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The Stargazer Vol 0, Iss 1
THE News for the Dragon Quadrant
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Your UDA news source, quarterly news journal.
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The 4th Day of Sex, Year 3394. | Sponsored by TriTeq Industries, Inc.
Issued on December 18, 1996 RL time. | "When you want the best, get Teq."
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In this issue:
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TOP NEWS
ZALDRON FIVE CLEARED OF SUSPICION IN PLATINUM RATE SCANDAL
UDA News
Grand Opening of the Geijan Cantina
Business Universe
Seiged Castle Holosim Added
Current Exchange Rates
Cutting Edge
PDA Upgrade: Keep in Touch with Friend Lists
On the Wire
Advancements in Personal Communication with Quick Chat
Communications Symposium: Directed Speech and its Benefits
Xenoculture
Advancement Plateaus: Be sure to Advance on Time!
Inside Fashion
"What time is it?"
Adventure Quest
Questing Commentary
Plus:
Classifieds
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TOP NEWS
========
ZALDRON FIVE CLEARED OF SUSPICION IN PLATINUM RATE SCANDAL
----------------------------------------------------------
A Dragons' Star network and Fort Knox scandal turned the Currency Rates
Exchange Bureau on its ears recently as several members of the Dragons'
Star network became rich instantly as currency exchange rates for platinum
fluctuated dramatically. First the rates dropped to an all-time low,
allowing the prized currency to be bought in large quantities for very few
credits. Then the Dragons' Star network became extremely unstable,
crashing quite often. "An error in the computers at Fort Knox updated the
exchange rates too much, forcing a rapid shift in the platinum exchange
rate, instead of a slow shift," commented Infoteq. When the value of
platinum sky-rocketed rapidly to extreme highs, those holding on to
platinum sold in a stock market frenzy, allowing them to become rich
instantly.
The scandal, since been nicknamed the Zaldron five incident, has many
rumors associated with it, including hacked networks and the unstable Fort
Knox rates updater. Of the many who became rich, only Zaldron was
implicated as participating actively in the fluctuation, yet as an act of
good faith he has used quite a bit of his newfound wealth to purchase
spaceships for charity. "Zaldron has been cleared of all charges and
should not be connected with this scandal anymore. His good faith and
cooperation in helping us right these errors has been most extraordinary,"
said Infoteq recently in a press conference. An inside source at the
Currency Rates Exchange Bureau added that others had been named and were
encouraged to divest themselves of their wealth or face indictment charges
for trade violations. All have complied.
Since the incident, programmers for the Dragons' Star network have worked
round the clock to insure that the network is once again stable. "It was a
minor oversight that has since been repaired," commented Infoteq. He
further addressed that the Fort Knox rates updater has undergone major
revamping. For a short time, the rates remained static while the new
system was put into place. Now that the new system is in effect, the rates
have once again changed. "The currency system is now dynamic again. This
setup is extremely experimental. Don't be shocked if we slip back to a
static system while I tweak the [network] again," Infoteq added in a news
conference.
-Leidar Minllen
UDA News
========
Grand Openings: Geijan Celebrates in Style!
--------------------------------------------
In a spectacular frenzy of lights and lasers, the Geijan Space Cantina
celebrated its grand opening today at coordinates 2, 8, 9 -- remarkably
near the derelict space station Mai-Hant. Bar patrons from all over the
galaxy showed up at the gala to have an ale at the Geijan Cantina. Cantina
Manager Sal Kaljar gave us this exclusive interview as we sipped Darvan Ale
under the cool lighting of one of Mr. Kaljar's booths.
Stargazer: "How's business doing so far? I hear you've a lot of traffic
problems out front."
Kaljar: "Due to some unfortunate incidents," he paused, choosing his words
carefully, "I haven't been able to seat as many people in the cantina as I
would like." He added, "We will begin remodeling in the near future, but
no dates have been set at t his time."
Stargazer: "I notice that Ale is served, as well as many other fine
liquors, and I notice that your servers are asking for identification. Any
comment?"
Kaljar: "Too many weird species have been coming in, telling me that they
were of legal age, when in truth they were far below it. Now all patrons
must show a certified identification card stating that they are allowed by
law to drink such liquors."
I nodded approval to Kaljar's certification statement, noting that UDA
strictly forbids the use of alcohols by those under 14 years GMT (Galactic
Mean Time).
The space sky around the cantina was aglow with artificial lights from
inside the cantina, so the airlock coverings had been left open to reveal
the spectacular view of space. The gala had attracted quite a few
celebrities around the quadrant. Chief Engineer Sk'nza Rhlahr and Lt.
