Beyond Alpha Centauri:::: Discussion Thread 4

[History Guy]

OK, LMP.

I've got the sub-plot at the casino to work on. I'd better start cracking to get it all whipped out before...the warp!

When the warp takes place, we will find Morgan Interstellar sticking simply to economics, having disbanded two of the three corps (as it always does when there is a lull in the wartime). The termpapers of the Soldiers of God are running down, but Morgan plans to rehire them when the papers run out to guard the Corporate Sector (which has been returned) and the new colonies. South of Castor, Morgan is expanding his territories to some distant systems for peaceful colonization. He won't run into any aliens, though, don't worry.

We will have improved relationships with the Terrans and the Believers as well as maintained our friendships with the Spartans, Drones, and University. As for the Gaians and the Peacekeepers, I can't say. I think Alynzia doesn't want to do anymore SMAC writing. Guardian will join in every so often, I believe. Morgan is on friendly terms with the Gaians and the Peacekeepers, and he has acquired the commlink to Yang, but has not contacted the old guy as of yet. What to do about the Protectorate, I don't know. Nothing big, I'd imagine, just a treaty, information exchange, co-operation between MI and Alchemax. Nothing to speak off.

Hmmmm...if I wanted to start fixing up things on an independent planet, as a part time thing, like Mr. Prez does for Firaxis and Franky might do with something else, I'd choose Concordia. The place sounds, well, tranquilitas.

[Mellian]

There is also Tau Ceti, which doesn't have much of a colony there...but have research bases, and outposts from various there like University, Gaians, Cyborgs and so on....exploring and studying the Tau Ceti manifold.

Minos seem an interest system for some pirate clans to hide as well.... and the Concordia system. Don't have to be on the world, just around the system....like moons, asteroids, around gas giants, and so on... with smallish bases, outposts, stations and starbases.

Also need another system where the unwanted go hide too...have bases and so on, which eventually lead to an Anarchistic world. Known location for various clans to hide or simply by...same with some data angel bases. Some faction or the other have tried taking the system, but becaming useless.... not that they were hard to defeat, just the time wasted going after them around the system Can also be where the Novans dropped the survivors of the Drone Freighter crew.

There is two or three smallish alien species i would like to introduce.....
the sesheyens, evolved in a massive forest/jungle moon around some gas giant in some system near the bottom of the galactic disc. They are still in th hunter-gathering period, tribalistic and so on. will give better desc later. Pirate clan or two were aware of them, as they have some bases in the system, but generally leave them alone. Maybe a Morganite or Drone scout/explorers discovers them, and so on the faction attempts to claim the system and the moon. soon later, TA scout happens to discover them and discovers the faction presense and them attempting to gain control of the moon or whatever... can be a situation which involves that faction, TA and the pirates.... and the general pro-sentient/human rights people. Thinking maybe that faction would be the Morganites, if history is interested...

Then there is the Mechalus....will give desc later, but they would be Pre-FTL in tech, but space travel capable...just hasn't started colonizing the system yet, but have wiped out a species at the neighbouring world....which later caused a period of depression among the Mechalus, realizing of what they done and so on. They are humanoids...and good relationship potential between them and the Cyborgs and Scions. Thinking that the Drones would be the best candidate to discover them.

then there is the Wern, or whatever, will get desc later. They would be in their reinnaisance when they get discovered....they would like like some form of werewolves, but quite culturally artistic. Thinking maybe the Believers could discover them?

(yes, trying to bring in Star*Drive species and create a similar situation of discovery ... if people agree)

Then, maybe have a system...doesn't have to be a good one, a barren world with terraforming potential would be enough.... so i can bring in the Fraal "Builders", which some humans will end up calling them.... Those Fraal won't be using very advance techs....just human level techs...to avoid some humans and others to acquire powerful fraal tech. Would only create some oddity and wonder among humans really....and no, it is not a new homeworld. with some young Fraals who wanted to colonize and so on, experience the same experiences humanity does... they pretty much become a Fraal faction...but won't be hostile against the main one....just difference in opinions.

