
[Q] Looking at the data file for the Sword Worlds subsector
(swordwor.dat), I noticed the following:

               # Trade routes within the subsector
               $1329 0930 0 0
               $1123 1221 0 0 14
               $1221 1121 0 0 14
               $1526 1824 1 0
               $0930 0732 -1 1

Obviously, these are jump routes, but can you tell me more what
what's going on here?

[A] The format for jump routes is as follows:

 $(Parsec A) (Parsec B) (Horizontal Leap) (Vertical Leap) <Color>

The first four values are required, while the last one is
optional. For example, the first route you have in the list is
"$1329 0930 0 0". This is pretty simple. It means, create a jump
route from Caladbolg (at parsec 1329) to Flammarion (at parsec
0930). Since both worlds are inside the subsector, leaping over
to another subsector isn't necessary, so both the Horizontal Leap
value and the Vertical Leap value are 0. Color, since it isn't
specified, is assumed to be 11 (Light Cyan).
   The Horizontal Leap value, instead of being 0, could have been
-1 or 1. A -1 would tell the program to have the route leap into
the subsector toward the left (west) side of the map. A value of
1 would do the opposite, leaping the route to the right (east)
side of the map. Likewise, the Vertical Leap Value, instead of
being 0, could be -1 or 1. A -1 would tell the program to have
the route leap upward (north), and a 1 would tell the program to
have the route leap downward (south). Finally, the color could be
any value between 0 and 15, but if you don't provide a value, the
program assumes a default value of 11. Accepted color values are:

 00  Black    04  Red       08  Dark Grey     12  Light Red
 01  Blue     05  Magenta   09  Light Blue    13  Light Magenta
 02  Green    06  Brown     10  Light Green   14  Light Yellow
 03  Cyan     07  White     11  Light Cyan    15  Bright White

   Having said all this, the best way to figure out how the jump
routes work is to simply play around with them until you get a
feel for the system. Incidentally, this system for expressing
jump routes (minus the color value which is optional) was
originally invented by Mark Cook for use in his X-Windows
subsector viewer which he wrote many years ago. Cynthia
Higginbotham used the same system for her subsector viewer, and
not wanting to skirt a seemingly firmly established tradition,
I'm using it here as well.

