Space Cowboy is a game I thought up in April, 2002 and have been adding to ever since. Basically, it is a sci-fi action/adventure/rpg game where you exist in a huge galaxy,
with millions of things to do. You live out your life in this galaxy by being a futuristic "cowboy". This means you do odd jobs, including trading goods, pirating goods,
delivery services, assault runs, assassinations, and all other manner of tasks. It was basically an attempt to make a game that is fun to play and a good way to escape the
boredom of real-life, by living through the boredom of an imaginary life. As you can see, it's still in the planning stage, where it will most likely stay forever. I may make
a simple version of the game, without any heavy graphic or action sections eventually, but my game programming skills are so old now, that I really wouldn't know where to begin
in these new 64-bit DirectX days.
There are several goals in the game, as well as several plot lines that can be pursued. None of them have to be accomplished, as it's up to you if you want to get involved.
You live alone with your spaceship which can be upgraded and customized to make it faster and more powerful. The galaxy is a dangerous place filled with alien races who are
both aggressive killers, and vastly superior pacifists. You can get money, as well as recognition by performing tasks, such as deliveries, deputy work, guarding ships, and
things of that nature.
The galaxy of Utheri Negatari is one of the galaxies that evolved much slower in the universe. It still has many young warring races, composed of militant federations, daring
explorers, bounty hunters, cowboys, crimelords, and civilians. Most of the races are still rather chaotic, and war and crime are still common-place. You are a cowboy. An
orphan who has lived for himself his entire life. You've spent your childhood saving up for your very own ship so that you can search the galaxy for the adventure and purpose.
After taking out a loan, you have just purchased one of the cheapest, yet junkiest cargo ships at the local dealership for 10,000 credits. You must work hard to pay off your
loan before you can be your own man, but for now, you're just so happy to finally leave that smelly orphanage. And so it begins. The real world. An entire galaxy for you to
search through and find answers. Fame and glory await, but so do death and dismemberment. Be on your toes, this is for real.
You first task should be to try and pay off your loan. Being as young as you are your interest rate is quite high right now. Because your ship is rather weak, you'll have
to take the easier jobs of deliveries and simple errands. Later, after you pay off your loan you can start working on upgrades to your ship. Then, eventually you can get a new
loan, for a bigger ship. The better your ship, the more dangerous missions you can take. The more dangerous missions you take, the higher your notoriety. The higher your
notoriety, better jobs you can take, and the more likely people are to like you or fear you (or want to kill you).
While in the galaxy there are several main goals you can accomplish. Ending wars, starting new ones, ending poverty, destroying entire planets, protecting existing ones.
There are a million things to do in this vast galaxy. But everything starts small.
This galaxy, like many galaxies, is so amazingly incomprehensibly vast that you could never fully understand just how big it really is. Even light, which travels at a speed of
299,792.458 kilometers per second, takes 2,000,000 years to travel from one end of this galaxy to the other. The galaxy is approximately 3.3 x 10^57 cubic kilometers in size.
If you do the math you'll find that this galaxy is pretty darn big. It contains roughly 100,000,000,000 stars, each with the possibility of several planets in its system. Add
that total to the amount of large asteroids, meteors, and other space objects and you have an uncountable amount of objects in the galaxy. Traveling across the galaxy is
nearly impossible using conventional means. And all you have is conventional means. Thusly, you will never be able to travel across the galaxy in your life time.
In order to understand the galaxy better, it is broken up into 1000x1000x500 (or 500,000,000) sectors. However, even a sector is amazingly large. Even traveling at the
fastest speeds known to your kind it takes a few years to cross a sector. You begin your journeys in the Dagulon Sector. To give you an idea of how a sector compares with the
galaxy see the diagram below.
Each sector contains hundreds of systems. Most of the systems are barren wastelands devoid of any life, or in such primitive stages of evolution that they are worthless to
you. Even though 99.999% of all the systems in the galaxy are worthless hunks of rock, that still leaves hundreds of millions of systems with evolved life and important
resources.
You start your journeys in the Dagulon Sector with only a few hundred systems and only a handful of inhabited planets. Over time you will explore the sector, and move on to
the neighboring sectors, but you must first live long enough to make it there. There are several kinds of living beings in this area. Some are not as intelligent as you, some
who can utilize the entire capacity of your brain in less then a micro-second. Some are passive and peaceful, others define their existence on how much destruction they cause.