-LMP

[Frankychan]

For independent worlds:

The world I'm thinking about, Sprayber, is industrial. I'm seeing it as having a large populace (more men=more power) and have maybe one unique tech that they have developed that Yang finds interesting and wants. Could be something like a more efficient way to process minerals or something.

The world has satellites/transmitters to broadcast messages into space (kinda like a reverse S.E.T.I.)<---I say reverse cause instead of listening, they are broadcasting to find other life in space. The government wants to seek out new life in space and see what's "out there".

Anyway, GHE receives transmission and decides to "liberate" the people of the planet who slave under the "despotic" rule of their government(s). The planet could be like present day Earth, with multiple governments or could just have one centralized govt. But I think it should be democratic. Maybe Spartans hear the broadcasts too. *shrug*

That's a pretty vague idea I have....not much else right now. But for the independent world "liberation", I don't want it to have ties to any faction. If it did, it would complicate things. This way, the Spartans or whoever can moan and complain, but not really interfere because the other factions are not the victim/beneficiary....to the delight of Emperor Sheng-ji Yang.

Waddaya think?

[History Guy]

Good heavens, Franky! You are now 2nd in command to Emperor Yang??!! I'm only a lowly patrician at MI!!

Are you going to post on Bippol's ship and fleet?

[Frankychan]

Originally posted by History Guy
Good heavens, Franky! You are now 2nd in command to Emperor Yang??!! I'm only a lowly patrician at MI!!

Are you going to post on Bippol's ship and fleet?

Heeheehee! You know this! If Yang dies, I'm in charge!

K, here's wassap. I usually type in school cause they have a fast internet connection. But @ home I gotta use dial-up and it takes 4ever. I lost my book w/the drafts somewhere at home and I'm trying to find it....I've been trying to buy some time until I could find it but 'Oh Well!'

If I can't find it when I get home, I'll just post whatever I can think of. But it probably wont be a full attack, but just have the beginning to the middle of the attack.

[History Guy]

Franky--

If Yang dies? I doubt that'll happen too soon...but if you really want to replace Yang in a short ammount of time with yourself CEO Morgan would love to help out...

Sorry to hear that you lost your drafts, Franky!!

[GeneralTacticus]

Wow, things seem to have slowed down a bit here.

Then there is the Mechalus....will give desc later, but they would be Pre-FTL in tech, but space travel capable...just hasn't started colonizing the system yet, but have wiped out a species at the neighbouring world....which later caused a period of depression among the Mechalus, realizing of what they done and so on. They are humanoids...and good relationship potential between them and the Cyborgs and Scions. Thinking that the Drones would be the best candidate to discover them.

The Mechalus might actually (that is, if we are also following the 'official' desc of the species from Star*Drive) become very important, since they are meant to be very advanced in bio-chemical weapons and counters to them (and have no knowledge of nukes, since their world has no uranium.

(yes, trying to bring in Star*Drive species and create a similar situation of discovery ... if people agree)

That would probably be interesting, but as I think Sprayber said, we should try to avoid introducing too many aliens into BAC. Remember, this is meant to be about human factions and what they do, with the aliens as outside forces.

[Mr. President]

I agree, plus if we're too "inspired" by other games, this might metamorphosize from Beyond Alpha Centauri into Science Fiction Crossover Marathon.

[Mellian]

Yes, but the aliens will simply be there...and for example of the sesheyens, they can be stuck between some human factions disputes...concerning them. The Weren will simply be there, and not really active...but they will start appearing in the community at some point. The Mechalus will simply be there as well, not really active. They are minor aliens, not a big huge of a deal already got the Fraal involved....

