Avatar
Avatars are characters that are controlled directly by players.
Avatars are a type of higher being that all over sentient life looks up to. They have a number of special abilities such as spawning after death and the Recall Home ability.
DNA
The DNA of an avatar determines the avatar's health and abilities.
Ownership Transfer
It is possible to give an avatar to another player. While logged in on the avatar, right-click a comm message from the other player and select "Offer <your avatar's name> to be <other avatar's name>'s Avatar" context menu option. When the other player has accepted the transfer, and they have a free avatar slot on their account, you will be sent to a loading screen and logged out of the avatar.
The avatar transfer is instant, but list of avatars on the Bio window (F8) might need to be updated by clicking the "refresh avatars" button.
Procreation
Avatars and citizens can procreate if their biology is sexually compatible with their mate. To be sexually compatible, both mates must be of the same phylum, same ecological role, and compatible genders.
For more information, see the Procreation page.
Lineage
Avatars are affected by their lineage. Lineage of avatars falls into three categories: demiavatar, avatar, and highborn.
| Citizen | Demiavatar | Avatar | Highborn | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizen | Citizen | Demiavatar | Demiavatar | Demiavatar |
| Demiavatar | Demiavatar | Demiavatar | Demiavatar | Demiavatar |
| Avatar | Demiavatar | Demiavatar | Highborn | Highborn |
| Highborn | Demiavatar | Demiavatar | Highborn | Highborn |
Avatar
A regular avatar. These avatars are created in the game universe in response to a player starting a new avatar, to create a new empire or join an existing empire. All new players start as regular avatars.
When an avatar uses the Recall Home ability, the trance ranges from 15 to 45 seconds before the transition occurs.
Avatars are greeted by Targoss when they enter the Universe. Targoss is a character in a short introductory story that teaches new players the basics of the user interface.
Highborn
An avatar is highborn if each of its parents is an avatar or highborn. Highborn are distinguished as native avatars, born into the game universe, unlike regular avatars who are conjured up from the ether.
Highborn avatars have the shortest Recall Home trance, ranging from 5 to 15 seconds.
Highborn avatars are not greeted by Targoss when they enter the Universe.
Highborn avatars do not leave a carcass when their body dies.
Demiavatar
An avatar with a citizen in its ancestry is a demiavatar. This begins when a female avatar becomes impregnated by a citizen, or a female citizen becomes impregnated by an avatar; her child is born a demiavatar. Children whose father or mother is a demiavatar are born demiavatars. Demiavatars have some of the traits of citizens.
Demiavatars do not disappear from the game universe when the player logs off. They do disappear from the game universe when the owning player's account activation expires. In that case, they do not die; they remain invisible until the player logs back on, just like a regular avatar. It is not sufficient to simply reactivate the account; the demiavatar must be operated by a player to reappear in the game universe.
When not logged on, the demiavatar acts very much like an AI controlled citizen. If it has a berth on a spacecraft, it fills the role of whatever type of berth it holds, including officer. When holding the captain's berth, it acts like an officer.
Chain of command permits selection and issuance of orders to the demiavatar. Orders are issued using the Unit Orders (Shift+F3) window.
- A demiavatar without a berth is not in anyone's chain of command.
- A demiavatar holding captain's berth is not in anyone's chain of command.
- A demiavatar is in chain of command of captain and all officers of their assigned spacecraft.
- A demiavatar passenger is in the chain of command of all crew of their assigned spacecraft.
When commanding a ship, demiavatars send ship logs and contact logs by mail like NPC officers. They only send these logs to the captain of their assigned spacecraft and to them self, so the owning player can access them.
When using the Recall Home ability, demiavatars have the longest trance ranging from 30 to 45 seconds.
Demiavatars are not immortal. While they can recall home, like other avatars, they do not respawn when killed. Death of demiavatars is permanent and they are removed from the player's login account when they die.
Dying demiavatars send a mail to its mother and father before death befalls it. The mail is also sent to the captain and officers, if the demiavatar holds a berth aboard a spacecraft.
Demiavatars drop an officer log item when they die, just like a NPC officer, if they are holding a captain or officer berth.
Demiavatars are not greeted by Targoss when they enter the Universe.