Forums » Suggestions
Civilizations produce artifacts. Civilizations at war produce more artifacts, often broken ones. One thing I've noticed about the VO universe is the startling lack of anything other than space in space. There's no real history - no mysteries that make people want to explore, to dig deeper for a whole story (that may or may not actually be there, but that's another topic). I know that you're too busy making actual game stuff right now, but perhaps we could draft a list of cool places/things you could come across in your travels.
Example:
The Xenos Array
Where: Helios
What: A gigantic (2km on a side) rectangular array of those latticework girders we see in between the parts of the cracked roid model, with a component station at the center.
Why: Constructed as by the UIT to watch the Serco. The Serco found and took it over, repurposed it to watch the UIT. In doing so, caused a diplomatic incident which was somehow resolved diplomatically. The Final solution was to point it towards the coordinates of Earth, scanning for signals from home. Viewed as a gigantic boondoggle by both nations today, but the treaty stipulates it must be maintained for at least three hundred years. Has found secondary use as a neutral trading point for Serco and UIT convoys.
Example:
The Xenos Array
Where: Helios
What: A gigantic (2km on a side) rectangular array of those latticework girders we see in between the parts of the cracked roid model, with a component station at the center.
Why: Constructed as by the UIT to watch the Serco. The Serco found and took it over, repurposed it to watch the UIT. In doing so, caused a diplomatic incident which was somehow resolved diplomatically. The Final solution was to point it towards the coordinates of Earth, scanning for signals from home. Viewed as a gigantic boondoggle by both nations today, but the treaty stipulates it must be maintained for at least three hundred years. Has found secondary use as a neutral trading point for Serco and UIT convoys.
mmm! yes please!
great idea, atmosphere would do wonders. and we could have missions to search out ruins and stuff. :-)
great idea, atmosphere would do wonders. and we could have missions to search out ruins and stuff. :-)
The Block
Where: Sol II, I-9 - Punchau
What: An abandoned block-ish station built into the side of a spherical asteroid.
Why: Standard history lists this as one of the Serco's (failed) initial colonization attempts dating to their period of rapid expansion following the re-meeting of the Itani. The colony was abandoned after it was clear it could not support itself nor provide any strategic benefits. However, a more careful examination of Serco historical archives (i.e. data hacking) reavealed that the station actually existed 15 years prior to the Settlement Act, which claims to have funded its inital construction. Additionally, it is clear that the station was only ever under direct, high-ranking military oversight. Rumors have flown wildly as to what the station is hiding that the Serco would not even care to clean out themselves. The story preferred by many Itani youth is that the Serco's arts turned back upon their masters and the station now houses a Serco-munching monstrosity. A more plausible account would be a catastrophic reactor meltdown and subsequent political cover-up, but the Serco REALLY should have been more careful than that given their extensive experience and expertise. Further independent investigation has been held up (indefinitely) by Serco government red tape, and further unofficial incursions have been warded off by the strange affinity the Hive has for the area...
Where: Sol II, I-9 - Punchau
What: An abandoned block-ish station built into the side of a spherical asteroid.
Why: Standard history lists this as one of the Serco's (failed) initial colonization attempts dating to their period of rapid expansion following the re-meeting of the Itani. The colony was abandoned after it was clear it could not support itself nor provide any strategic benefits. However, a more careful examination of Serco historical archives (i.e. data hacking) reavealed that the station actually existed 15 years prior to the Settlement Act, which claims to have funded its inital construction. Additionally, it is clear that the station was only ever under direct, high-ranking military oversight. Rumors have flown wildly as to what the station is hiding that the Serco would not even care to clean out themselves. The story preferred by many Itani youth is that the Serco's arts turned back upon their masters and the station now houses a Serco-munching monstrosity. A more plausible account would be a catastrophic reactor meltdown and subsequent political cover-up, but the Serco REALLY should have been more careful than that given their extensive experience and expertise. Further independent investigation has been held up (indefinitely) by Serco government red tape, and further unofficial incursions have been warded off by the strange affinity the Hive has for the area...
