**>> SPYNET BULLETIN 
 **>> EARTHDATE 94.10.16 
 **>> AN H-by-A SERVICE 
 
 **>> Compiled by Hazed plus a team of specialist newsdroids 
 **>> <SEND HAZED> your news and gossip and get paid good groats! 
 
 
 **>> NEWFED! 
 
Yes, it's fast approaching... just a few more days to go until you can all
enter the glittering new world of NewFed. Here's the details of exactly
what will be happening in the run-up to the new regime. 
 
Tomorrow (Monday) the game will be reset at some point during the day, and
then a backup will be taken of the persona file and all data files. Bella
will spend the rest of the day and most of Tuesday running this data
through conversion routines so it will be in the correct format for NewFed.

 
Once this backup has been taken, you will still be able to play OldFed, but
nothing you do will count towards your persona on NewFed. You can give all
your groats away, do dangerous things, kill yourself even, and it won't
matter. We have a couple of special events lined up to amuse you during
these two "meaningless" days - see the details later in this news bulletin.

 
On Tuesday evening, members of the Senate will be allowed into NewFed to
help us beta-test the game (rank definitely has its privileges). 
 
Provided there are no utter disasters, NewFed will then open for business
on Wednesday, ready for you all to play at 6.00pm eastern. 
 
The move will be more-or-less transparent. You'll use the same menu option
to access the game as you do now. 
 
You will notice an extra menu before you actually get into Fed; this is the
Federation Switchboard menu, which will allow us to add new games in the
future. 
 
 
 **>> HOW THE CONVERSION WILL WORK 
 
Most of the data files are being converted over to NewFed, but there are a
few things that you will lose and have to set up again.  
 
Mood, clothes and ship description will not be carried over. 
 
Times since you were last on the game will all be set at zero, so absent
players will have much longer until their personas are deleted. 
 
Cargoes in your ships and unfinished jobs will be lost. 
 
Warehouses and factories will -*not*- be carried over. You should sell
those before the backup is taken tomorrow. 
 
Company accounting data, such as details of previous profits and where you
are in the current cycle, will not be saved. All cycles will start at day
1. This may mean your networth will tumble until the first cycle is over. 
 
Planet-owners shouldn't lose anything at all - even Barons' partially
completed builds will be transferred. 
 
Dukes' details of embargoes and favored planets won't be transferred. 
 
Partially built facilities for naval bases will not be transferred, so
finish up your builds tonight and don't start any new ones. 
 
Finally, the sendmail file won't be going over so don't send anyone
anything important unless you're sure they will be on tonight to read it. 
 
We have been asked to point out that there is absolutely no truth in the
rumour that Hazed has a little list of those whose personas will be
"accidentally" lost in the switch, and that she's taking bribes to add
names to that list. 
 
 
 **>> NEW FEATURES IN NEWFED 
 
Last week's news gave some details of the new features you will find in
NewFed. There is major new code that lets planet-owners buy investment
points to improve their planets. Hazed has posted full details of this in
the MPGames BBS - it's Cat 43, Top 15, Message 45. It's worth pointing out
that things may change slightly as Bella sees how it actually works in
practice. In particular, she will be keeping an eye on how the new
investment system affects planetary populations, and she may remove the
automatic increase on promotion. 
 
Part of the Secret Senator Commands are in. There's a new option on the
Shell menu: Diplomacy. From here you can start to assemble spy-rings or
diplomatic forces. At the moment, they won't actually do anything; the rest
of the code will follow in the next couple of weeks, as soon as the stuff
that is already in has been tested. 
 
Eventually the details of planetary investment and the Secret Senator
Commands will be incorporated into the Advanced Idiot's Guide... but not
quite yet! 
 
New versions of the NewBod's Guide and the Intermediate Guide will be
unploaded to the official library on page 220 in the next few days. 
 
In NewFed, the daily reset will be automated. The game will shut itself
down every day at 8.05am eastern to do its housekeeping... and the reset
will only take a minute or two. 
 
