---

If the player chooses start new game then the program goes to a character generation screen. Here you'd have the usual stats generation, class choice (anything else?).

The stats could include things like:
1.piloting skill <---would determine a value that can be multiplied against the flight characteristics of player ship
2.administration <-----value multiplied against base income
3.charisma <----value multiplied against faction rep changes
4.gunnery <-----value multiplied against rate of fire/damage/energy consumption of player weapons
5.leadership <-----determines how many bases can be owned/how many patrols can be run
(more?)
These stats could be raised by how well the player does in the game. i.e. program looks at #of ships killed in saved game and boosts gunnery/piloting.

Classes could include the usual and have an impact on a set of game characteristics in the same manner as stats.
example: player chooses to be a trader. Recieves 5% boost to all income generated. Recieves an additional 2.5% every 5 levels. All bases other than trading outpost cost this class additional 50%. Class cannot own more than 3 bases of any type.
some classes:
miner
trader
Naval officer
bounty hunter
assassin
explorer
pirate
(more?)

The program could change the ptough.ini based on the player's class.
All sorts of ideas here for anyone who plays RPG's.

Edit = Class could also determine what type of ships are available to a player and their starting ship. Example a trader would start with a Rhino and would be unable to purchase anything but low level light fighters and any type of freighter. A bounty hunter would start with a Pirhana and could purchase any type of fighter but no freighters.

Edit2 = In order to keep the purists happy the class selection could include "freelancer" which would mean no bonus or penalty to any game aspect.
At first I left out race for obvious reasons. But maybe something like House origin could be worked in that would apply a one time bonus to stat generation and would determine starting reps?
example: Player chooses borderworld as starting house. Recieves 5% bonus to piloting and gunnery. Recieves -5% to leadership and administration. Starts with good rep among pirates bad rep with house navies etc.
Also player could choose lawful or unlawful as an alignment. This could narrow down the availability of classes.
example: lawful character cannot choose pirate/assassin, unlawful cannot choose navy/miner(what unlawful character wants to work for a living?)

---