Z-level

Z-Levels are the various maps with set borders that contain the playable areas of SS13. Moving off the edge of a z-level in space will place you somewhere on the opposite edge of another z-level. There are five different z-levels in SS13, each one serving a different purpose.

Normal space

Station

This z-level contains the main station, sealab, or space ship. It also contains the Listening Post, as well as a few other items of mild interest around the borders. Oshan Lab's station z-level in particular contains many of the same things you'd find in the Debris Field, including the Martian derelict, the NPC Flockmind merchant, a special underwater-themed version of the Space Diner, and many locations unique to Oshan.

If you aren't on Oshan Lab, leaving this z-level from any edge will send you to the debris field. If you are, it won't, because the edges are surrounded by unbreakable trench wall. Try going center-ward instead.

Debris field

A section of deep space long abandoned by Nanotrasen and Syndicate alike, the debris field is loaded with derelict stations, abandoned ships, dangerous attack drones, and plenty of goodies for the adventurous (and well-prepared) scavenger. It's also home to the somewhat more habitable Space Diner.

Leaving the debris field via any edge will place you on the opposite edge of Mining Level (i.e. going off the left edge of debris will put you on the right side of Mining Level). You can go back to the normal z-level from the Debris Field by:

• Going through a wormhole.
• Using Telescience.
• Creating portals with a hand teleporter or a portal ring, portal generator, and teleporter computer setup like in the Teleporter Room.
• Hopping on the Mining Shuttle and setting the location to the space diner.

Mining Level

Also known as Z5. A mining zone filled with very large, randomly generated asteroids similar to those from the mining magnet. Expect modest bounties of ore, the occasional angry drone, and some very strange, very weird asteroids that'll really leave you scratching your head. You access it by going off the edge of the debris field as described in that section; to go back, it's the same idea. For example, going off the right side of Mining Level will put you on the left side of the debris field, going off the north side will send you to the south side, and vice versa.

This level also includes the Mining Outpost, always located in the north-west corner of the map. On top of having its own mining magnet, it's also a stop on John's Bus, a shuttle that'll take you between the diner, the Mining Outpost, and the Frontier Space Owlery.

It's quite an expanse, but luckily, every PDA comes with a map of it as it was at roundstart, named "Mining Map", accessible at the PDA start menu. Light grey signifies asteroid, light blue NT-affiliated structures (usually the asteroid belt beacon), and red-purple structures of "unknown" (i.e. not NT) affiliation, notably the space diner and other pre-fabricated structures, and it does not update. Also, bringing a cargo transporter is very much recommended in order to be able to bring all the loot you find back to the station.

The Trench

A supremely dark, elaborate, randomly-generated underwater cave system lurking underneath Oshan Laboratory. The pressure here is surprisingly tolerable, but you'll suffer rapidly accumulating BURN damage if you're not wearing some sort of diving suit or space suit.

Not much of a station presence besides a tiny, pitch black outpost for the Sea Elevator, but there's plenty of reason to be here. Miners explore these caves for ore, Engineers come here to boost the power of their hotspots, and there's something for everyone if you know where to look. If you tread carefully, you might find some truly tremendous treasures, and, if you're lucky, incredible secrets--and their incredibly tremendous guardians.

You enter and exit the Trench by riding the Sea Elevator, which will take you to small, dark outpost with a few supplies. In an interesting contrast to the Mining Level and Debris Field it "replaces", you can also enter it through the giant deep hole in the middle of the station z-level or any the smaller holes scattered about the rim of the station, either by piloting a minisub into it, climbing up/down a sea ladder, or simply walking into it, which is surprisingly not dangerous. You can also make your own holes by detonating bombs and other explosives on the seafloor. Unlike other holes, which all somehow lead to the same site, each of these holes leads directly to its corresponding area in the Trench.

Unlike the Debris Field, there isn't a Goonhub map of it. However, thanks to imcoder magic, there is a rough in-game map of the Trench as it was at the beginning of round, available as both an app on your PDA and as physical maps scattered about Oshan Lab.

Restricted space

Z2

An astoundingly dense level home to an assortment of different locales. The most famous is perhaps the Adventure Zone, a mis-mash of all the different areas you can explore using Telescience and other means, separated together into individual Adventure Zones. It also has Central Command (Centcomm), a place that's normally only accessible by the emergency shuttle. Centcomm contains the docks for the escape shuttles and admin's offices, along with a few Other Things.

In addition to those two zones, there is also the Wizard Shuttle, the Syndicate Battlecruiser, both sections of the Afterlife Bar, the heavenly afterlife botany area, the Title Screen, the Ass Day Respawn Arena, the "Wormholes" or "Warp Zones" the Escape Shuttles goes to when making the trip back to Centcomm, and Virtual Reality arcade, bombtest, and detective areas.

Z4

The basement of Centcomm, so to speak. When admins "prison" someone, they go to one of the rooms/"cells" here. There are also extra (empty) admin offices and server racks here too. But more importantly, Z4 contains the massive Nanotrasen Retention Center and its associated zones. Z4 also contains a fun hang-out place with a full movie theater (for spectating people), a teleporter that sends crates to the cargo bay, a meeting room, and bar. Unfortunately, this place is restricted to admins only, though once in a long while they may open up the place to the public, usually through a portal in the afterlife bar.

Z6

Home to the Space American Football Stadium and its locker room, used for the Football game mode.

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