One thing we mentioned in last week's news as a benefit of NewFed was that
companies would be able to have 15 factories. Unfortunately, this change
has proved too difficult to implement at the moment so the limit will
remain at 12. 
 
 
 **>> CONVERTING THE PLANETS 
 
Hurray, you cry, we won't have to reduce our planets to a measly 6
locations when we promote to Thane! 
 
Quite right - your planets can stay full-sized throughout their life, and
you can change them as often as you like. Once your planet is linked to the
game, any changes you make to the workbench will be automatically loaded
into the game at the next reset. 
 
This means that if you want to undertake substantial revision of your
planet, which will take more than a day, you will need to take your planet
offline to prevent the half-built files from being loaded. 
 
But what about existing mini-planet owners, you question. What should they
do to regain the lost splendours of their worlds? 
 
The planet files that will be converted are the existing "live" files. In
other words, your current mini-planets. But since you won't be able to
rebuild your old full planets in less than 24 hours, we will keep the
existing Explorers' Workbench available for your reconstruction. Once
you've finished, we'll convert the planet over to NewFed. Once everyone has
finished doing this the existing workbench will go away. 
 
But what, you ask, of those hated standard location numbers? 
 
A very good question! New planets won't have to conform to the standard
numbers. But once they are linked into the game, those three important
locations - orbit, landing pad and trading exchange - must keep the same
numbers, no matter what else you change about your planet. 
 
If you already have a planet linked, you cannot change your numbers - which
means you are stuck with the old standard numbers. 
 
 
 **>> DAWN PATROL 
  
Have you ever wanted to take a shot at something more than Diesel's Old
Peculiar? Have you ever wondered how to take out the Dread Pirate Monty?
Are you tired of having Maha splatting pies in your general direction,
leaving you with nothing but goo on your face and a staggering dry-cleaning
bill? If so, then this newsitem is for you! 
  
Monday night at 9.00pm eastern, Senator Tellurian is going to be holding
one of his famous Fighting Schools. Since the move to NewFed will already
be started at that point, there's no danger of losing months and years of
hard work in an accidental d-d, since your persona will already be saved
for NewFed! So why not take a little risk and learn how to dance with the
devil in the pale moonlight? Tellurian is regarded by many as one of the
best, if not -*the*- best fighter currently in the game, and his schools
are always enjoyable for the participants. So if you've a hankering for
launching missiles across someone's bow, then mark this time on your
calendar! As an added incentive, Tellurian is offering 50 meg to the first
person who shoots him down! 
  
  
 **>> IT'S THE END OF THE GAME AS WE KNOW IT PARTY AND SACRIFICE 
  
As mentioned elsewhere, the move to NewFed begins in earnest on Monday
night. As a result, anything that happens to your character(s) on Monday
and Tuesday nights will not be carried into NewFed. Sounds kind of boring,
doesn't it? 
  
Well pilgrim, think again! 
  
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the Altar, along comes a
plan cooked up by the Ministry of Enlightenment. Senator Tellurian has
asked us to print the following missive, and since we're short on content,
we decided to run with it. 
  
My fellow Fedders. We stand at the threshold of a New Era in galactic
prosperity. Our dreams and wishes are at long-last being fulfilled. But
what about the final days? Surely we can do something more than just
drinking and cavorting with our partners of choice? Or perhaps, we could
drink and cavort in the true style that would honor our forefathers in the
Roman Empire? Have you ever wondered what it must have felt like to be
Nero, fiddling while Rome burnt? To be as debauched as Caligula was? Think
no more! Allow yourself to slip into nihilism! Feel the driving beat of
thrash music course through your veins as we go on a spree of reckless
abandon, kicking up the bones and ashes of memories long gone! Do the
decadence dance! 
  
This begins Monday, with the fighting school. We'll vaporize the planets in
our merriment, tearing at the very fabric of reality. As we move into
Tuesday night, we'll up the tempo, go with the endorphic rush. The ultimate
peak will be reached sometime Tuesday night, when as many people as are
willing will gather at CD's for a toast to the glory that was, and the
glory that will be. We'll down our drinks and set off for the Altar
(uninsured). We will then offer up to the Goddess Bella our very lives, our
very souls. For when we awaken the next night, we shall be in Paradise
(City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty). 
  