All of them, however, have a ability to end your life.
There are several dominant races in Negatari. Each one has their own special talents and shortcomings. Even if you can't see them, you can often tell what race a person is
just by the way they communicate with you. See the list of races below.
Tarc - The Tarc are a fierce race of ogre-like creatures who live to kill. They are very aggressive and war-like. Although they have poor large scale combat tactics,
their kill-first don't bother with questions attitude has made them very difficult to defend against in small scale battles. As a whole they are inefficient monsters, but
individually they are one of the most dangerous opponents. Their ships are always made for battle, they fight with little honor, and they have a thirst for killing. All other
races hate the Tarc, but most of them have a great deal of fear for them as well. Diplomacy is obviously a waste of time with them.
Hupoma - Where most races have discovered metals and plastics, the Hupoma never bothered with such things. Everything about the Hupoma from their bodies, to their
weapons, and even their ships themselves, are totally organic. Hupoma's are good diplomats and are a peaceful race which rarely becomes violent. Their weapons are extremely
deadly because they aren't composed of energy thus much more difficult to avoid by conventional means, and their armor regenerates and grows. Because they are so passive the
Hupoma are one of the few races that are allowed to speak with the Thlorieans.
Istian - Although a newer race to the galaxy they have already become quite powerful. Istians, are not that physically strong, technologically advanced, or overly
intelligent in comparison to the other races. They do however, have an ambition that is unmatched by all other races. Because of this they excel at finding ways to overcome
difficulties and solve problems. Their thirst for curiosity is never quenched, as they are always trying new things and exploring new worlds. Istians are decent diplomats,
good traders, and competent fighters.
Thloriean - Thlorieans are the oldest race in Utheri. They think on a level beyond that of all other races. They can "remember" the future as well as the past, and
have become the voice of reason in the galaxy. Most races look up to them because they've experienced pretty much every possible problem, and have resolved it. Thloriean's
live for a very long time and are pretty much immune to all sicknesses and diseases. They rarely give their knowledge to lesser beings, as it often causes them to exploit it.
They have technology beyond technology, and attacking them is suicide.
Latem - The race of Latems is a completely mechanical robotic race. 100% percent of their body is composed of metals, plastics, and various polymers. Their brain is
composed of logic gates and integrated circuits making them a totally logical race. Because of this, they function very well with other races who are very logical, but totally
clash with races that are not. Their technology is one of the best, making them very formidable foes, and great allies. Diplomacy with them is fairly simple. They don't
haggle, they don't have wants or desires, they only have needs.
Deego - Deego's are a very primitive race who are very slow to change. They have just recently discovered warp speed technology and hyperspace. They have very
limited technology and their ships are quite weak. They have no real military to speak of and even their militias are poorly organized. Because they have such little combat
strength, they try very hard to use diplomatic solutions to better themselves. Deego's are rarely a threat in combat.
Baethin - Baethins are a powerful race. Not only are they well equipped technologically, but they are also very intelligent. Unfortunately, for the majority of the
other races, the Baethins are incredibly evil. They enjoy tormenting lesser races and derive pleasure from the cries of their victims. Unlike the Tarc, they have a great deal
of control over their actions making them great at strategic combat. Baethins are very skilled fighters and have a very militant attitude towards life. Because of this, there
is little internal political issues, making them even more deadly. The Baethins are the most hated race in the galaxy.
Quemik - Very little is known about the Quemik. They seem to be a very erratic race. None can be sure of their technology level, because they appear in both very
powerful and very weak ships, none of which are of their own manufacture. They are seen rarely in space docks and it's difficult to discern who they are by communications
because their attitudes change without any set pattern. The Quemik seem to have made their way into space without being noticed by any other race. The Quemik should be
approached with caution for nobody knows their true motives.
Rigel - The scavengers of the galaxy. They are often seen after battles picking through the debris. They are stingy traders and poor diplomats. Their technology is
fairly weak and they will run from any fight that they can't obviously win. Most other races are annoyed by them, but tolerate them because they can be the source of useful
goods. They seem to always have contraband in the cargo hulls, and although they charge outrageous prices, there are few other places to find their merchandise.