Commander Renune Ghenhurne, both sporting gold adorned wings for the
occasion, hobnobbed with the Motes, debating tactical theory mainly with
Sharee Mote, the noted first daughter of the cyborgs. Jareth and Elana
Mote interjected their own theories into the debate, but mainly clung to
each other, nibbling a shared Maanoba. Darvan songstress Yvette Quoth
played the Odenalayre, accompanying her own melodic voice. On the whole
the opening went by smoothly, except for a few clumsy waitresses.
Stargazer: "Have you had problems with your staff?"
Kaljar: "Good help is hard to find, but there's a million pretty faces to
choose from."
After clearing my throat, I decided to move on to the next question.
Stargazer: "The room seems remarkably clean. Not a speck of dust that I
can see. I've even seen my reflection in the glass! How do you manage this
degree of cleanliness in a cantina where spills are naturally a part of the
environment?"
Kaljar: "We work hard to keep the cantina clean. We have never EVER seen a
rat in our cantina, and if we did see one, we wouldn't know what it was!"
Stargazer: "I've heard rumors of illegal activities from the back rooms
of the cantina. Care to comment?"
Kaljar: Frowning, he said, "I do not wish to comment at this time. I am
insulted that you should ask such a question on this, our grand opening."
Barring Kaljar's sudden mood change, I stayed around a little longer,
noting the atmosphere and decent drinks. As for the place in general, I
give it 4 stars. Nice service, comfortable atmosphere, and good drinks.
If you don't mind the company of strangers, you'll find it a second home.
You can catch a ride on Ryfezius Spaceways to get to the Geijan Cantina
spacestation bar, which also makes a pit stop at Mai-Hant, the derelict
space station, on the way.
-Stryfe & Trillian
DDO Newswire
Business Universe
=================
Seiged Castle Holosim Added
---------------------------
In other grand opening news, TriTeq Industries, Inc. added a new Holo-
Simulation for questing and entertainment purposes: The Seiged Castle. You
can access this new simulation from the Simulation Suites above S'methena's
at SDO's Mall Outpost. The Seiged Castle has been rated as an extremely
high level area for seriously advanced questors.
-P.R. Bot 4000
Current Exchange Rates
----------------------
As reported by the Currency Exchange Rates Bureau:
Exchange Rates:
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Cred: 1.000000
Gold: 0.090909
Copr: 1.500000
Plat: 0.008849
Yen : 0.500000
Yuan: 0.750000
Slvr: 0.136364
Opal: 0.142857
BldS: 0.441967
Accurate as of: Friday, the 19th Day of Sex, Year 3394 @ 10:00
-Leidar Minllen
Cutting Edge
============
PDA Upgrade: Keep in Touch with Friend Lists
--------------------------------------------
TriTeq Industries, Inc. released a software upgrade earlier this month for
the popular Personal Data Assistant, or PDA. Friend List allows users to
check when their friends are last signed on to public communication. "This
upgrade marks a significant upgrade to the PDA's, allowing users of the
Dragons' Star information network to check up on their most frequent
contacts," said Infoteq in a HoloSim broadcast for the release of the new
product. When asked whether the upgrade was automatic, Infoteq replied
that the Friend List upgrade was downloaded once users signed into the
Dragons' Star network. "You won't have to do anything special to get the
upgrade but merely sign on," commented Infoteq about the new software.
So how does it work? The basic commands for accessing and using Friend
List are listed below:
friend a : This add YOU to 's list.
friend r : This removes YOU from 's list.
friend d : This removes from your list.
friend l : This lists all the names on your list.
friend c : This gives you the last on info for .
The documentation further explained that option A and R must be used while
the other user is online. Users can have a total of 15 people on their
individual lists. "This design allows users to protect their privacy,
which is why they have to add themselves to your list and you can't add
them yourself," said Infoteq about the self-policing security system of
the Friend List upgrade.
-Index dahtHtml
On the Wire
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Quick Chat: Communicate on Five Channels Thanks to Diamond Chip Design!
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TriTeq Industries, Inc. released a new hardware upgrade to the popular
Commbadge. Called Quick Chat, the upgrade utilizes very rare technology to
allow users to communicate on up to five different user-specified channels.
"This takes advantage of the new diamond chip design recently discovered
and refined in the Diamond Dragon Outpost," Infoteq said in a statement to
the media. With enthusiasm, Trillian added, "The possibilities for this are
almost endless as we search for improvements and enhancements for our
outposts." The diamond chip design allows for multi-user-defined
communication in both a public and private atmosphere, a milestone in
communications!