Join us, if you have the guts, the sense of fun, the insanity needed, as
one by one, we all fall to the blades of the Martian Sacrifice machine!
Never again will SpyNet show so many permanent deaths! 
  
Let's go out in style! 
  
     Tellurian ne Galdur, Senator for Nemesis 
 
 
 **>> THE RETURN OF THE SPECIAL PLANET 
 
Once NewFed has shaken down, we'll have lots of room to put in special
promotional planets without taking out any player-planets. The first one
we've got lined up for you is a Halloween planet, which is being written by
Fed's favorite vampire... Maxwell. The planet will be in the game from
Friday October 28 to Tuesday November 1. 
 
The planet Dust. A small little known planet off the beaten track. Little
used except for refueling space ships that managed to get lost.
Nevertheless it has a nice small town thriving around the spaceport. 
 
But all is not what it seems... Rumours abound of unexplained
disappearances, of hesitant or even nonexistant police investigation, of
police investigators that themselves disappear, of strange and bizarre
activities, strange and inexplicable wailings in the night, strange and
inexplicable wailings in the day!! 
 
This planet is a ghost town. Quite literally! And these ghosts aren't the
quiet type, they're the ones that go bump in the night. There'll be plenty
to explore... if you dare! 
 
 
 **>> A PLEA TO JUSTICE 
      by Aja, Squire of Sphinx 
 
I tremble to be referenced in such august fellowship as Senator Tellurian
ne Galdur and the prodigal equine who's chagrin has brought such an 
unlikely triad together. Yet, I'm compelled to raise my voice within this
chord, however humble, so that truth may be served. 
 
In the news this week, the presence of a venerable and revered edifice on
Sphinx is questioned and maligned. I realize not many here in FEDspace are
familiar with my home planet, since only recently has its existence been
remembered, so long ago was it forgotten by cartographers and
space-travelers alike. I must confess, I am puzzled to find that, after
journeying here and bringing my world back to light, its reemergence should
be greeted by an outcry of this nature. However, I have read histories that
tell me such things are not unknown here. That an embodiment of grace and
art can turn people's actions not to a reverence of the transcendent
endeavor inherent in the creation, but to an intolerant outcry against the
belief system of another people that it shelters. 
 
The structure in question, a marriage of light, space and engineering that
stands wrapped in a perennial fog south of Sphinx's capital city, Cairo,
first appeared years ago on the same night a brilliant star blazed into
prominence in our night sky and then died away into darkness (what you call
a 'nova', I believe.) The presence of the church, its spires and buttresses
visible above its cloak of mist, was perplexing and in fact, the entry
eluded my people for some time. Eventually though, the access was
discovered and upon ingress, its library offering the teachings of the
ministers whose beliefs had caused the building to originally be raised.
These gospels told us of a faith based on a sublime deity that appeared in
the form of a winged horse. The illuminated tomes and the exquisite
tapestries hanging within the cathedral revealed prophesies of that divine
being's death and rebirth. 
 
I have seen Senator Tellurian being denounced and accused of charges
including fraud and slander.  I have also seen a winged horse at the
forefront of his opponents. I venture to submit that the mere presence of
this horse (admittedly endowed with Demi-god-like powers) proves the
Senator's supposition of his deity's death and resurrection, thereby
affirming Senator Tellurian to not only be his church's minister, but its
prophet as well! 
 
I put it to you, readers, that this is the shadow of religious persecution,
come back to haunt the galaxy. If the good people stand silently and
complacently by, the misguided people will have their chance to act. To don
white sheets and hoods and raise the profane strains of unjust condemnation
to the roof of the Senate. But it is not too late to act. Every crisis has
both its dangers and opportunities. It can spell either salvation or doom.
In the present crisis, Federation can achieve either religious freedom or
the ultimate social psychosis that can only lead to galactic suicide. The
democratic ideal of freedom and equality will be fulfilled for all - or all
beings will share in the resulting social and spiritual doom. In short,
this crisis has the potential for freedom's fulfillment or fascism's
triumph; for social progress or retrogression. We can choose either to walk
the high road of brotherhood and tolerance or to tread the low road of one
faction's discrimination against another. 
 