Although most of your time will be spent traveling in the far reaches of space, you will often need to stop at space stations to restock your supplies. Space stations can
contain many different types of stores, shops, and businesses. The larger the spaces station, the more shops it will have. Nearly every station will have a refueling center
and a communications station. Here is a list of the more common places of interest.
Refueling Centers
Almost every space station, regardless of location, will have a refueling center. Although whether or not they actually have fuel is another matter. Fuel trucks can get
attacked by pirates in the same way that any other craft can, thus eliminating the fuel supplies in certain sectors.
Communication Stations
Much like refueling centers, nearly every space station will have a communication station. These allow the station to remain in contact with larger stations for business
transactions, distress calls, and keeping up to date on the news of the quadrant. Usually a station will allow for public access to it's communication stations, but any
communications you make can easily be monitored. Communication stations are also the place where you can go to get news on the happenings of the galaxy. It's always a good
idea to stay informed.
Taverns
When you're looking for a good meal and a place to stay, (as well as some good rumors) nothing beats a tavern. You can usually stay the night in fairly clean accommodations.
The larger space stations will have multiple taverns at a range of prices. The more you pay, the better the room and the less chance you'll get robbed. Taverns are also a good
place for a drink, and gossip. You can usually get some important information from the bartenders that isn't publicly available on the local communication stations.
Galactic Express
This is the courier service of the galaxy. They handle the shipping of nearly every person to every location. They have their own guild with several rules and restrictions to
what they ship and how they handle confrontations. If you join their guild you can get good jobs at these places if you have enough cargo room and a fast enough ship to make
the run. They will often have jobs to deliver into dangerous areas and require an escort.
Dealerships
When you're looking to get a shiny new space ship, this is the place to go. All models of ships can be bought and sold here. Although the prices are always expensive, the
quality certainly makes up for it. You can also get your ship serviced and upgraded here. Dealerships don't buy, sell, or repair illegal equipment.
Salvage Yards
Salvage yards are great at getting some decent used parts and selling off damaged equipment. Because everything here is pre-owned the quality isn't that great, but the price
is usually much cheaper than a dealership. The items that you can find here varies greatly and you can sometimes even find illegal items if you know the owner real well.
Banks
Banks are great for getting loans and keeping track of your accounts. Credits are the standard currency in the galaxy. Because cash is so seldom used, most everything you buy
is verified at the bank first and automatically deducted from your account. Banks also give you interest in your savings accounts allowing you to make some good money in
interest.
Local Police
The local police take care of their own sectors and will often have bounties for local criminals. You can get a good job at these places if you think you can find and stop the
criminals. If you are a criminal you will want to stay away from these areas!
Galactic Investigators
Galactic Investigators are the law enforcers for the entire galaxy. They are at constant war with any non-peaceful groups. They stop crime lords and raid black markets. They
stop pirates and kill assassins. They also have very powerful ships and a lot of power backing them. If you have a high notoriety and a powerful ship they might offer you a
job. It's always a good idea to be on the good side of Galactic Investigators.
Black Market
When you want something you can't find in the dealerships and salvage yards, there is always the black market. Very few space stations have them and even the ones that do
don't make themselves very apparent. The only way into the black market is to pull a few shady jobs for a local crime lord. Once inside you can find practically any type of
equipment known to exist. The prices of normal goods are lower (because they're stolen goods) but the prices of illegal equipment is outrageous. The local crime lords usually
can be found at the black market, and will often offer jobs to people willing to take them. Loan sharks can also be found here.
Loan Sharks
When you already owe the bank too much money you can always get a loan from a loan shark. Loan sharks usually have higher interest rates and don't take too kindly to late
payments. Be very cautious when loaning money here or you may find a large group of pirates after you. Loan sharks can be found in the black market.
Imperial Capitals
Every race has a capital. The major political events of the race are taken care of here. They often require escorts to other political areas and can recruit you as a member of
their army. You must have high notoriety towards a race in order to get a job here.
Like a cowboy's horse, your ship is your only companion. It's your life blood, it gives you freedom to do whatever you want. That freedom comes at a price though. Much like
vehicles in our world, your ship requires fuel. You as a living creature also need food. Neither of these resources are free, and in order to get more you need money. You can
use your ship to get money, and if you want to continue living that's exactly what you will do.