Infoteq described some of the development, "Once we had found the proper
sequencing, everything else just fell into place," he said, commenting on
the design. "We are just very excited to have developed Quick Chat--it
makes communication with everyone a lot easier.'
Infoteq then gave a rundown on the operation and use of the upgrade.
"Quick Chat is very similar to IRC. An operator creates a channel, runs it,
selects the topic, the people that can access it, and so on. There are
several differences of course. Only users logged in to the Dragons' Star
network can participate, and there can only be one operator at any time.
Other than that it, should be quite familiar to those of you who've tried
IRC."
Infoteq then listed the two types of commands: operator and member, and
how to use them:
Member Commands include:
qchat - allows you to speak on quick chat
qjoin - has you join or create a quick chat
qleave - exits you from your current quick chat
qlist - lists the quick chats and their topics
qmembers - show the members of the current chat
qstat - give statistics on your current chat
Operator Commands include:
qban - bans a person from your chat
qcolor - changes the color of your chat
qhidden - hides the chat from qlist
qinvite - invites other people to your chat
qops - transfers operational control to another person
qprivate - makes chat private
qtopic - allows you to change the topic of your chat
qunban - unbans a person from your chat
Each command can be accessed through your PDA's help sections
(type: help ).
-Tigger
DDO Newswire
Communications Symposium: Directed Speech and its Benefits
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"Communication is the key to understanding," began Infoteq in a symposium
about directed speech. Infoteq held the holosim broadcast in order to help
members of the Dragons' Star network understand how to communicate with
one another better. "You can say something to someone else, but the speech
will not be directed at the person. Yet if you 'talk' to the person you
are addressing, the message will reach them, and they will have a better
understanding of what you were trying to say," Infoteq continued,
discussing the nuances of 'saying' versus 'talking'.
Once in awhile the implementors of the Dragons' Star network hold HoloSim
broadcasts for the purpose of disseminating information to network users.
You can access the notes to these broadcasts by reading the News board on
your PDA. To get a list of the notes, type: News list. The command to
read one of the notes is: News read .
-P.R. Bot 4000
Xenoculture
===========
Advancement Plateaus: Be sure to Advance on Time!
-------------------------------------------------
"When journeying on your next quest, you must now keep several things in
mind," began Infoteq recently, discussing new developments in the
advancement experience tables. "You can now only carry up to 2X the exp
you need to level. If you need 25,000 to your next level, you can achieve
50,000, but no more," Infoteq continued, pointing out that users should
move on to the next level once they reach the plateau of experience.
-Lyla Springbow
UDA Newswire
Inside Fashion
==============
"What time is it?"
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And this seasons' hottest fashion look does not hail from Frabia, well
known for its colorful fashions, and not from Huanarth, with its breezy
looks for the fashionable Belarth, but rather from RDO of all places. Yes!
The center for research and learning in the quadrant announces its hottest
fashion accessory, the RDO Timeband, a crimson watch which looks fabulous
with those wonderfully cute crimson jumpsuits or even with the prized "I
survived the Gamma test" exclusive t-shirts. And how much do these
timebands cost? "A mere 25 credits," said an RDO-mart employee, who added
that she had sold more than 40 of these hot numbers herself. "People love
them. I think people come to RDO sometimes just to buy the timebands!" And
what do you get for your 25 credits? "Plus 10 offensive bonus, and plus 20
defensive bonus, perfect for all those quests," said the employee. All at
one incredibly low cost!
-T'heelha B.
Adventure Quest
===============
Questing Commentary
-------------------
The big question of who shall be the first to reach level 50 and receive
their own ship still remains to be answered. In other quests this cycle we
have had quite a good showing with no single player achieving dominance.
In the five sanctioned quests recorded, we have only had one repeat
winner, Dominic, who emerged victorious in Bauhaus' sponsored Eye-Spy
quest and Tigger's second impromptu token quest. Riker proved the master
of Jeopardy, while Reznor and Anduar proved to be dead equal in the
Scavenger Hunt. In the first token quest, we saw Steel take the lead and
hold on to edge out Knight for the victory. But truly all questors thus
far have been winners. That's all for now, so keep em coming boys and
girls.
-Clown
DDO Newswire
Plus:
=====
Classifieds
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// Redeem this coupon for __50% off__ of SkillWire 1 & 2 cyberimplants //
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// Offer good until The 24th Day of Quinque, Year 3367 //
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Editorial Staff
Editor: Trillian
Publishers: Infoteq, Trillian, Dranor
Reporters: Leidar Minllen, P.R. Bot 4000, Index dahtHtml, T'heelha B.
Guest Reporters: Tigger, Stryfe, Clown, Lyla Springbow
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