So condemn me for this building, this house of light and beauty, this place
of vaulted nave and jeweled windows if you must. But who, then, will you
denounce for the Moon's rays, for the buried diamonds of Venus and the very
starlight of the systems surrounding this galaxy? 
 
I don't know what will happen now. There are difficult days ahead for both
this persecuted Senator and myself. But it doesn't matter with me now.
Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I
would like to live a long life but I'm not concerned about that now. I just
want to do my God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the Belltower.
And I've looked out. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there,
but I'm not worried. I'm not fearing any beings, equine or otherwise. Mine
eyes have seen the glory of the coming of Pegasus. 
 
 
 **>> REPORTS OF HIS DEATH WERE GREATLY EXAGGERATED 
  
Amidst all the lunacy this past week with the suits and counter-suits being
filed between Pegasus, Tellurian and Aja (see the MPGames BBS, Cat 14 for
the Pegasus vs. Tellurian ne Galdur topic), there arose one claim by Emmi
that Tellurian and the Church of St. Pegasus, Defender of Newbods, were the
actual murderers of Glurg, late Senator for Sapien. Now anyone who knows
this old story will remember that Tell and Glurg were the closest of allies
and friends. Never would Tell have murdered Glurg. After all, it was Glurg
who actually started the Pegasus School of Assassins which later found its
residence on Tell's planet, Nemesis. 
 
As the first bit of evidence that Emmi's claim is more full of holes than
Swiss cheese, we have this, an excerpt from the Fed News, dated 93.04.25: 
  
 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
  
 **>> ASSASSIN'S GUILD 
  
It looks like the Pegasus School of Assassination is well and truly open
for business again, and the new headmaster is Glurg! Not content with
trying to murder his pal Tellurian in as many colourful ways as he could
while the poor boy was still finding his feet as a newbod, Glurg has now
recruited his ex-victim as partner in his nefarious schemes. 
  
The dynamic duo's latest stunt involved trying to persuade Ni that there
really is a safe way to walk under the alter in the Martian Ruins. Luckily
for her, she didn't believe their smooth talk, and balked at the last
minute. Glurg and Tellurian died, leaving her safe in the ruins (but
presumably having to find her way out alone). 
  
Ni's mood now describes her as paranoid. Not quite true: it is not paranoia
when they really -are- out to get you! 
  
 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
  
That newsitem, reported here, is the first piece of evidence that all is
not right with Emmi's claim that Tell had tricked Glurg with malice. The
subsequent deeds of Glurg and Tell's school (later incorporated into
Nemesis, as stated above - check out the arhives of Nemesis in the MPG
library for the full details. Files are NEMESIS.TXT and NEMESIS.ZIP) were
well documented here and elsewhere. It all culminated on 94.01.02, when
Glurg met with a tragic teleporter accident on the Christmas planet,
Humbug. What many people did not know was that a holovid of Glurg's death
was found in the wreckage of the Nastydugreen. We offer now this excerpt
from Glurg's final moments, which show how he truly died. 
  
[Camera moves in from above, showing the mysterious Glurg tinkering with
his fabled TLs. His face is covered with grease; not because of the work,
it was his usual state. He is seen pulling out a monopole filament and
attaching it to his teleporter. He cross-connects it with his TL controls,
a look of delight in his eyes.] 
  
"Ahhh... at last, I have true teleporting destruction. I'll be able to pop
in on people in space, blast at them with my level 8 computer, and then pop
out elsewhere, shooting at another person. It will be my greatest
achievement!" 
  
[Glurg is seen entering the Nastydugreen and settling into his flight
chair. Alas, it seems he missed the flies from Humbug's bar flitting about.
One gets trapped by the monopole. As Glurg activates the new killing
device, his atoms are torn apart painfully. He briefly re- materializes
within his ship, a puzzled look on his face.] 
  