You can find jobs and missions that you can do with your ship. Some are fairly easy, like delivering goods to a local system. Others are very difficult, such
as destroying an enemy outpost. As a cowboy, your jobs will never be that typical.
Your ship is totally customizable, from the weapons, to the armor, from the chassis, to the paint. You can choose what you want your ship to be used for.
Perhaps you want a cargo ship, for running errands. Maybe you want a fighter ship for guarding convoys, or catching criminals. Or, maybe you want a huge bomber for making
combat strikes. It's totally up to you. You can even be a pirate if you want!
Your ship is who you are, and who you are is your ship. When people come in contact with you, you can claim you're some hotshot pilot, but if the enemy sees
that you're flying a small cargo ship, you're as good as dead. Although you start with just a simple ship, you don't need to keep it for long. Larger, and faster ships await in
this galaxy. Powerful weapons, and ever more durable armor can be added to increase the strength of your ship. Remember, when your ship dies, more often then not, you'll die
too!
Chassis
Name | Chassis Type | Chassis Size | Base/Max Engine | Base/Max Storage | Weapon Slots | Max Armor | Max Fuel
Nrm/Trb | Chassis Cost |
| Dart | Cargo | S | 1/3 | 75/125 | 2 | 2 | 60/5 | 10000 |
| Lance | Cargo | M | 2/4 | 150/250 | 3 | 4 | 80/10 | 25000 |
| Longbow | Cargo | L | 3/6 | 300/500 | 5 | 6 | 150/20 | 60000 |
| Rapier | Fighter | S | 2/3 | 10/25 | 3 | 4 | 30/20 | 9000 |
| Broadsword | Fighter | M | 2/4 | 25/50 | 5 | 5 | 50/30 | 17000 |
| Excalibur | Fighter | L | 3/6 | 50/100 | 7 | 7 | 70/50 | 30000 |
| Legion | Bomber | S | 2/3 | 50/75 | 4 | 5 | 40/10 | 20000 |
| Phalanx | Bomber | M | 3/5 | 100/150 | 6 | 8 | 60/20 | 50000 |
| Centurion | Bomber | L | 4/6 | 200/300 | 8 | 10 | 80/30 | 100000 |
There are other types of spacecrafts used by different races. These are the standard ones you will find at most dealerships. Other ships can be found at salvage yards and
certain planets in the quadrant.
Engines work on the warp scale. Your starting engine will only be able to go warp 1. As you upgrade the engine it will go faster allowing you to go warp 2, 3, and faster.
| Engine Name | Cost | Max Warp
Speed | Max Cruising
Speed | Ship Space |
| Standard Propulsion System | 2000 | Warp 1 | 30 | 1 |
| S-1 Power Cell | 3000 | Warp 3 | 40 | 2 |
| Greater Ion Drive | 5000 | Warp 5 | 60 | 3 |
| Proton Class Regulator | 8000 | Warp 7 | 80 | 4 |
| T-24 Pulsar | 12000 | Warp 8 | 100 | 5 |
| Quantum Flux R-71 | 17000 | Warp 9 | 130 | 6 |
| Turbo Drive | 10000 | - | +50 | - |
Warp Speed
The Thlorieans are the creators of many of the technologies in the galaxy. Many of the technologies have slowly become apparent to the lesser races. One of their most powerful
technologies is the Warp Drive. Warp speed is caused by the creation of an artificial singularity which allows for speeds in excess to that of light. There is no acceleration
process, the drive just makes the object instantly start traveling at warp speeds. Warp speed works on an exponential scale. Starting with Warp 1 which is 1c (c = the speed of
light, which is 299,792.458 km/sec). Even at Warp 9, which is currently the fastest possible speed, it would take 7,812.5 years to cross the galaxy. Work is being done to
achieve Warp 10 by the Istians.
