Planet M.U.L.E.

Development Phase

Once Land Grants and Land Auctions have finished, each player will get a chance to install MULEs on their owned plots, and perform other duties related to developing the colony.

Normally, the players take their Development turns in score order, with the leader going first. This gives players that are a behind a chance to see what others do first, so they can react accordingly.

However, if there are less than 8 MULEs in the Corral, the order of turns is reversed, so that the players in last place go first; this is so they can be assured of having the chance to buy MULEs from the Corral.

DID YOU REMEMBER TO EAT?
If you have enough Food to eat for this round, you will receive 45 seconds of time with which to run your errands. If you have eaten less, you'll receive a proportionate amount of time based on what Food you have (2/3, 3/4, etc). If you have no Food, you'll have about 4.5 seconds of time - enough to run into the Pub and snag some chips!

PERSONAL EVENTS
Strange things happen to planeteers on Irata; about 25% of the time, approximately. Sometimes it's good ("cheerful blippy fanfare") and gives you extra money, goods, or even land; other times it is bad ("sorrowful dirge") and will cost you those things. What is important is that each event only happens once per game, good events never happen to the leader, and bad events never happen to the players in 3rd and 4th place. So there's a silver lining to being behind, and a risk you run by being ahead (known affectionately as the "1st Place Curse").

Regardless of whether or not an event has befallen you, a countdown timer will prepare you to begin your turn; once it reaches zero, better get a move-on!

SPEC: In the original, the "lose a plot" personal event would remove the last plot you acquired (either by grant or by auction). In Planet MULE, the plot is randomly selected from those owned by the player.


THE TOWN
You start your Development turn in the center of town. Across the top are four outfitting kiosks which you use to configure your MULE to collect/harvest a particular resource. Along the bottom, from left to right, are the Assay Office, the Land Sale Office, the Pub, and the MULE Corral.

SPEC: The original town did not have exits to the north and south. They've been added here to allow quicker access to the valley plots above and below; in the original, entering the town square from the north or south would automatically place you in the center of town once the view zoomed in.

INSTALLING A MULE
To install a MULE, you'll first need to buy one. Walk into the Corral (lower-right) until you hear the cashier chime. You'll see the cost of the MULE highlighted (or "TOO EXPENSIVE" if you can't afford one). Then, take the MULE to one of the four outfitting kiosks (in order from left to right: Crystite, Smithore, Energy, Food), walking up until you hear the same chime. It takes a few seconds for the outfitting to complete; once it is done, you'll see a package on the MULE's back, with the icon of the resource he's now outfitted to collect.

Lead him out of town through one of the 4 exits, and walk him to one of your plots. Be careful not to move through mountain areas or the river valley unnecessarily, as they will slow you down.

Once you are within the border of the plot you want to install the MULE on, press the action button to install the MULE. A small building now appears to indicate there is an installed MULE on that plot (each type of resource is represented by a different building). You'll also see a number of resource icons that show that plot's Base Production Value (BPV) for that resource. The only exception to this is Crystite; you don't get to see its BPV until actual production is performed.

Be careful not to press the button too early, or when you're not on a plot you own - MULEs love the taste of freedom and will take any opportunity to flee from your grasp!

SPEC: Originally, in the Tournament level of the game, you had to be very specific on where you were positioned within a plot when you placed a MULE. In Planet MULE, you merely have to be within the boundaries of your plot.

REFITTING/EXCHANGING/SELLING MULES
Later on in the game, you may decide to change what resource a MULE collects. To do so, go out to the plot where the MULE is installed, and press the action button to pick him up. Take him back to the town and walk into the desired outfitter. If the cost to refit is greater than the original outfitting cost, you'll only pay the difference; if it is less, you'll be refunded for that same difference. Simply take the MULE back out to the plot to install him again.

You can also exchange a MULE you're carrying with one that is installed, by pressing the action button on the plot with a MULE, while leading a MULE yourself; the two will switch places, and you'll now have the previously-installed MULE in tow.

If you feel the need to sell a MULE, simply take him back to the Corral - you'll get back some cash, plus the outfitting cost.

SPEC: Original rules have MULEs always selling for $100 regardless of current price, so you can't make money off them.

TAKING AN ASSAY
To find out the BPV of Crystite for a plot, you can install a Crystite MULE on it and take your chances, or you can take an "assay" first.

By walking into the Assay Office, you can pick up a free sampling droid which you can take out to ANY plot (even those owned by other players), and activate with the action button to get an estimate of the Crystite density underneath that plot. While all players briefly get to see the results of the assay, you alone will continue to see a small flag on that plot showing the BPV of Crystite there. NOTE: Do not attempt to move while the droid is activated, or it may malfunction.

SPEC: Originally, there was no Assay Droid - you went to the office first, then out to the plot to "mark" it, and then had to return to the office to get the results. The droid gives you a marginally quicker result than having to run back to the office, not to mention a lasting marker of the BPV.

SELLING LAND
If you need to sell some of your land, walk into the Land Sale Office. You'll then be given a flag to go out and mark your plot with. You can do this multiple times, if you wish, and any land you mark for sale will be auctioned off in the following round.

GAMBLING AT THE PUB
Everyone knows that the Pub's gambling games are woefully easy to win, but their drinks are pretty strong. Once you enter the Pub, you're guaranteed to win some money, but you also end your turn. However, the more time you have left when you go to the Pub, the more money you're likely to win.

CATCHING THE WAMPUS
The elusive Mountain Wampus lives in caves dug into the sides of Irata's mountains, and is known to have a hoard of riches. If you watch and listen closely, you'll hear him squeak, and you might catch a glimpse of his peculiar face from time to time. To catch the Wampus, you have to be outside of town, without a MULE. Then, when you see his face, run over and jump on him with the action button! (He doesn't have to be visible, but he can't have re-appeared somewhere else in the meantime). The Wampus is easily extorted from, to be left alone; the further along in the game you are, the more money he pays out. He also is dreadfully shy, and won't appear in mountains that have been claimed by players (so if all mountain plots are owned, he's gone forever!)

SPEC: In the original game, the Mountain Wampus appears in both owned and unowned mountain plots, and did not need to be caught with the action button, but merely run over while visible.

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IMPROVE: Await a button press for starting development (instead of 5 second countdown).

IMPROVE: If you make a level 0 Crystite plot, it looks like an undeveloped plot. To fix this sort of thing, I'd like to be able to tell what kind of resource a plot produces by a method more clear then the shape of the building (which can be hard to differentiate).

IMPROVE: The Pub should play the last bit of the MULE Theme, as the original does.

IMPROVE: When time runs out, if you have a MULE in tow, it should run off, to emphasize the point that you lost the MULE (and for humor purposes).

IMPROVE: Animation of a "wheel of fortune" or "slot machine" that demonstrates the randomness of the Pub winnings.