Spacetraders 4: Visualizing the starting system

In this entry, I build a simple visual map of my starting SpaceTraders system. Using real system coordinates from the API, I plot waypoints in 2D and extend the idea into 3D by introducing a synthetic Z dimension to separate overlapping locations. Along the way, I run into a few surprisingly tricky problems around data grouping, symmetry, and Matplotlib’s 3D quirks—and briefly break my “no AI while coding” rule to get unstuck. The result is a compact 2D+3D system overview that finally makes the universe feel tangible instead of abstract.