This is something I think is very important for the future of the game, that I have been meaning to post about for a while. It is in essence the beginning of a solution to the continual complaints about lack of content, stylisation, individuality, character, or interest in our current somewhat sparse universe. I was going to create a new thread, but I think ctish's post highlights my point perfectly.
What we need, quite simply, is a page on the website to complement the current (great!) backstory. It will contain a detailed run down on the three current nations in line with http://www.vendetta-online.com/h/universe_history.html and when complete, will also hopefully be available to new users in game prior to the character creation screen.
BUT...
This needs to be very well crafted, and a lot of effort should be put into its creation such that 3 balanced, complex and interesting nation cultures are achieved
It should include LOTS of pictures and information about things such as architectural style, languages, peculiarities, important historical facts, cultural heirachies, political events etc etc such that a sense of immersion and association with each nation is created. The importance of this to a game cannot be underestimated. It is what attracted me so much to EVE, where character creation was an exciting process in itself (I deleted it about 40 minutes later from frustration and disillusionment with the gameplay style, but hey they got some things right!).
This is not so important as to warrant stopping other dev work immediately, but I think it is a hugely critical foundation of future work that needs to be created sooner rather than later as it will hopefully eventually influence all future development decisions.
Even community projects, such as the current ship design thread for example, would have much more direction. And although we may not see such work reflected in the game universe for some time, it will eventually translate into small things like News and New missions etc, such that over time... The whinging about lack of content and immersion (remaining from the red, blue, gold universt) would be unfounded and 3 distinct nations would emerge!
A response from the devs would be nice. In my previous questions about what sort of definable roadmap goals the devs considered important before this games' 'release' (the marketing push when it comes), I received the reply that things needed to be 'right'. And this is obviously a very subjective area. I'm sure the devs are in the best position to choose this timing, but I think this is one of the key things that would make this game 'right'.
Sorry about the post hijack :P, but the community when drafting a list of cool places etc, should go much further to defining the more complete nature of our universe. What would a derelict UIT artifact look like? Compared to ancient itani or human technology?
Infinite Skillz
[edit] A final note: I know this may seem like a lot of work, but with the right direction our community is our greatest resource! Start embellishing the wiki today!
What we need, quite simply, is a page on the website to complement the current (great!) backstory. It will contain a detailed run down on the three current nations in line with http://www.vendetta-online.com/h/universe_history.html and when complete, will also hopefully be available to new users in game prior to the character creation screen.
BUT...
This needs to be very well crafted, and a lot of effort should be put into its creation such that 3 balanced, complex and interesting nation cultures are achieved
It should include LOTS of pictures and information about things such as architectural style, languages, peculiarities, important historical facts, cultural heirachies, political events etc etc such that a sense of immersion and association with each nation is created. The importance of this to a game cannot be underestimated. It is what attracted me so much to EVE, where character creation was an exciting process in itself (I deleted it about 40 minutes later from frustration and disillusionment with the gameplay style, but hey they got some things right!).
This is not so important as to warrant stopping other dev work immediately, but I think it is a hugely critical foundation of future work that needs to be created sooner rather than later as it will hopefully eventually influence all future development decisions.
Even community projects, such as the current ship design thread for example, would have much more direction. And although we may not see such work reflected in the game universe for some time, it will eventually translate into small things like News and New missions etc, such that over time... The whinging about lack of content and immersion (remaining from the red, blue, gold universt) would be unfounded and 3 distinct nations would emerge!
A response from the devs would be nice. In my previous questions about what sort of definable roadmap goals the devs considered important before this games' 'release' (the marketing push when it comes), I received the reply that things needed to be 'right'. And this is obviously a very subjective area. I'm sure the devs are in the best position to choose this timing, but I think this is one of the key things that would make this game 'right'.
Sorry about the post hijack :P, but the community when drafting a list of cool places etc, should go much further to defining the more complete nature of our universe. What would a derelict UIT artifact look like? Compared to ancient itani or human technology?
Infinite Skillz
[edit] A final note: I know this may seem like a lot of work, but with the right direction our community is our greatest resource! Start embellishing the wiki today!
