EPT - Information
Continued...
The player communicates with all of the non-player characters (NPCs) via a Babelpisc Translation Unit (TU). This high quality multilingual unit consists of a viewscreen, twelve communication buttons on each side and a text display window. The positions of the buttons have been determined by communoergonomics and extensive field tests to give the best possible user lingual-interface.
The TU buttons are marked with the Standard Communicator Ideoms - including (in no particular order) Moderate Insult, Extreme Insult, Curse or Swear, Threaten, Threaten Strongly, Demand Surrender, Offer Bribe, Offer a Serious Bribe, Demand Something, Praise, Flatter, Negative, Apologise, Grovel, Surrender, Request news or information, Ask someone his name, Ask someone where he is from, Ask someone where he has come from, Ask someone where he is going, Ask someone what he is carrying, Affirmative, Ask someone to help you with something, and Ask someone to join forces with you.
The player can generate funds by dabbling in the stock market. There are a number of different currencies in the system, with shifting exchange rates. The various bank options include transfering money from one account to another, purchasing property, and buying and selling shares in several prominent multi-planetary companies via a series of nested menus.
There are two distinct trade systems in the Solar System; one based on the Quyan Empire and the other on the Urthian Confederation. It is possible to trade between the two systems but the penalties for getting caught are severe.
The player can apply for registration with a Trading House where upon they will be given a Trading House Credit Card [THCC]. With this card the player can buy commodities in any of that Trading House’s offices up to the given rating. If the card is lost a replacement can only be obtained from one of the Trading House’s main offices.
If the player does particularly well with their finances, they can buy more than one spaceship. For example, they can end up buying several cargo vessels which they can then program to follow a set route. They can hire escorts, enquire if anybody else is sending shipments along the same route, arrange a convoy, and so on.
The player can also purchase a number of additional devices to help them advance in the game. The most useful is the Astrolabe - a computer system that calculates the optimum time to travel to planets, based upon the planetary conjunctions. This reduces the amount of travel time the player has to endure (using cryogenics) when travelling great distances within the system.
Away from the strategy and trading side of EPT, there is also the 3D arcade element where the player takes direct control of events by flying various spaceships manually. Many ships will share similar functionality, although their control configurations may differ.