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Space Station

The space station is more than a backdrop — it’s a living environment with its own rhythms, sounds, and changing moods. These systems subtly shape the atmosphere both inside and outside your shop, influencing foot traffic, customer behavior, and the feeling of time passing within the station’s enclosed corridors.

Day/Night Cycle

Controls the station’s lighting, audio, and activity patterns to reflect a steady passage of time.

  • Day Mode – Hallway lighting at full brightness, higher NPC traffic, busier background chatter from the concourse.
  • Night Mode – Lighting dims to softer tones, foot traffic subsides, and ambiance shifts to quieter layers such as light lobby music or station hums.
  • Transitions happen gradually to maintain immersion.
  • Integrated with the foot traffic system so customer flow naturally ebbs and peaks with time of day.

Ambient Audio

A dynamic mix of environmental sounds that builds the station’s sense of place.

  • Default Tracks – Light public music, background hums of vents and systems, occasional mechanical clunks or distant voices.
  • Custom Music Option – Optional upgrade allowing the player to override default station music in favor of personal playlists or alternate ambient tracks.

Audio layers shift in response to time of day, events, and player-triggered upgrades.

Station Announcements

Automated public address system broadcasting station‑wide information and flavor.

  • Triggers for regular updates (dockings, departures, maintenance notices) as well as rare story beats.
  • Can be time‑based (scheduled service messages), event‑based (alert during a docking delay), or narrative‑driven (news tied to ongoing story arcs).
  • Announcements briefly cut or duck music layers for clarity, then return seamlessly to the ambient mix.

Foot Traffic

Determines station corridor activity and NPC density.

  • Peak Hours – Higher spawn frequency of locals and travelers; shop may see more browsing customers.
  • Off Hours – Sparse corridor population, occasional lone passerby.

Special events or announcements can temporarily spike or reduce traffic density regardless of time of day.

Lighting & Atmosphere

Global lighting behavior that reflects the station’s state.

  • Standard Operations – Soft ambient tones with station signage and display screens active.
  • Night Mode – Dimmed corridor lights, stronger contrast from illuminated shopfronts.
  • Special States – Emergency red lighting, maintenance flicker effects, or brief power dips, triggered by rare scripted events or narrative beats.

Environmental Hooks

Framework for station‑wide environmental variations that can be expanded in future titles.

  • Examples include:
    • Temporary power outages affecting lighting and announcements.
    • Nearby celestial events altering exterior lighting glimpses through vista windows.
    • Station upgrades that expand ambient customization (e.g., holographic décor in corridors).
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