Warp 1 = c = (299,792.458 km/sec)
Warp 2 = 2c = (599,584.916 km/sec)
Warp 3 = 4c = (1,199,169.832 km/sec)
Warp 4 = 8c = (2,398,339.664 km/sec)
Warp 5 = 16c = (4,796,679.328 km/sec)
Warp 6 = 32c = (9,593,358.656 km/sec)
Warp 7 = 64c = (19,186,717.312 km/sec)
Warp 8 = 128c = (38,373,434.624 km/sec)
Warp 9 = 256c = (76,746,869.248 km/sec)
When the Thlorieans began space travel so long ago they invented a very efficient fuel source, that could power every type of ship. It's a complex makeup of organic matter, and
negatively charged ions. Ships can run on this for quite some time without having to refuel. However, with all the traveling across the galaxy you'll be doing, refueling will
be fairly common. Different systems sell this fuel for different prices.
Because making this fuel is a very dangerous and complicated process, it can only be made in special facilities. From there it's shipped around the galaxy to
smaller refueling stations. Because the transferring of the fuel is costly, the further away from a main fuel plant, the more expensive the fuel will cost.
There is a special type of fuel, which is much more potent then normal fuel. This fuel is used to power ships equipped with turbo drives. Turbo drives allow
your ship to have a short speed burst. Because this fuel is so potent, it's much more costly then normal fuel. But for those who like the extra speed burst, it's
worth it.
Both the standard fuel tanks and the turbo fuel tanks can only hold certain amounts of fuel, but like the rest of your ship, this is also upgradeable.
The Utheri Negatari galaxy is a hostile and dangerous area. If you set out into unpatrolled space you may find yourself under siege by pirates, or attack by guards, or even in
the middle of a war.
To avoid being just another target, you must equip your ship with a nice array of weapons. There are several different implements of destruction that can be
added to your ship for you to better defend yourself. Each one works a different way on different opponents. Here is a list of the standard weapons, their benefits, and
shortcomings.
Beams
Beams are bursts of energy that can do damage to enemy shield, and armor.
Lasers - Lasers are the most common of weapons used in the galaxy. They shoot a beam of highly intensified light at their target. They are self
recharging, and damage both unshielded and shielded ships equally. Because they have a recharge cycle, their use is slightly hindered.
| Laser Name | Cost | Damage |
| Light | 200 | 10 |
| Medium | 600 | 25 |
| Heavy | 1500 | 40 |
| Pulse | 700 | 10 |
| Phalanx | 900 | 10 |
| AutoTrack | 800 | 10 |
Ion Beams - Through overloading an atom with ion particles, a powerful discharge of energy is created. This energy is condensed into a beam and used
as a weapon. Because the energy is so chaotic, it disrupts other energy fields. When fired upon a ship with shield, massive damage will be done to the shields. However, because
Ion Beams are just energy, they do minimal damage to the ship once the shields are down. Ion Beam, like lasers, will self recharge.
| Beam Name | Cost | Shield Dmg | Armor Dmg |
| Light | 300 | 40 | 1 |
| Medium | 700 | 80 | 4 |
| Heavy | 1500 | 200 | 9 |
Particle Cannons
Particle cannons shoot projectiles that can do plenty of damage to ships, but only little damage to shields.
Combustion Particles - One of the more primitive particle cannons are those that use a contained explosive device to propel an bullet at extreme
velocities. Because an internal explosion is needed to fire these weapons, the ammunition for them is costly. Also, these weapons are rather outdated since the advent of the
energy shield. Energy shields will just deflect the shell, causing minimal damage. However, to ships without energy shields, the damage is very severe.
| Particle Name | Cost | Shield Dmg | Armor Dmg | Ammo | Ammo Cost
per 50 |
| Light | 100 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 10 |
| Medium | 250 | 4 | 40 | 1 | 25 |
| Heavy | 500 | 10 | 90 | 1 | 40 |
| Pulse | 400 | 2 | 20 | 3 | (Light Ammo) |
| Phalanx | 500 | 2 | 20 | 5 | (Light Ammo) |
| AutoTrack | 400 | 2 | 20 | 1 | (Light Ammo) |
Pulse - Pulse weapons fire in three quick bursts causing more damage in a concentrated area.
Phalanx - Phalanx weapons fire in a wide spray.
AutoTrack - AutoTrack weapons are on a revolving turret and will track where the enemy is for you. This does not guarantee a hit but the it allows you to not have to
spend so much time turning to aim. If the target moves erratically, it will be more difficult to hit.
