F6 page (galactic chart "1")
This page is accessible both while docked and in flight. This is where you select the star-system you wish to jump to (using Witchspace/Hyperspace Drive). It shows one of two versions of the Galactic Map.
- If you have accepted any contracts (eg parcel deliveries) the relevant systems will be marked on the chart.
Contents
Key-commands
This screen is primarily an information screen, but also where you select the target system for your Witchspace/Hyperspace Drive. It is also known as the "short range chart".
- The circle shows the range of your jump (changes with fuel available - the circle will grow while scooping fuel, for example).
- The "Arrow keys" move the marker between the systems shown. The "Home" key returns the marker to your current (home) system.
- The "home system" is shown with a green cross, the "target system" with a smaller red cross.
- Pressing the F7 button takes you to information on the selected system.
- This chart is zoomable! Use the "page up" & "page down" buttons (or the mouse).
Changing the displayed information
- The "i" key toggles between the names of the systems - and icons giving essential data on them (economy type, government type & TL).
- The "?" key toggles the display of the colour of each system between four possibilities:
- Sun Colour (important for OXPs such as Hard Way & Star Fuel where the star category impacts on the game)
- Economic system (from deep green for poor agricultural to deep yellow for rich industrial)
- Political system (white: corporate state; grey: democracy; blue: confederate; red: communist; yellow: dictatorship; green: multi-gov; brown: Feudal System; purple: anarchy)
- TL/Technology Level (from red for low TL to blue-white for high TL)
The eagle-eyed will notice that the Economic & Political colours remain constant between the "i" icon-toggle display and the "?" star-colour-toggle display
Purchasing ANA allows jump routes to be shown on the map, and one to select routes to destinations beyond the 7ly limit.
- The "^" key toggles between the regular F6 chart, a second variant showing the shortest route to the target (destination) system and a third variant showing the fastest route to the target system.
See Advanced Navigational Array for more detail.
Changing the page
- BGS 2.5.1 provides an overlay displaying the F6 map within a monitor and against a backdrop of a ship's bridge
- XenonUI provides an on-screen reference list of key commands for this and the other F4-F8 pages
- Xenon HUD's docked HUD version provides the ship information in the bottom margins of the page: fuel bar, missiles & destination on the left; current location on the right.
- Galaxy Names OXP puts the name of the galaxy at the top of the chart (Santaari for Galaxy 1).
- Distant Realms provides names of regions when a star in a region (eg the Pulsar Worlds) has been targeted.
- Some OXPs change the details of systems from those shown in the Vanilla game
- Famous Planets changes the details of Sori (bottom right-hand corner: TL9 dictatorship) to Ascension (TL16 anarchy)
- Lave OXP increases Lave's TL from 5 to 8
- OXPs which allot missions will mark the relevant systems accordingly (eg Long Way Round, GalCop Missions etc).
- Explorers' Club OXP will identify visited systems according to your selected parameters (arrive in system, visit orbital station, land on planet...).
- Smugglers will mark systems with various trade embargoes with orange or yellow diamonds accordingly.
- Home System OXP: Home systems will be marked on the galactic chart with a purple diamond shape.
- Docked HUDs removes your HUD from the bottom of the page, leaving only the fuel bar & missile display. Some of the more recent HUDs do this automatically.
Guide to Icons (Incomplete)
Vanilla game Icons
- For "i" icons (Government & Economy types) see on the right - or add the Xenon UI oxp to your game!
- Green Cross (large, thick arms): current system
- Green Square: Point of interest. (Cody's Box): player-marked system for reason chosen by player. Go to F6F6 then Find Planet/enter planet name - that will put the green square on it, then select a different target system with mouse or cursor keys, and the green square will remain where it was.
- Red Cross (short, thick arms): target system
- Orange Cross (long, thin arms): cargo or parcel delivery contract
- Orange Lozenge: passenger delivery contract
- Orange Square: cargo delivery contract
OXP icons
the following oxp derived icons add to the list above
- Cross: Red (long, thin arms): GalCop Missions: GalCop missions contract or default marker for other contract "managed" by GalCop Missions (see below)
- Cross: Orange (long, thin arms): GalCop Missions: secondary contract derived from an "Investigate unknown beacon" missions
- Diamond: Orange: either Explorers' Club: Unvisited system
- or Smugglers: systems where only Firearms are illegal
- Diamond: Purple: Home System: one of your Home systems
- Diamond: Yellow: Smugglers: systems where commodities other than just firearms are illegal
- Square Orange: GalCop Missions: second system in a two-step mission (first system marked by red cross, as above)
- X: Green: Explorers' Club: Visited system
- X: Red: Illegal Goods Tweak OXP: Thankful Slave/Family
Note about GalCop Missions - this oxp does not just create its own missions. It also collates other "non-GalCop Missions" missions for inclusion on its F4 Bulletin Board. Where these other missions have their own icons, these are then used on the maps. Where they do not, GalCop Missions assigns them a default icon - a Red Cross.
Links
F6F6 page (long range chart)
This page is accessible both while docked and in flight. This shows the second version of the Galactic Map: the entire galaxy. It is also known as the "long range chart".
- Unlike the F6 chart, this chart allows searching for systems by name. The "i" toggle no longer works as the names/icons would be too crowded if all were shown. The "?" toggle does work. The Vanilla game chart on the right shows star type colours, the OXP'd chart beneath shows political system colours.
Note that when the F6 chart is fully zoomed out that it looks identical to the F6F6 chart. In such cases the F6 chart remains zoomable, the F6F6 remains searchable!
Changing the page
- XenonUI provides an on-screen reference list of key commands for this and the other F4-F8 pages
- Xenon HUD's docked HUD version provides the ship information in the bottom margins of the page: fuel bar, missiles & destination on the left; current location on the right.
- Galaxy Names OXP puts the name of the galaxy at the top of the chart (Santaari for Galaxy 1).
- Docked HUDs removes your HUD from the bottom of the page, leaving only the fuel bar & missile display. Some of the more recent HUDs do this automatically.
- Explorers' Club OXP will mark visited systems according to your selected parameters (arrive in system, visit orbital station, land on planet...). Only on this chart - not on the short range chart.
Discovery game OXPs
- Here be Dragons OXP blanks details of unvisited systems from both charts and from F7 page.
- Zero Map - Explore the galaxy does the same (older, but allows more choice of how blanking is done).
Other Links
- Galaxy Seeds for information on changing the actual maps themselves
- SOTL Exploration & SOTL Altmap for examples of this (and different games too!)
- Buyable Map OXP - you now have to buy the F6 maps (partial or complete). Spara (2012 - BB Thread). Available from The Munificent Maik's Mirror download site. This OXP needs to be included in your game manually - see OXP for details.
F6F6F6 page (next galaxy chart)
This page is introduced by an OXP: Wildeblood's Galactic Hyperdrive OXP which allows one to choose the galactic hyperdrive jump destination in the next galaxy.
Other Charts
System Chart
This does not (yet) exist.
Equivalent functionality (sort of):
- The Galactic Almanac OXZ is top notch
- Telescope
- Long Range Scanner is a cheat (but jolly useful for OXP developers)