Newsletter #10

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Hello everyone!

Over the years, Space Merchant Realms newsletter have been few and far between. That is about to change. The SMR staff is actively working to make the game better for its players and make the small but lively SMR community grow. Regular newsletter will be a part of that effort, so this is the first of many regular newsletter that will be sent out to players. Expect 2-3 newsletter in your email box every game, filled with news and information about the world of Space Merchant Realms.

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Admin News:

The New Coder is Active and the Changes are Good!
Curufir has been working steadily since being brought on board by Mr. Spock last year. In that short space of time, the game has seen a number of long standing problems resolved and some very interesting new features added. The combat code was updated and then restored to its old self, there have been CPL changes, single scout lifespans have doubled, to name only a few. Currently there are more changes in the works, including a new current sector layout and new bug-free combat code. With some luck these will be ready for the next round.

Jester is Named Admin
Long time player and alliance leader Jester has been given full admin status. Congratulations!

New Web Board Moderators
Head web board mod B.O.B. has named a new lineup of web board moderators for the current round. Piratedan, Jett Jackson, and Shady_FA have been tapped to replace Ardbeg, Trigek, and Kahless. These moderators will cycled frequently, probably game to game, so as to limit the burnout that moderators sometimes experience and also to liven up and vary the style of moderation. Congrats to these moderators and on the good job they are doing.

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Heard in the Community:

Too Much Money???
Z-money asked the question, and 8 pages later the discussion is still going on...is there too much money in the game? The major alliances are rumored to have billions of credits in the bank, and at the same time small alliances struggle to raise enough money for a few warbirds. Some see it as the natural order of activity and experience, while others see it as unfair. Check out what all the fuss is about: http://smrcnn.smrealms.de/viewtopic.php?t=6264

Game Manual Updated
The Manual has long been known as useless for helping new SMR players understand the game. Many of the sections were poorly written and containted incomplete or incorrect information. Most of these have been revised to provide more and better information to new SMR players. The manual now has updated and sortable ships and weapons lists, a SMR glossary, and more. Thanks to B.O.B., Harry Krishna, LotuS, Ardbeg, OmegaRenegade, Page, Rosebud, and Shady_FA who continue to put in their time on this much needed update.

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Galactic Post:
The newest editor Waif has done a fantastic job of publishing fresh, funny, interesting, and balanced reading for GP readers. Here are a couple of samples:

Chaos Reigns in Salzik as Alliances Wrestle for Control Salzik (Galactic Reuters)
Officials in the Salzik galaxy are at an impasse in their attempts to restore order in their beleaguered systems. Several alliances have moved into the area in recent weeks and are now clashing openly for trade routes, planets, territory, and power. Major outfits like System Failure, Crusaders, and Beyond Divinity have all staked their place in one of the many outlying galaxies and are putting pressure on local ports to pay inflated payment to their traders. Smaller but well organized alliances like the Legitimate Businessmen, the Green Skulls, Omega Factor, and Crusaders College are also carving out a place for themselves. Ships are being destroyed every day in this struggle for power and place. Repeated requests for federal assistance and protection have fallen on deaf ears,

One political observer told the Galactic Post that there is currently a three-way battle going on now between System Failure, Crusaders, and Beyond Divinity. Based on estimated ship losses, BD and SF are engaged in a major war with eachother. Both teams are also fighting Crusaders, who can claim an advantage against both in enemy ships destroyed. Beyond these major conflicts, the Green Skulls are making some noise as they brutalize the local Salzik economy with their port raiding and fleet fight with whoever they can find. This has led to several confrontations with other alliances which have ended both well and badly for GS. Most recently, a fleet of 5 GS ships were destroyed by a larger fleet of Crusaders who were returning from a raid into BD territory. There have also been reports of fighting between the Crusaders training alliance Crusaders College and GS , with significant losses to the College.

According to one local tavern owner, the situation is bound to continue to destabilize. Alskant citizen Artie Krkuar owned a tavern in Salzik for the last 78 years. He's seen his share of outlaws and ugly turf wars. "Yes, I've seen it all...the retreat of the Federation has meant a lot more free-for-all in this area," said Krkuar on a recent stop into his establishment where business is suprisingly good. "People at war like to drink!" notes Krkuar. "They like to play the lotto, gamble, and take chances. And always they drink." As he talked, three Crusaders warships blasted a Green Skull ship into floating debris in the sector outside the tavern. A shockwave shook the tavern and his customers ran to the observation windows to see. Krkuar smiles grimly, "War is maybe not good for them, But it is good for me."

Beyond Divinity Steals 1.2 Billion
System Failure faced heartbreak after losing what was rumored to be the majority of their warchest. Insiders say that members of Beyond Divinity busted into Groagan, the hallowed System Failure planet galaxy, and broke into a bonding planet on 2686 owned by Bouncer. The planet also hosted a lively nightclub and sources have pointed out that the thiefs might have claimed they were just there for dancing. Those sources claim that as Beyond Divinity arrived at just the right time, a spy inside System Failure is likely.

This reporter wonder if such a painful loss might turn the tides in the lately one sided war with Beyond Divinity on one side, and the Crusaders and System Failure on the other. Only time will tell if System Failure can recover.

It's the simple things...
I stopped off at the local tavern after a long day of trading. Slightly muffed by the fact that most of the major trade routes no longer existed. Due to several recent pirate attacks on the sector, most traders have either moved on or. like myself, traveled to the remaining ports in the area and set up new trade routes to keep the flow of goods moving. Was the money as good as it was before...no, but the people were honest and i was still turning a profit so i couldn't complain.

The tavern that night was a little to busy for my taste, so i ordered the usual to go. At this hour the space port was winding down, with the exeption of a lot of people scurring about the empty dock next to mine. Now i'll admit i'm never one to pry into the business of others but there was a sense of urgency on their faces, so much that i decided to watch for a bit, if for nothing else, to see what was up.

I did not have to wait long. There was a loud bang signally a ship jumping just outside Fed HQ. A severly damage Federal Warrant slowly drifted into positon and was secured by several docking arms that seemed to stop it from drifting into the Federal HQ located across the way. A short human, sporting a huge smile, exited the badly damaged ship and serveyed the damage. "Huh, it doesn't look as bad from out here!...How long till i can head back out?"

"Shouldn't take to long, you at least left me more to work with this time," aswered one of the mechanics and began his work. Taken back by the fact that this was by far the worst looking ship i'd ever seen, I started to make my way to the human that had just exited the ship, for this is something you just don't see everyday. "Excuse me," I asked, "did the pirates do that?" "Not exactly," he said with a chuckle,"I decided to pay their mine field a little visit." Being a little confused i asked "What mine field?" To which he replied..." exactly."

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News for Next Game:

Code Changes
A number of code changes are working their way through
the development process and are being tested now.
These may make it into the next game, if coding and
testing are complete by then. Future changes include:
- a new current sector layout
- new combat code
- combat logs showing attack screens
- faster script times, less lag
- trader info shows bounties and next experience level to gain
- and much more!

Look for the next SMR newsletter to hit right at the start of the new game, with more announcements and news from the best damned game on the Internet.

Thank you,
SMR Support Team

Note: You receive this e-mail because you are registered with Space Merchant Realms. If you prefer not to get any further notices please respond and we will disable your account.

[JettJackson]

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