Yes this is a must for a game like this, becuase you can do any thing almost any way you want, there must be a few mysteries and artifacts to look at and ponder over.
The Fortress
Where:an empty sector in Eo
What:A Station with Amour and defensive cannons in a large clump of roids
Why:When Serco began bombing Eo they built the fortress to provide support for bombers and patrol craft, because of it concealment it would also serve as a last minute retret and flanking position for the Serco.When the bombing ended it was forgotton, the serco believed its purpose was served.Although still opperational hardly anyone pos there anymore.
And maybe this is a big asumption but maybe the artifacts dont have to be human.Maybe Remains of an extinct alien race that once inhabited this region.
The Fortress
Where:an empty sector in Eo
What:A Station with Amour and defensive cannons in a large clump of roids
Why:When Serco began bombing Eo they built the fortress to provide support for bombers and patrol craft, because of it concealment it would also serve as a last minute retret and flanking position for the Serco.When the bombing ended it was forgotton, the serco believed its purpose was served.Although still opperational hardly anyone pos there anymore.
And maybe this is a big asumption but maybe the artifacts dont have to be human.Maybe Remains of an extinct alien race that once inhabited this region.
Great Idea!
[Approved]
[Approved]
I completely agree, tourist. Remember that unimportant historical facts help a lot with immersion as well, given that most real life history is relatively unimportant. For example, WWI and its constituent battles are important historical events; however, the battles names+locations and the casualty figures are relatively unimportant (beyond "Europe" and "lots", which are important).
Yeah. See, e.g., EVN. Which I still tend to enjoy, gameplay wise rather than community, far more than VO... even as a 2d game, it is far more immersive than the 3d masterpiece that is VO. Depth. Of. Plot. Yarr!
oh boy, now I need to finish reading the backstory and start making recommendations...
Hear, hear, Dr. Lecter.
I love that game.
I love that game.
oh hush, before Cap'n Hector lays down the law on y'all.
I'll take Luso's modified Raven to his arse! FIVE CPL's, baby! FIVE!!
If you were going to write something, Cunjo, I would suggest starting with the terribly under-embellished Serco expansion from Sol II to current day. What stations came first? Did any fall by the wayside? How has the Hive been handled?
ctishman » A radio telescope in Helios would be rather pointless. Deneb on the other hand, would be most useful as the signals being recieved would have originated on Earth around the time of the wormhole pahse shift.
OK I want to see some pictures! Lets put Lebers photoshop **cough** talent to use...
Sorry about posting under my other account. Thats a trial account I started to check back in with the VO universe. I'll be activating my old account as soon as my uni exams finish, or broadband becomes more widely available in Australia, or I move to Canada... Whichever comes first :\
Infinite Skillz
Sorry about posting under my other account. Thats a trial account I started to check back in with the VO universe. I'll be activating my old account as soon as my uni exams finish, or broadband becomes more widely available in Australia, or I move to Canada... Whichever comes first :\
Infinite Skillz
/me is surprised no one's mention the Goliath Cannon yet. /me really wants to see them.
Yeah! (BTW Heya Skillz, you back yet?)
I agree with Beolach, Goliath cannons as undamageable station-like objects floating in Deneb C-12 would be kickass.
Even better, periodically/randomly they FIRE, and if you're doing BP, don't get caught up in the stream of massive energy.
Harry Seldon's crusade for "space junk/empty stations" should probably go in here as well.
Plus astronomical oddities, etc. would be kickass. Nebulas! (HA HA I put nebulas in there to see if Celebrim is still around)
I agree with Beolach, Goliath cannons as undamageable station-like objects floating in Deneb C-12 would be kickass.
Even better, periodically/randomly they FIRE, and if you're doing BP, don't get caught up in the stream of massive energy.
Harry Seldon's crusade for "space junk/empty stations" should probably go in here as well.
Plus astronomical oddities, etc. would be kickass. Nebulas! (HA HA I put nebulas in there to see if Celebrim is still around)
/me disagrees on the Goliath Cannon being undamagable. They should be destructable - just very, very difficult to destroy. The same with stations.
