Customers

In the daily rhythm of the station, not every visitor shops the same way — or for the same reasons. Most are just faces in the crowd, pulled along by the hum of daily dockings; some you see every week, while others are gone as quickly as they arrive. A few stand out — the ones you know by name, or who carry a story that threads back into your own.

While eachevery person is unique, they tend to fall into four broadmain groupsroles that shape both the day‑to‑day flow of your business and the kinds of conversationsstories you’ll overhear.

For production purposes, these groups also define how we use our limited character meshes.overhear: Locals and Travelers mostly come from reusable “generic” model pools dressed and equipped to imply their buying profile., Semi‑Regular Locals, shareTravelers, a visual pool with Locals but are fixed to a specific identity so they can reveal light story threads over time.and Patrons,. inThese contrast,roles alwaysalso havedetermine how character meshes are created, reused, and reserved — a uniquecritical andbalance permanentfor look to signal their narrative importance from the moment they walk in. This approach lets us create amaintaining world thatvariety feels lively and varied withinon a small modelasset budget.

---

Customer Types

---

Locals (Generic Pool)

Permanent residents of the station who make up the steady, everydayday‑in/day‑out traffic in your shop.traffic. They comevisit in frequentlyoften for routine purchasesneeds — food staples, tools, small comforts — and are recognized more identifiable by buying profiletype than by personalindividual identity.

Drawn

Variation from a common mesh pool, they are variedcomes through clothing,props, props,accessories, and accessories,outfit butswaps, theyaligning arewith notbuying tiedprofiles:

to

storylines.
• Grease‑smudged overalls usually→ meantools, toolsreplacement andparts.
parts,
• Casual casualstation stationwearclothes suggests→ snackssnacks, orsmall creatureluxuries.
comforts, and a kitchen
• Kitchen apron points→ to kitchencooking staples or spices.

They constitute the background hum of the shop. Most will never seem memorable — but they’re the world’s heartbeat.

---

Semi‑Regular Locals

InitiallyThese indistinguishablebegin fromas genericnormal locals,locals these— characterssame latermesh revealpool, thatsame casual chatter — but over time, the player learns they have more going on.

They come with subtle evolution: minor gossip threads, changing moods, perhaps a lightunique personalprop orthat narrativechanges arc.over visits. They aredon’t fixedhave the scope of a Patron’s story, but they carry enough personality for the player to a specific meshnotice and appearfeel repeatedlya (8–10mild times)sense overof thediscovery:

course

• The cargo handler who first complains about pay, then later hints at leaving for a rival dock.
• The gardener tending station flora who swaps surplus seedlings for coffee.

Still visually part of the game.Locals Whilepool, notthey’re onwoven thein leveljust ofenough fullto Patrons,stand theyout developonce smallyou’ve quirks,seen gossip, or minor story beats that unfold across their visits, offering the playerthem a sensefew oftimes.

familiarity and gradual discovery.

---

Travelers (Generic Pool)

TransientThese are the transient crowd — transient visitors stopping brieflyat the station for supplies,fuel, fuel,food, repairs, or quick trade asbefore theymoving pass through the station.on. Most are one‑off encounters that add cultural variety, occasional rumors,offs and shiftingvanish demandas patterns.quickly as they appeared, but every so often, one comes through again by coincidence.

Drawn from afaction, generic mesh pool covering different factionsoff‑world, and professionsindustrial styles, with outfits/outfits and props tied to match,buying theyprofiles:

may

include
• Bold brightprints tourists& casual gear → tourists, looking for souvenirs,snacks uniformedand crewstation buyingtrinkets.
ration
• Clean packs,lab wear → scientists seeking fieldinstruments gear,or anddata storage.
• Stained exosuits → miners afterwanting heavy tools or bulk food.rations.
Some

may

They coincidentallyadd reappearcolor muchand later,variety creating light connective tissue into the world.station, and occasionally act as rumor carriers, mentioning events or characters the player might have heard of elsewhere.

---

Patrons (Unique Story Characters)

MajorPatrons are the long‑form story engines of the shop — major narrative characters with dedicated arcs.arcs Eachthat isunfold tiedonly toinside ayour uniquestore.

mesh and outfit, never reused for any other NPC. Patrons

They are instantly recognizablerecognizable, and have ongoing relationships with your shop, unfolding entirely across their visits.visits Interactionpunctuate maythe includegame’s straightforwardpacing:

purchases

or
• A solicitorsalvager behavior,bringing wheremysterious theyscrap bringeach goodsweek.
for
• A quiet traveler who eventually reveals they’re in hiding.
• A diplomat soliciting you to sellhelp onwith theirback‑channel behalf.trades.
Patrons

Some are wovenstraightforward intobuyers; others are recurring solicitors, placing goods in your shop for sale. They function as anchors in the socialgossip web—network — locals mentionmay talk about them, travelers bringmay relay news of them, and your choicesown subtlyinteractions influencehave ripple effects on their fortunes.

---

Mesh Reservation

Customer meshes are dividedallocated intoas six pools, with defined mesh counts, reuse rules, and appearance frequencies.follows:

• Locals (Generic Pool): 6–10 reusable meshesmeshes. fromRoutine "station resident" assets. Core background traffic. AppearanceReuse varieddriven by clothing, props,prop, and accessories.accessory swaps. Not individually memorable.

• Semi‑Regular Locals: 2–4 fixed meshes pulleddrawn from the local pool and treated as recurring familiar faces.pool. Appear 8–10 times across the game, with smalllight talkevolving chatter and quirks that evolve subtly.

  quirks.

• Local Kids: 2–5 reusable meshes appearing alongsidewith localslocals. as background life. May beOptional semi‑regulars,regulars appearingappear 2–5 times total with small, incidental moments (toys, errands, favorite snacks).

  moments.

• Travelers (Generic Pool): 6–10 reusable meshes from faction, off‑world,world and industrialfaction sets. BuyingOutfits/props profiles matchedtied to outfit/propbuying choices.profile. Mostly one‑off visits, some rare repeats.

• Traveler Kids: 2–5 reusable meshes appearing alongside travelers. Used sparingly to addfor variety and contrastcultural to transient groups; one‑off appearances with occasional situational chatter.

  texture.

• Patrons (Unique): Minimum of 5 unique meshes, never reused. AnchoredCentral to primary narrativestory arcs. MaySome also serveact as recurring solicitors.

Total Mesh Budget Range: 23 minimum(low count) – 44 maximum(high count), depending on pool targets and whether optional kid pools are used atto thetheir highmaximum end.and whether extra patrons are added.