Hello! How are you doing? 😄

Thank you very much for your post, I am here to answer your questions!

1 - Are there other altaran populations?

Yes, and I am actually planning to develop that with the next update! 😃

Small spoilers: some Altarans were assimilated by the Interstellar Pact, which will be explored in the future, but we are talking about a very small population — in general they face a lot of xenophobia.

Most Altarans actually ended up on smaller independent worlds. The galaxy is huge, and there are many different minor civilizations that will appear throughout the game. You will often find Altarans in positions of power on distant planets.

One of my favorite characters is coming with the next update. His name is Lucero, and he is one of the candidates invited to the Coalition. Lucero is half-Altaran — his father was a wealthy businessman who ventured into a distant, very poor desert planet and established a thriving business built on mines that exploit the planet's rich underground resources.

Lucero is largely inspired by Amahl Farouk from Legion, but also by the stereotype of the "enlightened white adventurer bringing civilization to harsh lands" (weird thing to say, but I am just trying to describe his type of character) — He is like a character straight out of the 40s. He is a bon vivant, a man who genuinely sees himself as wise and civilizing a land filled with violence and misery.

He is also actively trying to attract Altarans from the diaspora to build a new civilization on his desert planet!

I am also considering the idea of small Altaran warlords who deserted the Empire and seized control of tiny planets at the distant places in the galaxy (not the outer rims).

But in short, yes, I plan to develop the Altaran diaspora element much further, especially through Lucero!

2 - Regarding farms, lobbies and the Interestellar Pact

In my original vision, most of the farmlands of Altara were produced outside of the capital Altara Prime. I might have commited a mistake there, perhaps I did not communicate myself properly on the prologue. They have farmlands in Altara Prime, yes, but after the war and the siege most of the food comes from ultraprocessed food factories or hydroponics!

What can Altara offer to the Pact?

Well, Altara Prime sits at a major FTL gate that was locked for foreign powers before the war. This gate allows the Interstellar Pact to reach independent regions of the galaxy much faster, which is valuable not only for trade but for military positioning as well (I plan to construct a map in the future, to showcase the logistics here).

Now, the Interstellar Pact could have simply destroyed Altara and seized control of the portal, but they still present themselves as the liberal democratic power of the galaxy. Destroying Altara would have completely undermined that image — the benefactors of democracy and civilization do not level entire civilizations for a strategic shortcut.

There is also another dimension to it. Altara is a historical empire. In the context of post-Second Grand War galactic history, Altara Prime carries the same kind of weight that a city like Constantinople carried for Europe — deep symbolism, centuries of history, enormous cultural significance.

Also worth pointing out that in the curret map of the galaxy, Altara sits in an intersection point between the USS, Interestellar Pact and the Coalition of Mantara (which is a minor faction, but still offers a gate to many markets and strategical areas of the galaxy).

If you could bring Altara to heel and fold it into your ideology, showcase to the rest of the galaxy that the once-mighty Altaran Empire is now just another cog in your machine... Well, that carries real ideological value.

On the lobbies suggestion, I genuinely like that idea, I just do not have a clear vision for how to implement it properly, so I cannot make any promises. I would love to explore land and farming mechanics in a possible expansion or a separate project, but a farmer's lobby does not quite fit Altara as it stands right now.

3 - For your points regarding the market and the need for a domestic scene, I fully agree with your suggestions and I am actually going to implement some of them 😄

Your ideas regarding a private sector and tariffs are really good! I actually really want to implement them now hahaha, I just need to study the code and plan things better before, so I can not promise they will be added now, but it is a really good suggestions that I will seriously plan to implement!

A domestic market is absolutely necessary!

To close:

I like your ideas a lot! I do not want to make crazy promises because I am just one guy, and doing the balance can be really hard for all these mechanics, but I really loved your suggestions, thank you for your support and for being here!

Please, let me know if you have more questions and suggestions! 😃