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Michiel
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Aren't there PC-aliens? (PC=Player Character) And are all aliens bipeds? I don't think they all should be. There should be StarTrek-species8472-like aliens too.
And I think spaceships should be able to attack planets. Spaceships aren't so big that they can destroy an entire planet, and planets can be defended with shielding, suborbital thingies, etc. No problem, I think.
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Leland
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I vote no to player controlled aliens. That would make the game world too "trekkie"... all the species would have to be on pretty much the same tech level, and I don't think that having a different number of limbs or bodily orifices makes up for that.
As for the aliens in the background story, I think that humans/players need not know what they look like exactly... the more mysterious, the better. If they do show up during the game, there should be absolutely no landing crafts or land units, only big-ass spacecrafts that either mean trouble or help.
Bad aliens = bye bye planet
Good aliens = phew!
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Gateway103
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Oi... hrm... aliens...
Hmm... jump to the last section for the conclusion if you don't want to read through my babbling 
Ok, in the original draft version of the "Exodus," two alien species were featured.
The first was the Drazans. Little is know about this enigmatic race (by humans or any other known alien species), save that they are ancient, technologically advanced, and for whatever reasons, appeared to want to exterminate all other sentient life in the galaxy (as far as other species can guess).
What attacked Earth actually was but a Drazan "probe" or "scout ship," which was unmanned. The probe/scout ship wasn't made or designed specifically to eradicate the humans, rather, these ships search each star system one by one, and destroy any sentient civilizations they detected (humans just happen to be in this solar system when the probe visted it). The humans then , of course, never got to meet their enemies, and consequently knew very little about them. But let me just hinted that it is a good thing that humans aren't attracting the Drazans' attention.
The second alien species featured was the Tal'Shians. They saved Earth from the probe ship, and advised the humans to evacuate Earth, should addition Drazans forces come to investigate the loss of their probe. The Tal'Shians then constructed large transport vessels to help the humans move to various star systems in the idea that it is better to not put all your eggs in one basket (this plot development allows human empires starting in different star systems, providing that they survived on those planets, hint hint.) [Disclaimer: this part is still subject to revision. I am thinking of changing this part of the story, especially the method of transportation. But nevertheless, the humans will move.)
The Tal'Shians are not alone in their effort to oppose the Drazans. There is this alliance of a few advanced alien species, whose mandate is to defeat the Drazans, and protect the less developed species from being eradicated. (The fact that it was the Tal'Shians that helped Humans is simply because their territory is the closest, the others are much farther away) Sadly, despite their valiant efforts, they aren't always successful. Many civilizations have been destroyed, and more will follow (including themselves), unless some final solution is found.
The scope of this game, as I envisioned it, will of course not offer a solution to the Drazan predictment. Unless we are having a game of epic scale where humans go from a barely interstellar capable species, to be on par with the Alliance, and finally achieved what the Alliance couldn't do in many centuries, in one entire game. Possible, but we can discuss this later if anyone's interested.
Anyway, if the game is not just in one planet/system but multiple systems (a sector of the galaxy is what I'm thinking), the players may need to deal with the Drazans in the latter case. Certainly in the latter case the Tal'Shians and possibly their friends may make appearances and/or be an important player.
Nevertheless, since the Alliance have been in the business of protecting less developed civilizations (lol), it is save to say that they have, on several occasions, the need to evacuate an entire species (or as much of the members of those species as feasible). But since good habitats for these varying species don't come in unlimited quantities, it is a good bet that some of them may be relocated to the same system or even the same planet. Therefore, feel free to use your imagination in cooking up these alien species.
Conclusion
Ok, so basically I am saying you can design any alien species, whose technological capability range from primative to at most barely interstellar capable (the upper limit depends on the game scope). These aliens can be on the same planet as the humans, and, if the game scope is larger, be on their own planets/systems as well.
And btw, most likely the Tal'Shians (the good alien if you didn't read the babbling above) will interact with humans only through space ships or diplomatic channels. If the game scope is large enough, however, perhaps you may see Tal'Shian ground units too, but that's it for now...
As for the Drazans (the bad alien if you will), if they ever appear, it will just be in forms of space ships (unless we are talking about epic game scale... read above).
-Gateway103
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Leland
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Why would they want to trade with us? If they wanted raw resources, they could've colonized (or disassembled...) the planets themselves instead of making them a human zoo. Surely there's nothing we can offer them technologically. Maybe they might be mildly interested in art and culture, but even that would cheapen their presence in my opinion.
On the other hand, it does kind of make sense for them to give freebies in form of "goody huts" or equivalent.
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Leland
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For Tal'Shians to ask humans for help would be like US asking for a small South-American tribe to help them beat Hitler by reasoning "we need every bow and arrow and pointy stick we can get". Humans are like ants compared to these folks (or, at least they should be... anything less and it's just pathetic) and what they consider "war" is quite likely to be beyond our comprehension.
