A large part of playing is interacting with others in the game. You can mingle with other players in the Lost Traders Tavern, gambling against them, conversing with them, leaving announcements at the door or writing a message on the bathroom wall. You can combine your assets with other players of the same alignment to form a Corporation. Just be aware that more than one Corporation has been brought down by a con man who wormed his way into the Corporate structure. You can have a chance encounter with other creatures of the universe, both real (other users) and Non-Player Characters (the Federals, Alien traders and the Ferrengi). Chance encounters offer many possibilities and can advance you in your chosen career path. Your alignment and experience and the alignment and experience of the creature you encounter will determine just how that advancement if affected.

Other traders are users just like you. They have alignment and experience points. You can see all the others by Listing Traders from your ships computer. By using the listing, you can see which players are good and which are evil. You can estimate whether the other player would better serve your needs as an ally or adversary.

The Federation is the main governing body of the cosmos. You will meet the Feds if you go to the Police Station. You might run into them as you roam around space. The Feds don't look kindly on players who break FedLaws, so if you're not careful, they might visit you when you least want their company.

Alien traders are visitors from another universe who are looking for better ports. You can get a listing of the Aliens similar to the one you get for other traders. Aliens also have experience and alignment, but you cannot form a Corporation with them.

The Ferrengi are a greedy, cowardly group. Their primary purpose is the speedy acquisition of money. They will steal from anyone no matter what the person's or corporation's alignment. They seldom engage in face-to-face combat because they prefer the advantage of surprise when ambushing their opponent. They often travel in groups and will spy on promising territory. After targeting an area, they will raid the sector when it is least defended. If they are attacked, that group will hold a grudge against the attacker and they will not rest until they feel the score has been settled.

Explore the universe and take part in the adventure. You can just look around or you can become a dominant factor. Most of the displays are fully explained. When you are asked to make a selection, anything displayed in brackets [], will be the default.

Most displays can be aborted by hitting the space bar.

Good Trading and Good Luck.