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- Trade Agents provide up-to-date information on trades at stations.
- Smalltalk discounts are different to other discounts so they are a stackable, additional option.
- You can ask for info on the better-skilled NPCs in the area.
- Virtual Seminars allow you to train one of your NPC's skills (addition of a star).
Note: While setting up your trade agent network it will be useful to at least scan the Administration dock of every station. This will enable you to target a dock with a guaranteed Engineer if you need one for emergency Skunk repairs in the future!
While <player> is docked on stations, NPCs will occasionally start talking, and when they do a speech bubble appears over their head to help identify them in a crowd.
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** A score of 4+ for all 3 minigames.
Collecting Virtual Seminars
Successful completion of the third smalltalk allows 'Virtual Seminars', which are easiest to come by via Smalltalk (they're now (v4) occasionally available via mission rewards or 'yellow ping' lockboxes too).
They are available for various potentially important skills, such as Engineering, Leadership and Morale: a Seminar can be used to add one star to the related skill of any one of your hired NPC's primary, bold-highlighted skills (eg only Engineering for Engineers, but Leadership or Navigation for a Captain), to a maximum of 5 stars. Exactly which Seminar you may be offered relates to the primary skills or the type of the NPC in question so it is somewhat random, in the sense that it is random as to which NPC may begin a smalltalk. Boarding experience for Marine Officers can only be gained through.. heh.. experience, and it's slow (around +(2d6+2)% at L4 per successful boarding), so be warned!
Seminars are only available through smalltalk after the Give (craftable) Gift option if the first smalltalk was completed with a score of 8+ points in 2 minigames and if the second minigame session was completed with a score of 4+ points in all 3 minigames. A higher (maximum?) score in the second minigame stage can increase the range (number) of seminars offered, depending upon the smalltalked NPC's class. <Player> can only pick 1 seminar as the prize, no matter how good the score.