Anything we can do, they can do better, even the "dirty work". Why send a child to do a man's job?
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Gateway103
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To be sure, the Tal'Shians and the Alliance did not like interferring with the natural development of any species. They had to intervene, however, because of the Drazan threat. Bearing that, they will not give humans too much advance technology save those needed to ensure the human's suvival and future prosperity on those unfamiliar planets.
Regarding the Alliance-Drazan-"War". This is a strange war, to be sure. [Spoiler info not included below ] As eluded above, the Alliance knew little of the Drazans either. They have never seen a live Drazan, or a dead one for that matter (all Drazans' vessels, as far as those the Alliance have ever fought with, were unmanned). And the Alliance have little ideas as to where the Drazan's actual bases of operations are located.
Bearing that, the Alliance do know that the Drazans are highly advanced, for if engaging in space battles, ship class to ship class, the Alliance will lose almost every time. Only through sheer number and outclassing enemy ship-size do the Alliance stands a chance. Fortunately, for some reasons, no Drazan ships bigger than a Light Cruiser have ever showed up, and they tend to be solitary or accompanied by only a small handful of other vessels.
Just a little bit of (not most intriguing) info on Drazans ^_^
-Gateway103
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Gateway103
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I have a few things to add about the "third species," or more specifically, aliens that are at most as advance as (or just a bit more advance, not too much) the humans that may live independently or share system/planet with the humans (probably due to the Alliance's moving effort).
It may be possible to incorporate these "third species" in ones faction/empire. Depending on your faction policies and ideologies, these "third species" may be treated as equals, or less so. And having these "third species" as members of your faction/empire may have interesting benefit/detriment and surprises (good and nasty).
Note conversely, it may also be possible to have humans as citizens (or less) in an alien faction/empire (you better think twice before you nuke that settlement to oblivion, especially if half of the population may be humans ).
Just a thought.
-Gateway103
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targon
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Dolgoprudny, Moscow region
Nov 2002
time: 08:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Leland
For Tal'Shians to ask humans for help would be like US asking for a small South-American tribe to help them beat Hitler by reasoning "we need every bow and arrow and pointy stick we can get". Humans are like ants compared to these folks (or, at least they should be... anything less and it's just pathetic) and what they consider "war" is quite likely to be beyond our comprehension.
Anything we can do, they can do better, even the "dirty work". Why send a child to do a man's job? |
Ups! You still think it was US who defeated Hitler... Propaganda does wonders, isn't it?
You see, human warriors (after training form early youth and possible even cyborgization/genengeneering) may adopt many of alien warfare. You see, humans fight at least last 50,000 years and we're well suited for that activity. So aliens may employ humans as guerilla soldiers, shock troops, guard, police and whatever they like due to very big bang/buck ratio. Of course, ancient, long-living civilization will appreciate their costly soldiers much more than one-time human meat. For reference, look at M.A.X., indeed good TBS strategy (greatly spoiled by terrific sequel M.A.X. 2)
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Leland
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BTW care to summarize how this M.A.X game you mentioned deals with the situation? A quick google search was unfruitful...
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targon
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Dolgoprudny, Moscow region
Nov 2002
time: 08:25
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I needn't any Googles: I played this game thru several times and can find things by touch
The story of the game is the following:
The Galaxy is filled with sentient life; dozens of ancient, highly advanced civilizations. This civilizations are always resource-hungry, so they do need new worlds. Due to numerous terrific accidents, it was said that nobody can employ spaceborn weapons, nukes and other WMD in planetary conflicts. So everyone was ordered to use ordinary warfare to conquer that disperately needed worlds.
But that long-lived, highly developed civilizations were unwilling to lose their sacred lives in all-out low-tech battles, so they need someone to send instead.
And, as usual, it was human butt that was kicked. Aliens find Earth via its radio transmissions; at this time, humans were plagued by numerous environmental and social cataclysmes, so they were readily agreed to defend alien cause... not all, but enough.
So alient joint-stock venture created enormous base ships, moving at STL speeds, as human body is unable to withstand FTL jumps other than in hybernation. This ships become training and breeding grounds for human factions and almost endless shock troops supply for their respective alien sponsors.
The game begins then several human clans (more strictly speaking, several M.A.X. commanders, cyborgs specialy crafted to withstand FTL jumps and command battles from the orbit) begin a mutiny agains alien sponsors in order to attain "civilization" status for humans. Man, it was hard.
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24-01-2003 19:46
Its put quite clearly.
The point was that Hitler was not defeated with pointy sticks imported from South American jungles, even though the allied stick-sharpening technology was very advanced.
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