netrek Frequently Offered Clever Suggestions list

Frequently Asked Questions about netrek

Note: This was written by Andy McFadden but is now being maintained by doosh@best.com (Tom Holub) along with the other FAQ lists. Many thanks to Andy for compiling it (in addition to his other contributions to the netrek world).

The same ideas get proposed over and over by people trying to enhance the game, and the same discussions come up again and again. This file is an attempt to stem the flow by presenting old discussions and arguments against the ideas.

This assumes you are familiar with the game itself and some of the vocabulary (argot) involved (e.g. scum, ogg, LPS, Iggy). This is NOT intended to be a capsule summary of rec.games.netrek discussions; it is intended to help people trying to enhance the game understand why many of the obvious improvements won't work or won't be accepted by the Netrek community. As such, it contains one-sided and occasionally opinionated material. I welcome improvements and stronger arguments, but if you want to debate the value of something I will probably ignore you.

[ This file has been evolving since September of 1992. Some of the info may have become outdated as Netrek evolved. ]

REMEMBER: Netrek is not Star Trek. Netrek is not reality. Star Trek is not reality. Netrek is not Nintendo. DO NOT suggest modifications purely to make the game "more realistic". ONLY consider ideas that will improve game play.