Instructions for Installing Traveller Sectors

Installing the sector archives is fairly easy. First, you download and unzip the <sector>.zip that you want to install. What should result from that is a <sector>.sar file, which you should put into the main galactic directory. Galactic uses the .sar extension for sector archive files (likewise, .gar files are galaxy archive files).

Now, here's what you do. You run galactic and select the galaxy you want to view (it is important that you go to the galaxy of the sector you want to install, don't try put a TNE sector into the Classic galaxy, or vice-versa). Then, when you're at the galaxy map, you hit the "i" key to import a sector archive. The program will list the .sar files that it sees in the main galactic directory, you choose one, and Galactic proceeds to install it.

Now, there is one catch to all this. If the sector you are installing is an alternate sector rather than a brand new one (which is to say, if its position is already occupied by another sector) then what you should do before installing it is hit the "<" key which will take you to the galaxy list. You should then either delete the line that references the sector you don't want to see anymore, or put a "#" in front of it (making it a comment rather than an actual entry to the file). That way, the sector will appear to Galactic to be unoccupied.

I'll try to make this whole "alternate sectors scenario" more convenient to handle in the next version of Galactic, but for now, that's the easiest way to deal with it.

If you have any questions about this, please don't hesitate to send me email. I'll try to help in any way I can. Thanks for using Galactic, and remember to send me your new sectors, planetary writeups, or just about anything else that you think might go well with the program.

-Jim