it quite depends on what kind of person you are. most people say to start small, which is a really good philosophy for most people because they tend to like to see immediate results. my first plug, if i remember correctly, added a company, allied with the rebels, which owned three or four systems. there were several new ships, a few new outfits, and lotsa missions. it also, however, never made it beyond the alpha stage and i don't think i ever finished the mission strings (at least not for the whole series of around four plugs). my first tc was based on an immense book, and failed miserably. it had some nice concepts but the undertaking was just too big for me. fortunately i never announced it, so nobody got to say "i told you so." but basically, to make a long story short, take the amount of time/effort you expect it to take to perfect the whole thing, multiply by ten, and you'll have a pretty good estimate of when it'll be ready for beta. so most people will say to do something which only adds a new system with one planet, or maybe a new weapon or two, so that you can be finished within a day or five. but i say, if you've got a good idea and you're willing to spend a coupla weeks before you have any notable progress, screw their advice and stick with your idea; it'll come out better in the end. and if you run into problems post here and there's at least five or so of us willing to help
------------------
if tin whistles are made of tin, what's a fog horn made of?