The weekly newsletter for Fed2 by ibgames

EARTHDATE: February 24, 2008

Inside Scoop page 1


THE FED DATASPACE TRAVEL GUIDE: ZANDZABAR, OASIS SYSTEM

by Trilleth

After being cooped up most of a week in my ship performing the nasty "h" (hauling) word, I wanted some real physical exercise. I was told that the absolutely largest planet in the game is Zandzabar, so I decided I would just have to go get in a nice long walk.

The rumors about pirates and smugglers didn't worry me too much; pirates are dashing, after all, and smugglers tend to get me good prices on new shoes. Hopping in my shuttle, I landed on the planet, ready to meet a pirate face-to-face.

The exchange and Z Bar Traders' Lounge were both quiet, respectable locations... until I found a secret doorway-- and a bed. Ah, good. If I got tired from all the walking, I knew where to come. There weren't any human facilities, however, other than a lovely hot tub. I need to get one of those...

Wait a minute. This isn't where I went in, is it? Now I was lost. I checked my map, but, no, this wasn't where I came in. Apparently there are teleportation disks all over the planet! Darn smugglers... my inexpensive shoes didn't feel quite so comfortable now.

Everywhere I turned, someone was related to someone else. There were also a lot of hidden portals and I never knew just where I was going to end up. I got in more walking trying to get back to where I was than actually getting anywhere in the first place.

I did find out that Zandzabar has open residences for those who are looking for a home. There are shuttles at the four compass points when you get too tired to walk anymore.

There are references to several other Federation residents, including my dear SephSis, but I just didn't feel a desert world was the place for me. The mermaids, after all, would hate it, even if there was plenty of water.

So, after another hour or two of wandering, I eventually found the landing pad, gave Zand a friendly farewell kiss on the cheek, and headed back to my water planet, thoroughly exercised out.

RATINGS:
Water feature: 8 There is more than one hot tub, a water park, and several other water sites, but it's a desert planet, so I got dehydrated anyway. Wait... is that Guido?
Bed: 9 Look in the residences, in Zand's secret hideout (if you can find it), the movie house... well, I was able to get plenty of rest. There's even a hotel for those who are picky about where they stay.
Social scene: 5 I kept hearing rumors about people, but either they were people I really wanted to avoid or they just weren't around. I did find Zand greeting me on his landing pad, though.
Shopping: 6 You can buy ANYTHING on Zandzabar, from art to pharmaceuticals, spaceships to body parts. The only problem is that you can't be sure that anything you buy is, well, legal.

This planet is huge (I may have missed locations; there are over 75 locations that I found) and very descriptive, although sometimes you have to employ a little Zand-speak to work them out. Nevertheless, the fun of finding yourself in new places at random and trying to figure out if there was yet another hidden passageway kept me busy for a very long time. This classic planet is well worth a look.


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