GAUSS Cannon - GAUSS uses a highly sophisticated sequence of magnets to propel a metallic projectile at high velocities. Because there is no internal
combustion, they are a much safer and advanced ballistic. Also, larger projectiles can be used compared to the conventional combustion methods. Unlike energy beams, GAUSS
cannons require ammunition that can be depleted. Although the ammunition used in GAUSS cannons is cheap, the weapon itself is very expensive compared to combustion cannons.
Like all projectiles, very little damage is incurred to energy shields, but massive damage is done to standard ship armor.
| Name | Cost | Shield Dmg | Armor Dmg | Ammo Cost
per 50 |
| GAUSS | 900 | 5 | 70 | 50 |
Missiles
Missiles allow you to do much more damage then a typical weapon. They are highly explosive projectiles that are capable of doing massive damage to their targets.
| Missile Name | Cost | Shield Dmg | Armor Dmg | Description |
| Light | 25 | 35 | 90 | Light missiles fire from your ship in a straight line and do considerable damage to their target. |
| Medium | 40 | 45 | 105 | Medium missiles fire the same as light missiles, but do greater damage. |
| Heavy | 60 | 55 | 120 | Heavy missiles fire the same as light missiles, but do much greater damage. |
| Smart | 50 | 30 | 80 | Smart missiles lock onto their targets, and keep tracking them. The only way to avoid getting hit is to shoot the missile, or run it out of fuel. |
| Scatter | 35 | 10 | 30 | Scatters break into several miniature missiles and shoot out in a wave. They do less damage, but usually multiple hits are incurred. |
| Swarm | 70 | 10 | 30 | Swarms are like Scatters, but they lock unto their targets. Because they split into multiple pieces, they are very difficult to avoid. |
| Mega | 125 | 80 | 180 | Mega missiles lock onto their target and do massive damage. |
Other Weapons
Other races have developed different type of weapons that react differently to shields and armor.
Existing in the vacuum of space is very tricky business. One minor leak can cause a big problem for a space craft. And a big problem in space usually ends up in death. In order
to make ship more durable and safe, stronger and stronger metals and plastics have been developed to produce ships. Each one has it's advantages and disadvantages.
| Armor Name | Laser Durability | Projectile Durability | Cost (S, M, L) |
| Titanium | 10 | 10 | 1000, 1500, 2500 |
| Light Kevlar | 20 | 10 | 2000, 2500, 4000 |
| Heavy Kevlar | 30 | 15 | 4000, 5000, 9000 |
| SP-209 | 40 | 25 | 7000, 10000, 15000 |
| XL-6 | 35 | 75 | 7500, 11000, 16000 |
| (Mirror Metal) | 99 | 5 | 8000, 12000, 17000 |
When the first explorers left their planet's atmosphere, and entered outer space, they found something called a micro meteor. A micro meteor is a tiny piece of dust that comes
from an explosion in space. The dust particle is traveling at extremely high velocities, which because it's so small, cannot be detected by scanning equipment. Due to its
speed, when it collides with an object, it will usually pierce the object all the way through. Even extremely durable metals are pierced by micro meteors. This puts a very tiny
hole into the object the micro meteor hits, whether it be an asteroid, or a ship. When a ship gets this miniature hole, it will begin to lose cabin pressure, and eventually
decompress, killing everyone on board. To prevent this from happening, the early space travelers created energy shields.
Using a powerful generator, a field of very thin energy is placed around the ship. Any small object that touches it will instantly vaporize. Thus eliminating
the fear of micro meteors. It was soon found that by utilizing these energy shield to a greater extent, it would allow the space crafts to become more durable, and have the
ability to even collide with larger debris, without having to fear death.
When other races began to leave their planets, and start exploring, they too found the power of shields. When conflicts arose between these races, they found
that the shields became useful tools in blocking enemy weapons. And so shields are now most commonly used for combat.
| Shield Name | Cost | Laser | Projectile | Energy | Description |
| Light | 250 | 5 | 15 | Very-Low | The most common shield. Without it, you will fall prey to micro-meteors. |
| Medium | 800 | 15 | 30 | Low | A more powerful shield, much more useful when used in combat. |
| Heavy | 1700 | 25 | 50 | Medium | An even heavier shield for much more combat. |
| Melee | 5000 | 40 | 70 | High | A very powerful shield allowing for very devastating combat. |
| Inverse | 10000 | 99 | 20 | Very-High | Using a newly developed technology, the Inverse shield actually gains energy from energy weapons. |
Nearly anything can exists in the deep reaches of space. Scanning equipment allows you to know where objects in space are, without actually having to see them. The better the
scanning equipment, the longer you can detect ships, stations, and other space debris. However, pirates and certain military vessels don't like being picked up by scanners.
