If you're in a space station - press F8 to launch from that station. When the launch sequence has finished, click the FiPro icon (it's on the left of your screen). You will then see a list of the most popular worlds in the galaxy. Click one to be transported there instantaneously - you'll be in orbit right above it, with the world in the middle of your screen. Press the Home key to accelerate into the world, and you'll land there.
- If you're in space - just repeat the instructions above, except - obviously - you don't need to exit the space station first.
The list of worlds accessible through the FiPro drive is maintained by the game's development team. If you're prepared to put in a little work playing the space game, you can also buy an InfImp drive, which works in much the same way but allows you to visit any named world in the galaxy. And if you really can't be bothered with any of this space stuff at all, visit Gameislands.net and download the "classic" version of the A-Tractor client, which is basically the same game but with a limited number of worlds, and no space stuff at all. K?
What a wonderful world it could be
The most important thing to remember is that there many different types of world available, and that different worlds have different games and different rules. Consequently, writing a quick start guide is no easy task. A world can be a place to fight in vehicles, race cars, build economies, have wars or just take it easy and chat.
If you need help with the basic key commands type .help in game, or ask someone who looks like they know what they are doing. Lots of worlds have their own help texts (press Shift + F3, F4 or F5) and some have their own websites. If you need more help beyond what's covered here, ask other players. Most will help you out, because the more people are interested in playing on a world, the more fun it is for everyone.
Starting Tips for economy worlds like Zion or Zoric
Economic rules vary on each world, but there a few general principles that are usually the same in all places..
Often, the first step to making money is to get a job in a building. Have a wander about and ask around to find potential deals and the sorta amount you should expect to earn (most players will help you set up economically because your wealth helps them earn profit too), and if you see a building with a Job Available sign above it, find out what skill it needs by accessing the building menu. (Ctrl).
You get the required skill at a school building. Your first skill is practically free and you learn it immediately - later skills cost more and take longer to learn. Once you have got the skill, return to the building and apply for the job and then ya just wait as the money rolls in. You dont need to do anything else to get your regular wages, but on most worlds you only get paid every few hours (realtime) - Thats assuming the building owner has enough to pay you..
A lot of worlds, Zion in particular, expect you to play intermittently, perhaps for half n hour once or twice a week, popping in now and again to check on your job, spend a bit of cash, and look out for money making tips and opportunities. Some, like Zoric, also require you to keep your character housed and fed, and you will lose the stuff you have bought if you fail to do so.
Other than jobs, you can make money running your own store, factory, town or whatever (if you have the cash to build one) and sometimes you can make substantial amounts trading goods between other players buildings. (A common rule used is to not allow players to stock their own buildings, which means co-operation is essential).
There are also various subgames available to earn extra cash (such as rewards for finishing a race course in a certain time) - as always, ask around on the world to find out where the opportunities are.
If you want something to occupy your time a bit more between visits, theres an ever-expanding range of new places to visit and new game-types to try out. Crowfighting (F5) - a shoot-em up game based around subspace - can earn you money on some worlds by fighting with other players. Other worlds have fishing, sports games, race courses, CTF, dogfighting in biplanes.. whatever the world owners can think of and can build into the game.
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