Celkan: True, but it wasn't built to watch Earth. It was built to watch the Serco. Now, since it can't really be pointed at either them or the UIT without causing a diplomatic incident, and the Itani aren't too hot to have it pointing at them, they just point it into open space and hope to hear something from home.
The Ark
Location: All over Itani space
What: After depositing the Itani on their homeworld, the Ark was orbited around Itan until, in his dying days, Eo himself asked to be ferried aboard the ancient hulk that was his birthplace, and left in peace. All was quiet until four days after Eo disappeared onboard. The ancient engines spun to life, and the Ark left Itan slowly.
The monks, unable to restrain themselves any longer, docked with it and sent an expedition through its ancient, echoing corridors to find their leader. Eo was found in the control room, dead. He had entered a course into the computer and destroyed the terminal's input-output box. The monks laid him to rest in the Ark, and ordered that it be accompanied in its travels by an honor guard fleet of six modern cruisers.
Nobody knows where it's going, or how long it will take to get there. There are many theories and rumors, the most prevalent of which is that the Ark is on its way to a new wormhole that will bring the Itani home to Earth. It is thus of vital national importance that it be protected. Of course, so far all it's done is mysteriously run from one end of Itani space to the other every year or so, but that never deterred the ship's followers.
The Ark
Location: All over Itani space
What: After depositing the Itani on their homeworld, the Ark was orbited around Itan until, in his dying days, Eo himself asked to be ferried aboard the ancient hulk that was his birthplace, and left in peace. All was quiet until four days after Eo disappeared onboard. The ancient engines spun to life, and the Ark left Itan slowly.
The monks, unable to restrain themselves any longer, docked with it and sent an expedition through its ancient, echoing corridors to find their leader. Eo was found in the control room, dead. He had entered a course into the computer and destroyed the terminal's input-output box. The monks laid him to rest in the Ark, and ordered that it be accompanied in its travels by an honor guard fleet of six modern cruisers.
Nobody knows where it's going, or how long it will take to get there. There are many theories and rumors, the most prevalent of which is that the Ark is on its way to a new wormhole that will bring the Itani home to Earth. It is thus of vital national importance that it be protected. Of course, so far all it's done is mysteriously run from one end of Itani space to the other every year or so, but that never deterred the ship's followers.
The Ark is still on Itan, it never launched after it landed on Itan (and it did land, it didn't stay in orbit). Eo's body is interred near the Ark, but not in it.
http://www.vendetta-online.com/h/storyline_section5.html
AD2691
... With a ponderous groan, the Ark pierced the light clouds and landed without incident. ...
AD2751
Itan has begun to flourish in greenery and life. Farms have popped up in many places around Armand. The Ark, resting in its permanent position on the far side of a small river from the city, has had a beautiful park built around it. ...
AD2793
At age one hundred and four, Eo passes away. On the evening of his death, still fit and of very sound mind, he informs his students that he will no longer be available to teach them. However, he states his belief that they have understood the meaning and spirit of his ideas, and he hopes they will cling to that spirit rather than to the pedantic specifics of his words. With that he thanks them and goes to his meditation chamber. His body was discovered the next morning.
The planet of Itan mourns its gentle hero. His body is interred in a memorial near the Ark, not far from the statue of James Armand.
http://www.vendetta-online.com/h/storyline_section5.html
AD2691
... With a ponderous groan, the Ark pierced the light clouds and landed without incident. ...
AD2751
Itan has begun to flourish in greenery and life. Farms have popped up in many places around Armand. The Ark, resting in its permanent position on the far side of a small river from the city, has had a beautiful park built around it. ...
AD2793
At age one hundred and four, Eo passes away. On the evening of his death, still fit and of very sound mind, he informs his students that he will no longer be available to teach them. However, he states his belief that they have understood the meaning and spirit of his ideas, and he hopes they will cling to that spirit rather than to the pedantic specifics of his words. With that he thanks them and goes to his meditation chamber. His body was discovered the next morning.
The planet of Itan mourns its gentle hero. His body is interred in a memorial near the Ark, not far from the statue of James Armand.