"Damn" he whispers. "Who would have thought that I'd be killed by something
so silly as an ordinary fly?" 
  
[With that, Glurg's atoms are again torn apart, this time forever. Fade to
black.] 
  
Sounds to us like Emmi doesn't have a case! She'd best be careful, or
she'll be hit with a suit by Tell over this, on top of all the other
nonsense! 
  
 
 **>> CATHERINE THE GREAT, REDUX 
  
If you're a history buff, then you may have heard the bizarre rumours over
the years about how Catherine the Great supposedly died. If not, let's just
say that she supposedly died in bed, crushed by her lover. 
  
Which just happened to have a likeness to Pegasus, though without the
wings. 
  
Now, you might be wondering, just what does this have to do with
Federation? We're glad you asked! This newsdroid was sent out to
investigate reports that Azure, wife of Altasren, had taken a new lover.
Now, this normally wouldn't be news, except for the fact that the lover is
Eeyore, aka Donkey Boy! 
  
Cleverly disguised as a potted fern, this droid was close to several
"tender" moments between the two... I shuddered when I heard the request
for [CENSORED BY THE GALACTIC MINISTRY OF ENLIGHTENMENT]. 
  
So if you hear braying noises coming from some dark booth, now you know
why! 
  
 
 **>> BROTHERS? 
 
One day, everybody in Fed will be related. 
 
Maha and Ciaran discovered last week that they were brothers, sired by a
one-armed, chainsaw-wielding warrior named Ash ...Groovy! We aren't exactly
sure who the mother is at this point, but the two confimed their
siblinghood by the very scientific method of comparing amulets they had
been wearing since childhood. Maha, incidentally, had been using his to
open bottles. After exchaging tearful hugs and dancing about the Ritz in a
very manly manner, Maha asked his newfound brother for a loan of groats in
exchange for unlimited pie-hits on the target of Ciaran's choice. 
 
   -------------------------------->>>SPLAT!!! 
 
As an aside, Senateuse Marcia has been dealing with the fact that this
means Ciaran is her cousin as well as her husband with typical grace and
dignity. She has been keeping a close eye on her son Padrig, however,
presumably worried about the effects of a narrowing gene pool on the lad's
development. 
 
  
 **>> FEDERATION OF UNHOLY THANKS 
 
A new perversion has hit Fed DataSpace - an outbreak of excessive
politeness and cloying gratitude! 
 
Djmayhem and Trill were the first infected with this new virus, and they
all but came to blows in an orgy of thanks, each determined to outdo the
other in declarations of thankfulness. 
 
Innocent passers-by were dragged into the welter of sickliness that flooded
the comm waves, and it soon looked like everyone would drown in syrupy
nice-ness! 
 
Thankfully (oh no! don't start that again!) the virus proved short-lived
and everyone soon reverted to their bad old ways. What a relief! 
 
 
 **>> CONTACTS 
 
The following information will appear at the end of every News Bulletin, so
you don't have to read it if you already know it. 
 
In the event of a problem or question, you can: 
 
 * talk to Hazed, Bella, Emmi, Mira or Tellurian in the game 
 
 * <SEND> a message to Hazed 
 
 * send GEnie mail with the Mail about Federation option from the main menu
 
A front-end terminal program is available for Federation, for the PC and
Amiga. You can download a copy of FedTerm from the Federation official
libraries (option 3 on the main Fed page). 
 
The third edition of the unexpurgated printed Idiot's Guide to Federation
is now available, price $15.95. Type ORDER from any GEnie main menu and buy
one. Or more! 
 
Federation has several categories in the MPGames RT. To get there, type
M1045,1 from any menu prompt and SET category 13 (for information,
instructions, questions and answers) or 14 (for general chat and
discussions). The Federation Leader in the bulletin board is Oxcart (Mail
ID: J.LONG29). There are also private categories for Explorers and the
Sentate, run by Krell (Mail ID: K.HILLYER). 
 
The MPGames RT has a Federation player library in the files area, Lib 5. 
 
 
 **>> BULLETIN ENDS