Subject: Generating Xboat routes on a sector map
This is a two part question:
a) is there any semi-automatic way for generating xboat and other
routes from the information on a sector map?
b) given a text file with the sector or subsector information, what is
a good format to store the xboat route information? (I am thinking
of a text database format to be compatible with that used for sectors)
The system generation rules don't say how to construct the xboat (and
other, like the established trade) routes from the system info. The
rules are sparse as to what to do; they basically say to look at the map
and connect stars so that systems with A or B starports pass within 3 parsecs
of each other. (Ref's manual p. 18, Communications Routes) Well and good
except that I'm not going to *draw* a star map, thats what I have a computer
for.
Also what about the other routes? The xboat routes are the Jump-4 routes
which the communications take. What about the trade routes? It is conceivable
that the Megacorp. and Sector/Subsector wide routes of the various companies,
although slower are as important in diseminating information, especially in
outlying star systems. There are no rules as to where these should go (follow
the xboats, but also go to other places)
Fred Schiff ([email removed])