WEB FED NEWS YEARBOOKS
Earthdate April 2004


INSIDE SCOOP


FED FUNNIES


OFFICIAL NEWS
by Hazed


What was in April 2004's Official News:

THE MONTH IN BRIEF
THE FIRST NIGHT OF PORTABLE OBJECTS
THE DEMISE OF THE VAC SUIT
NEW GALACTIC LAW MAKES SHIP PERMITS A REQUIREMENT

THE MONTH IN BRIEF

More objects were added to Fed II, using Bella's brand new event system. This time they were objects you could pick up and carry around with you. Along with dynamic objects (that's the technical term) came the inventory, letting you see what you are carrying.

In a change from classic Fed, these objects came in an inexhaustible supply - instead of one sargeur, a whole heap of sargeurs. This meant the end of object queues and hoarding. Fed II objects can also have commands attached to them meaning that you're not just limited to picking them up, putting them down, eating them or giving them away.

Apart from adding objects to Fed II, Hazed spent the month hard at work on the various manuals for Fed II. Her progress report included the following information: "collectively they will probably have a name something like "The Idiot's Guide to Learning How to Play Fed In 7 Days for Dummies". Or maybe not. Expect to see the Newbod's Guide ready some time next week. Incidentally, my spell checker had never heard the word droid - it wanted to change it to druid. Which certainly brought a very strange image to mind: WaitDruids in Chez Diesel, perhaps?"

Bella wrote up her designer's notes, which she had been keeping while she worked on Fed II in the run-up to Christmas. You can read them here.

Back in classic Fed, Eggs, the Easter puzzle planet opened for business. What had happened to the bunny? The first person to solve that puzzle would be given a chocolate bunny!

THE FIRST NIGHT OF PORTABLE OBJECTS

As I write this, objects you can cart around with you have been in the game for one night - and already one player has found a way to use them to annoy everything else!

With objects being generated as they are required, he decided to make the game create loads and loads and loads of the same object, which he then dumped in huge piles in various locations.

Now, I know that Fed II is in beta-test, and we need to find out about this kind of problem so we can fix it before the game launches. That's why we have a team of testers. But if you find a bug, or an oddity, or something you think can be exploited for your gain or other players' annoyance, don't keep on doing it! Try it a couple of times, just to check it really is a problem, then email a bug report to feedback@ibgames.com.

It is worth me reminding you that the rules include something called Game Disruption. That is, doing things that inconvenience large numbers of players, or put the game itself at risk, just because you can. An example is sucking all of the jobs off the workboard so nobody else can get a look it. Creating vast heaps of objects for people to trip over also counts as game disruption. We will change the game so it's not possible to do this kind of thing, but until we do - don't be a pest!

Meanwhile, a law-abiding citizen tried to be helpful by hoovering up all the huge heaps of cards and dumping them in his ship, only to discover that it put them into everybody's ship! Bella has now fixed it so you cannot drop things in space.

THE DEMISE OF THE VAC SUIT

When you look at your inventory, here's what you have in your personal kit:

>i
You check out your personal kit - a comm unit and a vacuum suit.

But here is a warning: your vac suit is going to vanish sometime next week. Oh no, you won't be able to breathe! You're going to die!

No, hang on, don't panic, you will still be safe even when wandering around on airless planets. You will still have a vac suit, it's just being incorporated into the nano-chameleon clothing, which is becoming ever-more sophisticated. So there's one less thing for you to worry about.

NEW GALACTIC LAW MAKES SHIP PERMITS A REQUIREMENT

The Galactic Administration has tightened up the rules on ship ownership in Fed II, due to worries about safety. In future, Jarrow Shipbuilders has been instructed to refuse to sell spaceships to anyone not in possession of the relevant permit. This restriction applies to both GroundHogs, and more experienced spacers looking to upgrade their ships.

The issuing authority can be found in the Galactic Administration HQ on Earth, on the 43rd floor, along with other permit offices. The staff of this office will give you the appropriate forms, and schedule the necessary tests to ensure your suitability for flying in space. Normally the process is expected to take two months, but due to the backlog caused by the sudden flood of people caught out by the new regulations, the estimated waiting time for a permit is about six months.

Concern about the timescale caused citizens of Fed II DataSpace to consider alternatives:

Stardate: 108155:9687 - Xxxslaught: Remember now...if you already have your ship and don't get your permit, you can be that cool person a few years from now who doesn't have a permit!!! like not having 120 stats or something...you know you want to..
Stardate: 108156:0598 - Paul: of course you would also be stuck with the ship you have forever. Planning to go forever with a Dragon class ship?
Stardate: 108156:6976 - Vlad: That'll make for some interesting situations in the future, holding onto that Dragon class ship....but then again, you will never have to worry about your kids wanting to borrow the keys to the ship;)
Stardate: 108158:3682 - Pulitzer: May I borrow the keys the Dragon ship, Vladdy? My Harrier looks so uncouth when I'm out on the town.

Others refused to resign themselves to the delay and explored alternative methods to route around the long-winded procedures. Far be it from this newspaper to recommend illegal actions, but it seems that if really do want a permit, you are going to have to find some way to speed up the process!


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FED FUNNIES