The weather service

The Weather Service watches the real weather of the world: the rain, the wind and the storms. It never changes them; you measure them, forecast them and chase them. Open it from the living world menu (slash world), or type slash weatherservice.

Weather stations and the daily round

There are five stations: the Middle Valley station with the weather office (main village, a little south east of the middle), the Mountain Peak station (on the mountain top), the Lighthouse Cape station (on the headland rocks below the lighthouse), the Arid Grassland station and the Northern Snow Plains station. The stations menu tells you the way to each. Stand in a station and press shift enter.

Each station has three instruments, read by ear. The anemometer: count the clicks of the spinning cups for 8 seconds; the faster they click, the stronger the wind, 2 clicks for each step of wind. The rain gauge: count the drips for 10 seconds; many drips mean rain, a few mean the last of it, none or one or two mean dry. The barometer: five taps on the glass; faster and faster means rising, slower and slower means falling, even taps mean steady. A falling needle often means rain or a storm is coming. You may listen once more before you answer.

Answer by menu. Exactly right is 100 percent, one off 70, two off 40. Each instrument once a day per station. A fully read station pays points by accuracy. Three stations in a day are your daily round: a bonus and a free weather balloon. All five in a day give a further bonus.

The forecasting desk

Forecasts are made from the desk menu, anywhere. A rain forecast says one of three things: rain within the next hour, rain in one to two hours, or no rain in the next two hours. It is settled the moment the rain starts, or after two hours of dry weather. Six a day, one open at a time, and only in dry weather. A storm call names the outdoor place where the next storm will break; storms come to outdoor places where people are. The barometer at the stations and your weather balloon report are your best clues. Right rain forecasts pay 15 points, a right storm call 40 points and a trophy. The person with the most right forecasts in a week may publish the weather bulletin the week after. Results of forecasts settled while you are away are given to you at your next login.

Storm chasing

When a storm gathers or rages, go to that place with a storm kit. Choose watch for lightning: you hear Flash, then count the seconds until the thunder. Three seconds make one kilometre. The thunder comes from the direction of the storm's core, and a right estimate gives you its compass bearing. Walk toward it: the thunder comes sooner as you get closer. Within 15 steps of the core, deploy a storm probe to intercept the storm. The storm still hurts anyone in the open while it rages. Storms last about 5 minutes: a 2 minute warning, then 3 minutes of storm. Spot-on estimates pay a little, up to 5 per storm. An intercept pays 60 points and a Voyage Token, one per storm and 3 a day, and counts for your storm collection: forest, high country, coast, plains, snow and ice, and towns.

Weather balloons

Launch a weather balloon from any station, once a day: use it from your bag while standing in the station, or choose it in the station menu. You hear it rise. About 3 minutes later its radio reports whether rain is likely in the next hour, whether storm clouds are building, and the wind higher up. Reports are right about 4 times in 5. Your last report is shown at the forecasting desk.

The bulletin and weather now

Opening the Weather Service menu always tells you the weather now: rain, wind, time of day and the storm outlook. If last week's best forecaster has published a bulletin, you hear it there too. They may publish up to 3 times in their week, one line of at most 150 letters.

The weather office shop

At the Middle Valley station: storm kit 1500 points (permanent, needed to chase), storm probe 200 points (single use, 5 a day), weather balloon 120 points (single use, 2 a day).

Titles and rewards

Weather Watcher: 10 station readings. Forecaster: 20 right rain forecasts, right at least 6 times in 10. Thunder Hunter: 25 spot-on lightning estimates. Eye of the Storm: intercept storms over all six kinds of country. Trophies for your first intercept, a right storm call, 100 readings and the forecaster of the week. The weekly board counts weather reports; the top three get a cup on Monday.

Commands

slash weatherservice: the Weather Service menu. slash forecastdesk: the forecasting desk. slash stormchase: storm chasing. All of them are also in the menu.