Because of this, they have developed cloaking devices. When in use, the ship will not be seen by scanners unless you have special equipment that can detect cloaking devices.
| Scanner Name | Cost | Description |
| Short Range | 4000 | Gives detailed info of nearby objects. |
| Medium Range | 9000 | Gives very detailed info of nearby objects, and a minor info on objects that a far away. |
| Long Range | 12000 | Gives highly detailed info of nearby objects, and good info of long ranged objects. |
| Cloak Detector | 18000 | Informs you that cloaking devices are in use in the local area. |
| Cloak Finder | 35000 | Allows you to view a cloaked ship as though it were not cloaked. The cloaked ship doesn't know they can been seen. |
| Friend or Foe | 8000 | Scanner Add-on: Uses assigned parameters to give you a color readout between friendly ships and hostile ships. |
| Smart Scanner | 12000 | Scanner Add-on: Gives readout between friendly ships and hostile ships depending on strength as well as inert objects, projectiles, and various debris. |
Not everyone in space wants to advertise their existence. For them there are cloaking devices.
| Cloak Name | Cost | Description |
| Scanner Cloak | 10000 | Cloak from all normal scanners. You can still be seen physically. |
| Optical Cloak | 23000 | Cloak from all normal scanners, and being seen. |
| True Cloak | 45000 | Prevents detection from all forms of scanning. Totally undetectable. |
It has brought to the attention of pirates and assassins alike that their victims have been calling for help when they get attacked. To avoid from any unwanted attention,
rouge ships have been known to carry jammers. These devices are able to intercept out-going distress calls, and convert them to static. The cheaper models only work against the
more common frequencies, allowing better communicators to get past them. Chances are, the better the ship you're trying to jam, the harder it is to jam their frequencies.
| Jammer Name | Cost | Description |
| Standard Jammer | 10000 | Jams all the standard communication frequencies. |
| Advanced Jammer | 17500 | Jams the majority of communication frequencies. |
| Elite Jammer | 25000 | Jams all communication frequencies, making distress calls virtually impossible as long as your jammer is functioning. |
There are thousands of Non-Player characters in the game of Space Cowboy. Each one has different personalities and tasks to do. Some are seen in space, others are seen at
stations. Because stations are so well guarded, if you plan on doing ill to an NPC you better make sure you're in space.
Name, Where Found, Ships, Escorts, Combat Attitude, Trade Attitude, Diplomacy
Thloriean NPC
All Thlorieans are the same. They all pilot the same unbelievably powerful ships, they all are very passive, they will trade in very high quality items (which are low quality
to them), and are very generous diplomats. If they are attacked they will give warning many times before turning aggressive. They can be found pretty much anywhere but very
rarely.
Tarc NPCs
The Tarc race does not trade or use diplomacy of any kind. They will attack any non-Tarc ship on sight and fight to the death. They are only found in areas controlled by
the Tarc and along the edges of Tarc space trying to gain more territory.
Tarc Soldier - The lowest Tarc unit. They pilot high powered fighter ships.
Tarc Leader - The second step up. Tarc Leaders fly high quality bombers that are fully loaded. They are usually escorted by a couple of fighters.
Tarc Chosen - The Chosen represent the Tarc's that were picked because of great strength and power among the Tarc race. Because of this they fly the most powerful
Tarc ships which are Tarc destroyers. They are always escorted by a few bombers and a great many fighters.
Tarc Ruler - The Tarc's Rulers are the primary leaders of the entire Tarc Race. They rarely venture from their capital buildings. On the rare occasions that they do
leave, they are travel on Tarc destroyers with a full complement of bombers and fighters.
Latem NPC
The Latem have created an extremely efficient way of living. There is only one type of Latem NPC and that is the Latem Drone. They all fly the same type of ship, which is
simply known as the Latem Ship. It is a basic ship that is totally average. Latems rarely travel alone. They are average traders, average aggressors, and average diplomats.
