Surface Cartography

Orbital scanners have been upgraded to resolve planetary surfaces for terrestrial planets, planetoids and moons. The scanners follow the Traveller5 cartography procedure, with the following departures.

• No trade codes. The full survey of the planet is consulted, not simply its trade classifications.
• Resources follow the resource rating. Resources are allocated according to the planet’s resource rating, and may occupy any hex, land or water, even one already bearing another feature.
• Life shades the land. Biomass readings colour the terrain, so that the scanners reveal where living matter takes hold of a world.
• Tidal locking is recognised only where the world is locked to a star. The twilight zone is drawn only where the survey data records one; a 3:2 resonance, for example, has none.
• Oceans of liquids other than water are coloured according to the liquid.
• Settlements are drawn from the census data, and on tidally locked worlds are placed along the twilight zones.

Survey Sensors — Minor Body Resolution

Long-range survey sensors have been recalibrated to resolve minor bodies within the orbital plot. Planetoids now register as small oblate returns clustered about their parent belt. Belt records carry a newly catalogued roster of these bodies, any of which may be called up for inspection.

Astrographic Index — Jump Route Criterion

The Astrographic Index now accepts Jump Route as a search criterion. A query may be filed against any charted route by designation, returning every star system that stands as a waypoint along it.

Populated World Eccentricity Ceiling

A new campaign directive, Limit Populated World Eccentricity, constrains every generated world of population code 3 or greater to the three lowest rolls of the Eccentricity table — an orbit of 0.09 or less — unless the world already carries an eccentricity of its own specification, which takes precedence. The directive is disabled by default. A single build configuration may override the campaign directive for that generation run via its own limitedMainWorldEccentricity flag.

Explicit Eccentricity Specification

Build configurations may now stipulate an exact eccentricity for a main world, or any counted or stellar body, in place of leaving the figure to procedural roll. Where a value is declared, the generator defers to it above all default reckonings.

Astrographic Index

The Survey Division now maintains a permanent Astrographic Index. Referees may compose and store named search queries against the star system register, filed for instant recall.

Survey Archive Capital Records

Capital designations are now available through the Imperial survey archive. Cartographic displays can use these records to identify sector and subsector capitals and apply appropriate chart notation automatically.

Variable Chart Scale

The astrogation display now supports alternate hex scales, permitting operators to contract or enlarge the standard lattice according to operational requirements.

Cartography Console Upgrade

The cartography console renders overlay colour with greater fidelity. Allegiance, heat, habitability, survey, and route markers now taper from full strength at a parsec’s rim toward the console’s ambient tone at its centre, sharpening the boundary between adjacent parsecs on crowded charts.

Survey Statistical Compilation

The survey computer can now compile consolidated statistical summaries for sectors, subsectors, regions and alliances. Operators may examine broad demographic, technological and administrative characteristics directly from the appropriate survey record, without recourse to individual world entries.

Elliptical Orbit Rendering

The tactical display’s orbital diagram no longer renders every path as a perfect circle. Where a body’s course is eccentric, the diagram recovers the true ellipse — its shape, tilt, and offset from centre — so orbit rings on the display now match the charted path.

Orbital Mechanics Refinement

Periapsis and apoapsis distances now accompany every orbital record, computed from the body’s true path rather than assumed from a circular approximation. Jump shadow reckonings for planets, moons, and their satellites likewise draw upon each body’s actual charted position, correcting prior estimates for orbits of high eccentricity.

Reference Link Register

Sector, subsector, and star system records now accept an operator-entered reference link, held independently of the standard wiki citation. Where no entry is made, and the campaign draws upon Charted Space archives, the citation is supplied automatically. The link appears in the record’s summary panel and, for star systems, upon the tactical display’s own detail sidebar.

Starport Control Link Upgrade

Communications with Starport Control have been improved. Planetary records now retrieve current berthing charges and fuel tariffs automatically from the local port authority.