As for being a crossover, BAC is already is like the Bree, Gorn, and I am sure the Dosi came from somewhere.... also notice the Dosi's conquered aliens.... their names are familiar, hmmm

Anyway, doesn't hurt to see what some Human Factions does concerning alien species....as there is no ST directive.

anyway, gtg

-LMP

[GeneralTacticus]

Obviously there will always be aliens, but why not just make our own up? I mean it's fine copying attributes from other places, but if you start just 'cut'n'pasting' aliens from elsewhere, then they will probably end up dominating the whole thing... and I'm especially worried about the Protoss! In Starcraft the only things that prevent them from dominating everything are their honour code and the fact that they just got attacked by another species their equal. Unless you want to introduce the Zerg as well, (which I would definitely call going a bit far), I think we should just leave them out... they would either become totally dominant (if they got involved), or totally irrelevant (if they didn't).

[Guardian]

Ummm... well, if it ain't Guardian the slow...

I'm still coming, it's just taking a while...

Thought I'd drop in and wish you fellas a nice weekend, and... well, I'll catch ya later!

[Mellian]

Not bringing in the Protoss they are like 40k lightyears away from Sol in starcraft. Besides, the Fraal will protect humanity from big advance and powerful aliens. Pretty hard to make your own races when they will just end up being similar to some sci-fi ones somewhere I brought in the Fraal because society wise, they are the most common aliens people think of....like check out a lot of the UFO and alien sites, there bunch of pics or drawings or whatever of skinny black eyes aliens....commonly called as greys.... If you want made up races, i could always bring my Macky...but they pretty much evolved from humanity bio-engineering wise and them appearing is related to time travel and parallel dimensions...which we agreed not to have. Another thing, i suck with names, so nothing wrong borrowing names from other sci-fis, especially when we are not makin a profit off BAC.

Anyway, if you don't want to deal with minor species, so be it.... they will be at the edge of human space anyway....and haven't been discovered because in the past century or so, exploration was slow until recently...especially from TA which will be in a colonization rush when the game starts again after the timewarp.

-LMP

[Mellian]

sesheyens and weren will not be able to dominate anyone... as for the Mechalus, they will be in a period of depression to think about expansion. So they won't be a problem. Now, me personally see writing potential between concerning the Mechalus, Cyborgs and Scions....which they do have similarities. during the timewarp, relations as started up between the Scions and Cyborgs.

Only universes i COPY and pasting,then modify, is from the Battlezone 2 and Star*Drive. I see nothing wrong with that. Hey, i am pretty sure almost all of the ideas people add were base on some other universe or something.

-LMP

[History Guy]

Well, it's back...again!!

Tacticus-- You are darn right. It is slow...tooo slow for my liking. Is this the work of the time warp??!!

As for the aliens, I agree. I don't like the idea of lifting other alien races from other games and sticking them in the story, and I personally have never done it. The same is true of Franky and Mr. President. If we want aliens, we should create them instead of lifting them. It'd be much more interesting anyway. Simply because LMP isn't good at names doesn't mean she must lift other names, she can just ask some of us to create names for them.

I'm also very much against the presence of too many aliens in the first place. For someone who wants things believable, LMP sure does stick in a lot of aliens!

Hey Guardian! There you are!!

[Sprayber]

There is an old saying in Sci-fi. There are no original ideas around. Just about everything you see has been done in some way before. Everything from your thoughts are in some way influienced by others. It's just in how you present it


Aliens are ok. Just make sure the powerful ones don't

1. Give lots of advanced tech
2. Don't attack other human faction
3. Don't directly influience other factions without their pre approval
4. Don't clash with the current timelines

Like someone else already has said. This pretty much limits them to background roles. Which was the intention at first anyway. Once in a while we may feel the need to have them attack. But be sure that it will be rare and after Everyone is ok with it.

[story mode]Rest assured that the mighty Spartan Federation is not interested in Alien alliances. We in Sparta have resolved to fight the alien threat from all sources wherever they may lie[/story mode]