Now, sitting in the Amevync constellation in Placid has got me stroking my chin a bit. A few points...
- Pre-Tyrannis, any system with a Roden Shipyards Factory would have a "Manufacturing Center" deadspace location with it, whereas a Roden Shipyards Warehouse would have a "Logistics Center"...so, would it be safe to assume that stations are merely the facilitators of system-wide operations, particularly in deadspace? This FedMart Storage station, for example, is the main hub of a variety of shipping platforms and depots littered across the system? Suppose it would make sense since mission agents also pertain to system and neighbours. The only exceptions for these are office and retail stations, I imagine...
- A sidepoint, what exactly are these retail centers and investment banks doing across this lowsec constellation you think, anyway?
- Which brings me to the next point...what exactly are these retail centers and investment banks? I can't imagine a massive city-in-space dedicated purely to banking? An "Accounting" station is described as "Accounting and audit firms", which leads me to believe that, in addition to the main corporation that owns that station, there is a myriad of smaller corporations that are contracted by the government agency (if its a government station) or operate as subsidiaries of the larger private corporation. The issue is, why on earth is there an entire station dedicated as a giant shopping mall? Would people come to this station exclusively to purchase items from there? I do remember the Lai Dai moving into Anchauttes have a line that is... "We are confident that the Fedmart Retail Center will continue to be a safe haven for businessmen from all over New Eden and expect that". Sounds like that while all stations have a commercial district or whatever, these 'retail centers' are focused on interstellar trading with people from outside the system?
Yeah, boggles me anyway. I am unclear what all these stations 'do' exactly...though, I imagine stations like Federal Administration Bureau Offices are home to the various local governmental organizations that are concerned with everything and anything composed to day-to-day operation of infrastructure in the system...waste disposal, traffic control, immigration etc.