Index of Business
Purpose: A dedicated home for every business entity of any kind
in the Maf archive — from small local shops up through megacorporations — separated out from the general characters/factions/locations categories, since businesses have a distinct player-facing purpose: players and developers should be able to browse by category, select a business, and see either a full description or (where that's all we have) just a name and location. Owners, founders, key employees, or named personalities within a business link out to their bio in `/characters`.
✅ Scope — Broadened Definition (per creator)
"Business" here means any entity that conducts business or organized activity of any scale, whether for-profit or non-profit — this includes not just conventional companies, but also churches, religions, think tanks, and similar organized entities. The only exclusions: governments/political bodies, and player characters/NPCs themselves (who instead live in `/characters`, though they're linked to from here when they own/found/work at a business).
When in doubt whether something qualifies as a business, flag it for the creator rather than guessing.
Dual-Listing Principle
Some organizations are both factions (political/social entities with their own agency, territory, or standing) and businesses (they transact, extort, smuggle, or otherwise conduct organized commercial activity) — organized crime families, pirate gangs, and similar. For these, primary content stays in `/factions`, and the relevant Business category page carries a cross-referenced index entry linking back to it, rather than duplicating the content. The faction page itself carries a matching note pointing to its Business category listing.
Categorization Principle
Categories should be granular and specific, not broad catch-alls. Every time a new type of business entity is encountered, identify its precise category, create that category if it doesn't exist yet, and index the business there. Categories are expected to keep growing over time.
Format note: There's no website yet, so for now this stays in the
same markdown/folder format as the rest of the archive. When a real website exists, this structure (category index → business list → business detail page, with clickable owner/employee links) is meant to translate directly into the site's navigation.
Categories
Accounting Firms
Accounting and financial services firms.
Adult Entertainment
⚠️ Special listing pattern: listicle-only entries here, with the full description living in the venue's actual primary subcategory (Bars, Restaurants, etc.), which must include the "Adult Entertainment" descriptor in its Type identifier.
Advertising Agencies
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Aerospace Components & Systems
Companies building propulsion systems, avionics, and other functional components for spacecraft and space stations.
Aerospace Design & Engineering
Firms specializing in orbital/space station and ground-based spaceport design and engineering.
Airlines & Space Transit
Passenger transit companies, both planetary and space-based.
Art Galleries
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Bands & Musical Acts
Musical performers and bands — dual-listed with `/factions`.
Banks
Banking institutions specifically.
Bars
Bars, pubs, and dive bars.
Casinos
Gambling and casino resorts.
Construction Companies
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Consulting Services
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Corporations & Conglomerates
Large multi-industry corporations, mid-tier (not yet MegaBusiness scale).
Criminal Enterprises
Organized crime families, gangs, and enforcement operations — dual-listed with `/factions`.
Cruise Lines
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Engineering Companies
General engineering (distinct from Aerospace Design & Engineering). Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Entertainment & Recreation
Family entertainment complexes, arcades, music venues, and similar.
Hospitals
Hospitals and medical facilities.
Hotels
Lodging and hospitality.
Industrial
A catch-all for businesses without their own dedicated subcategory yet (currently "one-off" business types) — split off into a proper subcategory once enough similar businesses accumulate.
Information Services
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Insurance Companies
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Malls
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Marketing Services
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Media Companies
Multi-format media conglomerates (news + entertainment + radio, etc.).
MegaCorporations
The largest-scale corporate entities (LMT, DESCO) — distinct from the mid-tier Corporations & Conglomerates category.
Military Manufacturers
Companies that design and build military equipment, vehicles, weapons, and gear.
Museums
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
News Organizations
Pure news-gathering/reporting organizations.
Nightclubs
Nightclubs and dance clubs.
Pirate Groups
Pirate gangs and organizations — dual-listed with `/factions`.
Private Military Companies
Private military companies (not "mercenary companies") — dual-listed with `/factions` and, where applicable, `/starnations`.
Public Relations Firms
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Publishing Companies
Placeholder category, no entries yet.
Restaurants
Sit-down and quick-service food establishments.
Secret Societies
Secret societies and covert inner circles — dual-listed with `/factions`.
Social Media Platforms
Online social media and communication platforms.
Space Maintenance & Robotics
Companies providing maintenance, repair, and robotics/drone services for spacecraft and space stations.
Sports Teams
Professional sports franchises — dual-listed with `/factions`.
Open Questions
- More categories will be added as new business types are encountered (e.g., manufacturing, shipping/logistics, retail, construction, religious organizations, think tanks, sports franchises, insurance, investment firms)
- A broader audit of already-archived content for entities that now qualify as "businesses" under this expanded definition (e.g., Zoota sports teams like the Underhive Blazers/Skyguard Titans, secret societies like the "Insiders," the Janastian Warhawks as a mercenary-company-cum-sovereign-entity) has not yet been done — flagged for a future pass, pending creator confirmation on scope