They will accept all things that are in their favor and they will only do things that are in their favor. The Latem Ships have the ability to merge together to create powerful
super-structures. The more that merge together, the more powerful they become.
Quemik NPC
The Quemik are an enigma of a race. They don't seem to do anything or make anything, and yet they still exist. An encounter with them is rare, and they never reveal that they
are a Quemik. (Which is often a tip off that they are.) They do not have their own ships, so they pilot ships created by other races. Their attitude it seems is totally
random as far as trading, diplomacy, and combat are concerned, but little study has been done on them, so it's really unsure.
Hupoma Drone
Hupoma Worker
Hupoma Soldier
Hupoma Queen
Istian Trader
Istian Militia
Istian Lieutenant
Istian Diplomat
Istian Captain
Istian Admiral
Istian Bounty Hunter
Istian Pirate
Istian Smuggler
Istian Assassin
Deego Trader
Deego Worker
Deego Diplomat
Baethin Soldier
Baethin 2nd Lieutenant
Baethin 1st Lieutenant
Baethin Captain
Baethin General
Baethin Admiral
Baethin Diplomat
Baethin Assassin
Baethin Ruler
Rigel Smuggler
Rigel Pirate
Rigel Assassin
Rigel Noble
Rigel Ruler
Upgrades: Cargo Space, Turbo, Fuel Amount, etc.
Create a galactic map, with areas controlled by different races, and the like.
Create a story line up until now, for how the races have become the way they are.
Your reputation increases when you complete a mission. The more difficult the mission, the bigger increase.
Bad reputation causes more police, and galactic investigators to attack you.
Light year is: 9,460,528,404,846.981227136 km
At its max Uthari Negatari is 2,000,000 x 2,000,000 x 1,000,000 light years^3 or
Which is about: 18,921,056,809,693,962,454.272 km wide and long and 9,460,528,404,846,981,227.136 km tall
A sector measures 18,921,056,809,693,962.454272 km wide/long/deep
It takes about 2,853.45467796875 days to travel across a sector at Warp 9.
Wormholes, and undiscovered wormholes.
Black holes. Unstable black holes.
Asteroid fields
Missions
Deliver cargo: Must have a good reputation for bigger shipments. Payment is altered by distance, danger of the area, size of the item, and value of the item.
Destroy a criminal: Payment factors are the strength of the felon.
Protect a cargo ship: Must have good reputation for more important people. Pay factors include distance, danger of space, and importance of the transfer.
Stop a war, start a war, destroy a planet, figure out the Quemik, etc.
Space Travel
Select your destination. Computer calculates food, and fuel, tells you if you'll make it.
You can speed up the traveling by using auto pilot at any time. Or if you want you can fly the entire way.
The computer will stop you when a hostile is encountered.
Make lots of diplomacy. Allow for bluffing by both the enemy and the player. Prices for letting another ship live, etc.
You can pay certain people to scout out good places to trade.
Police will sometimes try and board you. They can be bribed/attacked.
You have energy and hit points. The longer you go without sleep, the more energy you lose. If auto-pilot is not engaged when you sleep, you can go majorly off course. When
you run out of energy, you start losing hit points. If you lose all your hit points, you die.
| Cargo | Value/Unit | Notes |
| Water | 5 | Used for many systems without water. |
| Textiles | 10 | Many people use them for warmth, especially planets far from their sun. |
| Food | 20 | Has a shorter deadline. |
| Air | 45 | Must be delivered on time. |
| Medical Supplies | 80 | Very important for systems. |
| Electronics | 150 | Low chance of pirates. |
| Fuel | 300 | Ship can explode easier. |
| Spacecraft Parts | 450 | Low chance of pirates. |
| Turbo Fuel | 475 | Ship can explode much easier. |
| Weapons | 625 | Medium chance of pirates. |
| Spices | 700 | High chance of pirates. |
| Narcotics | 1500 | Illegal in most galaxies. |
| Precious Metals | 3000 | Very high chance of pirates. |
| Medical Viruses | 6000 | Chance of becoming ill, dying. |
| Top Secret Material | 10000 | Extremely high chance of pirates/dying/ship exploding/etc. |
