Archive for March 2, 2006

Its been a long time since I’ve bothered with an over of the Quantum Star SE universe. I doubt even long time QS players even remember any reference to it. But here goes a quick synopsis.

Quantum Star SE is set in a future timeline, roughly 250 years in the future. It’s a galaxy where various alien species are recovering from an attack, 250 years ago, by a mysterious alien species commonly referred to as the “Grey Ones” who launched a campaign of genocide against all sentient species. Humanity barely survived the assault rebuilding their civilisation along conservative lines under the control of the Sol Authority. Over time they’ve grown a bit of a superiority streak (along with the rest of the surviving Galaxy) because they survived the rash of attacks and engineered plagues designed to eradicate them.

Along with the Humans, several other races have reached a stage of long distance space exploration. They’re all pretty high on the idea that their civilisations are the superior ones – everyone else are just non-entities. As Humans start the first round of colonisation, the other species quickly follow suit. The result of course is chaos.

Now being a story based fellow, a lot of game features will act to support that general worldview. There will be Races available in QSE, though probably optional since traditional QS was a purely Human affair. Still, it will be a large set of features that are well supported. And of course adding new Races will be as simple as adding new Resources – just add a database entry and have fun.

This also allows a little random streak in the game. Who are these Grey Ones? Have they left odd stuff around the Galaxy waiting for lucky players to find – you get the idea. A little surprise and luck never hurt a game.

Since we have races, it also opens the possibility of Factions, something I wrote about before on the Solar Empire forums that was in planning. Factions and Races would form the basis of a matrix measure of faction alignment. You can be aligned by race, but also by faction. This would also hinge a few feature like alignment specific facilities and services. Afterall you can’t expect to access a Blackmarket unless the Pirates think you’re not one of those pansy Sol Authority sidekicks .

Both Races and Factions would eventually allow some minor bonus attributes. These would get added (or deducted) from your ship attributes. Their overall effect would probably be limited to 5% of the maximum attribute ranking possible, valuable when starting a game, but much less so as the game progresses (higher your attribute grows, the less a bonus contributes overall).

If you follow that trail of thought it suggests enabling professions as a Faction property. And also suggests a Faction alignment modifer based on in-game actions. For example you could start as a Level 1 Pirate, run around blackmarkets and drop raiding player ships on the side. After a while you could go legit, buy off your bounty, start trading and wind up a Level 1 Pirate (0), Level 4 Merchant (+60). In English, a neutral aligned Pirate, and a positive aligned Merchant. Of course because Factions oppose this could translate to alignment Pirate -60, Merchant +60 – i.e. the Pirates have decided they don’t like you since you’re a Merchant, their traditional prey.

Maybe this little braindump will offer a preview of things to come and give people an insight to how I approach QSE’s game design.

As a sort of other braindump, I recently wrote out an introduction piece for one of the possible new Races. I’ll only be adding 2 or 3 for development work but here’s the intro for the insectoid Kalykk:

Listen, Sons and Daughters of Kalykk. It is I, your Emperor who speaks this day. Far from here our enemies lay in wait. The Humans expand outward from their blue-green world daring to set themselves against us. They are dangerous these Humans, fanatics who talk of wisdom and justice as they slaughter our brethren in their thousands!

And yet I have stayed the hand of true justice. For in my wisdom I have seen these pink-skinned monsters fail and fall back a defeated and lost race in due course. It is inevitable. We will have our vistory over these jumped up mammals! Why they only have two legs, the pitiful creatures!

But the Humans are but one such species! Remember the Dark Days! When the Grey Ones came to us masquerading as allies and friends. “Let us share our technology,” they said. “Let us be peaceful friends,” they said. Fools! We should have destroyed them and they diskships, and buried their foul flesh in lava holes to rot. But we did not, for we were young and sought peace – the arrogance of youthful idealism.

We are no longer weak! From the survivors of the Grey One’s final betrayal we have become a superior species, capable of feats beyond the imagination of the pink-skins! We will confound them as they seek to steal our rightful territory, terrify them in battle, and set them fleeing back to their ugly world with their furry mammal tails between their legs!

But let us not forget the others! The Grey Ones out there may be found. Or they may return, to destroy us all out of fear and ignorance! But that would their last mistake. We will kill them all, my Sons and Daughters, and I will be remembered forever in awe.

To you, noble warriors of Kalykk, I grant our finest ships. Take them with my blessing and set out into the Darkvoid to oppose those who dare challenge our supremacy. Do not falter or hesitate in your task. Destroy them wherever you find them. Subjugate their colonies, terrify their precious leaders!

But remember! You will not stray from your duty to me, your glorious Emperor. Obey my will in all things and you will be rewarded greatly. Disobey me, and your carapace will adorn the walls of the Imperial Nest for all my people to witness your shame!

Leave me! Go out into the Darkvoid and spread my will!